National Quality Standards
Quality Area 4- Staffing arrangements
After an extended focus on Quality Area Standard 3- Physical environment, where many improvements were completed and many more in the process of being addressed, we are now moving as a service to focus on Quality Area 4- Staffing Arrangements.
We are lucky at Oakleigh Primary School and Kindergarten to have a team of teachers and educators with extensive experience and qualifications above the requirements for their role. Many of our staff have been working with us for many years and all are dedicated to their roles supporting children and families, to their own professional development and to the continued improvement of our service as a whole.
The aim of Quality Area 4 under the National Quality Standard is to ensure the provision of qualified and experienced educators, coordinators and nominated supervisors who are able to develop warm, respectful relationships with children, create safe and predictable environments and encourage children’s active engagement in the learning program.
The key elements of this quality area are:
| Standard 4.1 | Staffing arrangements | Staffing arrangements enhance children's learning and development. |
| Element 4.1.1 | Organisation of educators | The organisation of educators across the service supports children's learning and development. |
| Element 4.1.2 | Continuity of staff | Every effort is made for children to experience continuity of educators at the service. |
| Standard 4.2 | Professionalism | Management, educators and staff are collaborative, respectful and ethical. |
| Element 4.2.1 | Professional collaboration | Management, educators and staff work with mutual respect and collaboratively, and challenge and learn from each other, recognising each other’s strengths and skills. |
| Element 4.2.2 | Professional standards | Professional standards guide practice, interactions and relationships. |
As staffing decisions for 2022 are currently being organised, this is the perfect time to be focused on this quality area. 2021 has been a year where collaboration between teams has been particularly important, this is true in terms of our planning to deliver the school readiness program, to plan and implement the PMP program, to support a positive transition to school and in supporting children that attend across kinder and the extended care program.