Canberra schools could use remote learning amid Term 2 staff shortages

Schools will likely need to combine or split classes to cope with high levels of absences, which could be exacerbated by an expected increase in COVID cases.

Catholic Education director for Canberra Goulburn Archdiocese Ross Fox said remote learning remained an option for schools if all other strategies had been exhausted.

"We wouldn't anticipate it being likely or nor widespread nor prolonged, but it is a real option for us where there are significant illnesses," Mr Fox said.

Principals and executive teachers could have to cover for absent teachers in the classroom and professional learning may have to be rescheduled, Mr Fox said.

"Our priority is to ensure really great learning.

"We'll adjust school operations and priorities to ensure that we're obviously caring for every student and then as far as possible continuing our planned program, both educational and extracurricular."

He said more than three quarters of Catholic school staff had taken up the annual flu vaccination program.

Catholic schools have hired more permanent staff to help cover absences considering the low availability of casuals.

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Association of Independent Schools of the ACT executive director Andrew Wrigley said schools were well-prepared for staffing challenges and had not ruled out going to remote learning.

"It's not an unknown. They know what the infrastructure is, they know what the structure needs to be and they will have learned a lot from the last two rounds of lockdowns and individual circumstances where a class or a new group needs to go online for a day or two," Mr Wrigley said.

"Commentary from schools when I chat to them is that they're staffed in many cases with inbuilt capacity to address staff absences, but if those absences become more pronounced and over a longer period of time, then that of course gets eaten up pretty quickly."

Mr Wrigley said staff and students took illnesses more seriously and were more likely to stay home when sick rather than going to school when unwell.

At the end of Term 1, Education Directorate director-general Katy Haire wrote to families warning schools may need to modify programs in response to higher levels of illness and the ongoing national teacher shortage.

An Education Directorate spokesman said schools would use a variety of ways to manage staffing pressures.

"This can include the use of inbuilt or external relief, changes to class offerings and scheduling, further teaching supports from the Directorate, short-term collapsing of classes, as well as other mechanisms," the spokesperson said.

When asked whether public schools would consider using remote learning, the spokesman said: "The Education Directorate is committed to keeping ACT public schools open and children learning and we will undertake all reasonable measures to do so."

Australian Education Union ACT branch president Angela Burroughs said teachers would be consulted on measures to cope with absences early in Term 2.

"We have thrown into the mix that attendance might be one of the things to look at," Ms Burroughs said.

She said schools across the board were struggling to cover for staff on leave and that staff burnout was also taking a toll.

"It's a sensible decision to prepare the groundwork for likely disruption and to develop a sense of understanding in communities that teachers are trying their best. They can't do everything. They're not superhuman."

The union is still in enterprise bargaining negotiations with the ACT government after knocking back an offer which would boost first-year teacher wages but cause principal salaries to stagnate.

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