WORKFORCE PLANNING IN SCHOOLS

WORKFORCE PLANNING

IN SCHOOLS

Produced by: EB Implementation Taskforce

Issue Date: October 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT IS WORKFORCE PLANNING? ... 1

Why is Workforce Planning Important? ... 1

WORKFORCE PLANNING FRAMEWORK ... 2

STEP 1WORKFORCE ANALYSIS ... 3

STEP 2FORECAST FUTURE NEEDS ... 4

STEP 3–ANALYSE GAPS ... 5

Workforce Gap Analysis ... 5

Example of a Gap Analysis: ... 6

STEP 4–DEVELOP STRATEGIES ... 7

Human Resource Plan ... 7

Example of a Human Resource Plan ... 8

STEP 5–IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES ... 9

STEP 6–MONITOR AND EVALUATE ... 10

OTHER FACTORS ... 10

APPENDIX 1 ... 11

Workforce Needs - Secondary School ... 11

APPENDIX 2 ... 12

Workforce Gap Analysis ... 12

APPENDIX 3 ... 13

Human Resource Plan ... 13

APPENDIX 4 ... 14

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Workforce Planning involves the analysis of the knowledge, skills and abilities within the current workforce and the planning for future human resource needs. Workforce planning includes the analysis of the gaps between the school’s current and future workforce and the identification of strategies to meet future needs. Workforce planning is an integral part of the strategic planning process in a school to enable each school to achieve its educational goals. Effective workforce planning means that short and long term staffing needs are planned, documented and implemented in consultation with others, within the allocated funding and in line with the Site Improvement Plan.

Why is Workforce Planning Important?

Schools are dynamic organisations that respond to a range of educational needs within their local community and the broader educational system. Each school has unique characteristics, needs and goals which are reflected in the Site Improvement Plan and School Context Statement.

Human resources are the key resource within a school. It is the people in a school that make the difference to the educational outcomes of students. Having the right workforce to deliver the educational program which meets the ongoing needs of the students in a school is pivotal in the principal’s leadership. Effective human resource management involves appropriate planning, recruitment and development of staff. The Principal has a delegated responsibility for the human resource decisions in a school within DECD and industrial frameworks. The PAC works in partnership with the Principal in relation to human resource matters.

The funding for the human resource needs in a school comes from a variety of sources. Whilst the Student Centred Funding Model provides the core funds to meet educational and industrial requirements other funding such as Commonwealth and State Government Initiatives and a variety of grants can be used to enhance the human resource profile in a school to address specific educational, equity and social justice issues. The decision making about the expenditure of these funds is made at the school level under the leadership of the Principal.

Workforce planning provides the link between site priorities, human resources and school funding. Workforce Planning enables a school to aim to have:

 the right people  with the right skills  at the right time

 and at the right total cost.

An effectively planned workforce is better equipped through having the right mix of people and skills to achieve the aims and objectives of the school and its future challenges.

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Whilst there is no single process that will suit all situations, there are a number of frameworks or models for effective workforce planning. The key common aspects of these models are summarised in the following diagram.

A checklist to assist in the workforce planning process is provided in Appendix 4

Workforce

Planning

Framework

2. Forecast Future Needs

Future sc hool scenarios, n ee ds a n d w o rk f o rc e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s a n d capabilities are identified.

3. Analyse Gaps

The gaps between future work force needs and current w o rk f o rc e pr o f il e a re identified and analysed.

4. Develop Strategies

Integrated HR strategies are developed to address the gaps bet ween current and future work force needs.

5. Implement Strategies

Investment in strategies and c h a n g e m a n a g e m e n t pr oc es s es t o a dd r es s work force planning issues.

6. Monitor and Evaluate

Effectiveness of strategies is evaluat ed t o det ermine success of planned changes and impact on educational outcomes.

