Collated Responses Received from Department of Education

COGSO School Autonomy forums August-September 2014

Collated responses received from Department of Education

1 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education

Calculation of Global School Budgets

Funding for Schools What is in and what is out of the school budget being given to schools? In broad terms, for the first time principals and school councils will see both the operational and the staffing costs attributed to the total budget of the school, hence the word ‘global’. The school resource allocation model will provide schools with a base per student amount that will be adjusted for stage of schooling and student demographic profile. School funding associated with essential services and property maintenance will be funded on historical funding and some urgent/non urgent minor funding will be included. Infrastructure Services will provide clear guidance about what this is expected to cover and what will continue to be funded centrally in 2015. Targeted funding for things such as Australian Government programs will be included for specific schools as required.

How will the DoE calculate the amount of funding? This detail will be provided to schools with the release of school resource allocation model, including where services or specific expenditure will be centrally managed.

What date do you need to receive our school budget for the January 2015 payment? Schools have been asked to submit their budgets indicating the amount they require as a cash grant for operational expenses by Friday 21 November 2014.

How will the staff wages credit system work? Will this be able to be converted to cash? When will the first opportunity be to convert to cash? Each school will split their total budget into cash and credit allocations. “Cash” will be transferred to school bank accounts. “Credit” will be the amount held in the government accounting system (GAS) and will be used to pay NTG employee salaries.

Where is the transparency and what is the formula for annual budget allocations? Is a formula / matrix available or is this confidential? The school resource allocation model will be clear and transparent. Detailed information on the model is expected to be released before the end of the term 3.

Is it true that some high schools will lose over a million dollars once the needs based model is introduced? When will we know which schools lose and by how much? The total resources are not changing, but by definition, some schools will receive more and some schools will receive less because the current model of allocation has many historical inconsistencies. Government funding has been provided for an extended transition period to allow schools to adjust to their new base.

All schools will be advised on their provisional 2015 budgets be released in September. Budgets will be confirmed in March 2015.

2 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education What is the motivation for global budgeting? Is this decision to promote school autonomy, as a part of moving toward independent public schools or as an attempt to save money? And how will this improve student outcomes or are student outcomes not a motivating factor? Increasing school autonomy enables schools to operate in a less centrally controlled environment, providing principals and the school community the flexibility to make decisions and tailor services to fit the needs of their students. The aim is to improve overall school performance and outcomes for all students. For the first time principals and school councils will see the staffing costs attributed to the total budget of the school, hence the word ‘global’.

How will global budgeting affect 'out of model' teaching positions such as those not paid for by the NT government but funded by the federal government like 'Strong Starts Brighter Futures'? Federal programs will continue to be funded separately and will not be included in the resourcing model.

Will historical arrangements remain being processed/paid centrally such as the Master Teacher/HALT program? These allowances are centrally managed.

Who covers staff relocation costs? This is centrally managed.

Who pays for Insurance currently and next year? We need to know about liabilities and indemnity? What about fire/theft etc. – is the council budget expected to cover this? Are there exceptions? The Northern Territory Government self-insures, which provides government schools with insurance cover for building and equipment, public liability, workers compensation, and personal liability indemnity for members of the school representative body (council/board). These arrangements do not cover school owned assets such as vehicles, computers and musical instruments. The principal and school representative body need to identify any high value assets or high risk activities and weigh up the benefits and costs of purchasing commercial insurance against costs and risks they are unwilling to accept. This is no change to current practice.

How will budgets be set and adjusted to account for increased costs? The NT Government provides funding to cover increased costs arising from CPI and EBA agreements as it does for all other Government agencies. These will be passed on to schools in the global budget each year.

Attendance Will the funding be adjusted for attendance? Yes. Further information will be provided when the school resource allocation model is released.

3 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education What happens when student numbers go up or down? Indicative budgets will be provided in Semester 2 of the previous year and will be confirmed in March 2015 to take into account adjustment in student numbers. Schools will be required to manage within the confirmed budget. The exceptional circumstances policy (currently being developed) will provide clarity around the review of budgets and the need for additional support.

How is it calculated annually and at what time of the year? Schools will be provided with an indicative global budget in September for the subsequent school year. It is anticipated that a final budget will be provided in March of the subsequent year.

