The biggest workload burdens for Queensland teachers

Our teachers have revealed the main concerns about their job – but how we can fix it remains a challenge.

Queensland teachers say student behavioural issues and contacting parents are among the biggest workload burdens taking them away from their core teaching duties.

A review which received the largest amount of responses to any Education Department survey revealed teachers’ and principals’ key workload concerns, with most responses coming from primary schools.

A mammoth 15,505 responses to the 2024 Teacher and School Leader Workload Survey has shown main concerns raised by educators about their workloads included behaviour management and recording, data collection and administration, parent engagement, meetings and curriculum.

Queensland Association of State School Principals (QASSP) Pat Murphy said the numbers reflected the seriousness of the workload issues.

“What we’ve seen across Australia is that primary schools are underfunded and under resourced in terms of staffing and what this shows is the desperate need to address that,” he said.

“The issue of workload that has been identified in the survey is nothing new to us, we have known about this for years.”

More than 15,000 responses to the 2024 Teacher and School Leader Workload Survey revealed the main concerns raised by educators about their workloads. Picture: iStock

Mr Murphy said an audit of school leader and teacher workloads was necessary.

“We see that the survey was a really good start in recognising from the government and the department that workload on teachers is taking them away from their core responsibility of being instructors for the students,” he said.

“It (workload) is reducing both activities that we’re able to offer with students and the love of learning and teaching experience and diminished that role as a result.”

Mr Murphy said the QASSP welcomed the fact that the minister had listened to those working in the profession.

“One of the key issues is that we are using old systems to record stuff, so we haven’t modernised those systems to make them more efficient and effective,” he said.

“They are no longer fit for purpose around what the job requirements actually are.”

The survey, which was open to respondents from June 3 to 14 this year, showed both principals and teachers were concerned on data collection and contacting parents.

Queensland Teachers Union President Cresta Richardson said schools continued to support students from diverse and often challenging backgrounds, and this complexity had an impact upon the workload of teachers and school leaders.

President of the Queensland Teachers' Union Cresta Richardson. Picture: Richard Walker

“A mammoth increase in compliance tasks and paperwork has led to educators spending their time on things that has nothing to do with the day-to day-teaching of students,” she said.

“The QTU will continue to work with the Department of Education in streamlining data entry, keeping required meetings to a minimum and the development of unit plans for every core unit of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum.”

Education Minister Di Farmer, who on Monday sent an email to teachers and principals addressing their concerns, said it was important to hear directly from school leaders and teachers.

Minister for Education Di Farmer. Picture: Liam Kidston

“It was great to see so many responses, which provided an important insight into what was happening on the ground on any normal day.”

“We are already working on opportunities to reduce or streamline the issues highlighted and I look forward to hearing how these are working once implemented.”

Ms Farmer said the discussions they’d had over the past few months including at the roundtables were constructive, putting up new ways of thinking that we’re working on bringing to life.

“Attracting, recruiting and retaining teachers needs to be supported by the whole education sector from parents and carers, teachers, school leaders, advocates, social services, and the government,” she said

Key actions being taken by the government following the survey include reducing the burden in recording behaviour incidents, limiting data collection and unnecessary testing, setting clear expectations for parent contact, reducing meetings and putting a stop to creating extra curriculum planning documents.

Originally published as The biggest workload burdens for Queensland teachers