By Jordan Baker
The NSW government will try to revive a struggling program to identify the state’s best classroom teachers and has set an ambitious target of increasing the number of them tenfold within the next three years.
The system promoting teachers to the status of “highly accomplished” or “lead” (HALTs), so they work as mentors to other teachers, has existed for 10 years but despite initial plans to have more than 1000 of them in 2022, there are just 274 across three sectors in NSW, and just over 1000 nationally.
Many teachers find the application process too complicated and expensive. To earn higher salaries, most leave the classroom and become principals or work in head office. High-performing systems in countries such as Singapore have many master teachers, or “teachers of teachers”, to improve learning across schools.
Kuldip Khehra with maths teacher Eddie Woo at Quakers Hill High SchoolCredit: Janie Barrett
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell wants 2500 HALT teachers by 2025. She said the application process would be streamlined to reduce red tape and teachers would be given clearer guidelines on how to provide evidence of their quality teaching, as well as feedback on their application.
“The quality of teachers across NSW is world-class, but we haven’t seen that reflected in the number of teachers putting their hand up for higher levels of accreditation, which also attract a higher pay rate,” she said.
“This is something I want to see more of – teachers being recognised and remunerated for their impact – and I hope to see the number of HALT teachers grow to at least 2500 by 2025.”
Australian schools are facing growing teacher shortages in many geographical areas and disciplines, and surveys have shown some potential recruits are put off by the lack of opportunities for career progression if they stay in the classroom, as well as by relatively low pay compared with other professions.
In NSW, assistant principals and head teachers earn $126,528.00, HALTs earn $117,060 and classroom teachers at the top of the salary scale earn $109,978. Many teachers have been put off applying for HALT status because they feel the extra pay does not offset the complexity of the application process.
When NSW adopted the HALT certification – it was introduced nationally in 2012 – it aimed to have 1110 top teachers by 2022 but a report from the NSW Audit office said that in 2019, the target was halved to 530.
The audit office report also found that the skills of HALT teachers were not being fully used. Only 27 of those accredited in NSW were working in the classroom. Most were in leadership positions but felt their skills could be better employed.
A 2020 report by the Grattan Institute think tank found attempts to create a class of accomplished teachers across the country were disorganised and involved too much paperwork, which often just added to an already heavy workload.
Kuldip Khehra from Quakers Hill High School became a highly accomplished teacher last year, and works in the NSW Department of Education’s mathematics growth team. She said a highly accomplished teacher works within a subject or stage of primary school, while a lead teacher works across faculties or age groups.
“The reason for more HALTs is they are really good role models for good teachers,” she said. “They demonstrate highly effective practice, they’re innovative in what they do. They have an impact on students, teachers, others in the community.
“If there’s an early career teacher, these are good role models that schools need to have. We have a lot of good role models already, who are not accredited. This new process will hopefully help them become highly accomplished or lead teachers.”
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