When will we receive information on the changes to funding for students who are Notified absences, Sick, Sanctioned, Funeral for 3 days? The student needs-based model determines funding based on the profile of the student. This is drawn from the student profile data from the Age/Grade Census in August. The total student funding is then moderated by effective enrolment. Effective enrolment takes into account seasonal trends and fluctuations in enrolment and attendance. Effective enrolment is calculated using enrolment and attendance data collected by schools.

When children are absent from school, it is important that the school notes the absence and the reason for it. Unavoidable absences, including when children are sick (up to five days without a medical certificate), attending a funeral (up to three days) or attending a medical appointment or similar, are included in the calculation of effective enrolment as ‘attending’, and the school will receive funding for those absences. Where absences are not notified or for other reasons, there is an impact on effective enrolment calculations and consequently the funding levels of the school. An Effective Enrolment Fact Sheet provides more information on how effective enrolment is calculated. This was made publicly available at the launch of global school budgets in September 2014.

Calculation of student numbers Will a Principal be making an estimate of student numbers at the end of a year, or will you rely on the August Census only? Budgets are calculated using real data, not estimates or projections. In the student needs- based funding model, the profile of students at each school in August, at the Age/Grade Census, will be used to calculate funding. This amount will be moderated up or down on the basis of effective enrolment, which is calculated using trend data across a whole year.

To ensure schools are resourced appropriately for 2015, enrolments at the start of Term 1 will be compared to the same time in 2014, and budgets will be adjusted accordingly.

Funds remaining at end of year Will the Department look at your bank balance at the end of a year, and if you have say $300k, would the Department then fund you less the next year? School bank balances have no impact on the global budget allocated to a school.

Essential Services

Utility Costs Power costs may decrease with the repeal of the ‘carbon tax’ and may rise again in January 2015, how will Global budgets account for this? There is no change to essential services funding with the rollout of global budgets. Schools will continue to receive essential services funding based on the historical funding for power and water. Where the NT Government provides additional funding to cover tariff increases from power and water, this will be passed onto schools through global school budgets. The impact on the global budget in the event that the carbon tax is repealed and power costs decrease will depend on how the change is managed within the government budget process.

Will essential services funding be identified clearly? Yes, essential services funding will be clearly identified.

Have you thought about diesel as an essential service cost for remote schools? What happens when costs skyrocket? You need to factor in the diesel transport costs of getting diesel to us also. Essential services for remote are more than just power and water. Schools currently pay for diesel and petrol through essential services, part of the fixed school operations portion of the global school budget. Funding for 2015 is based on historical allocations. The funding is not currently linked to fuel price or the area of the facility. Future changes in funding will be in line with the overall changes in the fixed component of budgets for schools.

School Council rights and responsibilities Is any value placed on funds raised by the School Council when determining a school budget? There is no adjustment for funds raised by School Councils when determining the schools global budget allocation.

Will Principals be expected to discuss staffing changes they wish to recommend/do with their council? In general the council will assist in developing the staffing plan for the year. The Principal and senior staff in the schools will be responsible for the recruitment of other teaching and administration staff at the school.

Will school councils have to pay payroll tax? Northern Territory public servants will continue to have their salaries paid and administered by the NT Government. This includes the payment of payroll tax. Schools are managing staff budgets, but not the payment of salaries.

The arrangements for school council employees continue as is. School councils will only pay payroll tax where the school council wages exceed the payroll tax threshold.

Will school councils have access to HR reports through their Principal for budget planning? Principals have access to HR reports now and will continue to receive these through MyBiz. Principals can share these reports with councils, but must maintain employee confidentiality.

Students with needs Will you put back staff and funding for students with special needs? Special needs funding and special education schools and annexes in 2015 will be the same as the current year with further work to be done, to align with new national data sets. This is a complex area and we want to ensure the funding is right. Any resource provided by the School Support division is outside of the model.

Why don’t we have accurate data on students with special needs to be able to fund the needs of these students? When will we? You know the number of students we have and you know their characteristics i.e. Indigenous/NESB/location/parent info but you don’t have that same information for students with a disability. Why don’t you take the same data the schools give to the Federal government and use the data on disabilities and adjustments required to fund these students? These students need help now and the numbers are rising. The student needs-based funding model will be extended in 2015 to incorporate a needs weighting for students with special needs. This is in line with national developments in standardised special needs data collection and funding.

