Under-staffed, under-resourced, under-appreciated: The teacher shortage and its impact on our schools - AEU ACT
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Under-sta ed, under-resourced, under-appreciated:
The teacher shortage and its impact on our schools.
Findings from the AEU ACT Branch 2021 Educator Survey
The Australian Educa on Union acknowledges the tradi onal owners of country throughout Australia
and recognises their con nuing connec on to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to
them and their cultures, and to elders both past and present.
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tiContents
Execu ve summary 3
Purpose 4
Scope 4
Glossary 5
Sta ng shortages 6
System-wide under-resourcing and lack of support
Learning impacts on students
Work safety 9
Workload 12
Teaching as a profession 15
Under-resourcing
New educators
Learning support assistants
Conclusion 19
References 20
Appendix
2
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tiExecu ve summary
This report contains the ndings of the biggest survey of ACT public school educators ever
conducted by the Australian Educa on Union’s ACT Branch. More than 1,800 educators completed
the survey, including the majority of school principals, and over a thousand classroom teachers. The
ndings of this survey reveal a stark picture of an educa on system caught in a vicious cycle where
ever-increasing demands on school sta are making their workload far less manageable, and this is
contribu ng to a cri cal ongoing sta shortage.
Respondents overwhelmingly reported that their school is nega vely impacted by a shortage of
sta (91%), and that these nega ve impacts are serious (95%). Sta ng shortages are frequently
dealt with by ‘spli ng’ or ‘collapsing’ classes, where students are distributed to other classrooms.
This can result in classes of over 50 students. More than 80% of respondents say collapsing classes is
on the increase and even more of an issue in 2021 than in previous years.
Our members, who are in classrooms every day, overwhelmingly iden fy under-resourcing that
appears systemic. The overwhelming view expressed by 85% of respondents is that the ACT
Government Educa on Directorate lacks the necessary resources to meet the demands of the
public school system.
We know that educator working condi ons are student learning condi ons, and that this situa on is
having a real impact on the quality of educa on the next genera on of Canberrans are receiving.
Almost all (98%) of our school leaders who responded to the survey believe sta absences are
undermining teachers’ capacity to consistently deliver high quality educa on. Similarly, almost all
(97%) of classroom teachers feel that students are being disadvantaged and their learning outcomes
are being compromised by split or modi ed classes.
The sta ng shortage also has direct consequences for work safety in schools. Over a thousand
respondents reported experiencing nega ve student behaviour as a direct consequence of split or
cancelled classes. Almost one in ve respondents have experienced violence in the classroom as a
direct consequence of split or cancelled classes. Eighty ve per cent of respondents say that sta ng
pressures have nega vely impacted their mental health.
Due to an under-resourced and under-sta ed system, teachers’ workloads are signi cantly increasing.
To e ec vely manage and maintain their workload, it is common for teachers to work unpaid over-
me. The survey data shows that ACT public school teachers are subsiding the ACT Government’s
spending on educa on to the tune of at least $75 million every year on unpaid over- me work. In
addi on to this, teachers are spending around $5 million a year out of their own pockets on
classroom resources.
Sadly, more than half of classroom teachers say that they would not recommend teaching as a
career to family members or friends; and large sec ons of the teaching workforce intend to leave
the profession within the next few years. One in three teachers in their rst three years of teaching
are considering leaving. If we are to solve the sta ng shortage, we need to not only recruit new
teachers, but retain the teachers we have. This requires adequate support, remunera on, and a far
greater community-wide recogni on of the challenges our educators face, and the value of the work
they do.
This report demonstrates these ndings. We rst describe the extent and nature of the sta ng
shortage problem, then discuss ndings regarding work safety, workload, and nally teaching as a
profession. The AEU seeks to highlight the unsustainable nature of the status quo, and the need for
urgent system-wide reform to allow the ACT public educa on system to succeed.
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ffiPurpose
The Australian Educa on Union – ACT Branch has nearly 4500 members working in public educa on
across the ACT. We represent workers in schools, including principals, teachers, school assistants and
school psychologists. We are not a liated to any poli cal party and advocate for our members’
industrial and professional interests.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, AEU members have increasingly reported to their union that there are
too few sta at their school, and that teacher absences are pushing their schools into crisis.
Members also expressed concern that the employer did not acknowledge the gravity of the sta
shortage problem and its implica ons. This survey was conducted with the endorsement of the AEU
Branch Council (the peak governing body of the AEU ACT Branch) with a view to iden fying the scope
and extent of system wide resourcing shortages.
Scope
The survey ques ons and the data from the responses are a ached as an appendix to this report.
Survey respondents include 1,081 classroom teachers, 48 principals and 56 deputy principals, 212
execu ve teachers (SLCs) and 149 learning support assistants (LSAs). The ndings also include the
views of 11 in-built (school-based) relief teachers, 70 casual relief teachers, 119 specialist teachers
(music teacher, teacher librarian, and so on), and 77 sta in other roles, mostly administra ve o cers
and school psychologists. Every school and every educator classi ca on is represented in the data.
The 2019-2020 Educa on Directorate Annual Report shows that ACT public schools employ 3,794
teaching sta and 806 school leaders. Given this, we calculate that this report re ects the views of
approximately 32% of classroom teachers (including IBR and specialists) and 39% of school leaders in
the sector. For context, major polling companies in Australia typically use a similar sample size to this
sample as representa ve of the en re vo ng popula on.1 For these reasons, we are con dent that
this survey unambiguously re ects the views of the vast majority of ACT public school educators.
1 Beaumont, Adrian. 2016. ‘What Are The Opinion Polls And How Accurate Are They?’ The Conversa on.
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tiGlossary
Classi ca on Split/collapsed, cancelled or modi ed/online
An employee’s role or posi on – e.g. classes
classroom teacher, principal, LSA, etc. These terms refer to the various arrangements
that are made when relief teachers cannot be
Educators
sourced to cover teacher absences. In a split
Classroom teachers, school leaders, and LSAs
or collapsed class, students are distributed
Enterprise Agreement (EA) among other class groups, or two class groups
An agreement between employers and are taught by one teacher. In the high school
employees that contains the terms, pay and and college levels, schools some mes modify
condi ons of employment; nego ated classes for online delivery or cancel them and
between the union and the employer. ask students to study independently.
