Extra teachers ensure state school class sizes on target

The Palaszczuk Government is delivering on class-size targets in Queensland state schools.

Education Minister Kate Jones said the 2016 data released today showed the vast majority of classes were well within the targets.

“These latest figures show almost 90 per cent of primary and 95 per cent of secondary classes have the agreed number of students or even fewer,” Ms Jones said.

“This year there was a decrease in average class sizes across all year levels.

“We are beginning to turn around the legacy of the former LNP Government who cut teachers from every school leading to a surge in class sizes.

“We know you can’t cut 500 teachers from Queensland classrooms without putting class sizes under pressure – that is exactly what the LNP Government did.

“That’s why we made a commitment to employ 875 extra teachers above growth and we are already seeing improvement.”

Ms Jones said the number of classes over target was now at the lowest level since Labor was previously in government.

“In 2012, 6.7 percent of primary classes and just 4.4 percent of secondary classes were over target size,” she said.

“Under the LNP, the number of classes over target blew out to 12.2 percent of primary classes and 5.9 percent of secondary classes.

“The latest data shows the extra teachers we are employing has started to turn this around with 10.2 percent of primary classes and 5.3 percent of secondary classes over target in 2016."

Ms Jones said principals decided class composition after consulting with teachers and the school community.

“The class-size targets are a guide for them to use when forming classes that best reflect the needs of their students,” she said.

“A class might be formed just over the target size to keep students of the same year level together, rather than create multi-age classes.”

“We recognise that classes with or below target numbers allow teachers to provide a level of individual assistance that some students need.”

http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/statistics/pdf/class-size-achievement-and-average-class-size.pdf

Media: Matt Jutsum 0408 998 940