Mobile Area Resource Centre and Mobile Art Craft Centre Services

Policy

This policy sets out the minimum expectations for Mobile Area Resource Centre (MARC) and Mobile Art Craft Centre (MACC) services operating in Victorian government schools.

Summary

• MARC and MACC services are offered to small rural and regional Victorian government schools, enabling them to provide students with access to a broader range of texts and educational resources.
• MARC services provide literacy-based programs.
• MACC services provide art-based programs.
• Funding for MARC and MACC services is provided through the Student Resource Package – School Specific Programs.
• The Guidance tab details the central office, regional office, and participating school roles and responsibilities and outlines the mandatory requirements for service delivery, driving and vehicle maintenance.

Details

About the service

The purpose of the MARC and MACC services is to provide small rural and regional Victorian government schools with access to a broader range of texts and educational resources. MARC is a mobile library service that provides literacy-based programs. MACC is a mobile art classroom service that provides art-based programs.

MARC and MACC services aim to:

• provide fair and equitable service coverage to small rural and regional Victorian government schools
• provide access to high quality resources to support student learning
• support and enrich teaching and learning programs aligned with the Victorian Curriculum F–10
• deliver high quality literacy-based and/or art-based programs aligned to the goals and priorities set by the established MARC and MACC school cluster committee of management
• participate in collaborative learning communities within and across the MARC and MACC school clusters.

The MARC and MACC services model is comprised of base schools and serviced schools. The term ‘base school’ refers to the school receiving the MARC and/or MACC funding, and where the MARC and/or MACC teacher is employed. The term ‘serviced schools’ refers to schools receiving services from the base school to which they are assigned.

MARC and MACC teachers employed by the base school work collaboratively with serviced schools to increase access to a broader range of books and other educational resources, improve engagement in relevant curriculum areas and improve learning outcomes.

Each cluster of base and serviced schools is required to establish a committee of management that is comprised of the base school principal, the MARC and/or MACC teacher and serviced school principals. Further information about the role and function of base schools, serviced schools and committees of management can be found in the Guidance tab.

Service eligibility

MARC and MACC services are offered to small rural and regional Victorian government schools. MARC and MACC eligibility is generally targeted at schools with fewer than 100 primary level (F–6 or equivalent) enrolments.

It is recommended that serviced schools are within 100 km of a base school, to maximise the amount of time MARC and MACC teachers spend at schools and minimise the time spent travelling between schools.

Enquiries related to service eligibility, including requests to commence or terminate a MARC or MACC service and provision, must be raised by the committee of management with their area planning and implementation manager.

Funding

MARC and MACC services are funded through the Student Resource Package (SRP). Funding is allocated to the base school, calculated on teacher FTE. As well as teacher salary, the funding covers the operational requirements of the services. Base schools also receive an annual casual clerical hours entitlement to support the management of MARC and MACC services. The annual casual clerical hours entitlement funding is provided to support administrative tasks associated with the operation of MARC and MACC services. Base school principals are responsible for overseeing the delivery of services and are accountable for the service budget.

Allocated funding, including any surplus funds, must only be spent on the MARC and MACC programs. All expenditures must be documented accordingly and be clearly reported on the Annual Report. The department’s Financial Management for Schools policy sets out requirements for schools and school councils when managing school-related finances.

Further information about MARC and MACC funding, including amounts allocated, can be found in the SRP Guide at MARC and MACC Grant and MARC and MACC teachers.

School councils may request parents to make voluntary financial contributions and payments to support the operations of the MARC and MACC programs, consistent with the Parent Payments policy. Schools must allocate funds raised from parent payment contributions for the purposes for which they were requested.

Service delivery requirements

The delivery of MARC and MACC services are a shared responsibility between:

• central and regional offices
• base schools and serviced schools
• the committee of management established in each cluster
• MARC and MACC teachers.

Refer to the Guidance tab for detailed information about each of these roles and responsibilities and mandatory requirements for:

• service delivery and timetabling
• driving and vehicle maintenance.

It is expected that all primary level (F–6 or equivalent) students in each serviced school have access to the MARC and MACC program.

