Complex needs increase the load

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25 November 2025

The 2025 State of Our Schools survey was conducted throughout August and September. A total of 12,740 surveys were completed by 806 principals, 10,384 teachers and 1550 education support workers.

The impact that increased student complexity and student behaviour is having on teachers was noticeable, demonstrating that student needs are more complex than ever and schools lack the resources, classroom assistance and wellbeing and behavioural supports needed to address it effectively. Workload remains an overarching concern, with insufficient non-contact hours and ever-increasing administrative tasks impacting the ability of teachers, principals and support workers to focus on curriculum delivery and student learning outcomes.

Surveys completed 12,740806 principals10,384 teachers1550 education support workers

1. Workload

Public school teachers work well beyond what is generally considered a normal working week and significant teachers’ time is spent on admin and compliance activities.

Teacher workload:

  • Full-time teachers work 49.3 hours per week on average
  • Part-time teachers work 34.1 hours per week on average

Extra hours:

  • 40+ hours 80%
  • 50+ hours 36.4%
  • 56% say their working hours have increased in the past year.

Non-contact/release time: On average, teachers receive 3.6 hours of non-contact or release time per week – less than 10% of total work time. Teachers say they do not consider this time sufficient.

Available release time is mostly used for:

  • Admin tasks: 70%
  • Planning and lesson preparation: 63%
  • Student welfare and wellbeing issues: 45%

2. Student wellbeing, complexity of student needs and behavioural issues

Teachers were asked to identify the extent to which student wellbeing, engagement and behavioural issues impact teaching and learning in their classroom. The results, shown below, demonstrate a significant and uniform negative impact and that student behaviour is a significant focus for teachers in the 2025 survey.

  • 85% say they spend too much, or far too much, time dealing with student behavioural issues (65% far too much time)
  • 91% say that additional targeted funding for more pastoral care and wellbeing support for students would help to improve student outcomes (54% say it would be very helpful)
  • Resources that would be helpful in improving student outcomes
  • Additional teacher support for students with behavioural issues 85%
  • Smaller class sizes 80%
  • More classroom assistance for students with disability 73%
  • 88% say behavioural support for students is essential
  • 76% call for more support staff in the classroom
  • 95% say the diversity and complexity of student needs within their classroom has increased in the past three years
  • 73% say that it has increased significantly
  • Student behaviour was the most frequently cited area of increased complexity Student behaviour was the most frequently cited area of increased complexity
  • Despite the clear increase in the need for support with student behavioural issues and the very high level of need to support student wellbeing and mental health issues, there is still a substantial deficit of qualified counsellors in schools.
  • Student behaviour: overall 94% and increased significantly 74%
  • Student wellbeing and mental health: overall 86% and increased significantly 67%
  • Increase in students with learning difficulties: overall 76% and 60%
  • Less than one quarter of principals believe the level of support students have available from qualified counsellors to be adequate
  • 37% They say more than one third of students who need support from a counsellor are waiting more than four weeks for access

3. Teacher shortages, retention and attrition

Principals were asked whether their school had experienced teacher shortages this year, and across all states and territories a minimum of two thirds said that it had. Nationally, almost three quarters have experienced shortages this year, and levels range from 90% in Queensland to 66% in NSW.

  • 76% WA
  • 82% TAS
  • 73% VIC
  • 81% NT
  • 75% SA
  • 90% QLD
  • 66% NSW
  • 76% ACT
  • 74% National
  • 28% of principals nationally say they have seen an increase in pre-retirement resignations in the past year and an average of 3.5 teachers are leaving per school.
  • 67% of principals say that it has become harder this year to fill teacher vacancies than in previous years. 40% say it is “much harder” to fill vacancies, compared to 14% of principals in 2016 who said the same.

As a result:

  • 39% of principals say that they had unfilled teaching positions at the start of the school year, at an average of 2.8 positions per school. Secondary schools (61%) were more likely to have unfilled positions than primary schools (27%).

Reasons teachers gave for resigning:

  • Moving to a non-education role 30%
  • Taking a break from employment 22%
  • Moving to a private school 18%

These figures demonstrate the impact of workload and resource challenges and how these factors are driving teachers from public schools, and from the profession.

  • Midway through Term 3, 68% of principals had unfilled teaching positions, also at an average of 2.8 positions per school.

Hardest subjects to fill:

  • Technology 45%
  • Maths 41%
  • English 31%
  • Science 30%

Maths/Science classes taught by teachers ‘out of field’

  • 54% yes, 44% No, 2% NA

As a result of the ongoing teacher shortage:

  • 49% of principals have had to run classes without a teacher
  • 95% of principals have had to merge or split classes
  • 86% have had to reduce the range of specialist classes offered at their school
  • 83% of teachers say they have taught split or merged classes
  • 37% they “always” or “regularly” teach classes that have been split or merged

Teachers on retention and attrition “In your opinion, do schools as a whole currently have difficulty in retaining teachers in the profession?”

  • 92% say they believe this to be the case, significantly higher than the 67% recorded in the 2020 survey and the highest percentage recorded in four surveys.

What would help retain teachers most?

  • Smaller workloads 34%
  • Fewer student behaviour issues 21%
  • Smaller class sizes 15%

When teachers were asked if they planned to leave teaching permanently prior to their retirement, were certain that they would teach for their entire career (up slightly from 18% in 2024)

Among those planning to leave:

  • 56% cite workload as the main reason
  • 45% say student behaviour is a key consideration(nearly triple the 16% reported in 2020)

This article by Jonathon Guy, AEU Federal Strategic Research Officer, was originally published in the Australian Educator, Spring 2025