As the 2020 school year closes it is timely to reflect on the year that it has been. Our year opened with drought, bushfires and floods and then the COVID 19 pandemic stuck the world.

We as school leaders have continued to hold each and every student at the heart of what we do in our schools. The students across NSW are our reason. The work of the Association is to LEAD, SUPPORT, ADVOCATE and EMPOWER school leaders in NSW. We have initiated and sought opportunities to work at the ground level with the Minister of Education Secretary, Deputy Secretaries, Executive Directors, Directors Educational Leadership, PSL’s and colleague Principals.

Our work with senior Departmental Officers is valued and appreciated – authentic collaboration, human and physical resourcing and efficient systems shape our future. It is time to back the profession in to achieve the aspirant and achievable goals and priorities the system has set.

To capture 2020 and the exponential effort and action taken is incredibly difficult. Yet, WE made it happen and WE responded to EVERY initiative and recommendation - even when they changed daily… if we heard once, we heard a million times the catch cry of 2020 – ‘you’re on mute’. We also learnt a different way of operating as a system and also as schools. YOU have been the difference this year – I commend and applaud each and every one of you – be PROUD and walk knowing you matter, you are valued and TOGETHER we have kept our school communities – students, staff, parents and carers safe and calm. Leaders in schools have enable the rest of the economy to operate. You have enabled parents and carers to continue their employment when they needed to work most. Never lose sight of the significance of that in itself.

cheers
rob

Welcome to the Principalship

On behalf of the NSW Primary Principalship, I warmly welcome newly appointed Principals across New South Wales. Our role is increasingly significant and you are stepping into a role that shapes and leads communities of practice. The NSWPPA Executive and I look forward to meeting you at PPC meetings and conferences during 2021.

I encourage you to prioritise your attendance at PPC meetings each term and to connect with your colleagues. Together we can achieve so much more. Working in collaboration with our leadership teams and staff and those of neighbouring schools reaps reward.

Congratulations and welcome to the Principalship !

Term 4 State Council Meeting

Your delegates will have shared the reports from Georgina Harrison – Group Deputy Secretary, Hon. Sarah Mitchell MLC - Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, Mark Scott- Secretary, Jane Simmons - A/Deputy Secretary Learning Improvement, Lisa Alonso Love – Relieving Chief People Officer, Gerard Giesekam - Chief Finance Officer, Vanessa Felton - Director Finance Excellence and Jess Horn - Manager Finance at your Term 4 PPC meeting.

These meetings each term provide you with the most current and relevant messages from our senior DoE personnel. I encourage you to engage in robust conversation at your PPC Meetings so your delegate can feed forward your thinking and contextual issues to our DOE colleagues.

We have our fingers crossed our Term 1 2021 meeting will be held face to face. Speaker summaries and details are available on the NSWPPA website.

Retired Principals Celebration

It was such a privilege to attend the Association of Retired Principals celebrations recently. Our retired Principal colleagues gathered at the Epping Club to celebrate the year that has been. It was something rather special to be in the room with esteemed colleagues including Heather Causley (Yarrawarrah PS) and Ray Causley (Laguna Street PS) – high profile and much respected and loved Principals in the Sutherland Shire. As a beginning Executive, I was in awe of the leadership these two Principals took. Talking to many retired Principals in the room, they continue their work in schools and for charities, some sharing their travel adventures, spending time with their families and grandchildren as well as others significantly contributing to professional learning and leadership in their retirement. I was of course hearing a lot about those that were quite handy on the golf course!!

Trish Peters Principal Kincumber PS and Vice President NSWPPA will commence as the Executive Liaison to the Association of the Retired Primary Principals. We look forward to working with you in 2021.

Carry Forward Policy

A new ‘carry forward’ policy will be implemented in 2021. The key message of the policy is that government funds must be spent on students in the year it is provided.

The policy applies to funds in the 6100 fund code only. At the end of the 2021 schools will only be able to carry forward a small contingency amount into 2022. Additional funds will be returned to central funds. More details will be provided when the policy is released in term one 2021.

Schools will be able to apply to carry forward larger amounts for specific projects such as photocopier replacement, capital works, ride-on mower replacement.
Schools that carry forward 6100 funds at the end of 2020 will have those funds transferred to a new fund code 6101. Schools will then have four years to spend the money in 6101.

Funds remaining in 6101 at the end of 2024 will be returned to central funds.

School Success Model

The NSWPPA responded strongly when the media splashed their reports across the front pages of their papers about the School Success Model. We have had phone conversations and this week we have meetings with the Senior DoE Executive to discuss the matter further. Principals have NOT failed.