Related policies

• Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0)
• Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management in Schools
• Parent Payments
• Student Resource Package – School Specific Programs
• Teaching and Learning Resources – Selecting Appropriate Materials
• Teacher Registration
• Vehicles (Excluding Buses) – Owned or Hired by a School
• Work Requirements – Teachers

MARC and MACC guidelines

These guidelines contain the following chapters:

• Roles and responsibilities of:
  • base schools
  • serviced schools
  • committees of management
  • MARC and MACC teachers
  • central and regional offices
• Service coverage and timetabling
• Driving and vehicle maintenance
• Annual report

Roles and responsibilities

Base schools

Base school principals are responsible for employing and managing the allocation of duties to MARC and MACC teachers in line with the Industrial Agreements policy. MARC and MACC teachers work across multiple schools and therefore principals must consider the Working in More Than One School guide.

Base school principals are responsible for ensuring the organisation of teacher work for MARC and MACC teachers is determined in the same manner as other teachers employed at their school, including the allocation of work directly related to the teaching and learning program (including face-to-face, preparation and planning time) and other duties.

Refer to the Work Requirements – Teachers policy for further guidance on the allocation of teacher work.

Base school principals are also responsible for overseeing the delivery of services, which include chairing the committee of management meetings, and are accountable for the service budget.

Serviced schools

Serviced schools are encouraged to participate actively in service planning and overseeing operations, to assist and support the base school principal with administrative and coordination responsibilities.

Serviced schools have a responsibility to:

• ensure MARC and MACC services are aligned to the serviced school’s strategic planning and integrated into the school’s teaching and learning program (for example, Literacy or the Arts)
• support the MARC and MACC teacher while they are at their school, including ensuring staff are available to supervise students when required (for example, when MARC students are not borrowing material or when MACC students are cleaning up)
• provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and minimises risks to health, in accordance with the department’s Occupational Health and Safety Management System
• ensure that the serviced school principal, or a designated representative in the principal's absence (for example, if the principal is on leave), attends the committee of management meetings
• contribute to service data collection for annual reporting purposes.

Committees of management

The committee of management is responsible for providing local level governance of MARC and MACC services (not including employment issues), which considers the needs and priorities identified by all schools that access the services.

Each cluster of base and serviced schools is required to establish a committee of management comprising:

• the base school principal
• the MARC and/or MACC teacher
• principals from each serviced school.

Additional members may be invited to represent curriculum areas, student perspectives, or community interests if deemed appropriate by the committee of management.

The committees of management must meet at least once every school term, with one mandatory meeting in Term 4 being designated as the Annual General Meeting. The purpose of the Annual General Meeting is to discuss local implementation planning for the following school year. The base school principal is responsible for chairing and coordinating the committee of management meetings.

The committee of management is also accountable for overseeing funding, expenditure and reporting annually. Key functions of the committee of management include:

• approving the annual budget
• overseeing the use of funds allocated to the base school through the Student Resource Package (SRP) and the casual clerical hours entitlement
• overseeing the development and implementation of a timetable of service allocation, ensuring the teacher’s time is divided equitably across serviced schools
• overseeing the arrangements for changes to the service timetable due to student-free days and other school events
• ensuring services support the implementation of the Victorian Curriculum F–10
• determining the contribution to student report writing, including appropriate time allocation to complete the report, consistent with reporting systems and protocols for the serviced schools and Assessment of Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10
• requesting approval for schools to commence or cease MARC and MACC services from the area executive director through the area planning and implementation manager
• defining the expectations of the services to be reported in the annual report
• endorsing the annual report (DOCX) to be submitted to the area planning and implementation manager during the first week of December
• annual review of the local implementation plan and review of the Terms of Reference as required.

The committee of management must develop:

• a local implementation plan (to be approved by the area executive director) addressing the items above, and any other program operations that are considered relevant by the committee of management. The committee of management may write their own local implementation plan or use the Implementation plan template (DOCX) provided by the department
• a Terms of reference (DOCX) (which can be developed using the optional template provided by the department) to ensure clarity and alignment with best practice governance.

