What do our members say about their SCT/ST role?
What does a typical week look like?
As you will see from the responses from our members below, not all weeks look the same, and the balance of each SCT/ ST’s time shifts depending on whether they’re planning, organising, or facilitating hui and PLD. While there are some regular commitments, a big part of the role is responding to the needs of staff as they arise.
"There is not often a 'typical' week in the role of an SCT! But at my school I get four hours. I will meet with, support and if needed observe my beginning teacher. I meet and support teachers with new initiatives in the classroom that we may be trying to roll out. I attend LOLA meetings and run the PD committee for the school. I often present some whole school PD to the staff. I check and approve PD requests for the staff. I help teachers with an self-referral issues they may require support in." (State Integrated Girls’ school, roll<500)
"I mentor beginning and/or struggling teachers, I run and/or organise PLD, I observe teachers in the classroom and provide feedback. Sometimes you might find me hosting hui with teachers who share classes with challenging behaviours to create joint action plans. Or you might see me working with HODs on how to coach/mentor staff, etc." (Co-ed school, roll >1300)
"I attend quite a few meetings as part of my SCT role, including the school PLD Committee where we discuss staff needs and future PLD opportunities. I teach three classes and have eight hours of SCT time each week, during which I mentor 1-2 staff members. I also support PCTs and overseas-trained teachers, meeting with them every second Wednesday and providing ongoing mentoring throughout the year." (Co-ed school, roll <1000)
"Each week I’m a regular point of contact for staff who need a listening ear, advice, or help with day-to-day questions. I catch up with our Year 1 PCTs, meet with curriculum mentors, and have one-on-one
hui with PCTs and other staff. I also support new teachers with practical tasks like reports, KAMAR, and navigating school systems. Depending on the week, I may be planning or facilitating
Every fortnight I meet with our OTT group and catch up with new-to-school kaiako, although these meetings tend to become less frequent as confidence grows. I also have a regular catch-up with my Principal. Classroom observations are an ongoing part of my role and can involve new staff, PCTs, OTTs, or any teacher seeking feedback. These observations include a goal-setting conversation, the observation itself, and a follow-up hui to reflect on practice and next steps.
I meet with our Year 2 PCT group on a fortnightly to monthly basis, depending on their needs. Throughout the term, I also organise and coordinate our compulsory PLD programme, which offers 8-10 different workshop options linked to staff needs, school goals, and our values. This involves planning, liaising with facilitators, preparing resources, and often running sessions myself. Every month looks a little different, but supporting staff growth and wellbeing remains at the heart of the role." (Secondary, Roll 1950)
Situations where a colleague has been supported
Situation 1: Facilitating Teacher Collaboration to Improve Student Engagement
A dean came to me as she was hearing complaints from a number of teachers about managing behaviour with a certain class. We organised a meeting between all of the core teachers for this class.
Before the meeting I pulled up the behaviour reports for each student and the literacy and numeracy data. It was clear that there were several students with additional learning needs, so I invited our LSC and SENCO to also join us at the hui.
At the hui I asked each teacher to tell us about the top 3 issues they were struggling with, which students were most disruptive, what they had tried so far and what had and hadn't been successful.
It became clear that there were a few key students who needed additional support, and a couple of 'leaders' who were quite disruptive.
It was agreed that the LSC would provide a teacher aide for the core classes to assist the students who were considerably lower in literacy and/or numeracy, and the SENCO would do some testing with students who may be entitled to additional supports. One student was moved to another class, and another was referred to the counsellor.
The teachers agreed on 3 key areas that they would like to work on collectively, and we created a unified action plan and steps to undertake with the dean's support. Three weeks later when I checked in with the teachers progress was being made. By the end of the term, the teachers reported that the class was considerably more settled. While there were still issues, it was a lot more settled and more effective learning was taking place.
Situation 2: Advocating for a PCT's Wellbeing Through Workload and Health Support
A PCT was allocated a 1.0 FTTE teaching load, and I became aware of the situation in March. After meeting with them and listening to their concerns, it was clear that the workload was contributing to significant work-related stress. I wrote to the principal to raise these concerns and then met with the PCT a second time, during which I became increasingly concerned about the impact on their wellbeing.
I accompanied the PCT to a meeting with the principal to discuss possible support options. Following that discussion, the principal agreed that the teaching load should be reduced and also supported my recommendation that the PCT seek medical advice. The PCT was encouraged to see their doctor and was subsequently advised to take a period of leave to focus on their health and recovery.
Note from PPTA Te Wehengarua: In this situation a PCT should only have a 0.8 FTTE if in year 1 or 0.9 FTTE if in year 2. Engaging the support of the relevant Field Officer to support the Upholding of the Collective Agreement would be beneficial for all concerned.
Situation 3: Teacher experiencing classroom management issues.
I met with teacher to discuss the issue and offered to observe the class. In the discussion afterwards I focused on the following questions: What's happening? Why do you think this is? What would lead to change? while also feeding in what I had observed as appropriate.
The outcome was that we were able to co-construct strategies, which including observing other teachers who worked with the same students
Advice for Specialist Classroom Teachers / Specialist Teachers
Sometimes being an SCT is helping staff with little things. It may not feel like you're making a massive impact there and then but teaching is a profession of a million small tasks and if you can make even one part of that easier or more enjoyable for staff then that can culminate to a very positive outcome in the long run.
If there are situations where the conditions of work are needing to be challenged with SLT it can be super helpful to engage the support of the relevant Field Officer who knows the Collective Agreement inside out.
One of the most valuable things you can do as an SCT/ST is provide time and space for staff to slow down, be heard, and reflect on their experiences. Listen deeply, observe carefully, and seek to understand their perspective before offering advice. This creates the foundation for collaborative problem-solving, helping staff make sense of challenges, identify contributing factors, and co-construct practical strategies for moving forward.
Last modified on Friday, 18 September 2026 11:59