Higher pay, enhanced status: rewarding teachers

Options for retaining the best teachers in NSW classrooms have been released by the state government.

Under these options released for consultation, classroom teachers who are assessed as ‘expert teachers’ under the Rewarding Excellence in Teaching program could attract salaries of up to $147,000 a year, or beyond, in recognition of their skills and impact.

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said the Rewarding Excellence in Teaching program was a key component of the NSW Government’s focus on building a modern education system that recognised and rewarded excellence in the classroom.

“This approach is about recognising and rewarding the great teachers we have in our public schools, with the aim of keeping them in the classroom where they do their magic,” Mitchell said.

“Initial feedback shows that around three out of four teachers in NSW would be interested in putting themselves forward for such a role. This supports our approach and I’m looking forward to hearing more from the profession on our proposed plans.”

Developed by Professor John Hattie, a world-leading expert on education outcomes, the Options Paper proposes the creation of new teaching roles across schools with salaries ranging from $117,000 to $147,000, depending on the proportion of mentoring and collaboration time the teacher undertakes.

The paper asks a series of questions of the teaching workforce and key stakeholders around the best pathways for identifying, selecting and allocating these roles.

Over the next four weeks more than 100 round tables will be held with teachers and other school staff, from Murwillumbah in the north to Broken Hill in the west and Cooma in the state’s south, to hear their feedback on the Options Paper. Staff will also be able to share feedback online through a survey.

Hattie said it was important this policy was built from the profession up, rather than from the top down.

“We want to hear from teachers across this entire state to ensure we get the policy right and to find the best way to get great teachers to remain in the classroom,” Hattie said.

“We already know from feedback to date that schools see this reform as worthwhile, but it’s important in this next step to hear exactly how they want to see it work.”

The Rewarding Excellence in Teaching program is expected to start in 2023, and scale up across the education system over time.

Consultation is open until 25 November 2022. A copy of the policy options paper and the consultation survey can be found online.

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