Workforce Planning for Schools

Overview

In the education context, workforce planning is a formal approach to planning, building and managing your school’s workforce structure, profile and people to achieve your school’s strategic goals and priorities and be well placed to respond to projected future needs.

This Schools Workforce Planning Guide is designed to assist you in developing, implementing, and sustaining the workforce profile and school structure that is right for your school community.

The Guide is based on feedback from principals, system leaders and education stakeholder organisations. It describes best practices in workforce planning and provides pointers for principals to plan for a workforce profile that is fit for purpose.

The Guide provides a framework that can be applied to all schools within Victoria, including large and small, rural, and metropolitan, primary, secondary, and special schools. However, the department is also developing additional specific advice for both small and specialist schools.

Related policies

• Advertising Vacancies
• Flexible Work
• Inclusive Workplaces
• Principal Selection
• Recruitment in Schools
• Salary Rates
• Special Payments
• Consultation with School Based Staff
• Student Resource Package — Managing the Budget — refer to for school budgeting
• Workforce Management — Schools

Contact information

• school.leadership@education.vic.gov.au

Workforce planning is a formal approach to shaping a school’s workforce and structure to meet its strategic goals and priorities. How this is done will look different for each school, depending on its context and operating environment.

An effective workforce plan and school structure can reduce individual workloads, improve operational efficiency, and distribute responsibilities within your school in a way that achieves a stronger culture and improved strategic and educational outcomes.

This Schools Workforce Planning Guide is designed to assist you in developing, implementing, and sustaining the workforce profile and school structure that is right for your school community.

Resources

A range of supports and tools are available for schools when considering and developing workforce planning needs.

Schools Workforce Planning Guide

The Guide is the comprehensive resource providing guidance, options and tools to support all schools in developing their workforce plans.

Masterclass series

This first Masterclass (staff login required) is an introduction to the Guide and provides insight on how two schools have used the Guide to advance their workforce planning practices.

Supporting resources

The department has developed a set of supporting resources which provide a quick reference and focus on key elements from Guide:

• Workforce Planning Framework
• Workforce Planning Phases
• Workforce Planning Assessment Matrix
• Workforce Planning Template
• Workforce Planning System Support for School Leaders
• Sample school structures – primary schools (pdf)
• Sample school structures - secondary schools (pdf)

This page will continue to be updated with workforce planning supports for all school contexts.

Useful links

• Student Resource Package
• Student Resource Package Staff Budget Planning Tool
• Recruitment in Schools
• Recruitment Online
• Scholarships and incentives
• Special Payments
• Panorama
• Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO)
• School Strategic Plan
• Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)
• Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership
• Flexible Work for Principals
• Principals' Page (staff login required)