SASSLA and SASPA have recently released their joint paper on Rethinking and Redesigning the role of the principal – the case for change.

This work is the culmination of 18 months of work that began from a conversation between the former Chief Executive of SASPA, Jayne Heath, and the Chief Executive of SASSLA, Phil O’Loughlin, regarding the need for a clear and complete picture of how to position the principal role to meet future challenges and opportunities.

The project officially commenced with the publishing of a joint discussion paper titled Reconceptualising the Role of the Principal in July 2023. The thinking and directions established in this paper were endorsed and supported by the Minister for Education. The paper outlined four fields of enquiry that were incorporated in a seminar series for exploration and discussion over four twilight sessions held in 2024.

Our effort was rewarded with an invitation to present a seminar paper at the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) held in Melbourne in February 2025. Our work showcases a contemporary approach with professional associations taking the lead on developing policy thinking and proposals for change.

This collaborative work will be continued with SASPA’s new Chief Executive, Kirsty Amos, to plan how we continue to embed the thinking from our work in policy discussions and prioritise the directions we have established.

SASSLA has recently developed a paper which develops a future scenario for the function of the Band A Principal and Preschool Director (PSD) labour market. The paper is available to read here.

The development of a future scenario of the functioning of the Band A labour market is a valuable tool to assess future risks and weigh up countervailing policy options. It can provide important information on how to approach topical policy areas including the current proposal to offer Band A position as permanent roles.

Labour market analysis looks at three key variables:

• Establishment Demand: the number of Principal and PSD roles that need to be filled.
• Replacement Demand: the number of people who exit Principal and PSD roles each year that have to be replaced.
• Supply of New Candidates: the number, capability and mobility of people actively seeking Band A roles.

In developing a future scenario, an assessment of how economic, social, policy and demographic contexts is required. This assessment requires exploration of existing drivers and trends that will shape the behaviour of the people who participate in the market.

Based on the scenario developed, the employee behaviour will be influenced by trends which restricts or limits access to, or do not incentivise employees to apply for Band A roles. This is an important area for future inquiry and research.

Under the future scenario developed, the pool of potential applicants for Principal roles will be lower than historical averages due to restricted access and disincentives to actively seek out Band A roles. Under this scenario the following policy considerations are evident:

• Challenging conditions in hard to staff and low SES schools are likely to continue in the medium to longer term. Specific programs and incentives may need to be developed to incentivise mobility to these schools.
• Lower levels of mobility will place an increased emphasis on internal development of leaders in situ or in defined geographic locations.
• Job design and conditions of employment may need to be redesigned around the interests and needs of employees to ensure the best teachers are attracted to leadership roles.
• New organisation models of schooling may need to be developed to cater for specific circumstances where chronic labour market conditions exist.

Under the scenario presented, candidate supply conditions for Band A school leaders will remain challenging for the foreseeable future. Further deterioration of conditions is more likely than improvement. Preschool Director market conditions are likely to deteriorate in the medium term due to internal supply pressures and increased intersectoral competition due to future government investment in early education in South Australia and other States.

SASSLA’s focus is to bring the important employment related issues facing school and preschool leaders to the attention of the Department and Government. We have done the hard work of developing clear and persuasive arguments for change and improvement to School and Preschool Leaders’ employment conditions. Areas where we have been most active include Band A remuneration, improved workload regulation for Preschool Directors, selection and reappointment, and leader workload.

We have further developed our Six Key Employment Priorities until 2025. Click here to view our e-publication which outlines an in-depth analysis into each priority and the wins we have achieved since our initial publication in 2023.

1. Development and implementation of an improved Band A classification and remuneration structure.
2. Reduced teaching load for Preschool Directors.
3. A focused and continuing program of amelioration of workload pressures on Band A and Band B leaders.
4. Extension of the Workers Compensation Additional Compensation Scheme to the education workforce.
5. Improved conditions of contract for Band A and Band B leaders.
6. Review and improvement of recruitment and selection practices for Band A and Band B leaders.

SASSLA and the Principal and Preschool Director Associations will actively participate in the consultation process on development of a policy for Principal and Preschool Director permanency. This presents as a real opportunity for SASSLA and the Associations to influence policy development on this important reform proposal.