We were told at the forum that schools could group together and buy in a psychologist as the department has stretched resources. School budgets are stressed too. Is this not passing the buck on student support services? The specialist support services currently provided by School Support Services will continue in 2015. Global school budgets provide schools with the opportunity to engage additional staff and specialists as required locally.

Our school has had an increase in students during the year who have enrolled and have a disability. These students require support in the classroom. Where there is a spike in students with special needs, will you make funds available to meet there needs? The existing Special Education Support Program (SESP) will continue in 2015 and schools will receive resources through this program separate to their global budget allocation. Special schools and high support annexes will be funded for the number of enrolments they have in 2015 and enrolment levels will be monitored throughout the year.

Employee entitlements

Enterprise Agreements and other legislated requirements Will schools be able to directly dismiss staff? No. Current arrangements for employment under the Public Sector Employment and Management Act (PSEMA) will not change.

Is there a planned target ratio of 80% permanent 20% temporary staff in schools? There is no set guideline. Schools benefit from a mix of permanent and temporary staff in schools.

When a vacancy is identified the Principal reviews their education plan and current workforce and identifies where he/she may need to fill a skill gap. The decision as to whether the position is filled as a permanent or temporary position will depend on the longevity of the function of the specific role and the potential future changes to the student demographics that may impact on the role.

Will staff in all schools be covered by the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement and Teachers’ Responsibility Guide? Yes. All schools will have to comply with relevant legislation and industrial instruments, as well as government and departmental policies including the Teachers’ Responsibility Guide.

Will all schools have to adhere to the teacher student ratios? Yes. All schools will need to ensure industrial conditions such as maximum class sizes are adhered to in determining their staffing profile. The opportunity to change the mix of staff will arise when there is staff turnover or budget availability.

I am a teacher on the top increment. Will I still have a job at my current school? Yes. Schools benefit from teachers who have a mix of age and experience, both temporary and permanent, and this will continue to be the case. The opportunity to change the mix of staff will arise when there is staff turnover or budget availability. Schools will continue to be required to operate within the parameters of the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement and PSEMA. All permanent staff will continue to be employed at their school. Ultimately schools will have to manage within the budget provided to them. However, there will be a transition process to assist schools to achieve a balanced budget and manage the transition where they have a reduction. Schools will need to consider their staffing profile needs as part of their workforce planning processes and transition to this as vacancies in their school become available. There will be no forced movement of staff between schools as a result of school autonomy.

Staff Leave Who will pay for staff on Maternity Leave? This will be centrally funded.

Who will pay for Long Service Leave? This will be centrally funded.

10 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education Who will pay for Sick Leave? The global school budget has provision for eight days of sick leave per classroom teacher, senior teacher 1 (ST1) and teaching principal as it includes the Emergency Relief Teacher (ERT) allocation previously provided, and other historical allocations. Schools that experience sick leave levels in excess of the standard amount may be able to seek relief under the exceptional circumstances policy if this puts unreasonable pressure on their global budget.

Relief Staff Will there be any funding for relief staff when other staff are undertaking professional development and training? Schools will manage this cost as they would with their routine professional development.

A significant impact on school performance and student outcomes is teacher wellbeing and a significant impact on teacher wellbeing is job security. How will you ensure that global budgeting will not cause teachers to be continually employed under contracts for extended periods of time not knowing if they have a job from one term to the next? Schools benefit from teachers who have a mix of age and experience both temporary and permanent, and this will continue to be the case. Permanent teachers will remain in place and schools will have to operate within the parameters of the EBA and PSEMA.

The introduction of global school budgets provides opportunities for schools to be proactive in their workforce planning. It allows decision making about appointments to happen at the school, not departmental level, with teachers having a more direct relationship with schools.

The department is finalising a policy on permanency that puts focus on the demand for teaching position in the department, skills of the individual, previous experience.

