‘Strategy of hope’: Rural schools return to face-to-face teaching

Principals say this term could present the biggest challenge yet for rural schools with one admitting with no teachers he is thinking about quitting.

Principals say this term could present the biggest challenge yet for rural and regional schools as classes return amid the Omicron coronavirus wave.

Bethanga Primary School principal Rachel Saunders said families and teachers were really looking forward to starting back at her 30-student school in northeast Victoria this week, but everyone knew “it could be a bit topsy turvy again, particularly as we navigate Covid”.

She said she was used to “fac(ing) challenges as we are thrown them”, and she was keenly aware that any staff member falling sick could have a big impact.

“We’re starting the term well-staffed, but we’re mindful that we can be very quickly seriously impacted by even one staff member out because there is a big shortage of teachers,” she said.

“We run a two class school, so if one of us is having to quarantine for seven days, it is a big impact on the other class and the other teacher,” she said.

She said resourcefulness was key to keeping the school doors open. When two of her staff were forced to stay home due to childcare closures last year and no replacement staff were available, Ms Saunders said she recruited a roster of parents to offer an extra set of hands at the school in case of an emergency.

“You just have to do what you have to do, and move forward with a positive mindset,” she said.

Staffing was a key concern for a number of principals The Weekly Times spoke to last week.

One regional principal, who asked not to be named, saidhis school of 20–30 students was going in to term one with no teachers after a full time teacher stepped down last year and he had been unable to find a replacement.

He said he had some casual relief teachers he could call on, but he was also planning to teach classes himself.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if I test positive,” he said.

The principal said he had already contracted coronavirus once over the school holidays, and his energy levels hadn’t recovered. “I haven’t even had any kids to worry about and I’m asleep at six o’clock,” he said.

He said the feeling among teachers he was speaking to was that there was “general Covid fatigue”.

“A lot of teachers are saying that they are ready just to quit,” he said. “I’m thinking about it.”

Australian Primary Principals Association president Malcolm Elliott. Picture: Sourced

Australian Primary Principals Association president Malcolm Elliott said teachers and principals may be able to combine classes to manage limited staffing numbers for short periods, but “we can’t expect teachers to be able to manage in those sorts of circumstances for any period of time”.

“Our national strategy is based on hope that the Omicron variant will quickly go into decline,” he said. “We’re all hopeful, but there are questions about how prepared we really were for this.”

“We’ve got 300,000 teachers in Australia. And if we’ve got 10 per cent of that teaching workforce affected by Omicron at any one time, then there’s 30,000 teachers we’ve got to find every single day.”

A spokesman for the Victorian government said the Department had access to “a wide range of teaching staff including casual relief teachers” in the event of staff shortages.

Ultima Primary School teacher and principal Sandi Spittal with students. Picture: Jason Edwards

As schools prepare to go back, many have been receiving deliveries of rapid antigen tests and air purifiers from the Education Department.

In Victoria’s North West, Ultima Primary School principal Sandi Spittal said as of Friday, she had received a delivery of six air purifiers and four boxes of rapid tests, each containing five tests.

She estimated the testing supplies would last about 2 weeks shared between her, her two students, a teacher and a business manager, and she hoped more tests would arrive next week.

“Students are excited to go back to school but we’ve got our concerns with the testing process. The Education Department have given us guidelines to follow,” she said.