More than 100 Sydney public schools have more temporary or casual teachers than permanent ones,new data shows,including Rydalmere East,Cronulla and Como public schools where only a third of teachers have job security.
The NSW Department of Education data from June shows there are 15 schools where fewer than 20 per cent of staff are temporary or casual.
High numbers of temporary and casual teachers can be due to several factors. They are hired to replace staff on leave,or if the school’s staffing allowance is uncertain,or if the principal is hiring extra teachers with extra money for disadvantaged students,known as Gonski money,which may vary each year.
Teachers hired under this year’s $300 million COVID-19 catch-up program were also temporary or casual.
Many of the schools with the highest proportions of casual or temporary teachers had small enrolments,with fewer than 100 students. But some were bigger,such as Cronulla,where 37.3 per cent of teachers are permanent,and Rydalmere East,with 31.2 per cent.
At Marie Bashir Public in Strathfield and Malabar Public,almost 60 per cent of teachers were either temporary or casual. The only high school in the top 100 with more than 50 per cent casual or temporary teachers was Matraville Sports High.
Among the schools where non-permanent teachers account for fewer than 20 per cent of staff were Lindfield Learning Village,Mosman High,Cherrybrook Technology High,Doonside High,Fort Street High and North Sydney Boys.
The struggle to find permanency in Sydney can be a major frustration for teachers. A department briefing on the teacher supply strategy warned that only about one in four graduates can find a permanent job,and that might be causing some to quit.
Since temporary positions were created by the NSW Department of Education in 2001,the proportion of casual workers has remained steady,but the temporary workforce has ballooned,and now makes up one in five teachers.