Regional schools to have access to casual teaching pools in plan to fix staff shortages

Over 250 regional and remote schools will have access to a pool of relief teachers being based at hubs across the state, including the North Coast, Central West and outer Sydney.

A pool of teachers will be employed full time to provide casual relief in classrooms across the bush under a plan to alleviate the state’s critical teacher shortage.

The state government’s Casual Supplementation Program will give 260 regional and remote schools access to the teachers, who will be based at hubs throughout the state.

Oxley Vale Public School principal Luke Norman will be able to secure Tamworth-based relief teachers under the plan.

“Staffing is difficult all around, but finding casuals on a day-to-day basis is especially hard,” Mr Norman said.

“I think the pandemic has changed people’s willingness to come to work when they’re unwell, so we’re seeing increased rates of absenteeism due to illness.

“Every school is struggling to find staff but to be able to have people who are local to call on is going to be really, really helpful.”

Pictured at Oxley Vale Public School in Tamworth with Principal Luke Norman are Year 6 students Brock Moxon 11, Sophie Whittaker 11, Kimberley Stonestreet 11 and Kurtis Murray 12. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Schools will be grouped by location and have access to teachers at a hub school located within about an hour’s commute.

Regions worst hit by the teacher shortage will be targeted, including the North Coast, Central West and outer Sydney.

Regional NSW Minister Paul Toole said the plan would provide casual teachers with permanent job security.

“As a former teacher, I know that regional schools can often struggle to source relief teachers at the last minute to cover absentees,” Mr Toole said.

“The NSW Government is addressing this need through an innovative program that offers teachers a three year, full-time role as a relief teacher with the benefits of job security, professional learning and leave entitlements not available to casual teachers.”

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the program had been trialled successfully last year.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the program was being expanded across regional NSW. Picture: Tim Hunter

“Staffing our schools, particularly our regional ones, is complex and I am very pleased to say that we are seeing great results where the program is already up and running, including in very remote areas across the state that are traditionally hard to staff,” Ms Mitchell said.

The NSW Teachers Federation has welcomed the plan, but president Angelo Gavrielatos said the department would struggle to staff the pool.

“We have been calling on the government for years to establish permanent teacher in-built relief for schools and districts,” Mr Gavrielatos said.

“The problem now is that the cupboard is bare due to the teacher shortage caused by uncompetitive salaries and crippling workloads.

“Where are these teachers to be found?”

The Department of Education has a raft of incentives in place to lure teachers to regional and remote areas, including up to $40,000 on top of their base salary annually, and an additional $20,000 if the position is eligible for a recruitment bonus.

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Originally published as Regional schools to have access to casual teaching pools in plan to fix staff shortages