Parent satisfaction rates for Victorian public high schools have hit almost 15-year lows at the same time as students are feeling more disconnected, amid fears that ongoing teacher shortages and a reliance on technology in classrooms are straining the state’s education system.
More than one in four parents with children in state secondary schools were dissatisfied with their school, the most recent Education Department data reveals. It was the lowest parent approval rate recorded in more than 10 years.
Parent satisfaction rates at public schools have fallen to 10-year lows.Credit: Arsineh Houspian
At the same time, the proportion of Victorian government school students who feel connected to their schooling slumped to 58.7 per cent, down from 66 per cent in 2019.
The data comes as the department overhauls its reporting with a tranche of key performance measures, including a benchmark for median VCE study scores, removed.
Monash University senior lecturer Fiona Longmuir said lower parent satisfaction could be related to the ongoing teacher shortages in Victoria and across the country.
“It’s not surprising that teachers are stretched thinner and working harder, with the ones remaining dealing with a lot more,” she said.
“So I’m sure parents are aware and at times can find it difficult to connect in the ways they hope to, even though teachers are committed to working with parents.”
Longmuir said there were also issues around declining trust in public institutions that negatively impact schools and parent relationships.
Data published in the Education Department’s annual report shows that in 2023, 73 per cent of parents surveyed had a positive view of their child’s secondary school, well below the goal of 80 per cent and the lowest approval rating in the past 10 years. It was the lowest recorded satisfaction rate since 2010-11, when 72 per cent of parents approved of their child’s secondary school.
The data is drawn from parent surveys conducted annually and represents a portion of the parent population at public schools.
Parent satisfaction rates for high schools are typically lower than parent satisfaction in primary schools, with the state average in primary schools sitting at 82.7 per cent.
In response to questions directed to Education Minister Ben Carroll, an Education Department spokesman said 2024 student survey results, which are yet to be published in an annual report, would show an improvement in students’ sense of belonging at school.
“Education works best when schools and families are working in partnership. Our schools do incredible work to ensure they put students at the centre and respond to the needs of their communities,” the spokesman said.
Asked why the department had removed a tranche of performance measures and replaced others, the spokesman said: “The department’s performance statements were improved in 2023-24 following recommendations from the Victorian Auditor General Office (VAGO) to improve comparability, attribution, usefulness, relevance and clarity. As a result, last year’s annual report used new performance measures for the first time.”
Centre for Independent Studies researcher Trisha Jha said any drop in student connectedness was particularly concerning and said children needed to feel like there were achieving in order to belong.
“Things like phone bans are really important to try to get kids focusing on school, at school,” Jha said.
“Sustained measures to improve classroom behaviour and culture will be what supports schools to make students feel like they are safe and they can learn.”
Jha said schools needed to consider how much they encouraged students to use laptops and tablets and whether they were necessary for their learning,
She said setting expectations around technology and limiting screen time in schools could have a valuable carry-on effect outside the classroom.
“Technology at home can connect students to each other but also isolate them from people who are different from them because social media amplifies your engagement with things you are already engaged with,” Jha said.
“The important thing to remember is schools can’t fix all those problems … But they can do something about it at school.”
Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president Colin Axup said parents should be confident that staff used the data to help improve their schools.
“There is an increasing expectation from the community for schools to respond to whole of community issues,” he said.
“Schools are not the only answers to community problems, such as the misuse of social media.”
Parents Victoria chief executive Gail McHardy said it was not surprising that parent satisfaction rates have declined as public schools battled for funding, additional resources and dealt with ongoing teacher shortages.
“Education has evolved, especially with increased technology that has brought impacts with it, so it’s more crucial today that school communities work together for the future,” she said.
Opposition education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said learning outcomes won’t improve while family satisfaction with local schools decreases.
“Changing performance metrics won’t hide the fact that under Labor, learning outcomes are at record lows, teacher shortages remain widespread and student engagement continues to deteriorate,” she said.
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