Teachers Federation members at the senior campus of Moree Secondary College 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 Secondary College walked off the job today over the NSW Education Department’s failure to properly resource Connected Communities Schools.
“These schools are supposed to prioritise teaching and learning for Aboriginal students, but the Education Department has failed to staff them properly,” Mr Rajendra said.
“The staffing formula for these schools is woefully inadequate in order to address the complex needs of their students.”
“The NSW Government’s strategy says Connected Communities Schools should be prioritising students in rural and remote communities but without proper staffing, these schools are unable to fulfil the important task they have been set.”
“Teachers are frustrated by the failure to appoint additional permanent 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.”
“All Connected Communities students in Moree 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.”
