Therapists in Queensland state schools: how the Department of Education employs OTs, speech pathologists and physios

Written by Callum Trevorrow. Last checked 28 October 2026 against official sources.

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Queensland’s Department of Education employs speech language pathologists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists directly, starting at HP3, with senior roles above. Statewide talent pools for all three were open when we checked on 28 October 2026, and each profession has its own entry requirements: SPA eligibility and a blue card for speech pathologists, Ahpra registration for OTs and physios.

I run a multi-site paediatric allied health practice in South East Queensland, and I’ve worked in paediatrics and community as a physio. Queensland’s Department of Education employs therapists directly, separately from Queensland Health, so here’s how it works.

How school-based roles are set up

• Who employs you. The Department of Education (DoE), not Queensland Health. The HP grade names look the same as Queensland Health’s, but it’s a different employer.
• Who you report to. The school principal for operational matters, and a senior advisor or senior clinician for clinical matters.
• Industrial instruments. DoE’s role descriptions name the Department of Education Certified Agreement 2022 and the Queensland Public Service Officers and Other Employees Award – State 2015. A newer DoE certified agreement exists; we haven’t confirmed whether it covers these roles.
• Super. Up to 12.75%, per the role descriptions.
• Pay. The advert or role description will tell you how pay is set; ask the Department. We couldn’t confirm DoE’s current rates for these grades, so I haven’t put a figure here, and Queensland Health’s HP rates aren’t a safe stand-in for a different employer.

By profession

OT and Physiotherapy Board fees are from 1 October 2026. SPA and Physiotherapy Council fees are as at 28 October 2026; Council fees have changed during 2026, so check them before you pay. Canadian speech-language pathologists can’t currently use SPA’s mutual recognition route.

Note the wording for speech pathologists: DoE asks for eligibility for Certified Practising membership, not registration, because speech pathologists aren’t regulated by Ahpra. And the blue card rule turns on Ahpra: the profession that isn’t Ahpra-registered is the one that needs the card.

Physio duties. The physio talent pool lists work with students with disability, including classroom positioning, school swimming and camps.

Individual school roles are advertised too. When we checked on 28 October 2026, for example, an HP3 OT role at Parkhurst State School was advertised on Smart Jobs. Talent pools and single roles open and close through the year, so treat these as examples, not a list of current jobs.

What’s not covered here

Catholic and independent schools employ therapists through their own arrangements. We haven’t researched them, so I haven’t described them. If you’re offered a role there, ask which award or agreement covers it.

How school work compares with other paediatric settings

School roles sit alongside private practice, NDIS-funded work and Children’s Health Queensland. For those, see paediatric OT jobs in Queensland and paediatric speech pathology in Queensland. For hospital and community roles on the HP grades, see working for Queensland Health. For the profession routes in full: OT, speech pathology and physiotherapy.

Your next step

• Speech pathologists: check whether you can use SPA’s mutual recognition route or need the full assessment. DoE asks for eligibility for Certified Practising membership, so this comes first.
• OTs: check which OT Board route your qualification is on. DoE asks for current registration, not an application in progress.
• Physios: check which Physiotherapy Council route applies to where you qualified, then Board registration.

The pathway check below asks those questions in a few minutes and shows which route applies to you, so you know what to have in place before a talent pool closes.