The state’s key education partners met with Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Car, in a roundtable discussion aimed at reinvigorating and rebuilding the teaching profession across NSW on Thursday 18 May 2023.

A key plank of the forum was the Statement of Intent, which recognises the key challenges that are impacting student outcomes and provides a focus for collaboration on four areas.

Statement of Intent

This Statement of Intent between the NSW Government, the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, the NSW Department of Education and education partners will support and strengthen collaboration to meet the urgent challenges facing public education in NSW.

The statement recognises that these challenges are seriously impacting our ability to deliver our long-term purpose – the best possible outcomes for all our students.

The immediate challenges affecting public education include: teachers are facing unprecedented workload demands which are forcing many from the profession; teacher salaries do not recognise the vital work they do; and that too many teachers are in temporary or casual roles, impacting their futures and those of their schools.

To meet these challenges, we will focus our collaboration in 4 areas:

1. Rebuild the teaching workforce and restore pride in the profession.

Teachers are central to the success of every student and of the NSW public education system as a whole. We commit to retaining and respecting the current teaching and support staff and attracting high-quality candidates to teaching in NSW. Together we commit to restoring pride and respect in the teaching profession.

2. Put teachers and school staff at the heart of the NSW public education system to support our students.

We commit to working together to support and empower our principals, teachers and all school staff. We will work to ensure their voices are heard and valued in decision-making, improve their workloads to maximise time in the classroom, and provide opportunities for ongoing and meaningful professional development and growth so that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

3. Address workload challenges and improve the working experience for all school staff.

The working conditions for teachers and school staff in NSW have become unsustainable. We commit to cutting the administrative burden to ensure teachers are spending more time with students in the classroom, less time on paperwork, and can experience a reasonable, sustainable workload.

4. Improve outcomes for learners at every level.

We commit to improving student outcomes for all NSW public schools by ensuring that every student, from early childhood, in schools, and post-school pathways, has access to high-quality education. We will consult meaningfully and work cooperatively with parents and carers on issues affecting their children’s education. We commit to developing evidence-based strategies to improve teaching and learning practices, identifying and addressing systemic barriers to student success, and promoting innovative approaches to education.

The NSW Government and NSW Department of Education commit to:

• Consulting meaningfully and working in cooperation with our partners
• Openness, honesty and transparency about the issues in the NSW public education system.

Partners in NSW public education commit to:

• Providing advice to and consulting with the NSW Government and NSW Department of Education
• Working in cooperation to deliver on these shared priorities.

Signatories

• The Hon. Prue Car MP, Deputy Premier, Minister for Education and Early Learning
• Adrian Bell, on behalf of The NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG)
• Murat Dizdar, A/Secretary, NSW Department of Education
• Robyn Evans, President, NSW Primary Principals’ Association (PPA)
• Angelo Gavrielatos, President, NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF)
• Matthew Johnson, President, NSW Special Education Principals’ and Leaders’ Association (SEPLA)
• Stewart Little, General Secretary, NSW Public Service Association (PSA)
• Meegan McEwan, Chairperson, School Administrative and Support Staff Professional Association (SASSPA)
• Craig Petersen, President, NSW Secondary Principals’ Council (SPC)
• Natalie Walker, President, Federation of Parents & Citizens Associations of NSW (P&C)