School size: PV media comment

The Herald-Sun published an article today about large schools and how they rate academically.

The article begins:

NAPLAN results for Australia’s largest schools show that bigger isn’t always better, with a key parents’ group urging greater investment to make low-enrolment schools more attractive.
Of the top 100 largest secondary schools by enrolment last year, 25 fell below the national average in aggregate Year 9 scores, while 22 primary schools scored underneath the Year 5 average.

Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardy is quoted in the article:

Parents Victoria chief executive Gail McHardy said governments needed to make lower-enrolment schools a more attractive option, through greater investment and supports.
The organisation has also been lobbying for government-funded family engagement officers in larger campuses, that would assist principals and teachers with day-to-day parent issues related to administration and student needs.
“When governments undertake that big-picture planning for population growth and development, there needs to be that conversation about where parents are going to send their kids to school,” she said.
“Housing density and new development is one of the biggest factors, because more housing tends to compound the issues that were already there.”

In further comments supplied to the Herald-Sun, Gail also made the following points:

• School culture is more important than school size. Size does matter and it can impact student outcomes but it does depend on the school context.
• There are a number of contributing factors and the most important from a parent perspective are fully funded government schools, engaging curriculum, quality relationships and effective communication.
• Students and their families always hope for a safe and happy learning environment where everyone has a sense of belonging, this is why PV has advocated for family engagement officers to support school leaders and teachers to enable more connection and confidence for better outcomes.

Read the article (subscription only)