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- President Update
- Advocacy
- NTPS Non-Contract Principals, Teachers and Assistant Teachers’ Enterprise Agreement Negotiations
- Professional Learning
- Thank you
- Teaching in the Territory Excellence Awards
- Congratulations
- NTPA AGM award nominations - Due Now
- Australian Teacher Workforce Study
- Invisible labour: Principals’ emotional labour in volatile times
- Invitation to the 2024 Principals Health and Wellbeing Survey
- Call for NT participants for national study by Deakin university and Dr Adam Fraser
- Unlocking a Bright Future: The Power of the First 1000 Days
- AGPPA celebrates 30 years
- Other Professional Learning and Resources
- Renew now for 2025
Dear Colleagues
Being part of our Association is critical to ensuring that our school leaders have a collective voice which represents the interests of all. NTPA are key stakeholders in our organisation and play a strong advocacy role with strategic partnerships with Education Minister/s and Department Heads. We encourage all school leaders to join so that your voice can be represented as we start our advocacy work with the new Government. Membership is now free for the remainder of the year if you join for 2025. Please encourage members of your leadership team to join, to ensure a strong and collective voice.
I would like to acknowledge the past Government for their positive efforts to work collaboratively with NTPA to address our issues and concerns. In particular we would like to acknowledge our past CE Karen Weston for allowing NTPA to have a strong voice and working relationship with our department. Our biggest win has been getting a funding agreement which addresses the underfunding of schools in the NT over the past 10 years under the last NRSA, and removal of effective enrolment as a measure for funding.
NTPA are looking forward to working with the new Government to ensure funding is secure, equitable and transparent, and supports schools to deliver the best possible outcomes for our diverse student cohorts.
We also congratulate and welcome our acting CE Susan Bowden, who NTPA has a strong working relationship with. We appreciate the knowledge and expertise she brings of the issues which impacts our schools, and we look forward to working collaboratively on delivering the Reform Agenda, including the Funding and Secondary Review. NTPA are represented on the Reform School Voice Advisory Group and providing feedback and input into the reform agenda for 2025 onwards.
Last week, NTPA facilitated a School Leaders Day to build leader knowledge and capacity. Members appreciated the opportunity to connect with Susan Bowden and share their biggest concerns. It was reassuring to hear that as we become the Department of Education and Training, there is no intention to restructure or to make significant changes to our current agency structure.
Learning which occurred on the day included:
A debrief from the new TRB Director Debra Bateman on the national workforce trend data. Debra spoke about the increasing number of Authority to Teach (ATT) teachers and how to mitigate the challenges that this presents for school leaders. Members were also reminded that ATT applications would be scrutinised thoroughly to prevent a decline in teacher quality.
Hayley Green and Hulus Hasan from Education, Leadership, Culture and Care (ELCC) provided a presentation on how leaders will be supported through End to End Recruitment. This process is a collaborative one to help support school leaders with the administrative tasks of recruitment. See the flow chart below.
Please down load a copy of the end to end recruitment process here:NTPA, as part of the Reform School Voice Advisory Group are working with ELCC and Deloitte to implement a Strategic Workforce Plan Framework. This will be critical for school leaders making decisions about the workforce needs of their schools and an opportunity to think differently about what expertise might be required to meet the needs of your school, as more funding comes into school budgets. This may include an Operations Manager, who can support you and your Business Manager, an Engagement Officer, additional Senior Teachers, Literacy, Numeracy or EAL/D coaches, media and marketing manager, Allied Health professionals, etc. Principals will be required to think strategically about expenditure of the additional funding, as recruiting additional teachers will be a challenge. As part of this process, ELCC will provide a suite of Job Descriptions so that schools do not need to start from scratch and will support your eRecruit requirements.
Investigations and Complaints – this session was presented by Krissy Breed and Yvonne Sundmark from Quality Assurance Services. It was an opportunity for school leaders to gain a deeper understanding of ICAC investigations, and the importance of understanding legislation and polices which educators must follow. As school leaders there is a raft of legislation that applies to education and it is important we understand what we are responsible for and what we are delegated to be responsible for.
If you have not read the Delegations document, I recommend that you become familiar with this document.
Elearn link: Schedule C – Procurement and Contract Delegations (ntschools.net)
PDF copy:
Remember you can delegate a task but you can’t delegate responsibility.
To mitigate risk ensure you implement systems and processes in your school
- Manage Conflicts of Interest and avoid Conflicts of Interest.
- Know NTG and DoE policies, systems and training requirements
- Document your decisions and follow the Good Decision Making Guide
Congratulations NTPA 2025 Executive
NTPA are proud to announce the incoming Executive for 2025-26.