In-built relief (IRB) Stand down
Teachers who work exibly within one school Time during the year when schools are not
to cover their own school’s teacher absences open for a endance, no classes are held, and
and run other specialist programs, typically teachers and principals are generally not
employed on contracts or a permanent basis; required to a end work.
note that this is di erent from relief teaching.
LSA Italicised text in orange is direct quota ons
Learning Support Assistant, typically employed from survey respondents.
to support individual students with disabili es
or to assist teachers of small group learning
environments for students in specialist
programs.
New Educator
Classroom teachers in their rst three years of
teaching.
Relief teachers
Typically employed on a casual basis to cover
teacher absences for a short me; note that
this is di erent from in-built relief.
School leaders, SLC
School leadership teams consist of principals,
deputy principals and SLCs, which stands for
‘School Leader C’.
SLCs are typically heads of department or
execu ve teachers who mentor and support
other sta in addi on to teaching.
Se ng
A school or other learning unit.
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tiSta ng shortages
Our survey results clearly show more teachers of this insecure and some mes unpredictable
are urgently needed to sta ACT public arrangement.
schools. When there are insu cient teachers
U lising a large workforce of relief teachers
everyone su ers. School learning is nega vely
has historically been the way educa on
impacted. The already heavy workload of
systems cover classes when teachers are
school leaders and teachers intensi es, and
absent on personal leave or for other reasons
work safety is compromised.
such as comple ng professional learning.
The extent of sta shortages is undeniable,
Our survey data brings into ques on the
with 91% of respondents telling us that their
sustainability of this approach. The survey
school is nega vely impacted by a shortage
reveals a systemic problem in a rac ng
of sta (Fig.1). This is a view overwhelmingly
su cient teachers to sta our schools. Eighty
shared regardless of employee classi ca on
per cent of relief teacher respondents said
or se ng.
that they are always or mostly employed on
Almost all respondents (95%) say the impacts available days, and 79% experienced being
are ‘serious’, including 56% who say the called on days when they had previously
impacts are ‘very serious’. School leaders advised they are unavailable or had already
(principals, deputy principals and SLCs) are the been booked by a school. They work o en,
most likely to think this, with two thirds of but the supply of quali ed teachers simply
these respondents saying that the impacts are cannot keep up with demand.
‘very serious’.
Ideally, when a class cannot be taught by a
Fig.1: Do you believe your school is
regular or in-built relief teacher, a casual relief
nega vely impacted by a shortage
teacher is sought for the day. When a school
of sta ?
cannot source a relief teacher, it turns to
‘spli ng’ or ‘collapsing’ the class – that is,
distribu ng the students among other classes,
100
or at worst, having one teacher run a class for 91%
two class groups of students. For older
students in high school and college se ngs,
these classes are o en ‘moved online’. 75
We asked teachers what happens when a
teacher is absent at their school, and how
o en absences are covered by relief sta . Only 50
3% reported that relief sta are always there
to cover the absence, and 43% say relief sta
are available ‘rarely’ or ‘never’.
25
Our relief teacher members work hard to
make sure schools are supported. Relief 9%
teachers (except for those in ‘in-built relief’
roles) are not formally a ached to any one 0
YES NO
school; rather, they make themselves available
to be on hand to work in many di erent
se ngs and are paid as casuals in recogni on
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ffOur school leaders are par cularly a uned to the Educa on Support O ce, the central
the problems associated with sta shortages. management unit of the Educa on
More than 90% of principals and deputy Directorate. More than two thirds of
principals who responded to the survey said respondents (71%) said no.
that split/collapsed or cancelled classes
We asked respondents if they feel that the
nega vely impact their sta . They also
Educa on Directorate has the necessary
reported that these teaching arrangements
resources to meet the demands of public
created par cularly di cult challenges for
schools. An even greater propor on, 85%,
sta like new educators and relief teachers.
said no, including a majority at every
When a class is split or collapsed, class sizes classi ca on (Fig.2).
can reach over 50 students.
In rela on to overall resources, 70% of
Schools are spli ng or collapsing classes respondents say that schools are not
regularly with 78% of respondents saying that su ciently resourced to provide the
this occurs once a week or more, on average. consistent quality of educa on that their
For some schools it is an everyday occurrence students need to succeed.
with 12% of respondents saying that their
Almost all principal respondents (94%), who
school splits or collapses at least one class
have the widest view of both a school’s
every day in an average week.
budget and its impacts on learning
When this happens, it’s o en done quickly condi ons, say that the Directorate lacks the
and without consulta on with those a ected. necessary resources to meet the demands of
We asked classroom teachers and relief sta schools. Almost three quarters of principals
how o en they’re rst consulted when a split and deputy principals say that their school is
or otherwise modi ed class occurs, and only not adequately funded to provide the relief
11% say that they’re always consulted. Almost sta required to cover teacher absences.
a third say ‘rarely’; and over a third say ‘never’.
This problem is ge ng worse. More than 80% Fig.2: Do you feel that the Educa on
of respondents say that split or cancelled Directorate has the necessary resources
classes are more of an issue this year than in to meet the demands of public schools?
the past.
System-wide under-resourcing and lack 100
of support 85%
The ACT public school system is complex, but 75
our classroom teachers and school leaders –
who are ‘on the ground’ gh ng for quality
educa on every day – understand the
situa on best. While much more analysis and 50
problem-solving is needed, our data points to
mul ple systemic issues rela ng to
informa on, funding, and the capacity of
25
management to have a meaningful 15%
understanding of their workforce and system
demands.
