Yesterday, Sunday 16 November 2025, the Executive Director People and Culture emailed all Band A leaders with respect to the new six level Band A School Principal and Preschool Director classification and remuneration structure to be implemented from 2026.
This email provided details of the new six level structure (SC-1 to SC-6) and general information on the translation of existing Band A leaders classified under the existing classification structure Band A-1 to A-9. More information from the department can be found here.
The new structure lifts remuneration for 89% of Band A leaders and provides a safety net for the small number of people whose nominal remuneration will be lower than that delivered under the current classification system. Salaries will be further lifted by the 3% enterprise agreement increase in May 2026. Overall, the new system is a substantial improvement on the existing Band A classification structure.
The Department has outlined a three step communication process that will roll out over term 4, 2025:
- Notification of staff who will have a nominal reduction in salary including information on the safety net provision.
- Contacting all staff with information on their new classification and remuneration.
- Details about the new structure that can be more broadly shared.
Members with specific issues and concerns are invited to contact SASSLA on 0412 654 817 or admin@sassla.au
The vital role SASSLA plays in improving conditions for school and preschool leaders
In 2022, SASSLA and the Joint Principal Associations developed a comprehensive submission to improve the Band A structure and better support a contemporary public education system. The submission identified that the following changes were needed and can be read in full here:
- Entry level remuneration recognising the base work value of Band A roles.
- Alignment of the classification criteria for Preschool Director and Principal positions.
- A defined career structure that has a reduced number of classification levels and provides incentives for career development.
- Recognition of the work value of Principals in large complex schools.
SASSLA has been continually involved in this process from needs identification to final delivery. This issue was a key priority in our 2023-2025 School and Preschool Leader Employment Priorities publication. The principles we articulated in our publication and policy paper are evident in the new structure. This is a testament to our commitment to work in partnership with the department to achieve positive results for our members and is another leadership employment priority which we can mark as ‘done’ before the end of the 2025 school year.
What’s next?
We are currently developing a new range of leadership employment policy proposals to be released in term 2, 2026 which will include improved conditions for Band B leaders.