New arrangements for covering classes

From the beginning of the new school year, the enterprise agreement that governs the working conditions for teachers in Victorian Catholic schools has introduced a key change for secondary schools, in that teachers can no longer receive “extras”. An extra refers to a lesson in which the timetabled teacher is absent, and so another teacher works with the class for that lesson. In past years, most teachers would take extras on a number of occasions over a year, as a way to cover absences.

The spirit of this change is to ensure that teachers have appropriate time available to plan and to collaborate. As with many other schools, in response to this change we are now looking at other measures to ensure that classes are covered at times when the timetabled teacher is unavailable. On many occasions, Casual Relief Teachers (CRTs) will continue to be a common way to cover absences. At peak times, such as a camp week, or the onset of widespread illness, further measures will also be necessary, to ensure that classes continue to be supervised.

In Senior School, this will sometimes entail classes being asked to complete the work for their lesson in our study hall. Our study hall is a space where supervision is provided for quiet and independent work. There will be times when 2-3 smaller classes might be invited to work in the study hall, where they can be supervised together while their timetabled teacher is absent.

As virus season approaches in Victoria, we anticipate that there may be times when a measure such as a Year Level closure may be necessary. For example, if widespread illness leads to large numbers of classes needing to be covered, we may elect to ask a Year Level to complete their classwork from home for a day. In this scenario, lesson material would be provided via online platforms for students to work on independently in their own homes. This would not be a measure that we would take lightly, and further communication will be provided around the arrangements we are planning towards for a scenario such as this. For now, we encourage you to be aware that these changes are beginning to take place, and to share any questions you might have with us.