The classrooms that run smoothest tend to have one thing in common: a teacher who's had a real say in how things are done. And as Australia's schools juggle an ever-growing list of complex, exhausting demands, it's the people on the ground who are best placed to work out what they need next.
But no policy document can solve that on its own. It's about building a profession that can keep up with everything being asked of it.
Each year, the Australian Teacher Workforce Survey provides deep insights from teachers about the professional learning that they need to support all learners to grow.
50,000 voices, one clear message
Last year, close to 50,000 teachers completed the survey, providing a national picture of their experience of the profession, including the need for professional learning.
“AITSL’s data tells us that, in these times of rapid change, teachers want professional learning that is relevant to their individual needs and, importantly, gives them opportunities to apply what they learn in practice,” AITSL CEO Tim Bullard told The Educator.
“As we look towards 2027, the challenge is less about identifying a single professional development area of focus, and more about ensuring teachers have access to timely, relevant, and practical support that responds to their particular context, career stage, and cohort of learners.”
Bullard said one technology in particular is forcing that shift faster than any other.
“AI is certainly an immediate area of rapid change and immediate focus, and systems and sectors are working hard to provide professional development and supports to help teachers navigate its use, both in relation to their role as a teacher, but also its use by learners,” he said.
“The priority here is not to assume that, because the technology can do something, it should. Instead, we must make evidence informed judgements about whether the use of AI, and other technologies, will amplify or detract from quality teaching and learning; recognising that teachers and leaders must continue to be able to exercise their professional judgement, and maintain the human relationship between teacher and learner that we know is so important.”
Where the money went, and what's still missing
In a 2025 interview with The Educator, Bullard flagged workload reduction pilots and the Workload Reduction Fund – a national initiative that has provided ~$30m towards 26 pilot programs across all states and territories – as proof the data was translating into action. But a year on, teachers still rate large workloads as the main factor pushing them out the door.
When asked what has actually landed in schools from those pilots, and what hasn’t, Bullard noted that a school’s success is not measured by workload, but by the space created for meaningful connection between a teacher and their learners.
“Workload is a genuine and persistent concern for the profession, and we must continue to listen carefully to what teachers are telling us,” he said.
“The conversations I have had with teachers and leaders reinforce that they want to spend their time on the work that matters most: teaching, planning, collaborating, providing meaningful feedback and supporting children and young people.”
“Some of the [Workload Reduction Fund] pilots were completed over the 2023–2025 period, while others will be completed in 2026–2027,” he said.
Bullard said the pilots target four areas: cutting administrative load through support staff, AI for routine tasks and digitised forms; freeing up time for lesson prep and marking via curriculum resources and AI-assisted marking; easing the burden of parent and community engagement; and supporting mentors of incoming teachers.
“The value of workload reduction pilots and initiatives such as a Workload Reduction Fund is that they test what makes a practical difference in real school settings. But pilots are only the beginning,” he said.
“The critical question is how the lessons from that work are translated into sustainable changes in the everyday life of schools and other learning environments, and so it is still early days in this regard.”
Bullard said there is no single solution to a challenge as complex as workload, however, and it’s important to recognise that many of its causes sit outside the control of state and territory education departments, systems, sectors or schools.
“Over the past decade, many policy interventions to address important matters such as food security, increasing instances of family violence, changes to work safety legislation, increasing instances of poor mental health in children and young people, family disruption, and increased child safety notifications, have all been channelled through schools and other learning environments,” he said.
“Whilst the fact that most children and young people are known to, or are attending a school meaning supports, initiatives and approaches delivered through them make sense, each has an impact on the time available in a week for teachers and school leaders to focus on teaching and learning.”
Bullard said it comes down to one confronting question schools can no longer avoid.
“With an average of 25 hours per week that a teacher and learner are together, an important question becomes how we do, as a community, take shared responsibility for supporting children and young people’s safety and wellbeing and allow teachers time to focus on high-quality teaching and strong professional relationships.”
The blind spot at the centre of the AI rollout
As schools rush to embed AI into everyday practice, Bullard cautions against assuming national survey data can fully capture how teachers are experiencing this shift, pointing to something more fundamental that no algorithm can measure.
“In an era of rapid technological transformation, the most vital component of the classroom remains the one thing an algorithm cannot replicate: the human heart of teaching,” he said. “The ATWD provides important national insights into the experiences of teachers and leaders, but we should always be clear about what the data can and cannot tell us.”
Bullard said the current ATWD data offers a useful picture of teachers’ broader professional learning experiences, including whether professional learning is aligned to their needs and whether they have opportunities to apply it.
However, the June 2026 National Trends publication does not specifically capture teachers’ views, confidence, or professional learning needs in relation to AI, he noted.
“AI is referenced in the report in relation to Workload Reduction Fund pilots, including the use of AI for administrative tasks and marking, but this is not survey data about teachers’ experiences with AI,” he said.
“There is an opportunity to build a stronger evidence base around how teachers are navigating AI, what support they need and how professional learning can help them use these tools effectively while maintaining the quality of teaching and learning.”
Bullard said AI literacy is not simply about knowing how to use a particular tool.
“It is about having the professional judgement to understand where AI can add value, where its limitations and risks lie, and how it can be used in a way that protects the relationship between teachers and children and young people,” he said.
“Survey data can help us understand teachers’ confidence, concerns and appetite for professional learning related to AI.”
However, Bullard said this data may not fully capture the quality, relevance or impact of that learning, noting that there is an important difference between attending an AI session and being able to use AI safely, ethically and effectively in practice.
