Overcrowded schools : How to tackle this ignored issue?

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  Mika1234 on 28/04/2017 - 18:48

  +4

  Same thing is happening in Brisbane, primarily in areas with large scale zoning changes and development

  "Brisbane State High School — already the largest public high school in the country — is under enormous pressure, as thousands of apartments spring up in suburbs within its inner city catchment.

  In just four years, the number of students there has jumped from 2,269 to 3,145, meaning the school is now well over capacity, despite the recent addition of 40 extra classrooms."

  In most cases the temp classrooms have filled what used to be ovals/green space.

  No more free-range children, thats reserved for chickens now

  • 

    DaneD on 02/05/2017 - 09:58

    Disregard

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  Oofy Doofy on 28/04/2017 - 20:21

  +1

  Captain Fantastic

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  Jakjakjak on 28/04/2017 - 21:24

  +2

  The government needs to stop funding private schools and focus on public schools. If people want to pay for private, then they should pay for it.

  • 

    whooah1979 on 28/04/2017 - 22:41

    -2

    If people want to pay for private, then they should pay for it.

    Parents that send their children to private schools pay taxes like other taxpayers. Why shouldn't the government also look after these children?

    The government can cut funding to private schools and at the same time reduce the tax these parents pay.

    • 

      stumo on 30/04/2017 - 09:18

      +1

      Its a choice they make. Use it or lose it.

    • 

      Zondor on 01/05/2017 - 13:07

      +1

      Because they charge ridiculously high school fee's and then want gov support as well.

      Private schools should be able to run from their students fee's.

  • 

    D Money on 29/04/2017 - 16:25

    +2

    Haha - Cut private schools funding, making it unaffordable for people, who then have to send their kids to state schools will solve the over-crowding state school problem. Makes sense.

  • 

    gimli on 29/04/2017 - 20:48

    i think this is a tricky one. Government funding of private schools which it makes it more affordable and takes burden of public schools and gives parents choice about education for there children is a good think.
    The tricky thing imo is public funding if smaller schoolers which end up public in funding but private in selection of students. (e.g. small religious schools).

  • 

    greatlamp on 30/04/2017 - 10:16

    Private schools receive less funding that public schools, about 2k less per pupil.

    Most private schools don't cost 20k per year, they are run better in large part due to the efficient use of funds allowed to them for being private.

    Stop funding private schools means most will not be affordable, only the elite Private schools will remain. Most kids will go to public school, and cost you more.

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  Oofy Doofy on 28/04/2017 - 21:47

  -1

  What happened to "We are full for next year, you'll have to put your name down and join the queue"… ???

  There must be some sort of law that says people can't be denied going to a particular school just because it's full.

  In my opinion there are too many people in Australia and people on the higher end of town are overpaid.

  The great majority of western development has been done already. It's time to develop other nations and bring people's ability to 'breed-at-will' to an end.

  We have record amounts of money laundering in this country, and if I'm not mistaken, per capita we're up there with the worst. We're right up there with with being some of the biggest consumers of drugs in the world… the list is pretty big.

  TBH I think your question will basically become a rabbit warren once you look at all things broadly, and then go over the devil in the detail.

  I agree with Dick Smith when he said this country, in his opinion, should be run with an iron fist by a Dictator, albeit a good one. That is how he said he ran his businesses and how he would want to run the country if in some parallel universe he could become the Prime Minister, and have every boy and man in Australia get the definitive Dick Smith Cereal Bowl hair cut.

  • 

    greatlamp on 30/04/2017 - 10:18

    With all of its problems, that Australia is one of the best countries to live in on earth

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  Seraphin7 on 29/04/2017 - 08:47

  +4

  Is there a bargain to be had somewhere here?

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  skywards on 29/04/2017 - 13:53

  Finland has free education

  • 

    whooah1979 on 29/04/2017 - 14:21

    Finland has free education

    How are they funding the their education system? With taxes?

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  swilso on 29/04/2017 - 14:19

  +2

  Stupidly a researcher called Hattie did extensive research and declared that class sizes have a very minimal effect on student outcomes.

  Principals love rehashing this to justify 30+ students in a class.
  Although schools don't give proportionate assessment and marking time to teachers based on student numbers so in reality the teacher with less than 20 pupils will naturally have more time to dedicate themselves to the task and the time they have to provide effective feedback than that of someone with 30+ students. I'm no scholar but having been an educator across primary and secondary schools for a number of years, from experience class size does matter particularly when I have a young family and wife to come home to and have a finite number of out-of-school hours I can dedicate to my work and students.

  • 

    Hamlet on 29/04/2017 - 21:47

    +1

    as a high school teacher myself, i second this!

    • 

      frostman on 01/05/2017 - 11:26

      -4

      from experience class size does matter particularly when I have a young family and wife to come home to and have a finite number of out-of-school hours I can dedicate to my work and students.

