About the policy

What needs to be done

Principles for school-created staffing positions:

• Support principals to manage staffing within school budgets that meet the needs of students.
• Apply all relevant legislation, industrial relations agreements, and appropriate department policies and procedures to determine a school's staffing mix.
• Schools choose the number and roles of staff within their budgets to best meet local needs, within the department’s class size policy and NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) requirements.

1. School-created position options

Schools have greater options in the way they engage and use staff, in line with the School Excellence Framework, the Staffing Agreement 2024–2029 and School administrative and support staff recruitment. Understanding the options and conditions of employment within schools is essential for principals to make use of the available budget and staffing options.

The School Budget Allocation Report (SBAR) provides schools with their base allocation, equity loadings and targeted funding. Principals must plan and budget their school’s funding to strategically resource their Strategic Improvement Plan initiatives and have the required impact on student learning outcomes. The enterprise Financial Planning Tool (eFPT) will assist schools with budgeting for staff. School staffing composition must be consistent with the Principles for Determining the Mix of Staff in Schools (staff only) (PDF 106 KB).

Schools wishing to engage a permanent business manager BM1 or BM2 using vacant school administrative manager (SAM) entitlement must refer to School administrative and support staff recruitment.

Schools wishing to engage a paraprofessional should refer to the Employment of Paraprofessionals in NSW Government Schools Guidelines (staff only).

The management of staff in ACIPs must be in accordance with the same industrial awards and agreements as applied to all other department employees in that employment type.

1.1. Teaching staff

The following must be followed when engaging teaching staff:

• Teaching Service Act 1980 (NSW)
• Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2020 (the Award)
• Staffing Agreement 2024-2029
• relevant staffing procedures and guidelines.

1.2. School administrative and support staff (SASS) and government sector employment (GSE) staff

Comply with the following when engaging SASS or GSE staff:

• Education (School Administration and Support Staff) Act 1987 (NSW)
• Government Sector Employment Act 2013 (NSW)
• Awards and determinations – SASS and GSE staff, administrative, trades and miscellaneous awards
• SASS Act and GSE Act regulations, rules and guidelines relevant to staffing procedures and guidelines.

Funding sources and guidelines

Principals can refer to the Decision flow chart to determine position type (staff only) (PDF 352 KB).

When determining a school’s staffing composition, principals must consider how each position is funded. The Standard cost (staff only) approach outlines how positions are costed.

1.3. ACIP-related costs incurred by schools

1.4. ACIPs with multiple funding sources

Permanent ACIPs will be charged to the school at standard cost both for the portion from the allocated school budget and the portion from school and community source funds, in line with the current staffing cost arrangements for schools.

Principals can fund ACIPs from multiple sources. They must list the sources, along with the proportions, in either the Education Case (for permanent positions) or SAP (for temporary engagements). For permanent ACIPs, the relevant recruitment team will create multiple positions to reflect the funding split, to facilitate financial transactions. This does not impact the employee, but the principal will see each fractional position separately in OMSEE. The principal may then appoint one employee against each position creating a 1.0 FTE or relevant FTE engagement.

1.5. Equity-funded positions

Equity-funded positions included in equity loadings as identified in the School Budget Allocation Report (SBAR) must be used to improve outcomes for the identified student cohorts. Equity loadings flexible funds must also be used to improve outcomes for the identified student equity cohorts.

1.6. Insufficient funding for a full position

Where there is insufficient funding for a full-time equivalent position, principals should consider whether a reduced FTE position may be appropriate.

For further advice, principals can email:

• Specialist Support and Recruitment Initiatives for potential reduced FTE arrangements for executive or teachers – specialistsupportprojects@det.nsw.edu.au
• School Recruitment for all SASS and GSE positions – SchoolRecruitment@det.nsw.edu.au

2. Centrally identified positions

Centrally identified positions (CIPs) are staffing allocations provided to schools in each school’s annual staffing entitlement. The entitlement is based on actual student enrolments, calculated in accordance with the department’s teacher and SASS Staffing entitlement, and allocations to support school need, such as Quality Teaching, Successful Students.

Refer to the Online Management of School Enrolment and Entitlement (OMSEE) system for more information.

2.1. Varying the mix of staff

Variations to the mix of staff must be justifiable and endorsed by the director, educational leadership and reviewed each year. As part of the school planning and review, the school should follow the process for varying the mix of staff.

A variation to the mix of staff must be temporary (except for BM) and does not require an education case. However, the variation must be within budget and consistent with the school’s Excellence Framework to have the required impact on student learning outcomes.

Variations to the mix of staff within entitlement (see Principles for Determining the Mix of Staff in Schools (staff only) (PDF 106 KB)) cannot be permanent ACIPs.

