South east Melbourne school teacher-student ratio figures revealed

Mount Eliza Primary School assistant principal Beverley Harvey says more staff is “definitely a huge benefit for students” as new figures reveal 10 schools in Melbourne’s southeast have at least 17 students per teacher.

Mount Eliza Primary School has 18 students per teacher — a figure assistant principal Beverly Harvey would like to change.

“When resources are spread thin, it’s the students who miss out,” she said.

But the school is not alone with new data showing 10 schools with 17 to 19 students per teacher in Melbourne’s southeast.

The regions most crowded and best resourced classrooms have been revealed in an analysis of national data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.

The figures show in 2018 in the South Eastern Melbourne region there were more students per teacher at Lighthouse Christian College Cranbourne than any other school.

According to the data, the most up to data that includes all state and private schools nationally, Lighthouse Christian College Cranbourne had 19.8 students for every teacher, the highest in the area.

The second highest student-teacher ratios were at Mornington Primary School where there was an average of 19 students for every teacher at the school.

At Rowellyn Park Primary School there were 18.5 students for every teacher, the South Eastern Melbourne region’s third highest.

Ms Harvey said while they run a good school, more staff would definitely help particularly to

to coach current teachers and to help in the student wellbeing department.

“We need more coaching staff made available to teachers to improve their teacher capacity and performance, and more to support student wellbeing needs,” she said.

“With more teachers, there is definitely a huge benefit for students emotionally and educationally.

“When resources are spread thin, it’s the students who miss out.”

In contrast there one teacher for every 4.3 students at Mornington Special Developmental School, the region’s lowest ratio of students per teacher.

The second lowest ratio was at Frankston Special Developmental School where there were 4.8 students per teacher.

The figures show at Springvale Park Special Developmental School there were 5.0 students per teacher, the third lowest ratio in the South Eastern Melbourne region.

FASTEST GROWING SOUTH EASTERN SCHOOLS

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.

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.