0
We asked principals and deputy principals YES NO
whether they receive su cient support from
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ffWe subsequently asked, “If the necessary In high schools and colleges, split or collapsed
resources are not made available to schools to classes are o en moved online to be er deal
meet system demands, do you believe system with having fewer sta . This is not without
demands should be reduced to match educa onal impact: 98% of respondents say
available resources?” To this ques on, 77% of this nega vely impact student outcomes.
respondents say yes, including 84% of primary
level classroom teachers and 78% of
principals. This re ects a long-held concern Fig.3: Do you feel that students are
that me is being wasted on centrally imposed disadvantaged and learning outcomes
demands that distract from teaching and compromised by split or modi ed classes?
learning. AEU members want be er for their
students, but the mismatch between system
expecta ons and resourcing in our schools is 100 97%
o en insurmountable.
Increasing central demands on teacher and
school leader me have created a percep on 75
that the Directorate has lost touch with the
reality of work in schools. We asked those
surveyed if the Educa on Directorate
understands the sta ng situa on at their 50
school. Over a third of those surveyed said
that the Directorate does not understand their
school’s sta ng situa on at all. 25
Learning impacts on students 3%
0
The sta ng pressure on the public educa on YES NO
system has direct consequences for students.
Almost all respondents (97%) feel that
students are disadvantaged and their learning ‘Casual teachers need be er pay rates and
outcomes compromised by split or modi ed condi ons – why not have permanent relief
classes (Fig.3). sta employed by the department who are
placed across school networks? … The
Teachers in high schools and colleges department has complied with sta ng
specialise in par cular subject areas – for requests in the EA, but has not resourced
example, teaching science, history, or PE. One them e ec vely.’
in ve respondents report teaching outside
their subject area to cover sta shortages. ‘We really need to treat relief sta with the
What this means in prac ce, for example, is an value and respect they deserve as they are
English teacher taking a mathema cs class, or actually fully- edged teachers in their own
vice versa. Addi onally, 61% of principals and right.’
deputy principals report not being able to
secure the specialist teachers necessary to ‘The school I am employed at has stated
deliver usual teaching programs. Furthermore, that we do not have a budget to pay for
more than half of them (54%) report being relief sta therefore spli ng classes is our
unable to ll ongoing or temporary posi ons only op on. Taking this pressure away from
at their school. schools may help the situa on.’
8
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tiWork safety
Teachers and other educators o en accept people – had experienced violence for this
di cult working condi ons because of their reason. Especially worrying was that 37% of
genuine dedica on to their students, but this LSAs said yes. LSAs are some of the most
has an impact on their safety and their health. important and vulnerable workers in our
We see the connec ons between poor schools: paid much less than teachers and
working condi ons and workplace injuries commonly with far less job security, LSAs are
every day in our work with AEU members. In o en at the coal-face of violence with li le
schools, risks to worker safety include violence ins tu onal support to show for it.
from students, other challenging student
behaviours, stress, and con ict. Addi onally, ‘Although in my current role I do not feel
many people surveyed report not being able the e ects of sta shortage as strongly as
to take a day o when they are unwell due to others, I certainly was aware of those
the impact their absence would have on e ects in my previous role as a specialist
sta ng. teacher in a primary school. O en up to
four classes per day were split, resul ng in
Work safety is the key area in which we see
'classes' over 40+ students, which
the compounding e ects of sta ng shortages:
contributed directly to … occupa onal
split and cancelled classes make it more
violence - par cularly as students with
challenging to monitor and manage student
special needs were forced to work with
behaviour, which increases incidences of
teachers (and students) they did not know
violence, which in turn causes injury from
well.’
which sta must be absent to recover. It is a
vicious cycle.
The Enterprise Agreement requires the
employer to provide resources to address
'The sta shortage needs to be xed as
violence in schools. If one in ve workers has
soon as possible. I believe that the longer
experienced violence in the normal course of
that this need is not met the more teachers
their work, then these resources necessarily
will burn out, further exacerba ng the
include the adequate provision of relief sta
problem.'
to cover absences of teachers and LSAs
recovering from physical and psychological
When we asked survey respondents if they
injury.
had experienced nega ve student behaviour
as a direct consequence of split or cancelled We know that this doesn’t happen. We asked
classes, almost two thirds – 1,086 of respondents if they ever come to work sick –
respondents – said yes. Notably, 71% of LSAs including physical or psychological illness or
said yes to this ques on, and 80% of SLCs injury – due to sta shortages. Three in four
(Fig.4). respondents report that they do, including
86% of primary school classroom teachers
LSAs o en have the most one-on-one contact
(Fig.5). Addi onally, 57% of sta report
with students who have special needs, and
coming to work when they have had caring
SLCs are those called upon when the situa on
responsibili es or a family crisis, due to
in a classroom becomes especially di cult for
sta ng shortages.
the classroom teacher to handle alone.
We then asked whether educators surveyed ‘I enjoy the me in the classroom but feel
have experienced violence in their workplaces I gave too much to the job when my kids
as a direct consequence of a split or cancelled were younger. I regret that now.’
class. Almost one in ve of those asked – 278
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80%
72% 74%
71%
65%
60
30
0
SLC High School IBR Primary LSA
Fig.4: Percentage of respondents who have experienced nega ve student behaviour
as a direct consequence of a split/cancelled class.
90 86%
81% 83%
76% 74% 76%
70%
60
30
0
SLA SLB SLC High School College Primary IBR
Fig.5: Percentage of respondents who reported coming to work while sick
due to sta shortages.
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tiThe results are clear. An overwhelming
majority (85%) of respondents say that sta ng
pressures have nega vely impacted on their
mental health and wellbeing (Fig.6). In
addi on, 70% feel that insu cient resourcing
of schools leads to unnecessary tensions or
con ict between school leadership and sta
more broadly, with 83% of principals and
deputy principals holding this view.
Fig.6: To what extent have sta ng pressures
nega vely impacted your own mental
health and wellbeing?
60
48%
45
30
22%
15% 15%
15
0
A great deal A lot A li le Not at all
‘I'm sad that I don't love my job. It should
be such a ful lling job to do, but the
burnout has taken every last ounce of
passion and interest I have.’
'There is a lot of guilt/mental anxiety when
calling in sick because of the known impact
on colleagues due to lack of relief.’
