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- President Update
- Advocacy and Consultation
- ACER Preschool Outcomes Measures trial EOI closes 23 August 24
- Professional Learning: Save the date NTPA School Leader day 11 September
- Invitation to the 2024 Principals Health and Wellbeing Survey
- Affiliated National Associations
- NTPA AGM award nomintions
- Call for NT participants for national study by Deakin university and Dr Adam Fraser
- An Opportunity to Partner with Australian Schools Plus
- Other Professional Learning and Resources
- 2024 Half Price NTPA memberships
Dear Colleagues
Congratulations to Carolyn Edwards who will become the NTPA president for 2025-26. The president position is a 2 year term plus 1 year option and it has been an absolute privilege for me to serve as the president over the past 3 years. I know that Carolyn will continue to be a strong advocate and support for our NT school leaders, as a well-respected, long-term educator and principal of the NT. Other executive positions for the 2025-2026 term will be announced after the vice president primary elections. Voting closes this Friday at 4.30pm.
We are very pleased that the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA) and Bilateral agreement have been agreed to and signed off by the Commonwealth and NT Government. This confirms a commitment from both levels of Governments to achieve 100% of the SRS by 2029 for all NT schools. This is what the funding commitment will look like over the next 5 years.
As a jurisdiction which has been severely underfunded for many years, this will have a significant impact on our schools, especially those impacted by the Effective Enrolment Funding model. The additional funding in 2025 will be used for enrolment-based funding, EBA agreed measures and wage increases and maintenance of On-Country Learning for Central Australia schools.
The NT Government has signed Better and Fairer Schools Agreement which is a 10-year agreement between all state and territory jurisdictions and the Federal Government. Only the NT have signed so far, however WA has signed the Letter of Intent. Other jurisdictions have been offered a 22.5% (Federal) and 77.5% (State) Agreement but want a 25%/75% agreement.
The focus areas within the agreement include:
Equity and excellence – schools and education systems are equipped to provide all students with highly effective evidence-based teaching and equitable learning opportunities and support them to maximise their learning.
Wellbeing for learning and engagement – schools take a structured approach to wellbeing for learning in a way which reflects their school and learning environment, and students have a sense of belonging, safety and engagement with their learning.
A strong and sustainable workforce – the workforce is respected and continues to grow, and teachers and non-teaching school staff are supported to innovate and be at their best to ensure young Australians thrive in their education. A sustainable workforce means that the Australian community recognises the value teachers and school leaders bring to students, communities and the economy.
The Agreement includes the following key reforms:
- Year 1 phonics check and early years of schooling numeracy check to identify students who need additional help.
- Evidence-based teaching and targeted and intensive supports such as small-group or catch-up tutoring to help students who fall behind.
- Greater wellbeing support for learning and engagement, including through full-service schools, counsellors, wellbeing coordinators and mental health workers.
- Initiatives that help attract and retain teachers and school leaders, including rewarding and recognising experienced teachers to work in schools which need additional support.
- Providing access to high-quality and evidence-based professional learning for teachers and school leaders and providing quality-assured curriculum resources that have been developed in partnership with the teaching profession.
The Bilateral 5-year agreement reflects the initiatives and targets that the NT has agreed to as part of this funding agreement. The Bilateral Agreement is a very detailed document which identifies the NT commitment to drive educational reform. For example, all the recommendations in the Effective Enrolment and Secondary Reviews. Please see the attached copy here for detailed information.
With increased funding comes increased accountability, and greater transparency of this. By 2029 we need to:
- Increase the proportion of students with Year 12 (or equivalent) certification by 7.5%
- Increase Aboriginal employee numbers.
- Increase NT’s overall student attendance rate to 79.7%
- Improving proficiency levels for reading and numeracy by 10%
2025 Next Steps
Currently much planning is occurring to identify how funding will be distributed to schools, what will become centrally funded and school funded and how targets and measures will be tracked and monitored through school planning. Thank you to those members who are on the Reform School Voice Advisory group and providing valuable feedback. It is essential that principal voice is at the heart of this work.
