AEU responds to DET's 'Principal Health and Wellbeing Strategy Discussion Paper'

The AEU has also formally responded to the department’s 'Principal Health and Wellbeing Strategy Discussion Paper'.

Read the full response

Summary

In our response, we have supported a range of opportunities the paper identifies but also criticised the fact that the starting point for the strategy ignores the overwhelming range of tasks that are required of principals and the associated workload.

We need to change the system to achieve real workload relief for principals, especially to enable school leaders to focus on educational leadership rather than spending the majority of time on administration and compliance.

Below is an excerpt:

“… the Department’s main focus should be on directly addressing the overarching issues which create stress and undermine health and wellbeing of principals.  A genuine approach would be to identify tangible measures to narrow the range of work required of principals and reduce their workload.  This can be the only proper starting point to address principal health and wellbeing.  A pro-active and preventative approach is far more preferable to finding reactive mechanisms to deal with the problems once they are experienced.  To that end, the AEU is strongly of the view that the majority of the issues confronted by principals that have a demonstrably negative impact on their wellbeing are preventable. It is a question of the system accepting responsibility for properly managing the working conditions of principals. The clear message from principals is that the primary cause of day-to-day workplace stress is an unmanageable workload, so concrete ways to reduce this should be front and centre in the health and wellbeing strategy. Unfortunately the Discussion Paper has little to say about this. Using the rhetoric of care and support is no substitute for real measures to improve the working environment.”