‘It’s a very special and rewarding job that
comes with par cular demands. Relief sta
are hard to nd, and o en it’s easier to just
stay when unwell rather than organise
subs tute lessons for my hardworking
colleagues who are impacted by my
absence.’
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ffWorkload
Sta ng shortages have a direct impact on the Nearly all (97%) said they work more than
workload of teachers. Almost all (97%) their maximum weekly hours. This includes
respondents describe their workload as at working on the weekends, at evenings and
least a li le di cult. More than three quarters during periods of leave or stand down.
(78%) describe their workload as ranging from
‘di cult’ to ‘extremely di cult’. Principals, in ‘Teachers are drowning. We need support.’
par cular, tend to more regularly experience
workload stress (Fig.7). ‘Please do something soon. It is ge ng
harder all the me.’
80 Of our SLC respondents, 79% say they work
70% excessive hours every week, and 59% of
classroom teachers say this happens every
week, including 70% of primary level
60
53% classroom teachers.
51%
When is this extra work happening? Three
quarters of respondents reported working
40
more than ve hours over- me per week on
weekdays. More than 40% are working more
than ve hours over- me on their weekend.
20 Three of every ve respondents are working
more than 10 hours per week during stand
down (school holidays), which is s pulated in
the Enterprise Agreement as me when
0
teachers are not required to a end work “in
SLA SLB SLC
recogni on of the breadth of their
professional responsibili es”.2
Fig.7: Percentage of school leaders ra ng
their workload ‘very’ or ‘extremely di cult’. Almost all teachers report working unpaid
over- me every week with more than 40% of
them working 10 or more hours, and even
more hours when weekend work is included.
More than one third of principals work
between 10-15 hours over- me per working These gures are consistent with na onal
week and further third work more than 20 surveys that report the same ndings and link
addi onal hours per week. This does not this addi onal workload burden with burn out
include weekend hours. Principals do not and a ri on.3
typically teach classes, their role is to provide
educa onal leadership, however, almost 30% Clearly, such ndings demolish the popular
of principals report teaching classes because illusion that teachers work 9am-3pm, Monday
of sta ng shortages. to Friday and enjoy weeks of addi onal
holidays.
Teachers and principals are working excessive
hours to meet the demands of the system.
2 ACT Public Sector Educa on Directorate (Teaching Sta ) Enterprise Agreement 2018–2022, sW7.3.
3AEU Submission to the Department of Educa on, Skills and Employment on the Review of Quality Ini al Teacher
Educa on, 16 July 2021, pg 5.
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tiSpli ng or modifying classes does not help ‘I experience daily, and nightly, concerns
the situa on. Almost all respondents reported around funding this school. We are rapidly
that modifying classes for online delivery expanding … have SO many new educators,
increases their workload. SO many part me posi ons and absolutely
no ability to reduce the need for split
The AEU has fought for limita ons to teachers’
classes. thank you for this survey. Thank
face-to-face teaching hours, so that they have
you for knowing this is a dire need. ... As
me away from class to plan, mark, meet, and
principal of this incredible school, I am no
perform o en burdensome administra ve
longer the instruc ons educa onal leader -
requirements. These limits are made clear in
I manage people and buildings.’
the Enterprise Agreement. Despite this, 58%
of respondents report using their non-face-to-
We asked teachers in all se ngs how much
face me to cover other teacher absences.
me they need to prepare lessons and how
They consequently need to do their other
much non-teaching related work they have on
work in their own me, unpaid.
their plate. Adding this to their maximum
SLCs have further limita ons to their teaching face-to-face teaching hours, we arrive at some
hours s pulated in the Enterprise Agreement, alarming system-wide levels of unpaid
so that they can support other sta and deal overwork.
with complex student issues. However, three
in four SLCs report being required to teach ‘Classroom teaching is absolutely full on
over face-to-face maximums due to sta and beyond hard work. There is not enough
shortages. Of those who report this, only 13% me to manage all the demands.’
say that these hours are always given back to
them later in the term. This means that SLCs We found that in a normal work week, an
work unpaid over- me, or face le ng down average primary school classroom teacher
their colleagues and students. does:
The Future of Educa on Strategy, the blueprint - 21 hours of face-to-face teaching,
for ACT public schools for 2018-2028, places
heavy emphasis on developing school leaders - 6 hours of on non-teaching related
to create the “culture, environments, work, and
structures and systems to develop and extend - 13 hours and 39 minutes of lesson
high performing, expert teaching teams”. Due planning.
to their crucial role in mentoring less
experienced teachers, the Future of Educa on This means that the average primary school
states that: classroom teacher is doing almost four hours
of unpaid over- me every week during term
the focus for school leaders, as with me.
teachers, needs to be their exper se as
prac oners rather than administra ve Adding the weekend to this, where 43% of
and other func ons. respondents report working for ve or more
hours, we arrive at an average workweek of 45
To see if this is happening, we asked principals hours and 39 minutes. This far exceeds the
and deputy principals how many hours on maximum weekly hour limit of 38 hours set by
average they spend on work unrelated to their the Fair Work Act.4
leadership responsibili es. Two thirds (66%)
say they spend at least 10 hours a week on Given this, a conserva ve es mate would have
this. that 20% of teachers’ work is unpaid. Using
this data, we can make es mates as to the
4 Fair Work Act 2009 (Commonwealth). s62.
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tiextent that AEU members are subsidising the ‘Full- me teachers are stressed and over-
ACT Government’s educa on budget. The worked. The main reason I work as a relief
average teacher earns a salary of $100,000,5 teacher is because, when working as a full-
which means they are underpaid about me teacher, I cannot cope with the
$20,000 (20% of their work). There are pressure. I have no me for other pursuits
approximately 3,7946 teachers in the ACT. If and teaching becomes my whole life. If
we mul ply this number by $20,000, we arrive there was a larger permanent teaching and
at $75.88 million. administra ve work force in a school that
could more e ec vely manage the myriad
‘There have been too many increases in di cul es that educa onal professionals
accountability and expecta ons without face daily, I would consider returning to full
support and resources.’ me teaching.’