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The first stage in workforce planning is to examine, document and analyse the current staff characteristics and the inter-related school characteristics. As well as examining the details of the current Staff Profile it is useful to look at the associated factors such as funding and expenditure, curriculum delivery and structural aspects of the school. Current Staff Profile

This is best documented in a table/spreadsheet. Information that may be considered for each staff member (both teaching and ancillary) includes:

 Details of appointment to the school – date, subject/skills codes

o Letters of Appointment, the Bonafide or a search in VSP could assist  Skills and Abilities, Qualifications

o Undertake a Skills Audit of all staff to identify skills and capabilities outside their appointment o Reports in Professional Profile in HR Management Information may assist

 Employment Status – permanent, temporary, PAT  End of tenure – if applicable

 Approved or intended extended leave o Bonafide may assist

 FTE or Hours Worked

o Substantive, current and potential future changes

 Any specific deployment information e.g. name of person replaced, time allocations of additional duties/responsibilities, acting positions

Ensure that all staff on leave with a right of return (or any with a right for placement as notified by your senior HR Consultant) are included.

Much of this information can readily be determined by utilising the Staff Listing Report available from the HR Management Reporting tab in the menu of the HR Management Information application in Eduportal. Reports can be generated in Excel for ease of use.

Human Resource Income and Expenditure

 Funding for the current year including any grants used for human resources

 Total planned HR expenditure for the year – against source of funding where applicable  Any special arrangements for HR expenditure e.g. additional TRT days, outsourcing costs Curriculum Delivery

 Curriculum delivered by the school in the current year  Other programs that require human resources

Structural Aspects

 Timetable structure

 Workloads in regard to industrial and DECD policies – e.g. school day, face-to-face teaching

 School context – examine the characteristics of the school that impact on human resources planning  Current initiatives that impact on human resources

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Forecasting of future needs should be undertaken in most detail for the following year, but it is also important to consider the longer term needs across a 3 to 5 year period. Plans implemented in the short term should also fit within long term needs.

Future scenarios to consider include: School Vision

 Planned new initiatives that will impact on staffing – either requiring new skills/positions or decrease/removal of current roles

 Human resource allocations needed to support implementation e.g. additional release time for staff member(s), changed/additional leadership role, TRT days

Enrolment trends

 Information about historical progression ratios is available from senior HR consultant  Enrolments in feeder preschools/schools

 Potential changes in diversity demographics  Local housing and employment changes

 Changes in educational providers in the local region e.g. new school  New school initiatives that may impact on numbers

Staff

 End of tenure for leadership positions  Completion of temporary positions

 Staff plans for the future – leave, right of return, retirement, change in time  Staff turnover rates

Curriculum

 Local changes – new or deleted subjects, changes in student demand for subjects, change in NIT focus in primary

 System wide initiatives External Factors

 Industrial Factors – e.g. new enterprise agreement

 Changes to DECD policy – e.g. change to recruitment policy, Reception intake  New educational initiatives

Financial Resources

 Impact of enrolment changes on funding

o Use the SBPT to test the changes using projected enrolments  New school initiatives that may impact on HR funding or expenditure  Potential changes in funding – e.g. changes in grants.

For each of the future scenarios, the impact on staffing at the school should be considered. In a primary setting the teaching position can usually be summarised as classroom, NIT or combined. In a secondary setting it may be necessary to break down the future workforce needs into the numbers of classes for each year level in each of the learning areas. An example of a spreadsheet to record this is provided in Appendix 1.

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Use the information from steps 1 and 2 to identify short and long term gaps between future workforce needs and the current workforce. All changes identified in step 2 should be included. Setting up a proposed Staff Profile including details of known staff and skills may assist in this process. The inclusion of the longer term (3 to 5 year needs) will assist in identifying strategies that can be commenced in the shorter term to meet these longer term needs. A gap analysis can be documented using a table such as that below (also see Appendix 2):

Workforce Gap Analysis

School _______________________________

Year_______

Future Workforce Needs

Current Workforce Characteristics

Gaps – short term (next year)

Gaps – long term (next 3 to 5 years)

In completing this gap analysis it is necessary to consider:  Staff numbers

 Skills and expertise

 Both increases and decreases in needs

It may also be useful to divide the analysis into sections

 Critical – i.e. future workforce needs that are essential to the school  Desirable

 Possible – i.e. future workforce ideas that may occur but are not definite

By doing this, a risk assessment is incorporated into the gap analysis and enables prioritisation of identified gaps. Identify and analyse the gaps between future workforce needs and current workforce profile.

