Teacher student ratios for every school in Tasmania revealed

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THE Tasmanian schools with the highest and lowest student to teacher ratios 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 to teach.

The figures show in 2018 in Tasmania the school with the most students per teacher was at Stella Maris Catholic School in Burnie.

According to the data, which includes all state and private schools nationally, Stella Maris Catholic School had 19.7 students for every teacher, the highest in the area.

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The second highest student-teacher ratios were at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School where there was an average of 19.4 students for every teacher at the school.

At Goulburn Street Primary School there were 19.0 students for every teacher, the state’s third highest.

In contrast, there was one teacher for every 7.2 students at the Oakwood School, the state’s lowest ratio of students per teacher after removing specialty schools and schools with less than 20 students.

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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.

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Government schools had an average of 13.8 students for every teacher while Catholic schools had an average of 14 students for every teacher.

Catholic Education Tasmania deputy executive director Sean Gill said all Tasmanian Catholic schools complied with the national standards for student-teacher ratios.

He said the ACARA data was from last year and some schools had improved their ratios in 2019, including Stella Maris.

“CET has been very proactive this year in improving this current ratio with an increase in staffing across all schools,” he said.

Student-teacher ratios do not take into account teacher aides or non-teaching staff at schools, only the full-time equivalent teachers.

Australian Education Union Tasmanian branch president Helen Richardson said the union’s 2017 member survey found an “alarming” number of classes in Tasmanian schools with more than 30 students.

“It is critical that all schools have the resources they need to deliver a broad curriculum and have the staff they need to support the complexity of student need,” she said.

“Smaller class sizes allow students more one-on-one time with their teacher. Teachers can spend more time developing relationships with their students which is a key to student’s learning outcomes.

“Tasmania has the highest level of disadvantage and the number of students entering our schools with high and complex needs is growing and schools must be properly staffed and resourced, so every child has the opportunity to thrive.”

The top 50 schools with the highest student-teacher ratios were all primary schools.

Ms Richardson said this would likely be due to the recent focus on extending high schools to include years 11 and 12.

“It’s vital that students in our primary schools receive the support they need so they don’t fall through the cracks and become disengaged at a very young age,” she said.