As the school year opens, classrooms are bursting, reports Rebecca Lewis
A third of Auckland secondary school classrooms contain more than 30 students - eight more than the national average of 22. Secondary Principals Association president Peter Gall says keeping numbers down in classrooms is a difficult job for Auckland schools facing growing populations and a shortage of teachers. "It is a real worry when students hit secondary school because some classes become more popular than others, and we have to find a place for them," he says. "More practical subjects like science and maths, where students need more guidance, is where the problem lies because there might be too many students for one teacher." The Post Primary Teachers' Association, the secondary teachers union, surveyed schools recently and found that, in 2007, the average class size in Auckland was 24.6 students, compared with 22.7 nationally. Worse, a third of Auckland classrooms had more than 30 students. The survey also showed most parents want teachers to spend at least 15 minutes of one-on-one time with their child. "It's something that just isn't always possible, unfortunately," says Mr Gall. Anna Kirtlan, communications adviser for the association, says most schools try to keep class sizes down, but there is a handful who just don't have the teachers. "Average class size is not the problem. It's the number of classes well over the average which is of a concern to parents and teachers," she says. "It was the Auckland region that first raised the issue of excessively large classes a couple of years ago, and that reflects the fact there are so many oversized classes in the area." Rangitoto College, the largest secondary school in the country, copes with more than 3000 students. Robert Rawstron, a teacher at the school and Northern executive for the association, says it always has problems at the start of the year. "But it does tend to balance out as the year goes on. We have a lot of staff working towards keeping the class average at 26 students," he says. "But there are some schools on the North Shore which do have a problem with the sizes and, sometimes, it's just unavoidable. "In classes like science, when you're doing a lab test and needing assistance, it can be a real issue." Mr Gall, who teaches at Papatoetoe High, agrees. "The start of the year is always the worst time. Classes are always much bigger and it takes about four weeks or so to settle down into a regular timetable. "You never know the whole school roll at the start of the year. We're expecting anywhere between 1770 and 1880, so that gives you an idea of what a nightmare it is to plan classes. "One school might think they have enough teachers for students, but then they'll get a surge of enrolments or a couple of really popular subjects. "It's pretty hit and miss at the moment." The PPTA was unwilling to divulge details of how schools fared in the study.
In our high schools, size does matter
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