The harsh reality is that ACT public school
teachers subsidise the ACT Government’s
spending on educa on to the tune of at least
$75 million every year on salaries alone. This
provides some quan ca on of the extra
recurrent investment needed in ACT public
educa on.
In addi on to exploi ng the hard work and
goodwill of teachers, overwork is a serious
safety issue. Safe Work Australia’s na onal
guidance material on psychological health and
safety and Safe Work NSW’s Code of Prac ce
regarding managing psychosocial hazards at
work both highlight excessive work hours and
demands as a hazard to worker safety. They
make clear that employers have a duty of care
to manage common risks rela ng to role
overload.7,8
‘I have been teaching in the ACT for 25
years. The job/expecta ons have changed
dras cally over this me, with an increase
in workload, accountability, paperwork,
du es, family expecta ons and so on AND
a decrease in resources, respect, job
sa sfac on.’
5 Australian Bureau of Sta s cs (2020) Schools.
6 ACT Educa on Directorate Annual Report 2019-20
7 Safe Work Australia, 2019. Work-related psychological health and safety: A systema c approach to mee ng your du es.
Na onal guidance material.
8 NSW Government, 2021. Managing the risks to psychological health. Code of Prac ce. SafeWork NSW.
14
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tiTeaching as a profession
We cannot accept band-aid solu ons to the Combining this with the unpaid over- me
teacher sta ng shortage. The ACT needs long- es mates (see ‘workload’ sec on), we can
term and holis c change which begins with calculate that public school teachers subsidise
protec ng the teaching profession. Only then the ACT Government’s spending on educa on
will we be able to a ract and retain talented at least $80 million every year, on unpaid
and mo vated teachers – teachers whose work and resourcing schools adequately.
working life is rewarding and balanced, and
whose safety and wellbeing meets baseline ‘Schools are seriously underfunded … We
expecta ons that all workers not only deserve, o en joke about how schools are the only
but are a orded by law. We cannot value government jobs where you 'steal' from
educa on as a community while systemically home to bring to school. We do it for the
diminishing the role of teachers in our public love of the children ... but it's really not ok.’
schools.
Further data reveals the impacts of under-
Our survey revealed data that shows a
resourcing and under-sta ng on teaching
disappoin ng disregard for the work our
itself.
educators do.
- More than half of classroom teachers
Under-resourcing surveyed would not recommend
teaching as a career to family members
Seventy per cent of respondents say that their or friends.
school is not resourced su ciently to provide - More than one third of respondents
the consistent quality of educa on that their (37%) say that they are considering
students need to succeed. We also asked if leaving the teaching profession (Fig.8),
educators ever spend their own money on including 46% of primary school
resources they feel their students need and teachers, 41% of those in colleges and
deserve. Most did. We then asked how much 39% of high school teachers.
they spend in a typical term on teaching
resources out of their own pocket. - Given that 89% of AEU members are
below the age of 50, re rement alone
cannot account for these numbers.
The results are alarming. The average out-of-
pocket spend per teacher per term is - We asked teachers how long they
$281.71,9 which gives us a total spend per intend on staying in teaching. Almost
year from respondents of about $1.57million. 30% say they intend on teaching for ve
When we extrapolate this number to count all years or less (Fig.9), 12% for two years
teaching and school leader sta in the ACT or less. Only 33% see themselves
public schools system, we arrive at a gure of teaching in more than ten years’ me.
$5.18 million per year that teachers are
- 44% report having to cancel planned
spending on their teaching resources, out of
professional learning due to sta
their own pocket.
shortages.
- 84% of school leaders report receiving
nega ve feedback from parents or
carers rela ng to sta ng shortages.
9 Principals spend the most of their own money, with an average of $382 per term out-of-pocket spend.
15
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ti80
60
43% 42%
40
26% 25%
20
0
SLA SLB SLC CT
Fig.8: Percentage of respondents answering yes to the ques on:
Are you considering leaving the profession?
60
51%
45
39%
30 28%
18%
15
0
Teachers and school leaders New educators Relief teachers LSAs
Fig.9: Percentage of respondents intending to leave the profession within 5 years.
16
ti‘Things need to change. The amount of Unsurprisingly, one in three new educators
high-quality educators I know who want to report that they are considering leaving
leave the profession due to workload and teaching.
occupa onal violence is appalling. We need
Nearly one in ve say they intend to leave
to be respected and treated like
within ve years (Fig.9), and only half of all
professionals.’
new educators expect to be teaching for more
than eight years. This is of concern not just
‘I feel extremely sad that myself, and so
because of the welfare of those sta , but also
many other teachers feel this way. I feel let
as reported by the ACT Auditor General,
down by the system, all my years of hard
research shows that teachers tend to develop
work and experience is about to walk out
skills for the rst eight years of their career,
the door.’
a er which they become more able to have an
“ongoing posi ve impact on student
‘I love my job, I think it’s the best job in the
outcomes”. 10
world, but in its current state it’s
unsustainable.’
‘I have fallen out of love with teaching this
year. It was my dream job and I am
New educators completely devastated about how it makes
me feel now. (It's 8.20pm and I am on my
New educators are teachers in their rst three school emails replying to parent requests
years of teaching. To ensure that they are and trying to plan lessons as a new
supported to develop their teaching prac ce, educator).’
the Enterprise Agreement a ords new
educators slightly reduced face-to-face ‘Make it a profession to be proud to be part
teaching hours, mentoring, and support days of, not gh ng for everything we need.’
for training. These form baseline industrial
rights for these teachers.
Learning support assistants
Despite Enterprise Agreement provisions, our
new educator members reported the LSAs provide cri cal support in classrooms, yet
following: their work is too o en under-appreciated. Our
survey also revealed a troubling rate of LSAs
- 15% do not have a mentor,
being asked to teach classes to cover a teacher
- 57% have a mentor who does not have absence. Almost 40% of LSAs report being
su cient me to o er the support they asked to teach a class while a relief teacher
require, ‘sits in’ solely for legal duty of care purposes.
