Support Class Placement Panels| Deputy President Rob Walker

As you are aware new procedures relating to the operation of the Support Class Placement Panels have been released. The Department has approached the NSWPPA to finalise representation on these panels. We have been asked to identify:

• Nominated representative
• Alternate representative
• SSP representative
• Alternate SSP representative

The SSP representative (and alternates can be a Principal or a Deputy Principal). The names of these representatives need to be agreed between the NSWPPA and NSWSPC. Our Area Presidents have been asked to identify the names of the above representatives for each panel.

After a period of time operating with the new procedures the Department intends capturing feedback on the performance of the procedures. You may have already spotted some feedback but as the term proceeds, make a note to share your thoughts when the feedback opportunity is presented.

Finance and Human Resource Management in SAP Training| Vice President Michael Burgess

The Finance and Administration Reference Group continues to work hard to advocate for Principals and work to provide support for colleagues. Finance and HR management is an important aspect of operational management of the school. There are a number of online courses to support Principals and executive teams. These courses can be found at:

Staff Access to Applications| Vice President Michael Burgess

Previously Principals have provided access to portal applications to staff by accessing the AMU (Access Management Utility) on the portal.

A new process is being implemented to save Principals work. Staff can now request access using the Manage My Access app on the portal. They will choose the apps they want to have access to, this will generate an email to the Principal and the Principal will click accept or reject in the email. This saves the Principal going into AMU, searching for the staff member, finding the appropriate app and ticking the boxes to give access. It is just one click for the Principal.

Principals will be able to go in and manage application access using the new 'Manage Staff Access' application - so you can remove access of someone who has left the school.

Both the old AMU and the new MSM and MMA will be available for the time being to give time for people to become use to the new process.

Work is also continuing to improve the automatic role access so that when a person is appointed to your school they receive access to apps based on their role, reducing the need to manually give access.

You can add the MMA and MSA to your portal home page.

Membership of the NSWPPA| Treasurer Gregory Grinham

For information regarding membership of the Association, please contact Gregory Grinham ggrinham@nswppa.org.au or Lisa Beare admin@nswppa.org.au. Following State Council, Treasurers from all PPC’s will be invited to a ZOOM/TEAMS meeting to discuss all matters of ‘treasury’.

Asset Management Update| Vice President Stuart Wylie

There have been 1600 projects approved in the first two rounds of the School Renewal Program (co-Funded) as part of the Government's COVID-19 stimulus package. It looks like there will be money left over after the first two rounds so there is potential for a third round to be offered.

Covid ISLP Tutoring Staffing Issues| Vice President Michael Trist

Many schools have experienced difficulties in accessing personnel to act as tutors for this program. Some principals have expressed frustration that they have not been able to employ SLSOs for their vacant positions.

The PPA has learned that if particular SLSOs currently employed in our schools have sufficient skills and experiences, in some cases they may qualify to be employed as para-professionals. If this may help your school, ring the Covid ISLP Tutoring hotline on 1300 338679 for further details.

Access Requests, Disability Royal Inclusive Education| Vice President Trish Peters

Great news that the DoE has design team working on reforming the IT system for the access request process! The group working on the project has secured funding from the government’s Digital Restart Fund and hopes to develop its business case and secure funding in May or June. Their focus is on the designing the right thing and designing things right so there has been significant consultation with many groups including our own Graeme McLeod. We will look forward to a big change to the clunky, linear process we currently follow and a big reduction to the admin burden. Hopefully, it works with our other older systems like ERN.

Suspensions got a big hearing in the Royal Commission with the chair noting that “it was not enough to acknowledge a student’s age or disability when reviewing a suspension decision”, and that “there was a lack of consistency and reasonable adjustments need to be in place BEFORE a suspension”. In addition, the chair noted that “DoE processes don’t provide instruction how to access or determine that reasonable adjustments have been put in place”. The commission findings and the Behaviour Strategy Review are significant drivers of the design of future procedures around suspension and the PPA is definitely at the table in the co-design of the new policy directions.

Principals should promote the DoE Inclusive Learning Support Parent Hub in their school communities. The site has amazing parent-friendly resources to access for children with disability and additional learning and support needs as their families start their school journeys.

Direct Management Action| Secretary Greg McLaren

Direct Management Action has largely replaced Fair Warning Fair Action. It is a collection of processes to address minor misconduct by staff as advised in the Code of Conduct. Misconduct is generally defined as unacceptable or improper behaviour. Depending on the type of misconduct, Principals would usually manage minor misconduct by staff at school level rather than the matter be investigated by PES*. PES would become directly involved in the event a letter of direction has been ignored. Your DEL should provide you with guidance in addressing misconduct by staff.

*Professional and Ethical Standards (PES) directorate is the new name for the former EPaC.

Principals are encouraged to read further about how to address minor misconduct issues on the PES website. Listed are proactive, responsive and restorative resources and strategies. A link also provides definitions of various types of misconduct and where appropriate how to write a ‘letter of direction’.

NSWPPA Legal Issues Standing Committee welcomes Principal feedback about whether Direct Management Action did or did not assist with addressing minor misconduct activity at your school.