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ɫ������workload watch

  7 May 2026

ɫ������Schools Delegates have identified the increasing demands on School Administrative and Support Staff (SASS) as one of the most significant issues facing ɫ������members in NSW public schools. This is the first of a series of bulletins where the ɫ������will be highlighting those areas and how they tie into our broader objectives to ensure that School Administrative and Support Staff (SASS) are fully funded and schools are safer.

Managing Allied Health and external providers: a growing workload burden

Across almost all SASS classifications, members are reporting a rapid increase in the engagement, coordination and day‑to‑day management of specialist allied health practitioners and external service providers. This expansion is occurring without the accompanying staffing, systems, training, or recognition required to manage these additional responsibilities safely and sustainably.

From administrative staff being responsible for the onboarding and compliance checks of providers, to School Learning Support Officers and wellbeing roles being lumped with responsibility of supporting students with disrupted classrooms and routines, this is an issue impacting many members in schools.

The ɫ������has escalated this to the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC). A dedicated meeting was held with key department stakeholders from Educational Support Staff, School Operational Excellence, Inclusion and Wellbeing, Human Resources and Probity.

The PSA’s position is clear:

If schools are going to allow increasing numbers of external providers, the workload impact must be recognised, resourced, and managed – not absorbed by already stretched SASS staff.

There was a clear acknowledgment from the department that it was aware that this is having a real impact in schools. With no simple fix presently available, it will remain as a key area that the ɫ������will continue to actively advocate for reform.

Pre‑Schools: Administrative and GA workload increase

While the ɫ������acknowledges and supports the Government’s commitment to build 100 new pre‑schools, we remain unconvinced that the significant administrative, School Learning Support Officer (SLSO) and General Assistant (GA) workload associated with these sites has been properly assessed.

It has long been the position of the ɫ������that the additional entitlement for preschools is inadequate. But the roll out of the additional 100 locations brings with it significant workload before entitlement is even applied! For GAs there is often an expectation that they liaise with contractors, escalating workload pressures beyond the requirements of their substantive roles.

The new pre‑schools are already adding pressure to existing school operations, and the ɫ������and delegates are monitoring their rollout closely. We will continue working with the Department to ensure that staffing, responsibilities, and systems are planned from the outset – not retrofitted after SASS and GAs have been expected to absorb the strain.

With over 80 of the 100 preschools currently under construction, these workload pressures are intensifying the broader systemic issues, and your delegates are actively highlighting them at every available forum.

The workload crisis cannot be solved by individual staff “doing more with less”. It requires structural solutions, proper funding, and sustained recognition of the professional expertise our SASS and GA members bring to NSW Public Education.

eFPT, finance pressures and the blurring of roles

The ɫ������continues to work directly with the Department to address the continuing issues members are reporting with eFPT. While these are slowly being addressed, the ɫ������is now broadening the scope of discussions to capture the wider structural and operational problems emerging around school finance systems.

At the same time, the ɫ������is pushing back firmly against job creep. Communications from both the Department and individual schools continue to treat Business Manager (BM) and School Administrative Manager (SAM) roles as interchangeable. This ignores the significant differences between the roles and places upward pressure on SAMs, who are increasingly expected to perform higher‑duties work without recognition or pay.

The ɫ������has made it clear: role clarity is not optional, and we will continue to challenge any attempt to “merge by stealth” the responsibilities of distinct classifications.