As the 2025 school year approaches, the teacher shortage crisis continues to hang heavily over the education sector. In rural and disadvantaged schools, the challenge to secure enough teachers is particularly critical, due to their dependence on casual staff to cover vacancies.
This is having an impact on the capacity of education systems to deliver quality education for Australia’s four million students.
Leading experts are calling for a shift towards system-based solutions to tackle the shortage, advocating for innovative and localised strategies to not only attract new teachers, but also retain educators in the field.
Dr Amy McPherson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and researcher in the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre, University of Newcastle and says that “greater efforts from a variety of stakeholders are needed to support both teacher retention and recruitment”.
“Our recent study sheds light on the impacts of teacher shortages in Australia’s hard-to-staff schools, particularly those in rural and disadvantaged communities.
“The findings reveal that these shortages extend beyond unfilled vacancies, intensifying teacher workloads and disrupting school operations.”
McPherson says “teachers and school leaders are implementing creative yet demanding solutions, such as increased mentoring, out-of-field teaching, and reliance on paraprofessionals, to navigate the crisis”.
“These issues impact access to quality education, leaving students in some disadvantaged communities without consistent, qualified teachers, adding to systemic inequities.
“While progress is being made, greater efforts from a variety of stakeholders are needed to support both teacher retention and recruitment in these contexts.”
Casual teachers also need support
But while casual teachers can offer a temporary solution, Professor Michele Simons (Western Sydney University, NSW Council of Deans of Education) says “casual teachers require support and to be equipped to do their best in the schools where they will find themselves working”.
“New school years are exciting times for many students and their families. Everything is new – and the same can be said for teachers, many of whom will be commencing roles in new school locations.”
“These teachers will face many of the familiar challenges that all new workers face – the importance of getting to know how the school operates, completing orientation and induction programs.
Simons says these challenges are “just as important for the large cohorts of casual teachers who will commence work in the school year”.
“Just like their more permanent colleagues, these teachers require support and to be equipped to do their best in the schools where they will find themselves working,” she says.
“Current research being undertaken by a team of researchers from UniSA, RMIT, Monash, Griffith and Western Sydney University is examining the nature of the casual teaching workforce and how this critical part of the workforce might be supported through processes such as induction.
“Early findings from this work emphasise the importance of making casual colleagues visible within schools, the importance of access to high quality induction and support systems, access to support to manage key parts of their work (for example, use of technology, managing student behaviour) and creating a supportive and positive environment where casual colleagues can ask questions and provide feedback on their work experiences.”