One in ve LSAs report being asked by their
- 24% have been denied access to their school to teach a class alone to cover teacher
support days due to the unavailability absence.
of relief sta , and
While they have deep knowledge of their
- 39% have been required to teach students, LSAs are not paid or trained to
beyond their face-to-face teaching hour teach. The Teacher Quality Ins tute Act states
limit, including 30% who work at least that it is an o ence for someone to engage in
2 hours per week extra. teaching at a school without the proper
approvals.11 The penalty for breaching this
10 ACT Auditor-General. 2021. “Teaching Quality in ACT Public Schools”. Report No.6/2021. ACT Audit O ce. p.120.
11 ACT Teacher Quality Ins tute Act 2010 (ACT) s28.
17
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ffiprovision is up to $8,000 in nes for the LSA
and any other sta who instructed them to
teach, or had knowledge that it was
happening and did not intervene.12
LSAs are thus put in an impossible posi on:
break the law and teach, or face le ng down
their school, colleagues, and students.
Given LSAs are o en in insecure contract or
casual employment, refusing to teach classes
when asked to can have impacts on their
chances of ge ng work in the future.
Other industrially protected rights of LSAs are
rou nely neglected. During the last round of
bargaining for the Enterprise Agreement, the
AEU won an improved provision for extra me
for LSAs to plan and collaborate with teachers.
However, 79% of LSAs report not being given
su cient me for this.
‘This survey and the issues are so, so
important right now for individual teachers
and school leaders, for each school and for
our system. … We need to be naming the
issues, resourcing needs and ask for
reasonable limits and boundaries as I know
I can not switch o nights, weekends or
stand downs no ma er what hours I do ...
What is said and understood in the
community does not re ect what happens
in the trenches daily.’
‘I am leaving a profession I love this week.
I have quali ca ons in IT, Special Educa on
and EALD and I am leaving. When the
Educa on Department stops looking a er
sta like they are now more and more
quali ed and experienced teachers will
leave. … If we had more support, if we
listened to teachers instead of people who
have forgo en what it is like to be in the
classroom then I would be here next term,
at a school that needs me and a school
I want to be at.’
12 ACT Teacher Quality Ins tute Act 2010 (ACT) s29.
18
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tiConclusion
This survey corroborates what our members have been telling us for a long me: ACT public schools
urgently need help.
The sta ng shortage has revealed systemic issues for which a super cial solu on will not su ce. It
is not simply the case that ACT public educa on needs to recruit more teachers. It must also retain
those we have, support them with adequate infrastructure, me for non-face-to-face work, provide
relief so that they can take me o when they’re unwell, protect them from violence and the
psychosocial safety hazard of extreme stress, and make sure their pay and overall condi ons re ect
their essen al work.
We know that the problems this survey describes reproduce and compound in a cyclical manner.
When teachers face extreme workloads and stress, they become injured and ill, which leads to more
absences, which worsens the workload of their colleagues, who already work over- me. When
schools are under-resourced educators cannot a end to the needs of all students, which worsens
challenging student behaviour, which creates higher need for targeted work. And so on.
The rst step to solving the crises of ACT public schools is to meaningfully and deeply listen to
educators: those on the front-line who work skilfully every day to do the best with what they have.
Those who serve our children and families; o en at the expense of their own. Those who go in, day
a er day, to face unpredictable and too-o en violent situa ons. They need to be heard. This survey is
only a rst step in doing this; the employer and the wider community also need to do their part.
Hundreds of respondents sent construc ve feedback with ideas on how to solve the problems we
face. We can only represent their ideas par ally here. In par cular, educators surveyed asked the
Directorate to explore:
- increasing teacher salaries to a ract and retain sta ,
- establishing a centralised pool of permanent relief sta who can be exibly deployed according
to system demands, giving relief teachers job security and the system some sta ng certainty,
- conduc ng exit surveys for educators leaving the system,
- suppor ng classroom teachers by providing more LSAs, youth and social workers, allied health
professionals, etc.,
- rethinking TQI requirements for relief teachers, and
- a ending to the safety and workload issues that make educators want to leave teaching.
We know that the ACT community values our teachers and public educa on. We need more than
pla tudes. We need real support and ac on.
These problems will require sustained, resource-intensive, evidence-based and systemic problem-
solving. It will not be easy, but it is necessary. To ignore these issues is to abandon the value of public
educa on. The AEU will never tolerate this, and neither will our members.
19
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flReferences
Australian Bureau of Sta s cs (2020) Schools [h ps://www.abs.gov.au/sta s cs/people/educa on/
schools/latest-release], accessed 4 August 2021.
ACT Auditor-General. 2021. “Teaching Quality in ACT Public Schools”. Report No.6/2021.
Canberra: ACT Audit O ce.
ACT Educa on Directorate. 2018. "The Future of Educa on: An ACT Educa on Strategy
for the Next Ten Years”. Canberra: ACT Government.
ACT Educa on Directorate. 2020. "Annual Report 2019-2020”. Canberra: ACT Government.
ACT Public Sector Educa on Directorate (Teaching Sta ) Enterprise Agreement 2018–2022.
ACT Public Sector Administra ve and Related Classi ca ons Enterprise Agreement 2018–2021.
ACT Teacher Quality Ins tute Act 2010 (ACT).
Beaumont, Adrian. 2016. "What are the opinion polls and how accurate are they?". The Conversa on.
h ps://theconversa on.com/elec on-explainer-what-are-the-opinion-polls-and-how-accurate-are-
they-57973.
Fair Work Act 2009 (Commonwealth).
NSW Government, 2021. Managing the risks to psychological health. Code of Prac ce.
SafeWork NSW.
Safe Work Australia, 2019. Work-related psychological health and safety: A systema c
approach to mee ng your du es. Na onal guidance material.
20
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tiAppendix Data from the AEU ACT Branch 2021 Educator Survey
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you believe your school is negatively impacted by a shortage
91.47% 8.53%
of staff?