Variation to the permanent vacant SAM entitlement to fund a BM position must be justifiable, within budget, and consistent both with the school plan and the intended purpose of the funding. Variations to the vacant SAM entitlement can be used to create a permanent CIP BM1 or BM2 position.

3. Above centrally identified positions

Above centrally identified positions (ACIPs) are positions in a school that are not part of school entitlement. A school can create and fund them through flexible funding sources, such as equity loading flexible funds or school and community source funds. Permanent ACIPs must not be funded through the centrally identified staffing allocation by using vacant full-time equivalent (FTE) or through a variation to the mix of staff provided for under that allocation. ACIPs are distinct from higher duty arrangements as ACIPs establish a new position.

3.1. Temporary and permanent engagements

To create an ACIP, schools must meet the following criteria:

• The role supports students’ learning and wellbeing and will have the required impact on student outcomes as identified in the school’s Strategic Excellence Framework.
• Flexible funding for all costs associated with the position is reasonably expected to continue for the duration of any temporary engagement.
• The school can fund the additional costs of creating a permanent ACIP, such as leave costs and professional learning. Plus allow for an increase in the standard rates and costs. Refer to Public Schools Salaries Support (staff only).

In addition, for a permanent ACIP:

• The school community has been consulted.
• The Director, Educational Leadership endorses the creation of the permanent ACIP.
• Where the position/role is permanent, there needs to be an ongoing requirement for the position/role.
• Flexible funding for all costs associated with the permanent ACIP is reasonably expected to continue for at least the next 3 years.
• Refer to the Decision flow chart to determine position type (staff only) (PDF 352 KB) to determine position type for more information about how to fund a role and the appointment type required.

Note: creating ACIP positions does not alter a school’s base funding or principal classification.

3.2. How to appoint an ACIP

Different processes must be followed when appointing an ACIP – one for temporary engagements and one for permanent appointments.

4. How to disestablish a permanent or temporary ACIP

A school may be required to end a permanent ACIP in certain situations. Examples include insufficient funding, changes to the educational needs of the students or enrolment or curriculum variations.

Refer to 7.1 of the Staffing Agreement for situations that necessitate ending a permanent teacher ACIP position.

4.1. How to disestablish a permanent ACIP

The school is required to fund all costs associated with the ended ACIP. If an ACIP needs to be disestablished, a CIP position cannot be disestablished in its place. For example, if funding is no longer available to maintain an ACIP, the ACIP may not be retained and a CIP disestablished instead.

To disestablish a permanent teaching ACIP, the principal must:

Teaching ACIP

• advise School Recruitment at SchoolRecruitment@det.nsw.edu.au of the position’s disestablishment
• have the employee submit a nominated transfer through the Online Transfer System which requires the principal’s certification of the teacher’s satisfactory performance and nominated transfer status.

SASS ACIP

• advise School Recruitment at SchoolRecruitment@det.nsw.edu.au of the position’s disestablishment
• following the ending of a permanent SASS ACIP position an employee should apply to be directly appointed to the nearest suitable vacancy by submitting a nominated transfer through the Online Transfer System
• understand that the placement period as a nominated transfer will be specified in the Managing Excess Employees Policy (PDF 471 KB). If it is not possible to place the employee into a suitable vacancy during this time, they will be managed under the department’s Managing Excess Employees Policy.

GSE ACIP

• complete and submit a staffing notification form through OMSEE
• following the disestablishment of a permanent GSE ACIP position, the employee will be given priority consideration to be appointed to the nearest suitable vacancy. The placement will be for a 3-month period. If it is not possible to place the employee into a suitable vacancy during this time, they will be managed under the department’s Managing Excess Employees Policy (PDF 471 KB).

For further information contact EDConnect on 1300 32 32 32 and select the option for School recruitment (follow the prompts).

4.2. How to cease a temporary engagement for a temporary ACIP

To cease a temporary engagement for a temporary teaching SASS ACIP, the principal must:

• amend the end date of the temporary engagement through SAP MSS. Refer to Amend a temporary engagement end date – QRG (staff only)
• know that in the case of early cessation of a temporary teacher ACIP engagement, the school must provide a minimum of 4 weeks’ notice or a payment in lieu of notice. For temporary SASS ACIP engagements, a minimum of 2 weeks’ notice is required, or payment in lieu of notice.

To cease a temporary GSE ACIP, the principal must:

• complete and submit staffing notification form through OMSEE
• know that a minimum of 2 weeks’ notice or payment in lieu of notice is required.

For further information call EDConnect on 1300 32 32 32 and select option,1 (follow the prompts).

Mandatory tools and templates

• Principles for Determining the Mix of Staff in Schools (staff only) (PDF 106 KB)

Supporting tools, resources and related information

Policy contact