A new report has found a staggering rise in disciplinary complaints against teachers in Queensland.

The Queensland College of Teachers annual report found notifications from employers regarding allegations of harm or potential harm to children by teachers almost doubled, up from 328 in 2019 to 610 last year.

President of the Queensland Teachers’ Union, Cresta Richardson, said it was a very small fraction of teachers.

“There is a doubling as you’ve indicated but that’s still a really small percentage of the teaching profession, so it takes into account that registered teachers in Queensland there are over 111,000 of them,” she said.

“So the fact there are 610, it is a doubling, and we need to keep an eye on that number, and it’s really important that people notify the QCT of issues but it’s still a really small percentage.”

She said “ultimately kids deserve safety”.

Last year, 33 teachers had their registrations suspended as part of “child protection work”, 17 of those had been charged with serious offences, including child sex offences.

Ms Richardson said it was critical authorities are notified.

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