In 2022, the Victorian Government Schools Agreement (VGSA) emerged as a pivotal document shaping the educational landscape in Victoria, Australia. This agreement, negotiated between the government and stakeholders such as the ANMF (Vic Branch), Australian Education Union (AEU) and the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), brought forth key objectives that not only influence the functioning of schools in the state of Victoria but also significantly impact school camps.
Read on to find out more about what the VSGA is and how it impacts your school when it comes to planning educational camp programs for students.
What is the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022?
Coming into effect on 25 July 2022, The Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 is a comprehensive agreement outlining the terms and conditions guiding government schools in the state of Victoria. This contractual understanding serves as the foundation for the relationship between the government, educational institutions, and the workforce.
VGSA 2022 objectives
The VGSA 2022 is designed to:
- Enhance Educational Quality
- Assist Teacher Professional Development
- Ensure Fair Work Conditions
- Encourage Inclusivity and Diversity
How will the VGSA agreement impact school camps in Victoria?
One notable aspect of the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 lies in its implications for school camps. The concept of ‘time in lieu’ plays a crucial role, and refers to the compensatory time off that teachers and education support staff may accrue for additional work or responsibilities, often beyond regular working hours (38 hours for full-time employees or normal hours for a part-time employee).
In the context of school camps, where educators may dedicate extra time to planning, organizing, and supervising these extracurricular activities and excursions, VGSA 2022 ensures that such efforts are duly recognized. Essentially, this allows staff to accumulate time in lieu, which can subsequently be utilized to balance work-life commitments.
How can PGL minimise the impact of the VGSA Agreement for your school?
Here are just a few ways that PGL Adventure Camps can make staffing your school camp easier.
100% PGL-led Activity Sessions: School camps are all about having adventures in a safe environment. At PGL, safety is one of our core principles and, as such, all of our activity sessions are run 100% by our highly trained PGL Activity Instructors. We believe that this is not only the safest way to operate, but also provides a much higher degree of value and better outcomes to students at the end of the session.
Given that we lead all activity sessions, this means that school teachers are not trying to run sessions that they are not trained for, whilst also engaging students, taking photos for social media, problem-solving and discipline…
This altered level of responsibility not only takes the pressure off teachers but also allows for the opportunity to invite more parent helpers to attend camp instead of teachers.
Included Evening Activities: At PGL, we provide PGL-led and staffed evening activity sessions. This could be anything from a sports night to a campfire, but it is all arranged and run by PGL staff. This will give some flexibility with staffing around this evening period.
Teacher lounges: By providing comfortable lounges, teachers and parent helpers on a PGL camp can get away from it all, if only for a short period. We believe that it is important for teachers to have a space (outside of their accommodation) to chat, regroup and take a few moments to have a coffee in peace. We’ve got you.
For more information about the VGSA 2022, visit www.vic.gov.au/education.
Book a PGL camp!
Here at PGL, we offer a whole range of thrilling activities for both primary and secondary school groups at our adventure camps in Victoria, Campaspe Downs and Camp Rumbug.
Take a look at what our happy campers and leaders have to say about our school camps in Victoria!
All PGL school camps are designed to facilitate specific learning outcomes for your students, whether that be resilience, independence, relationship building or fun! We can also accommodate dietary requirements and accessibility where possible.
So, if you’re thinking of taking your class on an exhilarating outdoor adventure, get in touch and request a quote today!
