Teacher supply for the 2020 school year
We have observed significant growth in entrants to the education workforce in 2018 and 2019. The total number of teachers increased by 1,000 in 2018 and is expected to increase by a further 1,000 by the end of this year.
Retention of regular teachers is high, at above 90%. We’ve also seen increases in students enrolling for the first time in initial teacher education qualifications. Between 2016 – 2018 there were increases of 17% in primary sector students and 12% in secondary sector students. It is likely that the number of first time students in 2019 will be similar to 2018.
We’re continuing to work hard to recruit teachers – both from within New Zealand and from overseas.
To date, there have been four separate investments in Teacher Supply, totalling $135 million, since December 2017. The most recent investment announced in May 2019 as a pre-Budget announcement committed $95 million to teacher supply initiatives. These investments have focused on getting New Zealand trained teachers to return to and stay in the profession and encouraging people to train as teachers, including support for career changers and a range of scholarships.
Alongside a focus on growing domestic supply, the overseas recruitment campaign has helped provide qualified teachers for our classrooms and will continue to do so. Since September 2018 there has been more than 16,000 applications, with over 800 qualified teachers currently ready for principals to interview and to-date more than 800 teachers supported to relocate.
What we have done so far includes:
- Continued to subsidise teachers enrolled in Teacher Education Refresh to return to or stay in the profession (1,800 enrolments since January 2018)
- 800 teachers supported to relocate to New Zealand
- 240 beginning teachers supported into first roles
- 465 scholarships awarded to people training to be teachers
- Promoted teaching as career of choice
- Settled collective agreements increasing teacher salaries
- Expanded Teach First with their employment based initial teacher education programme
- Supported schools hiring people with a limited authority to teach with 3R National Fund Payments
- Continued the Voluntary Bonding Scheme to attract new graduates to lower decile schools
- Set targets with Tertiary Education Commission to increase secondary ITE enrolments
What’s included next?
- Over 800 overseas qualified teachers ready for interview
- 260 grants available for beginning teachers through the Auckland Beginning Teacher Project and National Beginning Teacher Induction Grants
- Teach First employment based initial teacher education programme – 100 places available for 2020
- 465 scholarships available each year including new scholarships for people wanting to change career
- Continue to support schools hiring people with a limited authority to teach with 3R National Fund payments
- Growing employment based ITE through a new $11.7m fund, with an RFP expected early 2020
- Continue to work with iwi on the co-design of iwi scholarships
- Support career changers to undertake ITE to join the 70,000 strong teaching workforce
Teacher demand and supply estimates 2020
The Demand and Supply Planning Tool continues to help us understand and plan for the future teaching workforce. We know that for some schools, in some areas, supply remains tight.
We have released our updated teacher demand and supply estimates to provide an understanding of the additional teachers schools may need for the 2020 school year and out to 2025.
Our latest estimates are that up to 1,020 more teachers may be needed during 2020 (860 primary teachers and 160 secondary teachers). This equates to around 1.6% of the current workforce. This estimated demand includes filling the 623 new Learning Support Co-ordinator roles, which are required to be qualified teachers, and all other teachers that schools decide to recruit during the year (including over-entitlement). It also accounts for part-time employment and is based on headcount not FTTE.
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