A well performing school needs a balance between teachers who are beginning their careers, experienced teachers and senior teachers. The difference between first year teacher pay and a teacher at the top pay scale is nearly $30,000 and then nearly $40,000 between a beginning teacher and a senior teacher. How can you guarantee, under global budgeting, that schools won't sacrifice experience for cheaper inexperienced teachers and collapse senior teacher or assistant principal roles for cheaper inexperienced teachers? Which will negatively impact student outcomes? Schools benefit from teachers who have a mix of age and experience both temporary and permanent, and this will continue to be the case. Permanent teachers will remain in place and schools will have to operate within the parameters of the EBA and PSEMA.

The introduction of global school budgets provides opportunities for schools to be proactive in their workforce planning. It allows decision making about appointments to happen at the school, not departmental level, with teachers having a more direct relationship with schools.

11 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education The department is finalising a policy on permanency that puts focus on the demand for teaching position in the department, skills of the individual, previous experience.

School Autonomy

Permanently Unattached Teachers There are currently 390 permanent unattached staff who need to be placed in positions. How will our school have true autonomy when we are now being told that autonomy with our staffing mix will be a long way off and staff will be placed into our schools by the department? Permanent unattached teachers have been placed in their current schools to give both them and their schools certainty from 2015 onwards. With new human resources practices in place under greater school autonomy, in future schools will maintain responsibility for their permanent officers, meaning there will no longer be a large pool of permanent unattached teachers. If all permanent unattached teachers are placed against nominal vacancies at a school and a new nominal vacancy arises, the principal and school workforce planning team can determine how best to fill that vacancy to support the strategic direction of the school.

If there is a permanent unattached staff member in our school, will the Department allocate them to our school without consultation with our school council? Consultation has taken place with principals with regard to placing permanent unattached teachers at their schools. All permanent unattached teachers in schools have been notified with a personal conversation with their principal and a letter from the General Manager Human Resources that they are now attached to their current school. As a nominal vacancy arises at the school, permanent unattached teachers will be placed against that position, if their skills align and they are suitable for the vacancy. Permanent unattached teachers can also apply for vacancies in other schools.

When will our school know when unattached staff, are being placed in schools? We need to be able to plan for next year? Consultation with principals took place during Term 3 at principal business days. Permanent placement of affected staff became effective at the end of Term 3, which is enabling schools to finalise and implement their workforce planning for 2015.

If the Department places unallocated staff at the highest pay level into a school and that places pressure on the school budget, will you compensate the school who may have wanted to recruit at a lower level? In many cases, the permanent unattached teachers were already operating at the school, in some cases for many years. Schools will be able to specify the skills required for vacant positions and will consider unattached staff with these characteristics.

Contract staff Does this mean that our contract staff will have to be let go? There is no direct relationship between placing the permanent unattached officers in schools and not reengaging contract staff, although permanent staff will need to be placed in vacancies to the extent possible. For the first time, contracts for fixed term teachers have

13 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education been extended to the end of January to ensure salary payments are made through the Christmas school holidays.

We have contract teachers in our school who we want to keep, and we have permanent staff leaving at the end of the year. Can we make our contract staff permanent for 2015? The department is in the process of finalising a new teacher permanency policy in conjunction with the Australian Education Union (AEU). It will provide for merit based selection to permanent vacancies. This will provide schools with a clear policy on how teachers can become permanent. Existing contract staff may be offered an extension through a fixed term contract at a school in line with the school’s strategic workforce plan and available vacancies.

Teacher Recruitment Pool System Can you explain the pool system to our school council? What staff do our school have to take, and in what priority? Three Teacher Recruitment Pools have been established. When a vacancy arises in a school, principals will consider suitable applicants in pools 1 and 2 before consideration can be given to pool 3 candidates or before advertising the vacancy. Applicants in pools 1 and 2 are given priority, and are placed in a school if they are suitable for a vacancy, or have the potential to meet the job requirements in a reasonable period. Principals can move to pool 3 with the approval of their regional director after finalising their recruitment from pools 1 and 2. Pool 1: Priority placement Defined as the current permanent employees who need to be placed permanently against a nominal vacancy in a school - includes:  Permanent unattached including displaced employees  Remote transferees  13 early teaching career 2014 CDU graduates  Case managed employees  Employees on a graduated return to work program  Independent Public School (IPS) transfers identified within 10 weeks of the school being announced as IPS  Workers compensation.

