Support Staff Workforce Strategy 2011

 
The Support Staff Working Group comprises staff and representatives of NZEI Te Riu Roa, New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA), and Ministry of Education officials. The Terms of Reference set out the scope of work.  

The Working Group has been charged with identifying:

In this second report the findings of their work have resulted in some key recomendations which have been approved by the Secretary for Education (download a copy of the stage two report).
 

Recomendations

 
The Support Staff Working Group recommends that:

1. the Secretary for Education approve this report for publication

2. the report be published on the websites of the Ministry of Education, NZEI Te Riu Roa and NZSTA

3. the findings of the survey research and the case studies be developed as a resource for principal, teacher and support staff professional development

4. the Ministry develop and publish a more detailed research report of the findings of the surveys of principals and support staff

5. principals use the reports and the resource to be developed for their own professional reflection on practice and as a basis for in-school discussion and professional development

6. support staff use the reports and the resource to increase their understanding of the workforce they belong to and the contribution their work makes to student learning outcomes

7. school boards, principals and support staff use this report to create greater understanding of the range of employment arrangements that are available to support staff

8. NZEI Te Riu Roa and NZSTA utilise the resource to promote awareness of the need to think strategically about the deployment and management of support staff

9. ERO note the report and consider its relevance to their work programme

10. schools consider how their systems, processes and training facilitate effective teamwork between teachers and teacher aides

11. opportunities be developed for support staff training, either by schools themselves or by the Ministry or other appropriate agency external to schools, including combined training of teachers and teacher aides

12. the Ministry incorporate the management of support staff within the Educational Leadership Model that underpins Kiwi Leadership for Principals

13. the Ministry of Education utilise the resource to be developed (see Recommendation 7) within Kiwi Leadership for Principals programmes so that principals are stimulated to think strategically about the deployment and management of support staff

14. the Ministry discuss with the New Zealand Teachers Council means that could be used to encourage Initial Teacher Education providers to prepare teachers for the management of teacher aides in their classrooms

15. the Ministry develop a mechanism for ensuring that their development of national initiatives in schools takes account of the impact on support staff and of the contribution that support staff can make

16. the Ministry consider discussing this paper with the New Zealand Productivity Commission to provide an opportunity for the Commission to contribute useful insights about productivity in the education sector

17. the Ministry, NZSTA and NZEI Te Riu Roa review the availability and appropriateness of current training for support staff with a view to discussing with relevant agencies the opportunities for extending options available to schools and support staff

18. the Ministry, NZSTA and NZEI Te Riu Roa consider exploring what constitutes best practice in the working relationship of teachers and support staff, especially teacher aides, for the achievement of learning outcomes, with a view to developing material which would guide the establishment of effective working partnerships between teachers and teacher aides

19. the Ministry, NZSTA and NZEI Te Riu Roa consider seeking the views of teachers about their need for and use of support staff, particularly teacher aides

20. consideration be given by the Ministry, NZSTA and NZEI Te Riu Roa to reviewing current guidance documentation to boards and school principals on the induction and management of school personnel, with a view to providing guidance that recognises the challenges of managing support staff

21. representatives of the tri-partite Support Staff Workforce Strategy Working Group continue to work together as required to progress professional issues with the goal of continuing the work on improving the effective use of support staff in schools

22. the Ministry, NZEI Te Riu Roa, and NZSTA agree an action plan to take these recommendations forward

 

Full Report

List of Attachments