Principals head back into classroom as teacher shortages bite

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

The global teacher shortage is starting to bite in North Canterbury secondary schools.

Local schools have already begun advertising for teaching staff for 2024, while some secondary school principals are heading back into the classroom to fill staffing gaps.

The Ministry of Education said staff retention rates in Canterbury remained high.

But a global teacher shortage is creating challenges, including finding enough relievers to cover for staff sickness during winter months.

Simon Green, an advocate for principals and boards of trustees, said staff recruitment is becoming a headache for Canterbury principals.

"The pay settlement will make it more attractive, but we might have to play a long game.

"No-one is hitting the panic button yet, but schools are having to get better organised in advertising for teachers.

"Some principals are even having to step into the classroom because they can’t get enough teachers and that is almost unheard of at secondary schools."

Having principals in the classroom meant other matters such as discipline may not be addressed in a timely manner.

Subjects like maths, physics and hard materials (woodwork and metal work) were traditionally hard to recruit, but even the number of English teachers has "dropped off", Green said.

Green works as a leadership adviser with Evaluation Associates, supporting principals and boards across Otago and Canterbury.

He is also the Rangiora High School board of trustees chairperson.

Kaiapoi High School principal Jason Reid said he had eight roles to fill for next year, so had begun advertising already.

"There are shortages of teacher trainees across New Zealand, particularly in the North Island.

"We’ve had Auckland principals down here at open days, so we don’t want to miss out."

Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said the number of applicants for teaching positions has dropped back significantly in recent years.

"You used to have 20 people apply for a position, but now you might only get one or two applicants.

"It means teachers can take the opportunity to move or to go for a promotion or to work closer to home, so you can’t really blame them."

Ministry Te Tai Runga (south) hautū (leader) Nancy Bell said enrolment numbers for South Island teacher training courses have returned to pre-Covid levels.

"There is a global shortage of teachers, so training and retaining teachers in Aotearoa is a priority.

"Our teaching workforce is diverse and is made up of great teaching talent that is both domestically trained and trained overseas."

Staff retention rates in Canterbury were at 88.6%, compared with 88.9% nationally.

Bell said the Government has significantly boosted funding over the last 12 months to help out.

The funding is targeted at initiatives to attract New Zealanders into teaching and to recruit talent from overseas.

Photos: Kaiapoi High School has already begun advertising to fill teaching positions for next year + Simon Green, an advocate for principals and boards of trustees.

■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.