Key points we have raised include:

• Our public schools have become increasingly complex places serving increasingly complex communities and meeting the academic. Social and emotional needs of our student enrolments.
• Principals have been very clear in articulating to the Department both individually and through the NSWPPA State Executive the additional support and resources required in schools. We have time and time again advocated and provided clear communication about the need for curriculum consultancy services, additional counselling services and efficient and fit for purpose technology - administration and finance systems in schools.
• The School Success Model has no research evidence base and in fact ignores a range of research from international experts like Pasi Sahlberg and Michael Fullan. It also ignores the myriad of factors outside the school control that impact on student learning.
• NSW Schools already have extraordinary levels of accountability. We annually self-assess and report on progress using a range of frameworks including the Teaching Standards and School Excellence Framework which is externally validated by an expert panel – External Validation every 4 years.
• Student attendance, literacy, numeracy and wellbeing data, as well as finance and HR data, is utilised by school leaders and monitored centrally through the SCOUT system. SCOUT has only recently become sophisticated and powerful enough to triangulate data to inform evaluations and planning.
• There is a natural implementation dip with any new reform and the implementation dip of LSLD was vastly exacerbated by inadequate systems, resourcing and financial management tools. The dip was further compounded by the stripping out of curriculum support structures that coincided with new syllabuses being released.
• At the end of a year when front line school based staff have faced fires, floods, droughts and a pandemic showing extraordinary leadership, stoicism, care and compassion; the announcement and negative media coverage certain was demoralising. The timing of the release of the announcement was appalling. Every teacher and every principal focuses on student improvement. They work within the resourcing and systems provided by the Government. They step up and network with colleagues and communities of practice to close the gaps and lift performance. Seemingly, the deficits lay with the system for the lack of effective provision to do so.
• The School Success Model was unpacked in a a number of meeting with the NSWPPA Executive with Murat Dizdar and Sally Blackadder where we were told plans replacing LSLD. It was in those meetings was that Exemplar Schools would now be called Ambassador Schools.

School Excellence in Action

The PPA Executive on the School Excellence Advisory Group have continued to work on refining school planning, annual reporting and external validation tools and processes.

This is the core business of our schools and must remain the priority as we move forward. We have been successful in providing strong advocacy to keep other changes on hold to allow Principals to focus on our core business.

2021 PPC Meetings and Liaisons

During 2021 I look forward to joining you at your PPC Meetings and conferences. Please forward lisa.beare@det.nsw.edu.au your dates and invitation to attend your meetings/conferences. I will be accompanied by the Executive Liaison for your Regional Area.

Areas:

Corporate Sponsors and Business Partners

A special thank you to our Corporate Partners – Teachers Mutual Bank, Sentral Education, Dance Fever Multi Sport and The School Photographer as well as our Business Partners Academy, Berry Street Educational Model, eBoard, Life Skills, MSP Photography, Sport in Schools Australia, Training 24/7, TeethNSmiles and Your OSHC – Camp Australia. Your support of the Association and in our schools is very much appreciated. We look forward to a new year where we can collaborate with you further and meet with you all personally to strengthen our future partnerships in education.

T’is the season…

Thank you for your extraordinary leadership this year colleagues – I, along with the State Executive - Rob Walker, Bob Willetts, Michael Burgess, Jude Hayman, Trish Peters, Norma Petrocco, Michael Trist, Stuart Wylie, Greg Mc Laren, Gregory Grinham, Mark Pritchard and Lisa Beare applaud you for your resilience, support, courage, responsiveness, positivity, agility, kindness and superb commitment to Public Education during 2020.

YOU have led your communities with your leadership teams and staff to ensure every other profession could continue with theirs. You took care of your staff, your students and your community to ensure safety and care during the COVID 19 pandemic. Pandemic aside, you have individually and collectively led brilliantly. I acknowledge and feel the toll this year has taken – WE ARE exhausted – WE DID OUR JOB – in fact we went above and beyond and opened our school doors every day.

My festive season wish for you all is that you prioritise yourselves and spend treasured time with your family and friends. Rest, relax, recover and reenergise – it is time to take care of yourself. YOU MATTER. Close the door on your school this week and step away.

We look forward to working with you and catching up with you in person at your 2021 at your PPC Meetings and Conferences.

Have a wonderful summer break everyone and enjoy the festive season -…I thank you for the extraordinary work you have done in your school this year. Take care of yourself and each other.

Put the NSWPPA mobile phone number in your contacts – I am just a text or a call away.

m: 0429 547 619

Enjoy the festivities over the next few weeks

Cheers
rob