Recruitment

Researchers from the University of York are hoping to address teacher shortages in the UK by recruiting new teacher graduates to the profession using online games and simulations. The 3-year project also aims to build a better understanding of what might attract STEM undergraduates to teaching.

‘The default assumption has been that being a generalist is what primary school teachers prefer, or else they would have become secondary teachers.’ In our latest reader submission, Dr James Russo shares the findings of a study asking generalist early years teachers at schools in 2 Australian states if they’d rather be subject specialists.

If you’ve moved between schools or made the transition from graduate to the staffroom, it’s likely you’ve benefited from a school-based induction program. But, what about those who may miss out because they are employed for short periods? That’s the focus of a new Australian research study.

School Assembly is the podcast that explores what it takes to build a new school from the ground up. In Series 1 we’re following Principal Dr Ray Boyd and Associate Principal Rachael Lehr as they navigate the exciting and challenging journey in Western Australia. It’s the start of the school year and Dayton Primary School is about to open its doors to the first students. Episode 6 is all about building the foundation staff.

When recruiting staff for their foundation team, leaders at Dayton Primary School threw out the concept of traditional job interviews and instead enlisted the help of Joel Birch from Firebird Learning to host a recruitment session incorporating Lego Serious Play.

While schools across the country are grappling with critical teacher shortages, it’s certainly no surprise to hear that out-of-field teaching is occurring. A new Deakin University report which was co-written by ACER and Griffith University, looks at the issue of out-of-field teaching and proposes 46 recommendations.

For the past 7 months, Principal Ray Boyd and Associate Principal Rachael Lehr have been growing the school community for their new school, West Swan (Dayton) Primary School (planning name), as it’s built in Perth, Western Australia. In today’s photo story, we share some of the key moments from their journey so far.

Brisbane’s Brigidine College, Indooroopilly has changed the way it supports pre-service and early career teachers. In the second part of our Q&A with Allison Johansen (Assistant to the Principal, Professional Teaching and Learning) we find out more about the Pre-Service Teacher Fellowship Program and its positive impact.

Attending a professional learning event is a great way to reflect on what’s happening in your own school and improve practice. For leaders at this Brisbane college, it prompted a new approach to supporting and retaining pre-service and early career teachers. Find out more in today’s Q&A.

A new study from Monash University draws upon a 2019 questionnaire of 2444 Australian primary and secondary school teachers, revealing that only 41% of respondents intended to remain in the profession. We look at some of the findings from the analysis in this infographic.