Example of a Gap Analysis:

Future Workforce Needs

Current Workforce Characteristics

Gaps – short term (next year)

Gaps – long term (next 3 to 5 years)

Loss of students due to local demographics means reduction in funding

Currently have slightly higher funding than expenditure

Possibly will need to make small reduction in HR spending

Will need a definite plan to reduce staffing levels across all learning areas 25 hours SSO ICT time to

cope with increased computer purchases

Current ICT technician employed 15 hours permanent

Front Office SSO also has ICT skills

Increase of 10 hours in ICT support

Potentially more than 10 hours additional

Removal of Subject X from curriculum at all year levels – phased out in 3 years

1.0 teacher with skills also in Subject Y

Decrease of 0.3 Year 1 – decrease of 0.5 Year 2 – decrease of 0.7 Year 3 – decrease of 1.0 Teachers need skills in

use of ICT in classrooms

Skills audit identified one teacher as competent, most as having some or good skills and two as lacking skills

Need all staff to have good or competent skill level

Need all teachers to be competent by 20… Coordinator to

implement Australian Curriculum

4 coordinators – none with role of Australian Curriculum

One with tenure finishing in Jan next year

Another actively seeking promotion elsewhere

Need Australian Curriculum leadership

Ongoing need for leadership for at least 3 years

The gap analysis is a useful tool to provide information to help members of the school community (PAC, staff, Governing Council) to understand future workforce needs. It can be used as the basis for discussion about strategies to be considered in the next step.

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This is a problem solving phase involving the identification of possible strategies that can be implemented to remove or decrease the gaps between current and future needs and to address any other issues that may have been identified during the process. One of the key aspects in this phase is to identify the capacity of the current workforce to adapt to meet future needs.

Strategies should be documented for each of the gaps identified in the gap analysis. There may be a number of strategies that could potentially address the identified gaps. An example of a possible plan is below (also see Appendix 3):

Human Resource Plan

School _______________________________

Year_______

Key Workforce Gap

Potential Strategies Cost Analysis of Strategies Comments

Agreed Strategies Implementation Date

At this stage in the workforce planning process, a range of potential strategies and the associated costs (including savings) could be documented. It is useful to leave space for the analysis and agreed strategies to be documented once the necessary consultation, discussion and further research has occurred.

There are a number of strategies that schools may be able to consider to reduce or eliminate gaps. The strategies will vary depending on the characteristics of the gap i.e. long or short term, increase or decrease in staffing, critical or desirable. The focus should be on strategies which benefit both the individual and the school. Strategies to be considered include:

Staff Development  Retraining

 Acting leadership position to broaden skills

 Succession planning to ensure the retention of skills and knowledge

 Performance management to support career transition, career planning and provide developmental opportunities

 Mentoring by another staff member

 Training and development support, including allocation of additional funding  Support for staff wanting/willing to seek position in another school

Recruitment

 Recruitment – permanent or temporary, full time or part time  Contract teacher position up to two years

 Traineeships to fill non-teaching vacancies  Use of TRTs

 Job sharing with another school(s)

Redeployment

 Redeployment to utilise other skills and abilities of staff member  Job rotation

 Acting leadership position to address a short term need Employment conditions

 Analysis of impact of staff planning to take leave  Potential part time employment

 Change in time

 Phased transition to retirement  Patterned long service leave

 Required placement – used as a last resort when all other possible strategies have been eliminated Other

 Use of technology

 Promotion of school to support quality recruitment – e.g. website, student teacher practicums, marketing  Strategies to support staff retention – e.g. recognition, wellbeing programs, promoting work life balance

Example of a Human Resource Plan

Gap

Potential Strategies Cost Analysis of Strategies

Comments

Agreed Strategies Implementation Date

Increase of 10 hours in ICT support

1. Increase time for current SSO by 10 hours 2. Increase current SSO by 5 hours and allocate equivalent of 5 hours ICT work to Front Office 3. Release a teacher for 0.2

