​​The aim of this focus area is to define the scope of contemporary teaching, and coordinate system efforts to ensure teachers are supported to focus on the work that directly drives student outcomes.

As a community of Catholic schools, we continually seek to provide the support our teachers and staff need to not only be effective educators, but to find consistent joy and fulfilment in one of society’s most noble vocations.

As teaching becomes increasingly complex, many educators are finding it challenging to balance the needs of their students with the professional demands that exist outside the classroom. To address this, we’ve worked with teachers and school leaders to develop a shared definition of the core work of teaching. By identifying what’s essential, we can reimagine how our system operates, leveraging our scale to remove unnecessary administrative burdens and give teachers and leaders the capacity to focus on learning, teaching, and the holistic formation of their students. 

Strategies
Improvement indicators

Strategies

To drive improvement in this focus area, we will:

  • Protect and prioritise the core work of teaching.
  • Support teacher engagement by ensuring workload is sustainable, identifying unnecessary administrative burdens, protecting time for high-impact teaching practices, improving teacher wellbeing and retention, and ultimately strengthening student learning outcomes.
  • Align professional development with school improvement priorities and teacher professional development goals.
  • Audit and review Catholic Education Office processes to identify ways to improve coordination and reduce the impact of new initiatives on schools. 
  • Ensure new initiatives are research based and receive ongoing support both during and after implementation. 
  • Maximise time for school leaders to focus on the most impactful leadership practices so they can lead with passion, virtue, and joy.

Improvement indicators

Progress against this focus area will be measured by: 

  • Teacher engagement 
  • Time spent by teachers on the core work of teaching
Catholic Diocese of Wollongong
Catholic Schools NSW
National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC)
CEnet