Existing schools left out of student numbers review amid year 7 school move cost blowout

Tighter caps on student numbers are being investigated amid a huge cost blowout from the call to move year 7 from primary to high schools – but the findings won’t be applicable to all.

An investigation into ideal student numbers at South Australian schools will not be applicable to current institutions as the state government battles to solve mounting bad behaviour and overcrowding from the controversial year 7 move.

Education Minister Blair Boyer said the results of the review would be used to help in the development of new schools, likely resulting in more smaller institutions and fewer “superschools”.

“This is not going to be retrospective, this is about forward planning,” he said.

“We’re not looking here at changing the current structure of existing schools.

“What we need to do in terms of existing schools, if and when they have some of those issues pop up, we put the resources in to make sure that they are supported and that the school can actually deal with those issues.”

Mr Boyer said he does not expect to receive a “perfect figure”.

“There’s a whole heap of factors which need to be taken into account around the makeup of the school which will inform that figure,” he told ABC Radio in response to The Advertiser’s story.

Tighter caps on student numbers are being investigated for state high schools. Picture: Unley High School/Facebook

It comes as an Education Department analysis reveals the bill for moving year 7 pupils from primary to high schools – an initiative of the previous Liberal government – has blown out to $300m, the equivalent of three new campuses.

The department is investigating if an enrolment cap should be imposed when building new high schools or expanding existing sites.

Mr Boyer said he had been “looking very closely” at size and capacity issues.

“It’s incredibly important we’ve a co-ordinated strategy,” he said.

“It can’t just be ad hoc, here and there, without a plan for future student growth.

“That’s where we sometimes come across issues of behaviour and students not feeling connected to schools, as well as further pressure on the infrastructure itself.

“I’ve been honest about the fact that behavioural issues can sometimes be more difficult to combat when they arise in large and complex schools.

“In light of, this I’ve tasked the department with considering whether a maximum enrolment size should be introduced in all new builds.”

Education Blair Boyer, Tom Koutsantonis and Jayne Stinson at Adelaide High School. Picture: Kitty Barr

Despite disclosing a $115m budget blowout, the government has been warned some high schools are “lacking necessary facilities” for year 7 students, such as playgrounds.

The annual cost of funding the integration has also spiked at least $9m a year, bringing the annual bill to $49m.

The opposition disputed the year 7 cost but welcomed any enrolment review.

The government highlighted this year’s NAPLAN data showing “no sign of improvements” as a sign the year move was yet to deliver results, a conclusion the opposition rejected.

The Liberals argued year 7 students could now access specialist subject learning assumed in the national curriculum.

A maximum enrolment size for all new builds, like the Morialta Secondary College under construction at Rostrevor, could be considered by the Education Department. Picture: Facebook

Artist’s impression of the Glenunga International High School development. Picture: Supplied by the Education Department

Some government officials believe the shift explains rising student anti-social behaviour, highlighted at Golden Grove High and Whyalla Secondary College.

The year 7 in high school program will not be scrapped but restricting campus sizes would be a policy shift, following years of upgrades and mergers resulting in some campuses housing more than 2200 children.

New schools are being explored for Mount Barker and the northern suburbs.

Any caps would be applied when considering future developments but won’t be a “blanket limit” or retrospective, officials said.

Early investigations have found an “optimum enrolment size” varied due to local factors or designs.

Opposition spokesman John Gardner, who introduced the year 7 move when he was education minister, condemned the government’s “partisan political analysis” as “manipulated and flawed”.

Opposition spokesman John Gardner. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Brenton Edwards

He said every state and territory made the move, as had all SA non-government schools while “the truth is” many … larger school supported the year 7 policy.

He said primary schools would have needed extra spending without the benefits of high school specialist facilities.

“The … move has been overwhelmingly embraced by schools and education stakeholders around South Australia,” he said.

SA Secondary Principals Association chief executive Jayne Heath said the transition had been “well prepared” but said Covid-19 disruptions had the biggest impact on learning.

“We’re very interested in doing a review in more depth around year 7 in high school so we can learn from that process,” she said.