4. Outsource some tasks to local ICT company

10 hrs. SSO2 5 hrs. SSO2 0.2 teacher salary Approx. $18000 Reduction/ removal of Subject X from curriculum 1. Redeploy teacher to other teaching area 2. Discuss possible decrease in time with teacher

3. Phase out subject immediately and look at required placement 4. Don’t make any changes until teacher retires in 3 years $0 Saving of approx. $20,000 to $30,000 Unknown – need new subject $0 now. Unknown for 3 years’ time Improve teacher ICT skills 1. Allocate additional TRT days and T&D Funds 2. Use Student Free Days 3. Appoint acting Band B-1 Coordinator to lead Approx $10000 $0 Difference between Band B-1 and teacher plus 0.2 release

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The proposed strategies are discussed and the impacts considered. The benefits and pitfalls in each option should be carefully analysed in consultation with others. The analysis and comments can be recorded in the Human Resource Plan as in the example given above (also see Appendix 3).

An equally important part of this stage is the development of a thorough change management process. Whilst cost is one consideration in any human resource plan, there are a number of other factors which may need to be taken into account. One of the most significant is the impacts that proposed strategies will have on school personnel. It is therefore important that there is open communication and consultation to ensure that there is a shared understanding of the proposed strategies. The change process is best supported through long term workforce planning rather than last minute decisions, although there are often unforseen needs that need to be addressed quickly (e.g. staff member moves to another school, change in policy).

As with all change processes there is a need for effective risk management. The longer term implications of staffing decisions should be considered. As there are potential changes in funding (e.g. through changed enrolments) or unexpected circumstances that may need to be covered (e.g. additional TRT days needed for teacher release) it is necessary to incorporate a degree of flexibility into the final strategies to minimise the risks. This can be achieved through considerations of the mix of positions such as permanent or temporary, full or part time, teaching or non-teaching and range/combination of skills in a position descriptor. In the initial decision making process it may be necessary to reserve some human resource funding to cover contingencies, but the agreed strategies might include a prioritised list of strategies that will be implemented when funding is confirmed.

The tenure of the vacancies for classroom positions should be on-going unless at least one of the criteria for a temporary vacancy is met. The criteria for temporary vacancies are:

 A teacher is out of the school and holds right of return to the site

 The school is undergoing a defined curriculum or major function change project

 The school is undergoing enrolment decline and an ongoing position cannot be sustained  A teacher has an approved temporary change in time

 There are special short-term funding arrangements

 A position needs to be maintained behind an acting leadership position of 12 months or less

In the situations described above, schools are not required to describe a temporary position and may describe an ongoing position if other management strategies are available.

In finalising the Human Resource Plan it may be necessary to:

 Consider modified or new strategies based on information gathered  Implement parts of more than one strategy

 Look at both short and long term strategies to address the issue

 Implement an integrated strategy that can address more than one need  Implement a pilot scheme or trial to determine success of the strategy

 Prioritise strategies depending on available financial, human and physical resources  Implement only the most critical gaps in the short term

 Use the strategy that provides greatest flexibility for the long term

Before implementing any new key strategies it is useful to collect baseline data to enable later evaluation of the success and outcomes of changes. Some strategies may also require goals or set targets to enable effective change

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Workforce planning is a continuous process. To ensure that human resource planning continues to meet the future needs of the school, mechanisms should be in place to continually monitor, review and evaluate the implementation and outcomes of strategies.

Issues that may be considered in the monitoring and evaluation phase include:  regular review of current workforce profile

 success of planned outcomes including analysis of the causes of any inadequacies  data analysis to determine impact of any new initiatives

 sharing, promotion and celebration of achievements made as a result of new workforce strategies  the need to revisit strategies or change the timeline

Workforce planning should be an integral part of the annual and ongoing improvement and accountability processes that occur in schools to improve educational outcomes for students, along with site performance planning and budgeting.

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School workforce planning must ensure that broader workforce policies are reflected in the school’s human resource plan, including:

 Diversity and Equity  Performance Development  DECD Policies and Procedures

o Part Time Teacher Policy o Leave Policy

o Teacher Recruitment and Selection Policy and accompanying Procedures

o Policy for the Recruitment and Selection of Ancillary Staff in Schools and Preschools and accompanying Procedures

o Merit Selection

 Enterprise Agreement requirements

Evaluate effectiveness of strategies to determine success of planned changes and impact on educational outcomes.

