Tasmania education: Teacher v student ratios revealed

Tasmania’s most crowded classrooms have been revealed, as new data shows more than half the state’s schools are behind the national average for student-teacher ratios. SEARCH YOUR SCHOOL

Tasmania’s most crowded classrooms have been revealed, as new data shows more than half the state’s schools are behind the national average for student-teacher ratios.

An analysis of national data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has revealed the schools where teachers have the most students in their classes.

The figures show in 2021 there were more students per teacher at both Youngtown Primary School and Sacred Heart Catholic School than any other schools in Tasmania.

AEU Tasmania President David Genford on Thursday called for “more in-class support, action on ballooning class sizes and reductions to excessive workloads so all Tasmanian students and educators can learn and work in healthy and safe environments”.

“Due to (state government) underfunding and neglect for increased workloads, teachers are leaving the profession now more than ever before and class sizes – some close to 50 students per class — are ballooning as a result,” Mr Genford said.

AEU President David Genford. Picture: Chris Kidd

“There are also several Tasmanian schools grappling with unfilled teacher positions which is increasing the burden on educators who are taking on dangerously high class sizes as a result.”

But a Tasmanian Government spokeswoman said public schools had seen an improvement in student-teacher ratios in recent years.

“From a government school perspective, the overall student to staff ratio has improved from 14 students per staff in 2014 to 12.9 in 2021, according to the most recent Report on Government Services,” she said.

“That is better than the Australian average for primary, secondary and all school levels.”

According to the data — the most up to date that includes all state and private schools nationally — both Youngtown Primary School and Sacred Heart Catholic School had 18.4 students for every teacher, the highest in the state.

Youngtown primary had 339 students enrolled and 18.4 full-time equivalent teachers, while Sacred Heart had 402 students enrolled and 21.8 full-time equivalent teachers.

At Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Devonport, there were 18.3 students for every teacher, Tasmania’s second highest.

It had 399 students enrolled and 21.8 full-time equivalent teachers.

According to ACARA the national student-teacher ratio in 2021 was 13.3 students for every teacher — but 53% of Tasmania’s schools had student-teacher ratios of 13.4 or higher.

At a primary level it is 14.5 and secondary is 11.9.

Catholic schools have the highest national ratios for primary schools with a 15.4 ratio, followed by 14.4 for state schools and 14 for independent schools.

At the high school level, state schools had the highest ratio with 12.4, followed by Catholic with 12.2 and 10.5 for independent.

Meanwhile, Tasmania’s least crowded classroom was at St Joseph’s Catholic School in Rosebery where there was an average of 4.9 students for every teacher at the school.

It had 40 students enrolled and 8.1 full-time equivalent teachers in 2021.

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

Out of the bigger schools in the state with more than 1000 students, The Friends School had the most impressive student to teacher ratio, having 9.5 students per teacher.

In 2021, there were 125.3 full-time equivalent teachers to 1188 students.

Sandy Bay’s The Hutchins School and Launceston’s Scotch Oakburn College also beat the national average, having 10.2 and 10.4 students per teacher respectively.