The commitment to permanency brings opportunities for positive change which include

• Certainty for individual employees on their career path and benefits
• A positive incentive to apply for Band A roles
• Productivity benefits flowing from the capacity to take a long-term view in a role
• The defining of principals and preschool directors as a distinctive professional class which creates opportunities for future policy improvement initiatives

A successful implementation of a new policy on Band A permanency will require discussion and consideration of a range of operational matters and systems alignment. To assist this process, SASSLA has developed a discussion paper that identifies and discusses the important operational questions and modifications to work systems that will be required. We believe our work will positively assist and support a constructive consultation process that leads to a consensus on a new policy. The paper can be read here.

This work highlights the way we conduct our business in supporting the interests of Band A and Band B leaders. Our approach is to get on the front foot by assessing opportunities and doing the background work to frame key questions and future options. We have successfully used this approach when improving the workload conditions for Preschool Directors and responding to the Mercer Review of Band A Principal and Preschool Director positions, which remains ongoing.

We will provide regular progress updates on permanency in future editions of our e-News.

Sustaining Leadership: Serving Schools and Students investigates the challenges faced by South Australian public school principals through a nationally scoped literature review research study. Particular focus is drawn upon the demands placed upon public school principals and the sustainability of the leadership profession.

The key findings include;

1. Increased accountability is driving public school principal decision-making; significantly contributing to a lack of time for principals to build and sustain a positive school community culture.
2. Extensive responsibilities are overloading and overwhelming public school principals, with substantial energy directed towards data collection, management, and record keeping.
3. Excessive and unrelenting workloads are leading to principal burnout, stress, fatigue, depression, a lack of time to focus on teaching and learning, and decreased autonomy.

SASSLA recently contributed to the Federal Government’s Review to Inform a Better and Fairer Education System in the form of a formal submission available to read here. The submission is focused on three areas we see as topical and important to future employment related education policy. These are:

• The Need for Improved Forecasting of Teacher Supply and Demand.
• Application of Incentives: Benefits and Risks
• Reconceptualising the Paraprofessional Workforce

The issues raised with respect to the paraprofessional workforce (SSOs and ECWs) are drawn from a literature review which SASSLA conducted incorporating national and international research. The work of education paraprofessionals is often neglected in national policy and framed in limited understanding. The literature review is available here. An intrastate comparison attached to the submission highlights the disparate models of paraprofessional employment across Australia.

We believe these topic areas are relevant to form a complete understanding of the importance of strategic human resource management in guiding education change and improvement.

Click here to read our Position Paper on Workload in EB negotiations.

In term 3 2022, SASSLA visited 12 school sites in the Iron Triangle, Riverland, South-East, Mid-North and Kangaroo Island. The focus of our site visits was to gain an appreciation of the issues and pressures facing principals and their leadership teams.

Our work with country principals has enabled us to develop a more complete picture of the working conditions and challenges facing people in these roles. We have developed a summary report based on our observations which we have provided to the Minister and the Department. You can read the report here.

SASSLA will continue to work with country leaders in making sure that their interests are understood and actioned.

SASSLA has collaborated with other SA Principal and Preschool Director Associations to prepare a joint submission to the Department on changes to classification and remuneration that is needed to positively support public education now and in the future. Read our submission here.

SASSLA, in collaboration with the Preschool Directors Association, has released two evaluation reports on Preschool Director workload. This work has provided a comprehensive picture of Preschool Director workload to inform policy decisions and future industrial negotiations. These reports can be accessed here: Evaluation Report Part 1 2020, and Evaluation Report Part 2 2021

SASSLA has been active in developing a deeper understanding of the conditions that give rise to excessive leader workload since the initial publication of the Education Leader Workload paper in 2020. Our State Conference, held on 20 May 2022, discussed this topic in detail. Presentation notes from the Conference can be found here. In November 2022, the Chief Executive of SASSLA delivered the keynote address at the Australian Principals Federation Conference in Perth on School Leader Workload.

SASSLA has made a submission to the Federal Government’s Draft National Teacher Workforce Action Plan in which we clearly identify the risks and costs associated with a continuing pattern of excessive workload for school and preschool leaders.

These risks and costs need to be confronted so that we can maintain a strong and vital public education system. The issue of workload must be brought to the foreground of thinking and action. SASSLA will advocate for the development of a strategic approach to improve workload conditions for school and preschool leaders.