AVERAGE
Question
Not A little Very
If yes, how serious do you think the negative impacts are? 4.57% 40.49% 56.24%
AVERAGE
Question
Always Usually Rarely Never
When a staff member is absent in your school, how often is the
3.13% 54.04% 39.46% 3.38%
absence covered by relief staff?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Are you teaching outside of your specialty (E.g. English, Math)
20.69% 79.31%
due to staff shortages?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you believe your school has been adequately funded to
26.39% 73.61%
provide the relief staff required?AVERAGE
Question
Split/ share Cancel/online Other
If you cannot replace an absent staff member, how do you cover
84.82% 13.99% 63.45%
the class? (select all that apply)
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Have you been able to secure the specialist teachers necessary
39.44% 60.56%
to deliver usual school programs?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you have any ongoing or temporary positions in your school
54.32% 45.69%
that you are unable to fill?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you receive sufficient support from the Education Support
28.68% 71.33%
Office to ensure that staffing meets demands?
AVERAGE
Question
Split Cancel/ Online Alt program
When a teacher cannot be replaced with a relief teacher or in-
49.48% 46.84% 13.57%
built relief, does your school (select all that apply)AVERAGE
Question
Not at all A little A lot A great deal more
If you are required to modify classes for online delivery, does this
4% 30.80% 34.24% 31.43%
increase your workload?
AVERAGE
Question
Not at all A little A lot A great deal more
If you are required to move learning online, due to a shortage of
2% 22.41% 33.18% 42.19%
staff, do you feel this impacts student outcomes negatively?
AVERAGE
Question
Great deal A lot A little Not at all
Do you feel the Education Directorate understands the staffing
3.88% 12.79% 47.79% 35.54%
situation at your school?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you feel your school is resourced sufficiently to provide the
consistent quality of education that your students need to 29.69% 70.31%
succeed?
AVERAGE
Question
Average spend Total spend
Do you ever spend your own money to provide resources for
your students that you feel they need and deserve? If yes, please $281.71 $407,105.00
indicate on average this expenditure per term.AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you feel the Education Directorate has the necessary
resources to meet the demands put upon schools by the Public 14.90% 85.10%
Education system?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
If the necessary resources are not made available to schools to
meet system demands, do you believe system demands should 76.87% 23.13%
be reduced to match available resources?
AVERAGE
Question
Great deal A lot A little Not at all
In your view, have staff absences undermined teachers capacity
30.67% 34.64% 32.98% 1.71%
to consistently deliver high quality education?
AVERAGE
QuestionAVERAGE
Question
Always Usually Rarely Never
When a split/modified class occurs, are you first consulted? 11.16% 23.97% 29.53% 35.34%
AVERAGE
Question
Not at all A little more A lot more A great deal more
Have you perceived split/cancelled classes to be increasingly
15.82% 38.37% 25.05% 19.43%
problematic this year?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you believe split/cancelled classes negatively impact your
93.11% 7.96%
staff?
AVERAGE
Question
NO YES UNSURE
Do you believe split classes create particularly difficult challenges
7.67% 81.67% 10.67%
for new educators?
AVERAGE
Question
NO YES UNSURE
Do you believe split/cancelled classes create particularly difficult
12.62% 77.50% 9.89%
challenges for relief teachers?AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Have you experienced negative student behaviour as a direct
64.42% 35.58%
consequence of a split/cancelled class?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Have you experienced occupational violence as a direct
19.22% 80.79%
consequence of a split/cancelled class?
AVERAGE
Question
Not at all A little more A lot more A great deal more
Do you feel students are disadvantaged and their learning
2.94% 28.97% 38.51% 29.58%
outcomes compromised by split/modified classes?
AVERAGE
Question
Not A little Difficult Very Extreme
How difficult would you rate your workload? 3% 19.35% 32.03% 29.78% 15.88%
AVERAGE
Question
Never Rarely Often Always
Are you ever required to teach a class due to staffing shortages? 12.50% 58.33% 29.17% 0.00%AVERAGE
Question
Parents/ Carers Community Other None
Do you ever experience negative feedback related to staffing
71.96% 9.14% 43.15% 12.33%
shortages? If yes, please describe these experiences.
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you regularly work over your paid hours of 36.75 as outlined
97.28% 2.73%
in the enterprise agreement?
AVERAGE
Question
Every Week Most Some Rarely Never
Do you regularly work over your paid hours of 36.75 as outlined
60.82% 23.24% 12.67% 2.44% 0.83%
in the enterprise agreement?
AVERAGE
Question
0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-25 25-30 30+
If yes, on average how many of these additional hours are you
24.07% 34.76% 21.94% 8.27% 6.67% 1.88% 2.48%
working Monday-Friday?
AVERAGE
Question
0-5 5-10 10-15 15+
If yes, on average how many of these additional hours are you
56.63% 33.26% 7.31% 2.79%
working over the weekend?AVERAGE
Question
0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-25 25-30 30+
On average how many hours, if any, do you work during a week
15.13% 24.99% 23.57% 17.27% 7.54% 5.61% 5.89%
of stand down?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Are the extra hours you work recorded? 1.61% 98.39%
AVERAGE
Question
Always Usually Rarely Never
If yes, are you compensated for the extra hours you work? 0.00% 1.02% 6.84% 92.14%
AVERAGE
Question
Average mins
On average, how long does it take you to prepare for one hour of
42.75
face-to-face lesson delivery?
AVERAGE
Question
Average hours
On average, how many hours of work do you do a week on non-
6.67
teaching related issues?AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
As a Deputy, are you ever required to teach more than 8 hours a
18.18% 81.82%
week?
AVERAGE
Question
2 4 6 8 10 10+
If yes, on average how many more hours are you teaching over
50.00% 20.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% 0.00%
8?
AVERAGE
Question
Always Usually Rarely Never
Are you ever required to teach over your face-to-face maximums
6.16% 20.85% 49.29% 23.70%
due to staff shortages?