The committee of management must review and approve the local implementation plan annually and the Terms of Reference as required and attach it to their annual report.

Teacher role and responsibilities

The MARC and/or MACC teacher must hold a current VIT registration or permission to teach, and a current Victorian driver’s licence appropriate to the category of the school-owned vehicle. The working conditions for MARC and/or MACC teachers are the same as those for all other members of the teaching service and are set out in Industrial Agreements: Resources:

• MARC and/or MACC teacher must be provided with planning and preparation time, including time release to complete stocktake duties, that reflects the special nature of their duties.
• Given the special nature of these duties and responsibilities as set out below, the base school principal must ensure MARC and MACC teachers are able to complete all their duties within the time available to them and consistent with the Industrial Agreements policy.
• Where it is proposed that other duties are to be allocated to a MARC or MACC teacher, this must be the subject of consultation as required by the Industrial Agreements policy and all duties must be able to be performed within the teachers’ hours of work.

MARC and MACC teachers must also comply with the department’s Work-Related Driving policy, which outlines the responsibilities and processes to identify and manage risks associated with work-related driving. In line with the Work-Related Driving policy, if a teacher is required to travel between schools, campuses, or annexes in one day, time will be allocated to cover the travel and any related logistics. This time will count towards the teacher's overall work hours and will fall within their regular working hours.

Key responsibilities of MARC and MACC teachers include:

• development and delivery of relevant Victorian Curriculum F–10 aligned programs with a focus on student learning outcomes
• contributing to student reporting, consistent with Assessment of Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10 and the Victorian Curriculum F–10
• the purchase and stocktake of resources and materials
• vehicle management and logbook keeping
• participation and contribution to planning and annual reporting as a key member of the committee of management.

Regional offices

Designated area planning and implementation managers are located in each of the department’s 4 regional offices to provide operational oversight to base and serviced schools about the implementation of the MARC and MACC policy.

The key responsibilities of the area planning and implementation manager include:

• being a contact point for committees of management and attending the Annual General Meeting in Term 4 to plan for the school year ahead
• seeking area executive director approval to commence or cease MARC and MACC services, including any transition plans for schools entering in and out of the service
• receiving annual reports from the committee of management and submitting them to the regional director for endorsement
• maintaining databases of MARC and MACC base and serviced schools
• processing requests for van replacements made by base school principals
• identifying networking opportunities for MARC and MACC teachers.

Central office

The Statewide Programs and Tech Schools Division provides policy oversight of MARC and MACC programs.

The key responsibilities of the Statewide Programs and Tech Schools Division include:

• being a policy contact for area planning and implementation managers
• providing support and advice about the MARC and MACC policy and guidance to internal departmental staff as required
• maintaining lists of schools receiving the services.

Service coverage and timetabling

The committee of management must ensure each Mobile Area Resource Centre (MARC) and Mobile Art Craft Centre (MACC) teacher’s time is divided equitably across serviced schools.

The timetable must be endorsed by the committee of management and must take into consideration such factors as:

• travel time
• size of serviced schools
• number of classes delivered by the MARC and/or MACC teachers
• equitable service delivery.

As serviced schools may vary from very low enrolments to approximately 100, no minimum time is set for each school. However, the service allocation must be proportional to the number of students and classes participating in each school.

Any concerns with the timetable must be raised with the base school principal or the committee of management in the first instance. If this method does not resolve the matter, the area planning and implementation manager may be contacted for further assistance.

Transitioning in and out of service

The following guidance ensures a smooth transition in and out of MARC/MACC services while maintaining continuity of service.

Transition-in

The committee of management must ensure that any new schools requesting access to services meet the MARC/MACC eligibility criteria (for example, fewer than 100 primary enrolments and located within 100 km of the base school).

Once eligibility is determined, the following actions are required:

• approval from the area executive director, via the designated area planning and implementation manager for the new service
• develop a service schedule for the incoming school that minimises travel time and maximises teaching time
• conduct a transition meeting with the affected schools to discuss service expectations, resources, and timelines.

