Public Education: a great career move
Public schools are everywhere
As a new teacher you have the opportunity to commence your teaching career in one of over 2,200 public schools across NSW.
100 Pre-schools offer educational programs to children aged three to five years including activities to develop literacy, numeracy, physical, social, and emotional skills. Our pre-schools include:
- 50 early intervention support classes for children with special learning needs
- 24 pre-schools catering for Aboriginal students in their own communities
- Dubbo School of Distance Education for pre-school aged children in isolated areas
Over 1,600 Primary Schools cater for children in Kindergarten to Year 6, including 18 separate Infants Schools for children from Kindergarten to Year 2.
The Department provides 73 Primary Schools with Opportunity Classes to cater for academically gifted and talented children in Years 5 and 6.
Our infants and primary schools vary in size and are categorised according to the number of students enrolled. This category determines the number and nature of staff in the school. For instance, Class 4 - Class 1 schools have a non-teaching principal.
| Class 6 school - 25 or fewer students |
Class 5 school - 26 to 159 students |
Class 4 school - 160 to 300 students |
Class 3 school - 301 to 450 students |
Class 2 school - 451 to 700 students |
Class 1 school - more than 700 students |
Around 400 Secondary Schools provide students from Years 7 to 12 with a quality education in a broad range of subjects. Our range of secondary schools meets the diverse needs of secondary students in NSW.
- Selective High Schools
provide an educationally enriched environment for
academically talented students:
- 17 fully selective high schools
- high schools with selective classes
- four agricultural high schools, three of which are residential, offer selective placement in Year 7. These schools emphasise the study of agriculture within the framework of the secondary curriculum
- one virtual selective class.
- 13 Technology High Schools have a special focus on the use and application of technology, such as robotics and computing, within the framework of the secondary curriculum. Across NSW there are technology high schools specialising in technology, rural technology and marine technology.
- Seven Sports High Schools provide special opportunities for students who have the potential to reach elite athletic levels in a range of sports while also providing opportunities for students to excel academically.
- Five Senior High Schools are flexible organisations catering for a wide range of students in the senior years and offer a full range of Higher School Certificate (HSC) courses.
- 10 Multi-campus Colleges provide broader curriculum opportunities and enhanced educational outcomes for their students. These Colleges have been formed by amalgamating two or more secondary schools in the area. They have formed cooperative ventures with TAFE NSW institutes and universities, and offer a wide range of options for students from specialist senior HSC courses to school re-entry courses, as well as student support programs targeted to the needs of the particular student group.
- Five Languages High Schools provide specialist language education in combination with the core curriculum prescribed by the NSW Board of Studies. Specialised language staff, equipment and facilities help talented students develop high level skills in language proficiency.
- Six Creative and Performing Arts High Schools provide opportunities for students to pursue excellence within the creative and performing arts while studying the core curriculum. These schools offer a specialised environment featuring performance and creative spaces, lighting and sound systems, dance studios and specialist teachers.
Central Schools and Community Schools provide comprehensive education for children from Kindergarten to Year 12 in the one school setting.
Schools for Specific Purposes offer a specialised educational setting for students who require intensive levels of support. This includes:
- Hospital Schools which provide educational services for students who are inpatients in the larger hospitals of NSW, assisting them to return to their local school after hospitalisation with as little disruption as possible.
- Juvenile Justice Centres where the DET provides quality education in a safe and secure environment for those on remand and those serving custodial sentences.
Distance Education Centres across NSW support student learning by using a variety of media including print, audio, video and graphics as well as communication technologies, such as VHF and HF radio, fax, teleconferencing and networked personal computers. Field trips and mini-schools enable teachers to meet regularly with students.
Saturday Schools of Community Languages
- students in Years 7 to 12, from government and non-government schools, and TAFE NSW colleges, can choose to study from more than 20 languages not available to them in their own high schools or institutions
- over 6,000 students are enrolled
- operate in selected secondary schools only on Saturdays.
Environmental Education Centres throughout NSW
- support all our schools in the provision of environmental education programs and field study activities to students
- provide training and development opportunities to teaching staff in environmental education, Aboriginal education and in field study activities to support a range of school curricula
- have Centre staff available to assist all our schools in developing environmental education programs and activities.