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Workforce Needs - Secondary School

Year

HPE LANGUAGES

MATHS

SCIENCE HASS CROSS DISCIPLINARY TECHNOLOGIES

TOTAL Art Drama Music PE H Ec Health Lang

1 Lang

2 Gen Phy Chem Biol Gen Hist Geog RP/PLP Other Gen Wood Metal Other IT

8 9 10 11 12 TOTALS Faculty Total Semester 1

Year

HPE LANGUAGES

MATHS

SCIENCE HASS CROSS DISCIPLINARY TECHNOLOGIES

TOTAL Art Drama Music PE H Ec Health Lang ₁ Lang ₂ Gen Phy Chem Biol Gen Hist Geog RP/PLP Other Gen Wood Metal Other IT

8 9 10 11 12 TOTALS Faculty Total Semester 2

Year

HPE LANGUAGES

MATHS

SCIENCE HASS CROSS DISCIPLINARY TECHNOLOGIES TOTAL Art Drama Music PE H Ec Lang

1 Lang

2 Gen Phy Chem Biol Gen Hist Geog RP/PLP Other Gen Wood Metal Other IT

8 9 10 11 12

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Workforce Gap Analysis

School _______________________________ Year_______

Future Workforce Needs Current Workforce Characteristics Gaps – short term (next year)

Gaps – long term (next 3 to 5 years)

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Human Resource Plan

School _______________________________ Year_______

Key Workforce Gap Potential Strategies Cost Analysis of Strategies Comments

Agreed Strategies Implementation Date

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Workforce Planning Checklist

Step 1 Current Workforce Analysis

Current Staff Profile

List of Staff – teaching and non-teaching – including staff on leave  Appointment Details – dates, subject/skills codes, classification  Type of appointment – permanent, temporary, PAT

 FTE or hours worked – substantive, current, potential future changes  Leave – approved or intended

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Total FTE of permanent staff

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Other possible data to consider

 Skills audit – identify capabilities in addition to appointment  Age profile – retirement planning

 Future aspirations or plans

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Human Resource Income and Expenditure

 Funding and Expenditure – amounts and source

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Current curriculum delivery

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Structural aspects that impact on workforce planning – e.g. timetable, workloads, school context

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Step 2 Forecast Future Needs

School Vision – impact on Human Resources

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Enrolment Trends

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Known or potential staff changes

 End of tenure for leadership positions, conclusion of temporary positions  Staff plans – leave, right of return, retirement, change in time

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Curriculum

 Local changes

 System wide initiatives

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 Use SBPT to show impact of enrolment changes  Other changes in funding

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Forecast HR needs for next year – document

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Forecast HR needs for 3 to 5 years time – document

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Step 3 Analyse Gaps

Compare current and future workforce – total FTE/hours, skills/expertise

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Identify gaps between current and future workforce – record in gap analysis table

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Determine increases or decreases in workforce needs

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Prioritise gaps – critical/desirable/possible, next year/longer term

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Step 4 Develop Strategies

List all possible strategies to reduce or eliminate gaps

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PAC consult with staff as appropriate – brainstorm ideas

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Consider range of strategies  Staff development  Recruitment  Redeployment  Employment conditions  Other

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Calculate cost of each strategy

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Step 5 Implement Strategies

Discussion at PAC and consultation with other staff as relevant.

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Analyse benefits and pitfalls of each strategy

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Analyse short and long term risk (including financial) of each strategy

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Communicate with staff, especially those most likely affected by changes

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Document agreed strategies and timeline in the Human Resource Plan

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Collect baseline data and/or set goals/targets as appropriate to enable future evaluation

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Step 6 Monitor and Evaluate

Evaluate success of strategies

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Analyse the cause of any inadequacies

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Analyse data to determine impact of strategies

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Share, promote and celebrate achievements

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Review outcomes and adjust strategies and/or timeline as necessary

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Update Current Staff Profile

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