Transition-out

If a serviced school no longer meets the MARC and MACC service eligibility, the committee of management must submit a formal request to cancel the service(s) to the area planning and implementation manager. The area planning and implementation manager will seek area executive director approval to cease the MARC and MACC services. After receiving approval from the area executive, the committee of management must:

• notify the affected schools and staff of the transition timeline
• coordinate the transfer or redistribution of resources (for example, books, art equipment, funding, vehicle)
• provide a summary report to be included in the Annual Report detailing the service provided to the school that’s leaving the program and student engagement
• provide clear and timely communication to the impacted school/s and MARC and/or MACC teachers so that all aspects of the transition are complete and documented.

Driving and vehicle maintenance

Work-related driving

MARC and MACC teachers and their base school principals must comply with the department’s Work-Related Driving policy, which includes a step-by-step procedure that must be followed.

Vehicle maintenance

Vehicles used to transport MARC and MACC teachers to serviced schools must comply with the requirements listed in the Vehicles (Excluding Buses) – Owned or Hired by a School policy.

The vehicle should be garaged at the base school, or in close proximity if this is not feasible. Any changes to vehicle garaging arrangements must be approved by the committee of management. The budget implications for such a change must be clearly stated at the time of the request. The vehicle may be garaged at the home of the teacher where approval is granted by the committee of management and this does not incur additional costs.

Vehicle replacement

Base school principals are responsible for requesting van replacements.

Requests must be submitted to the area planning and implementation service support manager who will work with the regional finance manager to obtain regional director approval.

The following actions are required for vehicle replacement requests:

1. Obtain 3 quotes for the replacement vehicle and include the following details:
   • purchase price comparison
   • running costs review
   • trade in and funds held at the school for replacement
   • the net shortfall the base school will be seeking reimbursement for.
2. The school council must approve the purchase 'in principle', subject to the regional director’s approval.
3. The 3 quotes and copy of school council endorsement must be provided to the area planning and implementation manager.
4. The area planning and implementation manager will coordinate the request to the regional finance manager. The regional finance manager will arrange:
   • regional director approval
   • confirmation from the school resource branch that the shortfall can be funded.

Net shortfall funding is provided by way of reimbursement through the Schools Targeted Funding Portal (staff login required) and requires regional director approval.

1. Users must log into this site using their school account, for example, edu001\S123456.
2. A tax invoice generated from CASES21 must be attached to the school’s claim.
3. Evidence that the school has paid for the replacement vehicle and associated costs must be attached as supporting documents.

Area planning and implementation managers should refer any questions they have regarding the above process to the regional finance manager.

Annual report

It is recommended that the annual report be planned from the first committee of management meeting of the school year to establish systems for service data collection relevant to the report.

The base school principal retains overall responsibility for development of the annual report using the provided annual report template (DOCX). Service data required for annual reporting includes but is not limited to:

• number of schools, and current enrolment figures for each school
• timetable of service delivery
• number of committee of management meetings and attendance rates
• budget and financial acquittal printed directly from CASES21 and attached for each Mobile Area Resource Centre (MARC) and Mobile Art Craft Centre (MACC) program held at the school. The attached reports must include the annual sub program budget variance report and the sub program account transaction report
• local implementation plan addressing area based operational activities, including review of cluster serviced schools to assess whether they continue to meet eligibility requirements. Schools may use the Template local implementation plan (DOCX) to complete this requirement.

Individual teacher performance information is not to be included in the report.

Annual reports are to be submitted to the area planning and implementation manager by the committee of management during the first week of December. The annual report must be reviewed and formally endorsed by the area executive director, with a copy provided to the regional director.

Resources

• MARC/MACC annual report template (DOCX)
• MARC/MACC implementation plan template (DOCX)
• MARC/MACC terms of reference template (DOCX)
• MARC/MACC optional timetable template (DOCX)

Human resources

Guidance on allocation of teacher work in line with the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 can be found on the Work Requirements – Teachers guide.

Additional guidance about the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 is available at Industrial Agreements and Time in Lieu – Teaching Service.

MARC and MACC funding

Information about MARC and MACC funding can be found in the Student Resource Package Guide at MARC and MACC Grant and MARC and MACC teachers.