0131—Education and Training—PRIMARY TEACHER-LIBRARIANS

Dr Kaye to the Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for the Central Coast, and Minister Assisting the Minister for Finance—

1.  
1. Are primary teacher-librarians still required to provide one hour of teacher relief from face to face teaching (RFF)?
2. If so, does this prevent them from fulfilling their professional role as collaborative partner in the teaching and assessing of information literacy skills in the school teaching and learning program?
2. Why have the RFF teacher positions that were cut in 1988 by a previous government not been restored?
3.  
1. According to the staffing formula for teacher librarians, are support classes counted as classes for the purposes of RFF, yet not counted as classes for the teacher librarian staffing allocation?
2. If so, why?
4.  
1. Do some school libraries not have support staff?
2. If so, why?

Answer—

1. Each primary classroom teacher is entitled to two hours' release from face-to-face teaching each week. One hour of this release time is provided within the school's release from face-to-face staffing entitlement, the other hour is allocated by the principal from the school's supplementary staffing entitlements, including the part-time and teacher-librarian allocations. Teacher-librarians are also entitled to two hours' release time each week. The release time can be allowed for within their duties. Teacher-librarians are essential teaching partners, collaborating to support teaching and learning in schools. Where a teacher-librarian is providing teacher relief, collaboration between the teacher-librarian and class teacher should occur in planning the educational program that takes place during a class teacher's release time.
2. This would have significant resource implications.
3. Both the classroom teacher and teacher-librarian staffing entitlements are based on student enrolments. Support student enrolments are included in determining the teacher-librarian entitlement for schools.
4. School administrative and support staff provide valuable assistance in supporting the operations of the school, including support in the library. The principal allocates school administrative and support staff within a school, taking into account the duties which need to be performed, including those in the school library.