Most crowded classrooms in Melbourne’s north west
The latest national data has revealed the schools with the highest ratio of students to teachers and the best resourced classrooms in Melbourne’s northwest. How does your school stack up?
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The schools with north western Melbourne’s most crowded and best resourced classrooms have been revealed.
An analysis of national data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has revealed the schools where teachers have the most students in class.
The figures show there were more students per teacher at St Mary’s School in Ascot Vale than any other school in the region in 2018.
According to the most up to data that includes all state and private schools, St Mary’s School had 19.2 students for every teacher, the highest in the area.
The second highest student-teacher ratios were at Tylden Primary School where there was an average of 18.9.
At Strathmore Primary School there were 18.4 students for every teacher, the region’s third highest.
In contrast, there one teacher for every 4.3 students at Western English Language School, the region’s lowest ratio.
The second lowest ratio was at Coburg Special Developmental School where there were 4.7 students per teacher.
The figures show at Yarraville Special Developmental School there were 5.1 students per teacher, the third lowest ratio in the region.
Sydney Road Community School acting principal Irene Savakis said school, which had a ratio of 5.4 students per teacher and was sixth on the table, was able to individualise lessons.
“By having smaller class sizes we’re able to get to know our students and individualise our programs to make the curriculum more accessible,” she said.
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According to ACARA, the national student-teacher ratio was 13.5 students for every teacher.
Across the country independent private schools had the lowest student to teacher ratios with 11.7 students to every teacher.
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School principal Elisabeth Rhodes said her school aimed to have extra teachers on staff to provide one-on-one assistance.
“It’s really about the number of educators in one room,” she said.
“In a cohort of students, there might be two classroom teacher, a trained teacher providing education support, another providing extension work and a trained teacher who is a maths specialist to help develop numeracy skills.”
Government schools had an average of 13.8 students for every teacher while Catholic schools had an average of 14 students for every teacher.
Student-teacher ratios do not take into account teacher aides or non-teaching staff at schools, only the full-time equivalent teachers.
Northwestern Melbourne’s most crowded classrooms
St Mary’s School: 19.2 students per teacher
Tylden Primary School: 18.9 students per teacher
Strathmore Primary School: 18.4 students per teacher
Sunbury Primary School: 18.1 students per teacher
Woodend Primary School: 18.1 students per teacher
Mount Macedon Primary School: 18.1 students per teacher
Footscray West Primary School: 17.7 students per teacher
Kyneton Primary School: 17.7 students per teacher
St John Bosco’s School: 17.6 students per teacher
St Therese’s School: 17.5 students per teacher
Northwestern Melbourne’s least crowded classrooms
Western English Language School: 4.3 students per teacher
Coburg Special Developmental School: 4.7 students per teacher
Yarraville Special Developmental School: 5.1 students per teacher
Rosamond Special School: 5.2 students per teacher
Sunbury And Macedon Ranges Specialist School: 5.4 students per teacher
Sydney Road Community School: 5.4 students per teacher
Ascot Vale Special School: 6.0 students per teacher
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School: 8.3 students per teacher
Dinjerra Primary School: 9.1 students per teacher
Gilmore College For Girls: 9.5 students per teacher
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