A small change to largest classes

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Reaction to the announcement school funding for Years 4 to 8 will increase equivalent to class sizes being reduced by one will have been disappointing for the Government.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Education Minister Jan Tinetti, a former principal, made the announcement at Remuera Intermediate School.

The policy will see classes in Years 4 to 8 — right up to high school — shift from 29 students a teacher to 28 by 2025, at a cost of $106m over five years.

It will be supported by an increase in teacher numbers, with 320 more full-time teachers needed. The Government said half that number is in line to start from next year.

Tinetti said research had shown that Years 4 to 8 were critical for children’s learning.

A 2019 study found that 63 percent of students were achieving the expected level in writing in Year 4 but that dropped to only 35 percent by Year 8. For reading the numbers were 63 percent in Year 4 dropping to 56 percent in Year 8.

Tinetti said this was where maths and literacy achievement could begin falling behind, which was why these years were being targeted.

But a number of teachers and education experts say the new teacher ratio will have little impact.

Students in Years 4 to 8 have the biggest class sizes now on a funding basis, by a wide margin. The next highest teacher-to-student ratios are 1:23.5 for Years 9-10 and 1:23 for Years 2-3 and Year 11.

Not every Year 4-8 class has 29 students per teacher, as principals can use the money for teacher aides and have classes with more or fewer students.

Typical of the comments made was that of Khalia Olivera, deputy principal at Auckland’s Konini School, who said it was a small step in the right direction but that it wouldn’t make a big difference.

Former Auckland principal and education consultant Alwyn Poole has proposed class sizes of just 15 students and said he did not think knocking it down by one student was going to make a big difference.

One online poll had 89 percent of respondents saying the change would not make any difference.

Tinetti said the education sector would look into class sizes in the long term. This would include looking at school funding mechanisms and staffing entitlements. She wanted to get a deeper understanding of the key areas where change was needed.

National obviously sees education as an area where it can score hits with its policy of an average of one hour each a day being spent on reading, writing and maths. This has been challenged by some experts but will strike a popular chord.