National Principal Day
It was wonderful to see the well-deserved recognition our school leaders received on Friday 2nd August. Thank you for sharing your activities and recognition on social media and the NTPA Facebook page.
This week I spoke to a principal who had spent the day managing a complex family issue which cumulated in 3 children not feeling safe to go home. The principal and school leaders worked tirelessly to manage the situation at hand, navigating the complexity of working with cross agencies, trying to get the best outcome for the students’ care and wellbeing. It was a distressing story and one that I know you are all familiar with. This is the work that is not visible to others but takes a huge emotional toll on our school leaders. On behalf of the profession, we thank you for what you do every day, for the visible and invisible work, you deserve so much more recognition that you ever receive. And on that note let me remind you to practise self-care and look after your mental health and wellbeing.
Thank you to everyone who joined in the celebration and contributed to making the Australian Primary Principals’ Day such a success!!! If you did not see the videos find the links here:
Happy Principal from NTPA President
A message of support from the Federal Education Minister
EBA Offer/ Principal Salaries
It was pleasing to see an offer accepted by the AEU Exec before caretaker. This 12.9% salary increase is a win for our teachers and ongoing principals (PLO) but has raised questions about the lack of salary growth for executive contract principal (ECP).
For the past 12 months NTPA has been advocating for the disparity between ECP and PLO and ST salaries to be addressed. Furthermore, we have advocated for those ECPs on frozen contracts, requesting that this be removed. We have met with the OCPE Commissioner twice, written to the Education Minister and Chief Minister, and have had several conversations with key departmental leaders.
The answers we have received are:
- It would be unfair to relinquish the wage freeze to those ECP and ECO’s who took the wage freeze.
- It is not uncommon for front line workers’ salaries to surpass ECO salaries (as unions are able to negotiate better salary increases that what is offered through the NT Public Sector Agreement).
- The latest EBA offer (yet to be voted on) includes a review of the current principal employment structure. This includes reviewing the use of the Mercer Classification Tool as an instrument to classify a principal level.
- Support can be offered to ECP principals to move to ongoing employment to receive the EBA salary increases.
NTPA is committed to addressing this issue to find equitable solutions which will continue to attract and retain our principals.
It was a pleasure to visit our colleagues in Central Australia on National Principal Day and join in their celebrations. Not only did we celebrate their leadership but also the outcomes they have achieved so far with the additional $40 million funding. Central Australia schools showcased their work reflective of their commitment to impact learning and engagement outcomes for our children and young people.
Please take some time to reflect on the amazing work you do every day, the way you support your students, staff and community and the positive, tireless contributions you make to education.
Enjoy the next few weeks and I look forward to catching up at your PCL days.
Robyn Thorpe
NTPA Stakeholder Representation
- Reform School Voice Advisory Group
- SEAG (Stakeholder Education Advisory Group)
- Preschool Review launch and stakeholder briefing
- Principal Capability Framework (PCF) - Design Group
- Beyond SharePoint - School Business Requirements Review
- Conflict Resolution Framework and resources
- The Curriculum Assessment Reporting Certification Policy - implementation and support for our schools
- Review of principal pay structure for Executive Contracts
- Preschool Outcomes Measure: ACER consultation
- Youth Justice Steering Group
- Occupational Violence and Aggression in schools Reform Committee Meeting
- Education Engagement Strategy Governance and Implementation Committee meeting
- ACER concultation preschool outcomes measure trial
The Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) has been engaged to develop and trial a new national Preschool Outcomes Measure (POM) on behalf of all governments across Australia.
It is important the NT’s unique context, and the diversity of our children are well represented in the development of this new outcomes measure. It will help teachers and educators to understand preschool children’s learning in executive function and oral language and literacy, and to make informed decisions to plan for and support each child’s learning journey.
Expressions of interest (EOI) are being sought for the small-scale trial (SST) of the POM, commencing in October 2024.
