Please answer the following based off the case study (10 marks)

Question- List with supporting evidence, the human resource management (HRM) problems evident in the Schools current HRM practices.

Case study-

: ACARA GIRLS SCHOOL

Each year since 2008, Australian school students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 have been required to sit for a battery of standardised tests in literacy and numeracy. The tests bear the acronym NAPLAN, which stands for National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy. Detailed individual student performance information is released to schools, reporting on the achievements of students in the areas of reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy. Less detailed information is released to the public via the federal governments My School website. One of the most interesting sets of data is the like schools comparison, whereby a schools results are compared with those of schools with a similar socio-economic index (SEI). A more general league table of results is also published and good results are regarded (unofficially) as a valuable marketing tool in much the same way as VCE results are used. Such was the case with Acara Girls' School, one of Victorias most prestigious private schools.

Established in 1921, the school had a fee and social structure that deterred all but the very wealthy and well connected. Demand outstripped supply, with prospective students often placed on a waiting list at birth. This situation allowed Acara to pick and choose its students, but the school always ensured the daughters of old girls were given priority over others on the waiting list. Academically, Acara girls seemed to perform well, but the ethos for as long as anyone could remember was that academic achievement, though important, was secondary to social achievement. This comfortable, non-threatening approach to a young ladys education continued year after year and no-one thought it necessary to upset the status quo until the first set of NAPLAN results. Compared with like schools, Acaras results were well below the norm; compared with all schools, the results were little better than the best publicly funded government schools and some low-fee private schools. The press had a field day! When questioned about the Schools NAPLAN results, Acaras long-serving principal, Millicent Fritton, maintained that the schools holistic approach was more important than the NAPLAN results, which, to quote the principal, are not the only measure of a schools worth, nor that of its students. Mrs Frittons response was a standard response, but deep down she knew a better answer was required. Under pressure from her girls parents, Millicent, her deputies and her discipline heads attempted to unravel the data. This was the easy part; the hard part was what to do about it. With the Boards support, a human resource management consultant with expertise in education was hired. What follows is part of a conversation between the consultant respected former principal Richard Wattis and Millicent some four months into the 2009 school year.

Richard: I started my review with your staff, and it proved interesting in many ways, not the least of which was that most of your teachers are former Acara students. When I asked them how they came to be employed, it appears they were referred by other teachers or by parents. For example, when you promoted your Year 7 teacher, Miss Waters, to the position of middle-school head, she recommended her good friend Florrie who, like her, was an old girl. Florrie, it seems, had not taught for many years because she was raising a family; the oldest, incidentally, is in year 1 here at Acara. There are other examples, but I think you get the picture. Anecdotally, the few who are not old girls feel they are regarded as outsiders and do not have much chance for advancement. This feeling is also shared by the very small number of male teachers you employ. Of even greater concern, several of those that feel like outsiders because they never attended Acara, have intimated that they are given more classes to teach, and the classes none of the old girls want to take, despite believing themselves to be better qualified, and are constantly harassed and bullied if they complain. These teachers seemed quite stressed by it all. I assume there are quite high levels of absenteeism and turnover amongst this group? They have also suggested that their starting salaries are lower than of the old girls, despite often doing the more tedious classes and the remedial work with students that need it. Is this true?

Millicent: Well, when I was appointed it was apparent this was how it was done. It saves time and money. I also find that our old girls know the culture and ethos. From what I have seen, the system works well. But yes youre right, Richard, we have trouble keeping the teachers that didnt do their schooling here with us at Acara. Generally, they dont last longer than 12 months, making me even less inclined to look outside of the Acara Girls family when hiring. It is a waste of time, effort and money! To be honest, when they are here they take way too many sick days! Weak the lot of them! Not Acara material. On the matter of how few male teachers we have, given our student population is entirely girls, our parents are quite uncomfortable with the hiring of male teachers, especially after that one unfortunate incident some years agobut lets not talk about that. As to pay, I negotiate the rewards package with each new teacher, and Ive always been of the view that those who had attended Acara in the past as students deserved a higher starting salary because of their organisational knowledge!

Richard: Okay lets continue shall we? Do you realise how little teaching your teachers do? Lets start with the teachers in years 16. Their students have specialist teachers for physical education, French, art, IT and science. This specialist time equates to 2.5 days a week which means each classroom teacher sees her pupils for 2.5 days, during which time she teaches literacy, numeracy, society and enterprise, technology and health education. In some cases teachers job share, which means even less contact. In fact, if you deduct time for the weekly assembly and a fortnightly chapel service the face-to-face time drops below 2.5 days. Its hardly surprising that your students are underperforming on the basics reading, writing and numeracy. Your specialist teachers and middle- and upper-school teachers have the same conditions, if not a little more generous. I gather these conditions are considered a trade-off for camps and compulsory attendance at weekend sports days, fetes and the like.