In some circumstances, teachers may be funded centrally for a period of transition back to a school.

Pool 2: Fellowship holders and Teach for Australia associates Teaching fellowships (guaranteed offer of employment), scholarship graduates and Teach for Australia associates

Pool 3: Others Defined as all other teachers wishing to gain a position, or seeking relief teaching work. This group may include:  Graduates  Existing permanent and temporary teachers  New teachers to the NT.

Independent Public Schools are asked to consider, but are not required to take, staff from pools 1 and 2.

Exceptional Circumstances and Transitional funding

What will the exceptional circumstances be that we can apply for funding? A policy on exceptional circumstances is being developed which will provide the parameters within which schools may seek additional funding should they experience hardship as a result of factors outside their control. This policy is expected to be released in September along with the funding model.

What are the transitional arrangements and for how long, for schools who will suffer a loss to their budget or have overspending in their historical budget? The new funding model will provide a way of funding schools that ensures the resources available are distributed fairly and equitably to all schools. The Northern Territory Government has allocated $17 million over the first three years of the model to assist schools transition to the new funding arrangements. Schools will have three years to plan and transition to operating within their allocated funding. They will have the decision making authority to determine how to achieve this within their plan for education.

Consultation and Communication

When will the global school budget be released to schools? The school resource allocation model is progressing and information about 2015 funding arrangements is expected to be released as planned before the end of the term 3.

Further clarity will be provided to schools with the release of allocation model and the global budget, including where services or specific expenditure will be centrally managed.

Professional Development and preparation for Global School Budgets

Support for staff and School Councils What support will DoE be giving staff and school councils? The emphasis for capacity building in 2014 will be on ensuring school principals, business managers and councils understand the new funding model and are supported in their budget planning for 2015. Further capacity building will be ongoing in 2015 for school leaders, business administrators and school councils and a plan is being developed for this. Discussions have commenced with COGSO in relation to the professional development program for school councils and it has been agreed that they will work in collaboration with the agency to support financial management training, commencing in Term 4 but ongoing into 2015.

What quality, accredited P.D will be provided? A calendar of upcoming training programs is available to Principals and Administration Managers. Training has already been provided on Employee Relations and the legislative frameworks around employee entitlements and conditions. Workforce planning training is being provided to Principals this week (25 August). Training in respect of the on-line budget tools is currently being developed.

The Department is working with COGSO to develop a program for school council representatives.

The Department has sourced an online training system that includes online training for leadership, financial management, use of spreadsheets and accounting systems. Principals and Administration Managers can access the online training system to assist with their personal development plan. Training will be provided on an ongoing basis.

Will you provide our council with financial guidance on what is a healthy reserve for a school to maintain in its bank account (cover wages and bills in the event funding is late)? A guideline is being developed around the identification of reserves, future initiatives and their linkage to the school’s strategic and operational plan. Note the salaries for Northern Territory Government (NTG) employees will continue to be paid centrally; schools are given the salaries budget to oversee but do not need to manage payments.

What say can the school council have on making sure money that has been put away in deposit accounts is allocated seriously and where it isn’t, is spent on our students today? School councils approve the schools strategic and operational plans and the school’s annual budget by March. The council will be able to monitor expenditure against the budget on a monthly basis and update future budgets based on the actual position throughout the year.

17 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education DoE advised that a number of IT systems would be provided for schools to use to assist with managing the finances. Are these on track to be provided to schools? A suite of new online reporting and financial management systems are being developed to support the transition to global school budgets across all Territory schools in 2015.

These will sit beside existing reporting tools and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of reporting for schools, reducing the burden for principals and business managers. These will include integrated information systems together with modelling and reporting tools to manage your budget in the new environment.

The tools will support all aspects of school performance and financial reporting including budget planning, financial monitoring, staff/HR monitoring, profiling and costing. A dedicated portal, MyBiz, will collate all the key performance information and management tools for each school in a single, secure website to allow schools to manage their services, resources and records more effectively. This single point of access will present all the key student, human resource and finance indicators schools are accountable for, and provide the tools to manage staffing, operation budgets and expenses. MyBiz default access is restricted to principals who can add or remove access to other staff as required.