Further information is provided in the pdf below and EOIs can be submitted here. EOIs close 23 August 2024.
NTPA are holding a second School Leaders Day on Wednesday 11th September at the Michael Long centre and streamed through TEAMS
The day will be facilitated by Robyn Thorpe and invited guests to present.
The main focus for the day will be:
- Managaing Finances
- Managing Legislative requirements
- Managing People
We all know the principal role is complex and demanding and we often neglect to act on the indicators that reflect our own wellbeing is diminishing.
I strongly recommend that every member completes the 2024 Australian School Leader Occupational Health & Wellbeing Survey.
This provides you with a personalised detailed report and tracks your health and wellbeing each year so that you have longitudinal data.
The Australian Principal Health & Wellbeing survey will be live from 26th August for new participant registrations at https://healthandwellbeing.org/AU
Ongoing participants should have received an email to complete this year’s survey.
Australian Government Primary Principals Association (AGPPA)
Carolyn Edwards and myself attended the August AGPPA meeting in Canberra. This was a great opportunity to connect with other presidents and vice presidents from each State and Territory to share our celebrations and hot topics including initiatives to attract and retain school leaders and the literacy expectations imposed by departments. We spent much time unpacking the Expert Panel Report to identify what has been included in the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, and what this means for schools and school leaders. This strategic work has helped form position papers as part AGPPA’s advocacy and influence as a national body representing 5300 school leaders.
I would like to highlight a project that the NSW Primary Principals Association has initiated The Anxiety Project. The program trains school staff to identify and manage student anxiety, leading to a significant reduction in anxiety levels. Teacher confidence increased from 43.8% to 66.4%, and the number of students reporting high anxiety dropped from 19.6% to 14.6%. The project emphasises helping children develop coping skills through practical techniques, with further expansions planned for 2025. A recent article on The Educator highlights the success of the Anxiety Project initiated by the NSW Primary Principals Association (NSWPPA).
Connect with AGPPA on their LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/australian-government-primary-principals-association/
Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA)
Congratulations to Angela Falkenberg has been elected as the APPA President for the next 2 years. Angela has been a long-term President of the SA Primary Principals Association and took on the APPA president role in 2023. At the August meeting, members worked constructively on developing positions statements in the areas of primary resourcing, principal workload and wellbeing, and curriculum and pedagogy.
At the Parliamentary Friends of Primary Education event, members were thanked by the Education Minister Jason Clare for their passion and commitment to primary education. This was followed by a talk by Professor Frank Oberklaid AM. Frank has been a guest speaker at many events and is a great advocate for investing in early years intervention.
Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA)
ASPA meetings are another great opportunity to connect with Secondary Association Presidents around the nation to discuss, share and learn about the strengths and challenges in each of our jurisdictions. The ASPA Board had the opportunity to meet with the Queensland Education Minister Honourable Di Farmer. It was pleasing to hear that she had a strong commitment to addressing principal workload and wellbeing.
All National Association Presidents recently attended a Roundtable with the Education Minister Jason Clare to discuss common issues and to elevate the voice of the profession. The Minister has agreed to a National Principals Advisory Group which will meet for advice on national education matters. We look forward to opportunities to be at the centre of important matters for our profession.
The NTPA AGM is when we acknowledge and recognise the outstanding work our leaders have contributed to the Association and profession.
The Award categories are Meritorious and Life Membership. Full criteria can be found in the attachments below.
The AGM has been eramarked to be on Friday 1 November after the leaders summit.
Please email awards nomintions to ntpa.admin@education.nt.gov.au by the end of term 3.
As educators it’s important to be aware that as we support students with trauma it then exposes us the educators to secondary trauma (commonly called vicarious trauma in the community).
This could include the distress of learning about the trauma experienced by a student or their family member and/or managing consequential behavioural changes within the school environment.
Historically educators are implementing trauma informed practice to better support the wellbeing and learning of students who have experienced trauma and there has been a lack of focus on the impact of this important work on ourselves, as educators.
