Staff professional development

Staff professional development days are days designated for staff professional development or school professional development activities. School professional development, for example, may cover topics such as literacy and numeracy, behaviour management, curriculum changes, planning aligned to the Joint statement of the purpose and use of data in Queensland schools or the Joint statement on planning, preparation, differentiation (including ICPs) or school strategic direction.

A school community may decide to designate the flexible staff professional development days during the Easter holiday, on the Term 3 student free day or within any one, or across, the mid-year holiday periods. 

Note: The professional development day allocated in the third last week of Term 3 is not a flexible staff professional development day until after it has been endorsed by the Local Consultative Committee for conversion from a fixed to a flexible day.

Alternatively a school community may decide to schedule blocks of dedicated professional development outside school hours, for example after school. Whatever flexible arrangement is decided, a total of 25 hours' professional development must be undertaken over the year, including the fixed staff professional development days.

Flexible arrangements are to be decided within each school community in consultation with school staff and endorsed by the Local Consultative Committee. Where a school does not have a Local Consultative Committee (i.e. schools with less than 20 employees), the decision must be endorsed by an existing consultative body or through an alternative consultative procedure. Schools will be required to maintain records confirming Local Consultative Committee/consultative body endorsement including the supporting signature of the Queensland Teachers' Union school-based representative. Flexible staff professional development day arrangements for the following year's staff professional development days must be finalised by the end of the current school year.

All permanent part-time teachers will be paid for the 2 staff professional development days during the Easter holiday. If schools conduct professional development on these days, then permanent part-time teachers will be required to attend these staff professional development days, or alternatively, dedicated professional development otherwise agreed within the school community under flexible arrangements for a total of 10 hours. Where permanent part-time teachers are unable to attend flexibly scheduled professional development, the principal will ensure the permanent part-time teacher is involved in 10 hours' professional development either within the school or in consultation with the region.

Temporary teachers engaged from the commencement of the school year for a minimum of 1 semester will be required to attend and are paid for the 2 staff professional development days held on the last 2 days of the summer holiday.

Temporary teachers engaged for all of Term 1 attend and are paid for the staff professional development day held on the last day of the summer holiday.

Temporary teachers employed up to the end of Term 1 and from the beginning of Term 2 will be paid for the Easter holiday including the 2 staff professional development days. These temporary teachers will be required to attend these 2 staff professional development days or up to 10 hours of flexible professional development where scheduled by the school during their temporary engagement.

Temporary teachers whose engagement includes the professional development day allocated in the third last week of Term 3 will be required to attend the staff professional development day or up to 5 hours of flexible professional development where scheduled by the school during their temporary engagement.

Temporary teachers who are not paid for the 2 Easter holiday staff professional development days do not have to attend these 2 days or alternatively the 10 hours of flexible professional development scheduled by the school. In Terms 2, 3 or 4, where a flexible staff professional development day is scheduled for the:

• final day of the school holiday before a new school term, or
• first day of the school holiday at the end of a school term.

A temporary teacher is entitled to be paid for attendance at a staff professional development day so long as they were engaged for the whole of that term.

Current arrangements for staff professional development days will continue for school-based school support staff. Where a school decides to adopt flexible arrangements that are inconsistent with current arrangements, school-based school support staff will be consulted towards resolving any issues that may arise.