Victorian Catholic education member survey: other issues!
Our articles about the survey have focused on important specific issues. But the survey also revealed many important issues that cannot be easily categorised.
One common theme was the need to better support students with diverse needs – and their teachers!
A number of respondents suggested that current class size limits need to be reviewed, and should be based instead on a workload-based student weighting system, as with the NCCD.
For example, students with substantial needs could be weighted as the equivalent workload of three students, with behavioural complexity also factored in. This approach would more accurately reflect the actual demands of teaching and planning, and help to ensure that funding tied to particular students is used to directly support them.
There were also calls for schools to employ more allied health professionals – occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and psychologists – to better support NCCD implementation and diverse student needs.
Psychologists in schools hold advanced qualifications, often PhDs, and manage high-risk, complex mental health work with vulnerable students. However, some say their pay and conditions do not reflect the level or intensity of their responsibilities, which include assessments, crisis management, staff consultation, and program development.
Some Position of Leadership (POL) holders said they are overworked and under-supported, often fulfilling the duties of multiple previous roles but with reduced pay and time allocation. They said POL time release is insufficient, with some staff working over 70 hours per week. They called for workload reduction, proper job descriptions, and greater transparency around the determination of POL workloads and time allocations.
Read more results from our recent member survey:
Part-time teachers seek fairer load-to-time ratios, and payment for professional development and CRT work on non-rostered days.
Many senior teachers with decades of service report receiving no recognition or financial reward for their loyalty and longevity. Many who prefer to remain in the classroom rather than applying for leadership roles feel underpaid relative to their experience and contributions. Suggestions for dealing with this included a system of loyalty payments, salary progression beyond the current top scale or higher rates of superannuation or Long Service Leave for long-serving teachers.
Teachers who transition between Catholic and government schools currently lose accrued sick leave and long service leave. There was a call for portability of leave entitlements across sectors.
Some instrumental music and ICT staff said they are currently subject to casual and inequitable arrangements; their pay and conditions need standardisation.
There was a call for external diocesan liaisons to handle staff grievances, especially in cases involving subjective allegations.
Religious Education staff are required to complete 50 hours of additional training outside the 38-hour week. Mandatory professional compliance training, including child safety and disability requirements, is also often completed in unpaid time. It was pointed out that these additional workloads are neither acknowledged nor compensated.
It was suggested that schools should resource nutritious meal programs with dedicated staff, rather than adding to the workload of teaching staff.
Staff are also interested in wellbeing initiatives such as a four-day work week or nine-day fortnight. It was also strongly suggested that each term should include at least one teacher-directed planning day not controlled by leadership.
The words of members have proved a valuable resource for their union; we hope their input in bargaining is heeded as closely by their bosses!
