Qld’s teacher workforce growth has fallen short of the national five-year average

While the state’s independent and Catholic sectors are thriving, Queensland’s state school system has slumped to the third-worst teacher recruitment rate in the country, new data has revealed.

Lauren Germanotta, an Academic Care Coordinator and Year 1 Teacher, at The Lakes College. Picture: Steve Pohlner

• Divide: Qld’s regional teachers

The state’s teacher workforce growth has fallen short of the national five-year average, with Queensland public schools particularly struggling, recording the third-worst teacher recruitment rate in the country, new data reveals.

The state’s non-government schools are attracting teachers at higher rates than the Australian average, particularly independent schools, which far exceeded the national benchmark.

The 2023 national teaching staff workforce data – released by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) – features a state-by-state breakdown and historical comparison. It should be noted it does not include teacher aides or assistants.

It shows full-time equivalent teaching staff in Queensland’s public schools grew by 2.83 per cent between 2019 and 2023, compared to the national public school average of 6.55 per cent.

In comparison, Queensland’s non-government schools bolstered their teacher numbers by 12.71 per cent over those five years, exceeding the sector’s national average of 10.79 per cent.

Specifically, the state’s independent schools grew their workforce by more than 18 per cent, far better than the national average of less than 13.5 per cent.

While Queensland’s catholic education teacher numbers registered 7.74 per cent growth in the same period, falling narrowly short of the national 8.4 per cent average increase.

However, the Department of Education argues ACARA uses different parameters when classifying full-time equivalent staff, and further claims the ACARA data does not accurately reflect the true number of FTE teachers in the Queensland public school system.

“The Department is attracting more teachers to Queensland State Schools through ‘Turn to Teaching’ and ‘Trade to Teach’ programs, as well as supporting teachers and their schools with extra staff including Guidance Officers, GPs, and additional wellbeing professionals,” a department spokesman said.

“The Department of Education currently employs more than 95,000 strong workforce (headcount) and almost 95 per cent are school-based, including over 48,000 full-time equivalent teachers, or an approximate headcount of 56,000.”

In response to the ACARA data, Independent Schools Queensland CEO Chris Mountford said individual independent schools “naturally appeal” to growing numbers of teachers and parents.

“It could come down to the sporting or cultural extra-curricular opportunities on offer, specific religious beliefs, teaching pedagogies, or professional development opportunities offered by individual schools,” he said.

“It is important to note, however, that any increase in teacher numbers across the entire Queensland education sector should be done so in context with the number of student enrolments, which continue to grow.

“And what we know is that there is a significant teacher shortage across the sector, especially in regional and remote parts of the state.”

Independent school teacher Lauren Germanotta joined The Lakes College, north of Brisbane, at the start of last year.

She has taught Year 8 at Northern Beaches State High School in Townsville, done relief teaching at state primary schools around Mackay, and worked in overseas classrooms.

Ms Germanotta sees her experience across primary and secondary settings in state and independent schools as a positive.

Lauren Germanotta said her experience in the state and independent sectors had been positive. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“I’ve had so many different experiences across so many different sectors, I’ve seen so much from different perspectives,” she said.

“My time doing relief teaching, working overseas, in montessori schools, made me really open to change and more adaptable.

“It also helped me come up with different things, which is good because every day in any classroom is different, regardless of whether you’re relieving or it is your own classroom.

“Every school is different, and the most important thing is developing that culture and level of support. The Lakes College is really supportive and everyone here does a really good job.

“It’s nice to see the increase in teachers is coming up again, which is really great, and hopefully everything is moving in a positive direction.”

In response to the ACARA data, Queensland Catholic Education Commission executive director Allan Blagaich said Catholic teacher numbers were meeting student demand.

“Queensland Catholic school authorities have strategies in place to attract and retain teachers which vary according to location and demand,” he said.

“From 2019 to 2023, nine new Catholic schools opened in Queensland and Catholic sector [student] enrolments grew by 7.5 per cent.

“The teacher growth rate during this period was 7.74 per cent and the teacher-to-student ratio remained stable.”

It comes after Federal Education Minister Jason Clare announced this week a Commonwealth Prac Payment to support teaching, nursing, midwifery, or social work students doing mandatory workplace placements required for their university and vocational courses.

The new payment, which education leaders have long advocated for to retain student teachers and ease the workforce shortage, will provide around 73,000 eligible students each year with $319.50 per week during their clinical and professional placements from July 1, 2025.