Schools ES Matters: ES getting it done

We had an amazing turnout on Education Support Personnel (ESP) Day this year! It was great to see so many members engage in our webinar on the day and participate in ES-focused training during the first half of the year. 

This year’s ESP Day theme, AEU ES Get It Done, was all about bringing the power back to you – the members. It’s about working collectively to ensure you and your ES colleagues’ entitlements are being implemented in your school and that your ES voice is being heard, at your school, in your region and across the state. 

Now is the perfect time for you to make sure there is an ES rep on your school’s sub-branch. Having an ES rep is a great way to ensure the voice of education support staff is heard in your workplace.

If you don’t have an ES rep at your school and you want to change this, please email me at chris.[email protected], so I can support you to make this happen. 

We also run regular training throughout the year, focused on skilling up members to work together to improve their workplaces.

There has been a focus on specific ES training in webinars and at ES briefings in schools. If you want to be more informed about the new VGSA, get in contact with me or your school’s organiser and hold an ES-specific meeting.

ES PD opportunity

All AEU ES members now have access to The Teacher Learning Network (TLN), which offers targeted training for staff working in Victorian schools. Through consultation with members, TLN have developed professional development opportunities specifically for education support members.

Whilst the courses are held after hours or during school holidays, you should speak with your principal and ask to accrue time in lieu to attend these professional development sessions. They will also be available on demand after the live session, so members can access them as PD on pupil-free days.

Reviewing your job description

The Dimensions of Work (DoW) have been re-defined in the VGSA 2022 as a result of feedback from member reference groups. This means that if you started work at your school prior to July 2022, your job description was written in line with the dimensions in the VGSA 2017 and is now outdated. 

Now is the time for you to build your ES voice in your sub-branch and get updated job descriptions for all education support staff in your school.

During Term 3, we will be holding webinars supporting you to consider your job descriptions and to investigate range reviews, so keep an eye on your emails.