Deakin University and Dr Adam Fraser have partnered up to further study this issue and are reaching out to capture the valuable voices of NT educators.
The survey is for all educators so please encourage your staff to participate.
The aim of this study is to answer four key questions:
- How prevalent is this issue in Australian schools?
- What are the key factors that lead to secondary trauma in educators?
- What are the strategies that are used to manage it?
- What strategies are most effective in minimizing the impact of secondary trauma?
COMPLETE THIS QUICK 10 MINUTES SURVEY BY SCANNING THE QR CODE OR CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW.
There is also an option at the end of the survey to participate in an interview with a senior researcher at Deakin University. This important part of the research will allow us to identify what are some of the key factors that are helpful in managing and mitigating the impact of vicariously experiencing trauma.
If you would like to learn more the website is here https://www.theflourishmovement.com/secondary-trauma
Here is the link to latest relevant episode on The Flourish Podcast https://www.theflourishmovement.com/the-flourish-movement-podcast/s2-ep6
Thank you for taking the time to do this survey and sending it through to your staff. It is crucial NT educators are heard in this space.
From now until 9 September 2024, schools can apply for a Partnership Opportunity with national not-for-profit, Australian Schools Plus.
The Partnership Opportunity is available for strategic initiatives that aim to improve outcomes for children and young people in specific subject areas or address challenges your school has identified.
Opportunity includes:
- Funding: Essential financial support for a single year (one) or multiple years (three)
- Coaching: Expert guidance and mentorship to help with project design and implementation
- Program Management: Comprehensive planning, execution and evaluation
Schools Plus believes all children and young people have the right to equal opportunities in their education and that school communities are best placed to identify the strategies that will help their students succeed.
Eligible schools must have an Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) below 1000. Most schools with School Type = Special as per My School are eligible. Schools with no (zero) ICSEA value must contact Schools Plus to determine eligibility. Both individual and clusters of schools can apply, across all states and sectors in Australia.
For more information, visit www.schoolsplus.org.au/for-schools/partnership-opportunities.
Make sure you check out this month's EC GO1 dashboard here.
Michael Healy’s recent webinar aimed at year 12 students was over-subscribed and as a result many missed out. We received hundreds of questions from students and parents and it is clear that there is much anxiety around post school pathways. We have therefore scheduled a repeat of the event for 28 August. We encourage you to share the details with your networks to help alleviate some of those concerns.
Sign up for myfuture’s free upcoming webinars early to ensure that you don’t miss out on these interesting career development topics.
Suitable for school leavers, teachers, parents and carers:
Navigating your post-school plans with confidence | Wednesday 28 August, 7:00pm AEST
Presented by Dr Michael Healy
For teachers and career practitioners:
Sustainable Development Goals to enhance career education | Tuesday 10 September, 12:00pm AEST
Presented by Assistant Professor Candy Ho
For teachers, career practitioners, parents and carers:
Coping with emotional challenges in career development - R U OK? Day 2024 | Thursday 12 September, 1:00pm AEST
Presented by Dr Michael Healy and Jill Wilson from the Student Wellbeing Hub
For teachers, career practitioners, parents and carers:
The many ingredients of employability: The Employability Capital Growth Model | Tuesday 19 November, 12:00pm AEDT
Presented by Associate Professor William E. Donald
We hope that you can join us for any/all of the above events: https://myfuture.edu.au/assist-others/webinars
The Australian Teacher Workforce Survey is part of the Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) initiative and is the biggest survey of the teaching profession in Australia.
on 2nd August the TRB have sent an indidual link to all educators to fill in the survey. Keep and eye out as reminder email will be sent in the next few weeks.
Application Deadline: Friday, September 6, 2024
Registration: Via our website here
Share the 'Ask R U OK? Any Day' message in your community
In three weeks we'll be marking R U OK?Day, our National Day of Action (12 September) and the most important message you can help us share is to remind everyone to Ask R U OK? Any Day, because life happens every day.
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Click on this link to complete the online form or email ntpa.admin@education.nt.gov.au for more information.