Moree East Public school teachers walk off job over inadequate staffing levels

TFED

Teachers Federation members at Moree East Public School are calling on the NSW Government to provide more support for Connected Communities schools to enable staff to better meet the needs of our most disadvantaged students.

NSW Teachers Federation Deputy President Henry Rajendra said teachers at Moree East Public School walked off the job today in frustration at the lack of action by the NSW Education Department.

“Connected Communities Schools were set up to prioritise teaching and learning for Aboriginal students, but the Education Department has failed to follow through and provide the necessary additional support,” Mr Rajendra said.

“This is a case of the NSW Government paying lip service to the notion of prioritising students in the most complex and disadvantaged rural and remote communities without properly staffing Connected Communities schools to allow them to improve outcomes for these students.”

“The staffing formula for these schools is woefully inadequate in order to address the complex needs of their students.”

“Staff at Moree East Public School are frustrated by the failure to appoint additional teachers to allow executive and classroom teachers extra time to prepare lessons, provide more one-to-one support for students and manage the broad range of responsibilities they have working at a Connected Communities school.”

“Moree East students deserve better”

“Teachers are also calling for an allied health strategy to enable their students to access a range of services including dental services, speech pathology, occupational therapy, dual-qualified school counsellors and specialists to meet the educational needs of students living with a disability.”

“This important program is being compromised by the Education Department’s failure to properly support Connected Communities schools and has resulted in a high rate of teacher turnover and a reduced capacity to maintain the continuity of teaching and learning programs.”

Mr Rajendra said teachers at Moree East have resolved to take further action if their concerns were ignored.

/Public Release.