2025 Alternative Supervision Arrangements Survey fact sheet
This fact sheet was originally published 13 May 2026.
Summary
About the survey
The department surveyed schools daily over a 15-day period in Term 3, 2025. Each day, schools were asked to report the number of casual teachers required and the number of casual teachers engaged. Where there was a shortfall of casual teachers, schools recorded the alternative supervision arrangements used to ensure duty-of-care requirements were met.
The survey provides a measure of the casual teacher shortfall across NSW public schools. A shortfall exists where the number of casual teachers engaged is less than the total number required to cover all classes. The survey also provides insights into the alternative supervision arrangements used by schools when shortages occur.
Key findings
- NSW public schools had an average casual teacher shortfall of 26% per day across the survey window. This represents a decrease of 3 percentage points from 29% in 2024 and a decrease of 16 percentage points from 42% in 2023.
- NSW public schools were estimated to be short 1,784 casual teachers across all types of schooling per day of the survey window. This is a decrease of approximately 10% from 2024, when the estimated average gap was 1,973 casual teachers per day, and a decrease of 44% from 2023, when the estimated gap was 3,184 casual teachers per day.
- Casual teacher shortfalls occurred across NSW, with 78% of public schools reporting at least one day with a casual teacher shortfall over the past 2 years. This represents an improvement of 9 percentage points from 87% in 2023.
Last modified date
13/05/2026
Business unit contact email
Executive director
Jacqueline Hodges, Silva Hiendra
Executive director’s business unit
Education and Skills Reform