Certificate of Office and School Administration

Unit 1 – Work Effectively in an Education Team

• Relevant education team goals
• Team purpose
• Teamwork success
• High performing teams
• Roles and responsibilities
• Teaching / professional staff
• Child Care workers
• Junior and primary classroom teachers
• Secondary teachers
• Specialist teachers
• Determining work requirements
• Goals and objectives of the team
• Job and person specification
• Displaying a positive attitude
• Offering solutions to problems
• Using initiative and taking responsibility
• Time constraints
• Resources
• Policies and code of conduct
• Individual personalities and work styles
• Myers-Briggs model (type indicator)
• The Big 5 personality assessment model
• Personality types and effective teams
• Access to wider professional / employment networks
• Sharing relevant information and ideas
• Barriers to sharing ideas and knowledge
• Ways to share information
• Relevance and accuracy of information
• Sensitivity and confidentiality
• Collaborative approaches
• Specialist advice
• Record keeping for child care centres and schools
• Administration and curriculum records
• Linguistic and cultural differences
• Communication in a culturally diverse environment
• Sources and characteristics of conflict
• Non-threatening conflict
• Being assertive
• Responding to resistance

Unit 2 – Comply with School Administration Requirements

• Accessing and selecting forms
• Examples of forms used in schools
• Completing forms correctly
• Check completed forms
• Using templates from software
• Creating a new document
• Using wizards and templates from Microsoft Office applications
• Using Excel
• File storage (Folders)
• File extensions
• Creating folders and subfolders
• Saving and renaming files
• Drop and drag techniques
• File explorer
• USB devices
• Paper-based filing systems
• Data quality and security
• Child protection legislation
• Maintain security and report breaches
• Handle enquiries promptly
• Listening skills
• Active and passive listening
• Body language and paralanguage
• Good communications skills checklist
• Aboriginal / Torres Strait Islander education workers
• Refer enquiries
• Guidance counsellors
• Special education teachers
• Teacher’ aides/education aides/school services officers
• Record and distribute messages in order of priority
• Equipment and technology
• Ergonomics
• Computer workstations
• Telephone operations and headsets
• Telephone techniques
• Email techniques
• Presenting written information
• Style format and accuracy
• Planning and drafting
• Computer generated documents
• Letter layout
• Editing and proofreading
• Completing documents within timeframes
• Setting realistic timeframes
• Using available technology
• Hardware and software
• Creating electronic presentations
• Using the internet – research

Unit 3 – Organise Personal Work Priorities

• Develop work goals and Key performance indicators (KPI’s)
• Organisational objectives
• Team goals
• Personal work goals
• KPI’s
• Time management
• Prioritising tasks
• Urgency – urgent/non urgent tasks
• Minimising constraints
• Providing training for workers
• Developing a work plan
• Risk assessment and contingencies
• Performance issues
• Work standards
• Work variations – not providing quality of service
• Seeking feedback
• Performance reviews
• Signs and symptoms of stress
• Needing extra support
• Identifying skills gaps
• Personal and professional development needs
• What skills do you need to improve?
• Accessing learning support
• Recording achievements
• Incorporate feedback into learning plans
• Organisational policies and procedures
• Signs of workplace stress

Unit 4 – Design and Produce Business Documents

• Technology and software requirements
• Business suites
• Word processing
• Desktop publishing
• Spreadsheets
• Software applications – what is it to be used for?
• Software suitable for specific tasks
• Layout and style
• Document design principles
• Format and style
• Identifying, opening and creating files
• Opening a Microsoft Office program
• Creating files
• Designing a document
• Templates
• Styles and working with themes
• Organisational requirements
• Editing
• Checking documents meet task requirements
• Enhancements to formatting
• Creating a mail merge
• Storing and saving documents appropriately
• Difficulties with document design and production
• Help functions
• Proofreading (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
• Changes
• Saving and naming documents
• Document presentation
• Printing and PDF file format

‘Unit 5 – Use business software applications

• Purpose, audience, format and presentation
• Technology and software
• Functions of technology
• Ergonomic requirements
• Organisational requirements
• Input devices
• Enter information correctly
• Formatting documents
• Help functions
• Review and edit final information
• Editing and proofreading
• Spelling and grammar
• Name and store a document
• Work health and safety requirements
• WHS business and employee requirements
• State and Territory requirements

Unit 6 – Organise Schedules

• Establish schedule requirements
• Organisational requirements for staff planning tools
• Planning tools
• Appointment types
• Items to diarise
• Features of scheduling systems
• Daily tasks
• Appointment schedules consultatively
• Recurring appointments and deadlines
• Scheduling new appointments according to timelines
• Negotiating arrangements to appointments
• Record and manage appointments and schedules
• Seek feedback on schedules
• Effectiveness of schedules
• Identify improvements
• Regular meetings