Catholic Schools Office changes to better support local schools
The Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle today announced the outcomes of a review of its Catholic Schools Office (CSO); the CSO is the agency of the Diocese responsible for the leadership, operation and management of 58 Catholic schools in the Diocese.
Collating the outcomes of several reports in recent years, the guiding principles resulting from the review have been endorsed by the Diocesan Trustees, following the proper canonical processes, and have a core focus on education and student outcomes.
Changes include a restructure of CSO leadership and teams, creating alignment with the Diocesan structure.
Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, Sean Scanlon said, “All educational roles will stay within a distinct educational unit and are aligned to better support schools. While non-educational roles, currently in the CSO, transfer to the relevant area of specialisation or expertise within our broader Diocesan teams.”
“We have consistently heard feedback from CSO staff, principals and school staff that non-educational work be reduced allowing for more capacity to focus on education and student outcomes. This model seeks to reduce administrative and other burdens through the provision of expert support for non-educational components,” he said.
“These changes to the Catholic Schools Office will streamline and strengthen engagement and support for our staff and school communities. We anticipate better support for our school staff which in turn yields strong educational outcomes for our students and their families.”
The proposed changes are draft and an intensive consultation with CSO staff will take place to inform the final structure. It is anticipated the first phase of changes will be finalised and in place by the end of 2022.