AVERAGE
Question
2 4 6 8 10 10+
If yes, on average how many hours are you teaching over a
60.24% 21.69% 4.82% 8.43% 2.41% 2.41%
week?
AVERAGE
Question
Yes No Sometimes
If yes, is this time given back to you at a later date? 12.67% 49.33% 38.00%AVERAGE
Question
0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-25 25-30 30+
On average, how many hours a week do you spend on non-
17.07% 17.36% 17.90% 24.65% 17.07% 1.09% 4.88%
leadership related work?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you ever come to work sick (including psychological illness)
75.53% 24.48%
due to staff shortages?
AVERAGE
Question
1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 10+
If yes, on average how often do you come in sick a term? 44.98% 28.35% 15.75% 5.57% 2.07% 3.29%
LSA
Question
YES NO
Have you ever attended work during a family crisis or when you
56.75% 43.25%
have had caring responsibilities, due to staff shortages?
AVERAGE
Question
1-2 3-4 4-6 7-8 9-10 10+
If yes, on average how often over the last three semesters have
you attended work during a family crisis or when you have had 41.96% 30.98% 12.60% 5.43% 2.55% 6.49%
caring responsibilities?AVERAGE
Question
Never Rarely Frequently Always
Have you ever had to cancel planned professional learning due
56.14% 37.75% 5.45% 0.66%
to staff shortages?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Has your non face-to-face work time been used to cover in-built
57.73% 42.27%
relief or collapsed classes?
AVERAGE
Question
Rarely Often Always
If yes, on avergae how often does this occur? 67.75% 29.89% 2.37%
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO SOMETIMES
If yes, is this given back to you as release time at a later date? 48.61% 34.06% 27.49%
AVERAGE
Question
30+ 40+ 50+ 60+ OTHER
When a class is split, my class size can often reach 42.58% 6.45% 4.27% 0.00% 46.69%AVERAGE
Question
Always Usually Rarely Never
Are you often pulled from specialist programs (E.g. Individual
2.38% 11.90% 46.83% 38.89%
support sessions, Art, PE) to cover split classes?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Do you work in a Learning Support Unit? 22.82% 77.18%
AVERAGE
Question
Not at all 1 day 2 days 3 days 4 days Every day
How often are you redirected from your regular duties due to
63% 23.61% 8.33% 3.47% 0.69% 0.69%
split/cancelled classes each week?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Have you ever been asked to teach a class to cover a teacher
19.73% 80.27%
absence?
AVERAGE
Question
Few a
< once a mth once a mth Few a mth 1 a week everyday
week
If yes, on average how often does this occur? 61.29% 16.13% 16.13% 0.00% 3.23% 3.23%AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Have you ever been asked to lead a class while a relief teacher
38.62% 61.38%
sits in solely for duty of care purposes?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Are you given sufficient time to collaborate and plan with
20.95% 79.05%
teachers?
AVERAGE
Question
always Most some a little never
How often are you employed on your available days? 47.14% 32.86% 15.71% 2.86% 1.43%
AVERAGE
Question
Always Usually Rarely Never
Are you ever called on days when you have previously advised
1.43% 17.14% 60.00% 21.43%
you are unavailable or have already been booked?
AVERAGE
Question
Never Rarely Usually Always
How often have you experienced split classes as a relief teacher? 10.29% 63.24% 25.00% 1.47%AVERAGE
Question
A great deal A lot A little Not at all
Have staffing pressures negatively impacted your own mental
15.04% 21.67% 47.92% 15.38%
health and wellbeing?
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Are you considering leaving the profession? 37.02% 63.04%
AVERAGE
Question
YES NO
Would you recommend teaching as a career to family members
51.69% 48.31%
or friends?
AVERAGE
Question
NO YES UNSURE
Do you ever feel insufficient resources lead to unnecessary
tensions or conflict between school leadership and staff more 9.11% 70.46% 20.43%
broadly?Teachers and School Leaders ASAP
High School College Primary
NEW EDUCATORS Question
YES NO YES NO YES NO
Are you a new educator? 81.13% 18.87% 88.32% 11.68% 82.00% 18.00%
Question 1st 2nd 3rd
What year of teaching are you currently in? 30.60% 28.96% 40.44%
Question YES NO
Do You have a mentor? 84.70% 15.30%
Question YES NO
Does your mentor have sufficient time to provide you
43.33% 56.67%
with the support you require?
Question None 1 2 3 4 5 6 6+
How many New Educator Support Days have you used
28.18% 27.62% 18.78% 4.97% 11.05% 4.97% 2.76% 1.66%
to date?
Question YES NO
Have you ever been denied access to your New
Educator Support Days due to unavailability of relief 24.18% 75.82%
staff?
Question YES NO
Have you ever been denied access to your New
9.94% 90.06%
Educator Support Days due to budget constraints?
Question YES NO
Are you ever required to teach over your reduced face-
to-face teaching hours? (Teaching hours in year one
are; 18hrs high school and college, 19.5hrs primary 38.67% 61.33%
school. In years two and three are; 18.5hrs high school
and college, 20.5hrs primary)
Question staff shortage budget other
If yes, is this due to (select all that apply) 86.49% 16.22% 21.62%
Question 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ More than 5
If yes, how many hours do you teach above your face-
69.64% 19.64% 5.36% 3.57% 0.00% 1.79%
to-face maximums a week?
Question YES NO
Are you considering leaving the profession? 33.15% 66.85%
Question ASAP >6m >1y >2y >3y >4y >5y >6y >7y >8y >9y >10y 10+ Unsure
How long do you intend to stay in the profession? 0.57% 1.15% 1.15% 5.75% 2.87% 1.15% 5.75% 2.87% 0.00% 1.72% 0.00% 6.90% 41.38% 28.74%
Question YES NO
Would you recommend teaching as a career to family
49.16% 50.84%
members or friends?
Question A great deal A lot A little Not at all
Have staffing pressures negatively impacted your own
14.92% 20.99% 52.49% 11.60%
mental health and wellbeing?
AEU ACT Branch Survey 2021 New Educator dataYou can also read
