A message from the Principal

Many of you will have seen or heard in the media that Australian Education Union (AEU) members have voted to reject the Victorian Government's most recent offer regarding pay and conditions. As a result, the planned statewide industrial action will proceed tomorrow Thursday 23 July.

St Kilda Park Primary School will be significantly impacted. As communicated earlier today, students are not required to attend school tomorrow, as regular teaching and learning programs will not be operating due to the significant impact of the industrial action on staffing. Almost all of our teaching, education support, administration and leadership staff, including myself, will be participating in the action. 

The school will remain open to provide a program of basic supervision for students who genuinely need to attend, with priority given to children of critical service workers. As the supervision program will be operating with very limited staffing and will not involve normal classroom learning, we encourage families to keep their children at home wherever possible.

I appreciate that this will cause disruption for many families. I know that rearranging work and family commitments at short notice is not easy, and I sincerely thank our community for the understanding and support you have shown.

Industrial action is never something that educators undertake lightly.

Every one of us chose to work in public education because we believe deeply in its purpose. Government schools have always been one of Australia's greatest vehicles for opportunity, ensuring that every child, regardless of their background or circumstances, has access to a high-quality education. It is one of the reasons I am so proud to lead a government school and why our staff are so passionate about the work they do every day.

The decision to participate in industrial action reflects our collective belief that Victoria's public education system deserves greater investment. Our staff are advocating not only for fair pay and conditions, but also for the funding and staffing needed to ensure government schools can continue to attract and retain outstanding educators and provide every student with the opportunities they deserve.

At St Kilda Park Primary School, we are incredibly proud of what we achieve together. We have wonderful students, dedicated staff, supportive families and a vibrant community. Despite the challenges facing public education, our school continues to provide an exceptional learning environment where children thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

The reality, however, is that much of what makes our school special is made possible through the extraordinary generosity of our community. Parent payments, fundraising and donations allow us to provide opportunities that would otherwise not exist. Our staff routinely contribute countless hours beyond those they are paid to work because they care deeply about our students and want every child to experience the very best education possible. Our parent community volunteers, fundraises and supports the school in countless ways that enrich the experiences we are able to offer.

While we are enormously grateful for this support, we also believe it should not be relied upon to bridge the gap between what schools need and what they receive. Every child attending a Victorian government school should have access to the same high-quality facilities, resources, learning opportunities and support that families rightly expect, regardless of the type of school they attend. We do not believe that is an unreasonable aspiration.

Fairer funding would make a genuine difference to what we are able to provide for students at SKiPPS. It would allow schools like ours to invest more in teaching and learning, student wellbeing, intervention and extension programs, specialist support and the facilities that help children flourish. More importantly, it would strengthen the entire public education system so that every Victorian child has the opportunity to succeed.

I know that tomorrow's industrial action will be inconvenient for many families, and for that I sincerely apologise. I also want to thank the many parents who have already reached out with messages of encouragement and support over the past few days. Your understanding means a great deal to our staff.

Together, we all want the same thing: a strong, well-resourced public education system that gives every child the opportunity to succeed. We remain incredibly proud to be part of that system and believe it is worth advocating for the funding, conditions and investment that our students, families, staff and the wider Victorian community deserve.

Neil Scott

Principal