Department deputy secretary Martin Graham emailed staff on Monday and outlined changes that would include scrapping the HSC ‘‘best in class’’ program, which until now has deployed the state’s best teachers to public schools in an effort to boost student results and close equity gaps.

A range of possible options floated by the Department include dissolving the HSC Strategy program in its current form.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that internal documents disclose plans to have more than 100 HSC teaching quality and curriculum adviser positions “deleted”.

The newspaper quoted a NSW Education Department spokesperson as saying the proposal would mean the ‘‘majority of functions will not cease’’ but will move to other parts of the division and be supported under a new operating model that prioritises supporting teachers and schools.

The decision to axe teaching positions from the non-school based teaching service which according to the Department is part of its plan to ‘strengthen, simplify and streamline’ support for public schools and an ‘exercise in operations and efficiency’, has drawn the ire of the NSW Teachers Federation.

It has slammed the decision, describing it as nonsensical.

“To cut teaching positions in the midst of a teacher shortage is incoherent and illogical,” Henry Rajendra, president of the Federation said in a statement.

“We are yet to see any rationale or evidence for how this will improve educational outcomes for students. That’s because there is none.”

Rajendra said with the sector already in the midst of the worst teacher shortage in living memory, and teachers already grappling with a crushing workload, this will only make things worse.

“Non-school based teachers perform critical work in areas such as teacher professional learning to support the implementation of the curriculum,” Rajendra said.

“Now this work will fall back to schools, which simply do not have the necessary resources or time.”

“The Department of Education is responsible for providing every teacher in every school with high quality professional learning and curriculum support in order to meet the learning needs of all students. The cuts proposed are the antithesis to this.”

The department spokesperson said of the 245 roles to be reduced, 142 are currently vacant.

‘These expert teachers will return to classroom roles,’’ the spokesperson told the SMH.

‘‘To focus on service delivery to schools and reduce duplication, we are proposing a realignment to the department’s Teaching, Learning and Student Wellbeing division.

‘‘This will make it easier for schools to access expert curriculum, teaching and learning, and wellbeing support through single points of contact. Under the proposed changes, the HSC strategy program will be expanded to support the full range of HSC subjects.’’

Rajendra was also critical of the short turnaround of the staff consultation process, which will only run until September 15.

“This is a time when every effort must be made to rebuild the NSW public school system after years of damage caused by the previous government’s failed Local Schools, Local Decisions devolutionary policy,” Rajendra said.

“Cutting positions will only hinder this necessary rebuild.”

The suggested cuts follow the announcement in mid-August that hundreds of deputy principals, assistant principals and head teachers will be back delivering curriculum in NSW classrooms next year, following a review.

Since coming to office, the current NSW Government has undertaken a range of measures to tackle the teacher shortage crisis.

At the beginning of this year teacher vacancies fell by 20 per cent as the State Government’s record pay rises of up to $10,000 for teachers – delivered last year – plus a range of effective recruitment measures, deliver some progress.