- Carolyn Edwards- President
- Joe Hewett – Vice-President Secretary
- Penny Wiley- Vice-President Primary
- Jane Arnott – Secretary
- Sarah Corry- Treasurer
They will be joined by the region Chapter Chairs:
- Leah Crockford- Darwin
- Cindy Mclaren- Top End
- Joe Hewett- Arnhem
- Stephen Nimmo- Barkly
- Jane Arnott- Big Rivers
- Joanne Alford- Central
Chapter Chairs are elected by Chapter members in Term 1 each year.
The incoming NTPA Executive will be welcomed and endorsed at the NTPA AGM to be held on Friday 1st November, immediately following the close of the 24 Leaders’ Summit. Following a short AGM, NTPA will be hosting a networking and celebration event at the Waterfront.
Carolyn Edwards will begin her presidency from Term 4 2024, whilst I take leave before finishing in the role at the end of 2024.
Robyn’s Message
It has been a great privilege to represent all school leaders in the NT, to be your voice, to represent the interests of school leaders, to be a support when you have needed it, to provide you with information and guidance and to provide feedback on your behalf to many in and outside of our organisation, at both a local and national level.
I have made many connections and friendships along the way and am incredibly proud of the work of our school leaders, your commitment, your dedication, and passion. Each day you make a difference to the outcomes of our students by creating the conditions in your school to support staff, families and students, never underestimate this! Being a school leader is the most rewarding job I have ever done, and I will always be in awe of those who make the decision to become a principal. Please stay connected.
I look forward to catching up at the NTPA AGM following the Leaders' Summit.
Thank you all for your support, collegiality and advocacy.
Robyn
Robyn Thorpe
NTPA have been strong proactive advocates to have the compounding issue of principal salaries addressed, particularly the diminishing value of an Executive Contract Principal. NTPA intends to continue to work with the Department and Minister to address this issue.
NTPA recently conducted a survey to gauge the interest of ECP’s to return to PLO status. The biggest barrier for principals is the need to leave a Defined Benefits Superannuation Scheme to become an Ongoing Principal. We have asked the Department to provide financial and executive contract advice to principals. If you are considering moving from a ECP to a PLO, please reach out for financial advice. We appreciate that if the EBA offer is passed then, the attractiveness of a ECP package diminishes. ECP’s are not covered under the EBA offer, although there is a commitment to Review the Classification Structure.
For those who are thinking about taking on a principal level position, please see attached documentation which we have compiled which helps to differentiate between the benefits of a ECP and PLO. All new principals have a Choice of Employment.
Please remind all eligible staff to vote by 10.30am Thursday 19th September.
This is a “Frequently Asked Questions” section on the website.
https://aeunt.org.au/campaign/bargaining-ntps-educators-enterprise-agreement
NTPA School Leaders Day
NTPA are gauging interest to conduct this workshop in other regions. Please reach out to your Chapter Chair to discuss or contact ntpa.president@education.nt.gov.au
BTS Sparks Build your Personal Resilience online workshops.
NTPA recently concluded a series of 4 online workshops to support members across the NT. The aim of these workshops was to develop strategies and tools to build personal resiliency including:
- Become more aware of your state and how triggers can impact you and to identify your typical ‘Mindtraps’.
- Learn a practical tool for managing your state when under pressure in order to handle difficult relationships with greater ease, so they don’t drain you.
- Reflect on what brings you motivation and job satisfaction and how you can bring more of this into your workday.
- Get clear on your ‘winning formula’ for work-life
Sue Fisher has dutifully served as the NTPA representative on the Teacher Registration Board (TRB) since 2020.
As Sue's 4 year term comes to close on the 10 October, NTPA would like to thank Sue for her continuous commiment to improve teaching and learning and a strong voice for the profession.
We appreciate the dedication and commitment Sue has made to our profession and have been grateful for her time and expertise representing NTPA on the TRB.
Congratulations to Joanne Alford who has been selected to be the next NTPA TRB representative from the 11th October.
Congratulations to all school leaders who have been nominated and shortlisted for the 2024 Teach in the Territory Excellence Awards. It is a great privilege to be recognised for the outstanding achievements we make within our schools. I know many of you make positive contributions at a system level as well, serving the profession proudly and well deserving of this recognition. Good luck to all shortlisted finalists.
You can view the list of finalists on the website here.
Congratulations to Sarah Corry who recently received a Teaching Fellow Award. Sarah received her award from Federal Education Minister Jason Clare in Canberra. Read about Sarah’s great achievements here Sarah Corry - Australian Schools Plus
NTPA congratulates and thanks Kate Robarts for her many years of service to schools, students, teachers and leaders in the NT. Kate is thanked for her 45 years of serivce to the profession as a highly respected school and system leader.