Millicent: Well, the parents pay for and expect specialist teachers just as they pay for and expect small classes. Anyway, the 2.5 days non-teaching time means teachers are readily available to parents. Which is critical, as our parents are very demanding. The generous conditions also help us attract and retain quality staff. All you have to do is look at last years staff survey to see how satisfied the teachers are. The fact that so few staff leave well, except for those who we discussed before - shows that we are doing something right.

Richard: Does it? Hmm. Okay lets continue. I also looked at the reports teachers write and, invariably, the marks and comments were at odds with the NAPLAN data. I have one here: Rosie, Year 5, spelling the teacher gave her a B with the comment Rosie makes very few mistakes but learns quickly from them. Her NAPLAN spelling result showed she was only just above the minimum standard in Victoria. Why is this so?

Millicent: Well, NAPLAN is simply one test on one day. Maybe the girl wasnt concentrating.

Richard: One maybe, but the whole school!?

Millicent: You are probably exaggerating. I suppose we will have to look into this, but I do not see it as a big issue. We like to encourage all of our girls, and teach them to be positive, rather than focusing on their shortcomingsAlthough it is possible a small number of teachers are overly generous in their student reports so as to avoid conflict during parent-teacher interviews. Our parents have high expectations, and my teachers know that too many complaints from parents and I would have no other choice but to act.

Richard: You mean you would fire them based purely on what the parents want? What if the teachers are being honest in the marks and comments they award their students? Clearly based on the NAPLAN results for your school your students arent performing at the academic standards of some of the other private schools with which you are competing! How do you expect teachers to make students accept that they need to work harder and challenge themselves if they are too scared to be honest in their assessment of their abilities?

Millicent: Well

Richard: And if staff are awarding students overly generous grades to avoid such an outcome, how do you know if it is the students who are underperforming or the teachers? Strangely when I was chatting with a few of the teachers they mentioned that Acara Girls doesnt have a formal performance management system for its staff. Is this right? This must make it hard to identify those who should receive professional development, who should be considered for promotion, and worst of all, who you should move on. I would think it has left you open to accusations of unfair dismissal at times.

Millicent: Well weve had to deal with a couple of claims of unfair dismissal in the last 18 months, but I blame this on the fact that these staff just werent a good fit for Acara Girls. I mean none of the old girls would ever consider involving the Independent Education Union in such a matter or threatening to take the matter to the Fair Work Commission, knowing it would damage our reputation. These staff just didnt belong here, so it was just as well I got rid of them! We like to provide our girls with a non-threatening environment in which to developand I think it is important that if this is a key value here at Acara Girls that I also provide a non-threatening environment for my teachers too! None of my teachers have ever complained to me about our informal approach to performance management well except for those Ive just mentioned, who Ive had to dismiss in the last 18 months due to parent complaints.

Richard: Moving on I was interested in how little professional development and collaboration is undertaken. Other than your Year 12 teachers who have to moderate work, most teachers do none and the few who do attend training and professional development courses pretty much choose what they like and when they like. Last year you paid for five teachers to attend a conference in Auckland on behaviour management. Because it was during the first term holidays, the teachers were given time off in lieu generous indeed. I wouldnt have thought, though, student behaviour was much of a problem here?

Millicent: Teachers use their professional judgement as to what they attend, and we offer time off in lieu as an incentive to attend during holidays or on weekends. But you know this.

Richard Even so, not many take the time and trouble to attend professional development courses. You have to wonder why. I gather, too, there is no obligation or follow-up on the part of those who attend courses. You know, did the course make a difference? Did they present the information to others? Was the new knowledge transferred?

Millicent: Look, you were engaged to investigate our NAPLAN results and all you are doing is talking about the teachers and how easy they have it. You are also implying I do not know what is going on.

Richard: To be frank, my perception is that you have little idea of what your teachers do and what happens in classrooms. As a matter of fact, what do you do?

Millicent: Most of my time is taken up liaising with parents, going to meetings, overseeing the budget, public relations and attending conferences. Teacher performance and curriculum matters are in the hands of my deputies.

Richard: And do you monitor these?

Millicent: I ask them and they tell me.

Richard: How often?

Millicent: We meet a couple of times a year to go over things.

Richard: HmmmWell, now that these NAPLAN results have been made public, I think Acara Girls is going to need to take a more strategic approach to the management of its staff. I dont think the parents of your students will be very happy with the results, do you? You might not like it, but they are going to demand answers, and they will want these results to improve. So, lets forget about the past and focus on the future shall we?