Tasmania’s most crowded classrooms revealed in new student-teacher ratio data

Tasmania’s most crowded classrooms have been revealed, with new data showing which schools appear to be most in need of additional teachers. SEARCH YOUR SCHOOL

Rob Inglis

@rg_inglis

3 min read

May 1, 2024 - 4:00AM

New data has revealed Tasmania’s most and least crowded schools.

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The state’s most crowded classrooms have been revealed, with new data showing which schools appear to be most in need of additional teachers.

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

The figures show that in 2023 in Tasmania there were more students per teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Devonport than any other school.

However, Tasmania had the second best student-teacher ratios in the country, with an average of 12.1 students per teacher compared to the national average of 12.6

Australian Education Union state manager Brian Wightman said new strategies were needed to ensure all Tasmanian schools enjoyed adequate staffing levels.

“What we know is that public schools continue to battle teacher shortages with students missing out on vital small group learning support, classes being collapsed and curriculum offerings cut,” he said.

State Manager Australian Education Union Brian Wightman. Picture: Chris Kidd

“We would like to see the new Minister for Education [Jo Palmer] step up with a bold plan to solve the immediate urgent staffing issues and lead effective strategies to deal with medium and long-term recruitment and retention.”

A Department for Education, Children and Young People spokeswoman said student-teacher ratios were improving in Tasmanian schools.

“The overall student to staff ratio for government schools has improved from 14 students per staff in 2014 to 12.7 in 2022, 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 with the ratio dropping every year (improving) since 2015.”

According to the 2023 data – which is the most up-to-date and includes all state and private schools nationally – Our Lady of Lourdes had 17.4 students for every teacher, the highest in the state.

New analysis has revealed the Tasmanian schools with the highest student-teacher ratios.

It had 386 students enrolled and 22.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers.

The second-highest student-teacher ratio was at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Launceston, where there was an average of 17.3 students for every teacher. It had 392 students enrolled and 22.6 FTE teachers.

At Corpus Christi Catholic School at Bellerive, there were 17.2 students for every teacher, with 413 students enrolled and 24 FTE teachers.

A Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) spokesperson said enrolments were at “an all-time high” for its 38 schools across the state, which they added was due to “the high quality of education we provide and the educational outcomes CET students consistently achieve”.

“Class size and teacher student ratios are not the determining factors in student achievement. The key determining factor is teacher efficacy - the quality of the pedagogy is what really matters,” the spokesperson said.

“What matters is the dedication of staff, pastoral care and a highly focused teaching and learning trajectory of our schools.

“We attribute our steady growth to our investment in programs such as the Literate Learners for Life initiative, launched in 2022, and the Insight program with its focus on the Science of Learning, launched in 2023 - both of which are starting to bear fruit.”

According to ACARA the national average student teacher ratio in 2023 was 12.6 students for every teacher, a drop from the 13.3 ratio in 2021.

At a primary school level it is sitting at 13.6 and in secondary it’s 11.8.

Catholic schools have the highest national ratio for primary schools with a 14.1 ratio, followed by 13.5 for government schools and 12 for independent schools.

Catholic schools also have the highest national ratio for secondary schools with 12 students for every teacher, followed by 11.9 for state schools and 11.5 for independent schools.

Meanwhile, Tasmania’s least crowded classrooms were at Natone Primary School where there was an average of 5.3 students for every teacher at the school.

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

It had 19 students enrolled and 3 full-time equivalent teachers.

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

MOST CROWDED TASMANIAN SCHOOLS:

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School (Devonport): 17.4 students per teacher

Sacred Heart Catholic School (Launceston): 17.3 students per teacher

Corpus Christi Catholic School (Bellerive): 17.2 students per teacher

Stella Maris Catholic School (Burnie): 17.2 students per teacher

Lansdowne Crescent Primary School (West Hobart): 17 students per teacher

St Thomas More’s Catholic School (Newstead): 17 students per teacher

Taroona Primary School (Taroona): 16.9 students per teacher

Holy Rosary Catholic School (Claremont): 16.9 students per teacher

South Hobart Primary School (South Hobart): 16.3 students per teacher