Workload wins
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 127 No 7, 30 September 2022, page no. 12
Workload reduction wins
P-12 CARF
- Only two written reports required for parents per year.*
- Comments are only required if the school consults around their inclusion.*
- No requirement for intra-regional moderation of student work.
- No system-imposed pedagogical frameworks, including from the region (see also Agreed Statement).
* If schools wish to extend beyond what is required, they can do so (following consultation at the local level), but only if workload does not increase (e.g. reporting more than twice per year but removing comments).
Agreed Statement
Initial outcomes of QTU/Queensland Government workload reduction negotiations:
- No system-imposed pedagogical frameworks (including from the region).
- Annual performance reviews (APR) to be undertaken in rostered duty time.
- Identification of and consultation around the workload implications of regional and system initiatives.
Joint Statement on Purpose and Use of Data
- No additional data beyond the requirements of the mandatory data sets.
- No requirement for physical data walls.
QTU School Leader Strategy
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QTU workload priorities for school leaders developed through extensive consultation at QTU forums.
Workload Advisory Committee wins
Outcomes of the Workload Advisory Council – Joint Communiqué
- Reduction of workload for teachers and school leaders associated with transitioning to the new learning management system QLearn, including the migration of content from the Learning Place to QLearn (Blackboard, Learning Pathways and EdStudio).
- Providing remote access to MyHR.
- Streamlining and consolidation of mandatory training program delivery across the department. The new design of MAST was rolled out in 2022.
- Removal of the administrative burden arising from the manual collection of student enrolment information and individual manual transactions in the School Budget Solution (SBS).
- Day 8 simplification and automation of as many components of the process as possible.
- The teacher transfer cycle amended to make it available all year round.
- Expansion of the department’s Principal Hotline and Complex Matters Referral Team.
- Reduction of the administrative burden imposed by the repetitive input of information to OneSchool.
EB10 wins
New workload management clause to include:
- retention of class size maximum targets for face-to-face classroom teaching, including current risk management processes for practical class sizes
- a health, safety and wellbeing clause, to include recognition of safe work environment practices in relation to all duties (and additional duties) of a role, including the clarification of travel time associated with work requirements (such as reasonable expectation that travel occurs during rostered duty time)
- strengthening the provisions within the Principles of Good Workload Management clause to recognise safe work environments and practices in relation to all duties, tasks and responsibilities of a role, and taking all reasonable steps to support teachers, heads of program and school leaders
- review of the resourcing model to include a review of the duties of teachers and school leaders, including playground and bus duty, delegations and administrative tasks
- establishment of an “encouragement to disconnect” clause as part of wellbeing structures in schools
- a commitment to developing a flexible work/health and wellbeing guide for fatigue management (e.g. fatigue management principles) for those working continuous periods or late nights that could potentially cause fatigue (e.g. school overseas trips, camps and concerts)
- review of memorandums of agreement (MoAs) to remove duplication of matters covered by industrial instruments and legislation
- provision of a 45 minute meal break (per day) as an entitlement for supply teachers
- three hours of the 25 SFD hours to be used at teachers’ discretion
- provision of two days of TRS to teachers supporting Turn to Teaching interns or those from a similar internship program
- clarification of reasonable release time for LCC reps
- additional support for teaching principals.
Instrumental music teachers
- Provision of one day non-instructional time in the last week of Term 4 (without back-fill) for instrumental music teachers and instructors.
- Music ensembles incorporated in the provisions, to ensure size of ensembles is being considered through health, safety and wellbeing practice.
- A commitment to providing specialist teacher (music) (primary) representation on a working party to support the implementation of the curriculum (the working party may make recommendations for consideration by the Director-General or their delegate).
Additional support for teaching principals
Increase in administration release time for teaching principals as follows:
Enrolments | Current | New |
0-25 students | 0.1FTE (2.5 hours/week) | 0.2 FTE (5 hours/week) |
26-99 students | 0.15FTE (3.75 hours/week) | 0.25FTE (6.25 hours/week) |
100-124 students | 0.25 FTE (6.25 hours/week) | 0.35FTE (8.75 hours/week) |
EB10 also saw the department commit to a review of the allocative methodology – the first of its kind in 30 years.
The QTU has produced a range of resources to help members address workload issues in their individual school contexts. Further information and workload reduction checklists for a range of circumstances can be found here: https://www.qtu.asn.au/workload-reduction