Will training and support be provided for these systems? A range of professional development opportunities will be provided to principals and business managers to assist them to undertake budget planning for 2015 and use the system tools provided.

Training will be offered to school councils, in partnership with the NT COGSO.

Are there pitfalls and safety measures and what are some of the problems and solutions, or are these yet to be discovered or contemplated? The department will monitor school budgets and will intervene if expenditure is not tracking against budget. A dedicated project team and principals reference committee has been working on this project since the beginning of the year to oversee implementation. A suite of online tools is being developed to assist with budget planning, monitoring and reporting of global school budgets.

A comprehensive capacity building program, including workforce planning and financial management for school leaders and business managers has commenced and will be ongoing to support staff operate in an environment of greater autonomy.

Training will also be offered to school councils, in partnership with the NT COGSO.

Are principals and school councils all capable and up for the greater responsibility and what is this? Or will there be a transition phase? Principals already manage their consolidated operating grants and will now be asked to manage their staff budgets as all other public sector managers are required to do.

18 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education We all make mistakes and the success of the budget allocation is a greater responsibility for the school to manage. If mistakes are monumental and can't be fixed by budget contingencies, who is ultimately responsible for cleaning up the mess? Will the Department ultimately come to the rescue AND take responsibility? The department will monitor school budgets and will intervene if expenditure is not tracking against budget.

Infrastructure How will you balance funding for schools with ageing buildings? The majority of infrastructure maintenance funding associated with buildings will be managed centrally through the Specific Maintenance Program. Cyclical maintenance will also be managed centrally.

Schools will be provided with funding to manage non urgent minor repairs and urgent minor repairs managed at the school level. The infrastructure team will be providing information sessions to school principals and administration managers to clarify the different programs and the types of expenditure covered under each program. Dates will be provided to schools in due course.

Our school is old with higher running and maintenance costs. It is accepted that global budgets will be increased to account for ever increasing costs - including utility costs, but how will we know if we are being disadvantaged if there is no transparency in how the budget is allocated? Will we be penalised for having an old school and how will we know anyway? In the first year, we will have a standard per square metre maintenance allocation to schools for minor repairs, however all major costs (e.g. air conditioning) will be met centrally. The Department is investigating options for future years that incorporates factors such as age of school, construction materials and school location.

Independent Public Schools (IPS)

Becoming an Independent School Will a school be able to ‘opt in’ or ‘opt out’ of being an Independent Public School? The IPS model is not an ‘opt out’ arrangement and it is expected that schools will continue operating as IPS once selected. Becoming an IPS is as much a change to the mindset and culture of the school as it is changes to processes and policy to create flexibility and greater autonomy.

IPS are selected because they have demonstrated capacity and community commitment more authority over, and responsibility for, their affairs. It is not expected that this becomes something that schools should want or need to opt out of over time.

Will the selection panel make the final decision on which schools become IPS? The Department of Education’s Chief Executive will consider the selection panel’s recommendations and advise schools of the outcome of their application.

When will the Independent Public Schools be announced? It is expected that an announcement will be made at the beginning of Term 4.

Have parents and the school community been consulted in the schools that have applied to be Independent Public Schools? Schools must consult and demonstrate the support of their school community as part of the selection process. This includes teachers, school council members and parents.

Performance Management What if there is a performance issue in an Independent Public School? As part of the accountability framework for IPS, schools retain the right to be supported by the department. The Chief Executive also retains the right to take whatever action is necessary to support an IPS in the event that performance issues are identified. It is intended this action will support the school to get back on track, rather than revoke their IPS status which should become an embedded way of working.

IPS will approach leadership structures and recruitment differently with a new mind set and will need to consider the skills and experience needed when making decisions to ensure they support the delivery of the strategic direction set for the school.

Staff entitlements in Independent Public Schools Will permanent staff have the option to be redeployed to another school in the event that they do not agree with the direction of the Independent Public School? A permanent staff member/teacher in an IPS who is philosophically against the concept of IPS will have the option to transfer to another school within their current region. Staff

21 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education members must indicate their intent within the first 10 weeks of their school being deemed IPS.

