SA moves to make preschool teachers permanent ahead of 3yo roll out

Nearly 100 South Australian preschool teachers will be made permanent from 2025 – more than in the past 10 years combined – as part of a commitment by the SA Government to improve employment security across all spheres of teaching in the state.

The move comes ahead of the roll out of three year old preschool in government sites in stages from 2026, something which the Government predicts will lead to increased demand for early learning. 

“It’s a priority of the Malinauskas Labor Government to make teaching a more attractive and rewarding profession,” Blair Boyer, SA Minister for Education said.

“Teachers do incredible work every single day preparing the next generation. It’s only right that we better support them to keep South Australia in a strong position.”

Over the past three years more than 1800 contract teachers have been converted to a permanent role, a big jump from previous years which only saw about 199 teachers converted annually between 2017 and 2022.

The measures to increase stability and ensure that teaching remains an attractive profession have resulted in a reduction in advertised vacancies, Mr Boyer said, noting that SA currently has 44 vacancies which have yet to be filled, most of which are in regional areas, down from 60 vacancies at the start of 2024, a significant drop from the start of 2022, when 86 vacancies were noted. 

The State Government’s commitment to provide employment certainty for those in critical leadership roles in schools and preschools has also seen a proposal developed in conjunction with the principal associations, which will be the subject of a consultation process early next year.

The proposal involves increasing the initial tenure of most school and preschool leaders from five years to 10 years and streamlining the process to enable an effective leader to have their contract renewed.

“I welcome this move to support and value our workforce,” St Helen’s Park Kindergarten Director Annette Browne said.

“This is an opportunity for us to retain professional, experienced staff creating a stable, connected workforce not just for a family when different siblings attend the same site, but sometimes through generations.”

“Our families value stability and connection hence this move to permanency supports the community in early childhood education.”