NSW public school principals have been given strengthened powers and shorter timelines to deal with underperformance and teachers who do not follow guidelines, bringing expectations for public school teachers into line with contemporary procedures used in most businesses.

Overwhelmingly, teachers are doing a great job but we can’t afford to relax and we make no apologies for setting very high standards.

Teachers who fail to perform to expected standards can be stood down from the classroom in 10 weeks – about half the time it currently takes a principal to tackle underperformance.

School staff who do not follow reasonable directions can be issued with a written warning. A subsequent breach would lead to a further official warning and a third breach may lead to disciplinary action – which in some cases could lead to demotion or dismissal.