The selection process for becoming an IPS requires that the school must demonstrate staff and community support for the transition, so while this option will be available to staff it is not expected that this should place a significant burden to other schools in the system, as the numbers should not be large.

Will Independent Public Schools have to take permanent unattached/displaced/transferees/graduate staff in the exact same way as all other government schools? With respect to the placement of permanent unattached staff in Term 3, 2014, there was no distinction between IPS and non-IPS. In the future, IPS are asked to consider, but are not obligated to take, staff from pools 1 and 2.

Autonomy in Independent Public Schools What greater autonomy will an Independent Public School have? Independent Public Schools will benefit from greater autonomy, freedom and flexibility to tailor their services to the needs and aspirations of their students.

They will have a direct line to the Chief Executive, increased delegations, flexibility to shape curriculum offerings, freedom to innovate educational practices, yet will still be able to draw of the expertise and support of the department when needed.

The biggest benefit will be the opportunity the freedom, flexibility and empowerment will give schools to innovate. Effectively, leading and shaping the future of Independent Public Schools in the Territory.

If a school is independent, will they be able to put in a Chaplain under the Chaplaincy program? There is no difference for IPS in this regard.

Will IPS Principals have different HR delegations to non IPS schools? Yes, IPS Principals have an increased level of HR delegations.

Preventing discrepancies between Territory schools How will you prevent poorer schools getting poorer and well off schools doing better? All schools will move to a global school budget based on student needs, including indigeneity and parental socio-economic status. The move to Independent Public School status does not provide a school with more funding, other than an initial grant to support the transition, rather it provides the school with greater flexibility and autonomy in decision making.

How will you avoid a class system in our public schools? All schools in the Northern Territory are expected and supported to deliver quality education services. Some schools will need more systemic or regional support than others

22 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education and this will continue to be provided as it is now. Independent Public Schools will be those schools that have demonstrated they are able to operate more independently and they will be given the autonomy to do so. Standards in teaching and learning, and teacher and principal performance are consistently applied and expected across all Territory schools.

Independent Public School Boards How will parents be involved on school boards if you are saying schools need to approach business people to be board members? Does this mean parents will just become lamington bakers to raise funds for desperately needed resources? The board will continue to have representation from parents as in the case of school councils, but will also include external representation (i.e. specialist professional expertise or local business/industry representation). Parents must make up at least half the board membership. The board will have a greater role in setting the strategic direction of the school and in collaboration with the principal will assume a more important role in the strategic planning and monitoring of business operations and overall school performance. School boards will fulfil the same legislative functions as school councils. Parents will continue to be involved, and in some cases, their involvement will strengthen, by becoming more involved in the strategic direction of the school. There will be an ongoing role for parents who wish to be involved in fundraising and community engagement events.

Will you be changing the Education Act so that council and/or board members do not have to have children at the school? Under the current Education Act, a school representative body such as a council or board may invite external members:  up to three people who the body considers to have qualifications, knowledge or experience which may be able to assist by providing information or advice;  the member of the Legislative Assembly for the electoral division where the school is located; and  one person nominated by the local government council for the area where the school is located.

Subject to the specifics of each school’s constitution, these external members may have voting rights.

Where will all of these ‘professional people’ come from in towns as small as ours? The Northern Territory has a rich and diverse population with a range of skills that could be of benefit to schools. Many schools already have a number of professional people who are parents on their councils and this will continue to be the case. Independent public schools will be able to attract members to the board who may not necessarily have children of school age at the school would wish to be involved.

If parents are not involved in decision making at this level, does that mean you don’t agree with the evidence that parental engagement is important? Making up at least 50% of the membership, parents will remain key stakeholders on school Boards as in the case of school councils, but Boards may also include external

23 | P a g e COGSO School Autonomy forums 2014 Collated responses from Department of Education representation (i.e. specialist professional expertise or local business/industry representation). The board will have a greater role in setting the strategic direction of the school and in collaboration with the principal will assume a more important role in the monitoring of the business operations and overall school performance. School Boards will fulfil the same legislative functions as school councils.

How will you measure success in an independent public school? Independent public schools will operate with a higher level of accountability, to the department and the school community. IPS are expected to share their business plans and annual reports with the school community, and boards will monitor the performance of the school quarterly.

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