Teacher Rapid Response Team set up to fill critical shortages in regional Queensland state schools

Teacher shortages in some regional Queensland schools are so dire that a new "flying squad" of metropolitan teachers has been created to fill critical vacancies in classrooms. Key points: The Queensland education department is piloting a Teacher Rapid Response Team to address critical staff shortages in regional state schools Metropolitan teachers will receive incentives to fill vacancies for anytime from four weeks to two terms So far, teachers have been deployed to central Queensland schools The Teacher Rapid Response Team, which was established this school term, is recruiting a pool of south-east Queensland teachers that can fill shortages in regional schools at short notice. Critical teacher shortages have led some schools to group multiple classrooms together, with students supervised, rather than receiving face-to-face teaching of subjects, the Queensland Teachers' Union said. The strategy is being piloted this year to address an increased number of critical vacancies in Queensland schools, according to the education department's recruitment "There is high demand in a range of teaching areas including special education and secondary subjects technologies, mathematics, English and science," the "There are also primary and early childhood teaching vacancies in specific regional locations."