NKSK version 2

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-...et-new-powers/

daddyofthree

Why is this good news?
It sounds like WA is trying to copy the UK system which is in a shambles. Allowing schools to have greater financial autonomy will mean that Heads will opt for cheaper and often less experienced teachers in order to save money. Eg a well educated and experienced teacher will cost the school approx £15K higher than a NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher). Younger and lesser experienced teachers are being promoted quickly in the UK because, again, it's cheaper for the school - not good for the students!!
Like many new initiatives there are good advantages like the IB.

northernbird

As a member of our school council and P&C I feel this will be a double edged sword, particularly at primary level. They could potentially have a group of schools in a cluster that shared teachers. Not sure this is a good thing or not. Will find out more at our next school council meeting.

daddyofthree

Hi Northernbird,
I suggested something similar to this at a recent Headteachers conference, whereby teachers would be employed by the council and not the school. This would allow schools with a surplus in say Science be able to help another school out who is in need of a science teacher. But I think your right.

northernbird

That is all well and good and in theory it seems like a good idea. Our Science specialist is fantastic. What happens to my schools kids if we lose him to the neighbouring school. Now in science it doesn't seem too much of an issue but what if we lose our best Maths teacher. The lack of accountability means we could be stuck with a stack of teachers who specialise in literacy. I will hold my opinion until our next school council meeting when I find out more.

NKSK version 2

There are risks certainly - and what I'm about to say still has a lot of 'ifs'.

My view however firstly is that the market for teachers needs to be deregulated. Schools should compete for good teachers and improve salaries accordingly.

I'm not sure why some schools will be left with crap teachers - it doesn't seem logical to me apart from in remote schools (in which case schools will now be more free to offer higher salaries for teachers). Crap teachers - need to be sacked - this is currently just about impossible under the current system. If I was the head of a school in a low socio-economic area and I was left with crap teachers (which I don't think would happen) I'd sack the crap ones and attract the better ones with enhanced pay and conditions and a discipline policy which meant that highly disruptive kids were isolated from the mainstream. It is ludicrous that schools currently have to apply to the most senior person in the department for education if they wish to expel a child. With local management this won't occur.
Consequently, not only will schools be able to trial their own behavioural management strategies but expel at will and raise salaries to try and attract the talent to those schools.

When I moved to WA I was quite happy to work in state schools. But I wasn't prepared to be told by the department where I was going to teach. I was also put off by the admin of the dept and the hoops that I needed to jump through only to be told where I'd be teaching. In the end I opted for the private system because it was much more straightforward. The state system may (or may not!) have lost a good teacher which with the proposed system they would not.

I'm now pretty much entrenched in the private system but with the new system I'd be more than happy to move back into the state system if the pay and conditions were right. In my school I don't think anyone in the last 30 years has moved back into the state sector - and why....?

Good teachers don't necessarily want to teach only at Scotch, Hale or Perth College. They are often happy to work at less prestigious establishments but only if the rewards are equivalent.

gobbyjock

There are plenty of bloody good teachers in the state system and I think the half cohort next year will certainly help to make things interesting.

NKSK version 2

An interesting point. Putting my cycnical hat on for a minute I wonder if the government has done this so that the responsibility for sacking teachers (due to the drop in student numbers) falls on the heads of schools rather than the govt...

gobbyjock

That was kind of the way my thoughts were heading too.

Family of 3

Where will the heads of schools in low socio-economic areas get the money to offer enhanced pay etc to teachers without cutting back on something else critical?

I agree that they should be able to get rid of crap teachers, but the rest of the proposal worries me somewhat.

NKSK version 2

That's one of the ifs.