ACT Public Schools Grapple With Class Splitting as Teacher Union Flags Further Industrial Action

Public schools in the Australian Capital Territory are experiencing frequent class splitting and collapsing due to a nationwide teacher shortage, prompting the Australian Education Union to flag further industrial action next week. According to the union, educators and school staff met to consider a recent pay and conditions offer from the government, which union leadership expects will be overwhelmingly rejected. Minimal supervision was in place for ACT public school students during the morning meeting.

AEU ACT president Angela Burroughs stated that a formal response to the proposal will be issued next week. A projected rejection of the deal means teachers and school staff intend to stop work again on Thursday morning. Burroughs noted that educators are feeling exhausted by a prolonged period of inadequate resourcing in Canberra schools and are seeking concrete guarantees regarding minimum staffing levels. She emphasized that the workforce is completely burnt out and remains wary of previous commitments that were never fulfilled.

The union reports that workforce shortages and inadequate resourcing have created extreme scenarios where a single teacher is left managing up to 90 children through practices known as class splitting and collapsing. Ms. Burroughs explained that splitting occurs when an absent teacher's students are distributed among multiple available staff members, while collapsing happens when an entire class is placed with one teacher because splitting is impossible. These shortages are also forcing different year groups together into a single classroom environment.

According to the union, class sizes reaching 50 to 90 students have become entirely unmanageable. Some experienced school leaders have reportedly indicated that current conditions are worse than anything they experienced previously, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Burroughs warned that mismatched year groups make it extremely difficult for classroom teachers to accommodate such a diverse range of student learning needs. Over time, she added, these conditions have made the profession less attractive to prospective educators.

Parent representatives have also raised alarms regarding the educational disruptions caused by these staffing pressures. Veronica Elliot, a representative of the peak body ACT Parents and Carers, pointed to an organization survey conducted at the beginning of 2026. The survey indicated that class splitting and collapsing were occurring on a weekly to fortnightly basis. Elliot noted instances where students went an entire year without a specialist mathematics teacher, stressing that the lack of consistent instruction directly impacts student achievement.

A central point of contention raised by the parent body is the absence of comprehensive data tracking. Elliot stated that the ACT Education Directorate does not adequately collect data on ongoing vacancies or the frequency of class splitting and collapsing. Without accurate figures measuring the full scale of the problem, she argued it remains difficult to determine how many additional staff members are truly required to prevent disruptions.

In response to these concerns, ACT Education Directorate Director-General Jo Wood acknowledged that improving data collection regarding workforce shortages is critical. Ms. Wood announced that the directorate is actively developing an automated data system designed to provide visibility into how individual schools are affected. This system is intended to help authorities establish concrete solutions and offer timely support.

Wood also attributed part of the current strain to a declining casual workforce and elevated rates of leave usage following the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside seasonal illness. She noted that during the flu season, more staff are utilizing personal leave, and individuals are encouraged to stay home when sick. The Education Directorate has reiterated its commitment to collaborating with the union and schools to address these pressures and deploy early interventions where institutions are most heavily impacted.