Best wishes for the next phase of your career.
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 will be on Friday 1st November after the leaders summit.
Please email awards nomintions to ntpa.admin@education.nt.gov.au
by COB Friday 4 October 2024
It is essential that the NT has as many teachers and leaders as possible participate in this short national survey. This data provides evidence of the trends and issues which are evident during this time of teacher shortages.
Each year registered teachers and leaders across schools and early childhood settings are asked to share their experiences and challenges of working in the profession through the Australian Teacher Workforce Survey. The more teachers we hear from, the richer our understanding of the current teaching experience.
Please encourage your teachers to participate. Individual log ons have been emailed via the TRB
It will gather data on:
- How many teachers we have
- How many graduates get jobs
- The types of contracts teachers are employed under
- Teacher career paths and experiences
- How many teachers are entering and leaving the profession.
The survey will ask about:
- your wellbeing and job demands
- your hours – the time you spend teaching and preparing to teach
- your career intentions – whether you plan to stay in the profession
- your workforce arrangements – including your contractual arrangements and working hours.
Check your individual email from the TRB for the link to the survey
Thanks to those who have already participated in the Australian Teacher Workforce Survey – it really helps to build our understanding of the workforce, and how it changes, over time.
If you would like to participate in further research, you can find more information on the Monash-led research project ‘Invisible labour: Principals’ emotional labour in volatile times,’ which examines the emotional labour of principals managing school communities in socially volatile times click here.
We encourage all school leaders to complete this survey as the data provides clear evidence of the impact of the demands and complexity of the job on school leaders’ wellbeing and health. This data, which is released next March, is used by our Associations to advocate for meaningful action from our Departments and Ministers of Education.
This survey also 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 is open for new participant registrations at https://healthandwellbeing.org/AU
Past and ongoing participants should have received an email to complete this year’s survey.
Survey is open until Sunday 6 October 2024
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.
Please share: Six Newsletter articles for families to include in school newsletters
Thrive with Five
APPA’s Strategic Plan has a goal of Influencing Primary Education and includes attention to making the first 1000 days of life the best possible.
The attached images and text form six articles for sharing with school communities over the next term or so.
Why is this important?
AEDC data, member anecdotal & quantitative data, community trends and health data tell us that while the first 1000 days of a child's life, (from conception to two years of age), is an important foundational period which shapes their development and wellbeing, not all children have supportive environments in these early years.
By sharing messages about this importance period in life via existing networks, APPA can build on its 2019 ‘Thrive with Five’ paper developed with Prof Frank Oberklaid and assist in building community and family capability.
We are asking primary school leaders to share these messages through school newsletters.
In doing so, we form a powerful network around our most precious resource: Australia’s children and the families that nurture them.
Angela Falkenberg
President
Australian Primary Principals Association
It was great to connect with our Territory and State Association Presidents and Vice Presidents in Canberra and celebrate 30 years of the Australian Government Primary Principals' Association (AGPPA).
An important part of our work is to Connect and Advocate, and to identify solutions to our collective challenges.
Click here for latest news from APPA
For many school leaders, the many pressures of the job can feel heavier at the end of term than they do at the beginning.
The combination of accumulative workload, staff and student fatigue, high-stakes decisions, external demands, event coordination, and emotional exhaustion, can coalesce to create a heightened sense of urgency and responsibility – and that’s the last thing leaders need before heading into a well-earned break.
I am excited to announce that the future of Educational Non-verbal Communication is in great hands! Our daughter, Krista Grinder-Dettloff, is taking the helm at Michael Grinder and Associates.
Read the full article here.
What is Agent C?
Agent C is a free workshop program designed to address the growing issue of online fake news and conspiracy theories, particularly on hateful and divisive narratives. The program empowers students with the skills and knowledge to challenge harmful conspiracy theories and fake news, while fostering critical thinking and encouraging stimulating conversations among peers.
Why is this important?
Research shows that exposure to online fake news and disinformation is happening at increasingly younger ages, making it more important than ever to equip students with the skills they need to navigate the digital landscape safely and critically.
What’s new?
Thanks to generous funding from Deutsche Bank, we've tailored our program specifically for students aged 12-14, addressing their unique needs and vulnerabilities. The newly updated 2-hour Agent C program is now available for Year 7 and 8 students across Australia, completely free of charge until the end of 2024!
The program offers a great mix of both media and racial literacy. We are currently taking applications from schools that are interested in participating. We would greatly appreciate it if you could share this opportunity with your school network, fellow principals and teachers. For more information and to apply, please visit https://alltogethernow.org.au/training-and-workshops/agent-c-for-aged-12-14
