Current Teacher Workload in NSW Public Schools
NSW public primary school teachers are allocated approximately two hours per week for lesson preparation, known as Release from Face-to-Face (RFF) time. This allocation has not been increased since the 1980s.
Teachers report spending significant unpaid time on lesson preparation and student welfare. For example, one assistant principal and teacher stated spending three hours daily outside of paid class time on these tasks.
"This allocation has not been increased since the 1980s."
The complexity of student needs has reportedly increased, with a surge in students requiring support for autism, ADHD, or speech difficulties. This necessitates additional reporting requirements, consultations, and administrative work, often impinging on the limited RFF time.
Union Campaigns for Increased Release Time
The NSW Teachers Federation plans to launch a campaign advocating for an additional two hours of RFF time per week for primary school teachers. For secondary schools, the union will request a reduction of three 40-minute teaching periods per week.
A recent survey by the union, involving nearly 20,000 NSW teachers, indicated that only 15 percent felt they had sufficient time for lesson planning. The union asserts that teachers are currently performing these tasks during their personal unpaid time.
Background and Previous Recommendations
A 2021 union-backed inquiry into the teaching profession recommended increasing RFF time. This inquiry found that Australian teachers work an average of 46.5 hours per week, which is above the OECD average of 40.8 hours.
The workload has also intensified due to student needs. Since 2021, the number of students with disabilities in NSW public schools has increased by 75 percent, reaching over 220,000.
A 2022 commitment by the former Liberal government to provide an extra hour of RFF per week by 2025 did not result in effective implementation, according to the federation president. He stated that this commitment lacked additional funding and staffing.
Government Responds to Workload Demands
NSW Deputy Premier Prue Car acknowledged that teacher vacancies are at a 12-year low. However, she indicated that providing a widespread increase in release time would require significantly more teachers and could create new vacancies, just as the sector is recovering from a teacher shortage.
Last year, NSW increased pupil-free days from six to eight per year to allow for lesson planning at the start of the school year. This change was part of a larger teacher pay deal that included a 10 percent salary increase over three years for public school teachers.
While these extra days were deemed necessary for yearly setup, the union president stated that the weekly workload during regular teaching periods still requires attention.