“Teaching is fundamentally a human endeavour. AI can generate content and identify patterns, but it cannot replace a teacher’s knowledge of children and young people, their understanding of context or the trust that enables learning,” he said.
“A teacher must be able to understand, review and stand behind any content, feedback, assessment or decision supported by AI.”
Bullard cautions that while the ATWD is an important source of workforce intelligence, a more complete picture of AI-related professional learning – including its application and its effect on teaching, workload and equity – is needed.
“The principle is simple: use AI to create more time for teaching, but never outsource the relationships, professional judgement or accountability that define great teaching.”
The leaders holding everything together
A growing body of research shows that middle leaders have become the profession's shock absorbers, mentoring staff, managing AI rollout and holding the workload line all at once, yet Bullard argues the real question is whether the systems around them have kept pace with what the job now demands.
“Middle leaders are carrying significant and increasingly complex responsibilities, not just delivering strategy, but shaping how schools navigate change, support people and respond to the demands of a rapidly changing profession,” he said.
“Middle leaders are critical to the success of any focus of improvement in a school or other learning environment, because they can carry the responsibility of turning strategic intent into day-to-day practice. They support teachers, lead professional learning and connect school priorities with what is happening in classrooms.”
Bullard said AITSL’s workforce data shows that middle leaders are balancing a broad range of responsibilities, including student interactions, administrative and leadership tasks, and teaching responsibilities such as marking and lesson planning.
“The data also shows that 16 to 30 per cent of middle leaders, depending on school type, report spending 10 or more hours a week on instructional leadership,” he said. “This highlights the breadth of the middle leader role and the different demands they are balancing across their schools.”
Bullard said middle leaders should not be expected to implement improvement alone, whether it relates to AI, curriculum, workload, or any other priority.
“Strong leaders distribute leadership, create the conditions for staff to work together and support colleagues to share expertise,” he said, adding that AITSL’s Australian Professional Standards for Middle Leaders provide “a common language” for this work.
“Our Leading through Standards resources are designed to support the practical use of the Standards in real school settings.”
Bullard said support for middle leaders extends well beyond data collection alone.
“To ensure these resources keep pace with the modern classroom, we rely on the Australian Teacher Workforce Survey to shed light on the specific challenges middle leaders face, from managing intensifying workloads to navigating new technologies,” he said.
“Middle leaders can access the Australian Professional Standards for Middle Leaders tools and resources on our website.”
Bullard said he would also encourage Middle Leaders to look out for the phase 2 consultation period of the Teacher Standards, opening in November 2026.
“We really value their insights not only from being a teacher, but from the important work that they do to build the capacity of other teachers in their school.”
Teaching's new front door
With career changers and older entrants reshaping who becomes a teacher, Bullard says professional learning can no longer assume everyone arrives via the same four-year pathway, insisting growth opportunities must adapt to meet teachers wherever they've come from.
“The teaching profession is changing, and professional growth needs to meet teachers where they are, whatever their pathway, experience or stage of career,” he said. “Professional growth must be accessible and relevant to teachers and leaders at every stage of their careers.”
Bullard said that includes people who enter teaching through a career-change pathway, as well as teachers who begin their careers later in life.
“Australia already has highly capable teachers. The opportunity is to build on the expertise, experience and professional commitment they bring, while ensuring that support responds to their current circumstances,” he said.
“The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers provide a shared foundation for practice, development and career progression, regardless of the pathway someone took into the profession.”
Bullard said a career changer may bring valuable professional experience from another field, while an early-career teacher may need support to establish strong foundations in practice.
“Both need access to mentoring, feedback and opportunities to learn with and from colleagues. Professional growth should be part of the everyday work of the school, not something confined to occasional professional development days,” he said.
Bullard said the latest ATWD National Trends data “gives us reason for confidence while also reminding us of where support is needed.”
“With 65 per cent of teachers bringing more than 10 years or more years of experience, the profession has a strong base of expertise,” he said.
“The fact that 52 per cent of non-teaching registered teachers who were also not on leave are willing to return also points to a practical opportunity: if we create the right conditions, we can bring experienced people back into classrooms.”
The evidence still to be built
Looking to 2027, Bullard says the survey's real value lies in finally putting hard numbers behind what staffrooms have long suspected: that no two teaching experiences are the same, and support needs to reflect that.
“The ATWD provides the profession with a voice at the table to Australia’s decision makers in education; helping them to understand what all teachers need to thrive, so that learners grow,” he said.
“The key thing that the data clearly demonstrates is that the teaching profession is not homogeneous; depending on career stage, geographic location and school type, teachers experience different stressors and supports.”
Bullard said the interrelationship between teacher attributes and their experience of being a teacher is a particularly powerful part of the data.
“It allows us to understand what amplifies, or detracts, from a teacher’s professional experience, showing the relationship between the conditions in which teachers work, the support they receive and their decision to stay and grow in the profession,” he said.
“Moving forward, I would like to see stronger evidence about whether purposeful professional learning contributes to teacher wellbeing, retention and improved practice.”
Bullard said he would also like to understand whether teachers feel equipped to navigate change, including new technologies such as AI, without losing sight of what makes teaching effective.
“This has again been a year of rapid change, and we need to recognise that as the role of teachers continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of learners, so too must the ways in which teachers are supported,” he said.
“That is the evidence schools and systems need. It will help us focus on initiatives where it has the greatest impact and ensure that professional learning remains a practical part of the everyday work of the profession.”
Bullard encouraged all teachers and leaders to complete the 2026 Australian Teacher Workforce Survey – both this year and beyond.
“The cumulative responses over time will provide in-depth data that will help influence decision-makers to make policy changes in the future.”