Schools around NSW are feeling the pinch as teacher shortages continue to affect schools, particularly in rural locations.   

According to the Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA), schools are increasingly struggling to fill permanent, casual, and temporary positions, with Catholic system schools suffering the most.   

Of the Catholic schools across the Western Plains, which fall into either the Bathurst or Wilcannia-Forbes diocese, 74 per cent of local schools who responded to the survey had vacancies for either permanent or temporary teaching staff.   

Recruitment Officer for the Wilcannia-Forbes Diocese Carmen Walsh says that local schools have suffered trying to draw an already limited pool of staff to positions in rural communities. 

“We know that there’s so many more choices now for school leaders with career options, which is leading to fewer new graduate teachers,” Ms Walsh said.  

While the trends are working against the diocese, Ms Walsh said they are actively working to turn the tide by thinking outside the square.   

Next year, in partnership with tertiary institution Alphacrucis College, $2.9 million will be invested in expanding a local hub for teacher training.  

For the length of their degree, participating will spend one day per week in a classroom setting, and attend classes online.  

“It’s a new way of attracting teachers. For example, they might be teacher’s aides already in schools who want their qualification. We’re also targeting parents who might be considering a career change. It’s homegrown talent,” Ms Walsh said.   

The hub will fill the training void left by the closure of Dubbo’s Charles Sturt University teaching course, after the pathway become no longer financially viable. 

Another initiative keeping schools afloat is the teacher referral program, where teachers in the diocese can recommend a potential teacher who may be suited to a role. Teachers who refer candidates who are successful in filling roles receive a gift card of up to $299.  

It’s these initiatives that have the Wilcannia-Forbes diocese bucking the trends of teacher shortages, seeing them receive an increase in applicants for teaching positions.   

Unfortunately, the success isn’t consistent around the state, with most Catholic schools reporting that they’ve been unable to fill up to 70 per cent of casual teaching positions in their school.   

“Teacher shortages have only intensified as the year has gone on,” IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Acting Secretary Carol Matthews said.    

For some schools, filling the teaching role means Principals and Assistant Principals having to step into a more full-time teaching position and exposing the school to gaps in leadership.   

The issue only feeds itself. While existing teachers struggle with the increased workload, student teachers at university practicums withdraw from their teaching degree after encountering the intense workload and stresses.   

Ms Walsh said that while they try to incentivise filling local positions, the Catholic schooling system doesn’t have the capacity to compete with salary packages in the public sector.   

Naturally, the concern is best focused on the education of primary and secondary students, and the effects that could come from these teaching inconsistencies.   

“There have been times when we may have needed to be thinking creatively about how we’re going to fill a role in an interim situation. But our hard and fast rule is that we never accept anyone who isn’t the best quality teacher in schools,” Ms Walsh said.  

“If we were to put someone in a role who wasn’t up to standard, that would be more detrimental than not having anyone at all,” said Ms Walsh.