NAPLAN results no barrier to pay increase for Queensland teachers

EDUCATION Minister Grace Grace has announced greater pay for Queensland teachers on the same day the state’s NAPLAN results revealed some concerning classroom trends.

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EDUCATION Minister Grace Grace has announced greater pay for Queensland teachers on the same day the state’s NAPLAN results revealed some concerning classroom trends.

The Highly Accomplished Teach and Lead Teacher program has been agreed upon by the Queensland Government, Queensland Teachers’ Union and Queensland College of Teachers after lengthy negotiations.

The program is part of a series of national reforms designed to improve teacher quality, with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership commencing work on the certification process for the new teaching bands back in 2012.

Education Minister Grace Grace says Queensland teachers ‘most definitely’ deserve a pay rise. Picture: AAP/ Ric Frearson

The conservative federal government has been pushing the states to introduce highly accomplished and lead teachers as a way to link pay more closely to talent and proficiency, rather than the number of years served.

It means experienced state school teachers will now have the opportunity to earn up to $122,000 per year under the two new teaching classifications in Queensland.

Teachers will be able to apply for certification from next year.

When asked whether Queensland teachers deserved a pay rise, Minister Grace said “most definitely”.

“Teachers do a wonderful and professional job in schools every single day and I think to judge teachers’ professionalism by one test (NAPLAN) is a little bit unfair,” she said.

“This will give teachers the ability to stay in the classroom and to be compensated to do the wonderful work that they do day in and day out.”

QTU Vice-President Sam Pidgeon said it was a significant shift in classroom pay.

“There can be nothing more important than keeping our very best and most talented and hardworking teachers in classrooms doing the work that we know that they toil away at daily for our kids across Queensland,” she said.