      What you mean working from 9am-3pm?

      Having 3 months off between end of November and Late Feb?

      Having 3 term breaks of ~2 weeks every year?

      High school teachers are just whingers that want an easy life.

      Most of the curriculum is spoon-fed to you and answers these days are multiple choice, do some work for the 75K-90K you get

      • 

        Hamlet on 01/05/2017 - 15:56

        +3

        First, summer holidays (in Victorian public school) is from End of December to End of January — that's 1 month, not 3 months.

        Second, teachers are not students and are required to be in school from 8.30am-4.30pm. These are just the compulsory school hours. Teachers often also have to bring work home — whether it be for creating assessments, planning for the next day, marking assessments, providing feedback, writing reports, contacting parents among other things.

        Of course, there are definitely plenty of teachers who become teachers for the holidays and do the least amount required just so long as it pays the mortgage — and yes they really are negative influences in school staff culture. That said, please do not generalise all teachers to be whingers.

      • 

        swilso on 04/05/2017 - 19:32

        +1

        LOL frostman. Nice try, if it's that good mate it sounds like you should become a teacher. Easy money, hey ;-)

      • 

        frostman on 04/05/2017 - 20:44

        -2

        @swilso: Which one of my points can you refute?

      • 

        swilso on 04/05/2017 - 21:05

        @frostman: What makes you doubt your points that I would need to contest them when they are based on such objective information?
        Have a nice night.

      • 

        frostman on 05/05/2017 - 08:14

        @swilso: I even have buy-in from a current teacher 'hamlet' whom somewhat agreed:

        Of course, there are definitely plenty of teachers who become teachers for the holidays and do the least amount required just so long as it pays the mortgage

        I dont know but you must be smoking some strong stuff.

        Teachers have the largest amount of holidays than any other profession. Yes their job isn't a walk in the park but you have 2 main types of teachers:

        1.) The ones that strive to teach their kids with the main objective to get them ahead

        2.) The ones that come to work, throw the curriculum in the students faces and plainly dont give a toss.

      • 

        swilso on 05/05/2017 - 17:20

        @frostman: Because someone ‘somewhat’ agrees @Hamlet: it now substantiates your changing fallacious claims? You should be a politician, perhaps we will see your application as Minister for Education having all the experience and wisdom.

  • 

    htc on 30/04/2017 - 20:05

    +1

    Not sure if Hattie is aware of IO, IM students, class size makes a huge difference. I challenge him to film himself while teaching a class of 10 IO students, then compare it with teaching a class with 20 IO students!

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 01/05/2017 - 19:54

    Hattie's latest studies (2016) show that class size does have an effect but not as great effect as other factors. However if you look at some of the other factors, (there are almost 200) you will see that some of them are indirectly related to class size. "Small group learning" for example has a significant impact.
    Teacher credibility is right up there.

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  Dsquall on 29/04/2017 - 14:32

  In terms of as an individual:

  Private schools or tutor them and get them into selective schools. Or send them to a public school in western Sydney and tell them to keep their heads down and aim for the top of their schools.

  As a system it's a lot harder to change. Our teachers are underpaid and underappreciated. Curriculum is full of rubbish that has been barely revised in the last half century and under prepares kids for society. Politicians operate on 4 year policies in which it's impossible to push out any congruent and meaningful change. Class size (but to be honest I'm not sure if larger classes correlate with poor education outcomes, I think the environment and staff quality present at a school are much more crucial in determining outcomes. Whilst I can't quote any studies, anecdotally I've always found difficulty learning when the teacher is subpar or they do not want to teach, class size has never been an issue for me personally). Also, there is a societal element in that a lot of people are taking education for granted these days and either adopting the view that education is not crucial to the development of a child and relying on tautologies such as "kids should be kids" to justify a passive approach to their children's education. Or, the view of where if a product is free, it is no longer of value (I see it a lot in my workplace, where a lot of the things we provide is 'free' i.e. funded by taxpayers, and won't be valued by the recipients). So to change the things up I think you'd need to a) change the system and b) change societal values. None of which I foresee happening anytime soon.

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  captobvious on 29/04/2017 - 15:17

  Stop breeding? Even with new schools and more classrooms there is a shortage of teachers in certain regions. Not many people would consider teaching as a career anymore.

  • 

    syousef on 30/04/2017 - 09:30

    +1

    And yet there is a glut of 40,000 teachers looking for work in NSW.

    http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/teaching-40000-look…

    • 

      captobvious on 30/04/2017 - 13:58

      40000 looking for permanent ongoing positions. Doesn't mean 40000 teachers unemployed and as i said certain regions are short on teachers but teachers are not willing to move regionally.

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:02

        -2

        Of course they're not! You can't just pick up and move where ever you like if you have a partner with their own job and it gets harder with older kids as well since you need to be near a uni. Anyway the shortages are in Western Sydney, not just the sticks. Stop drinking LNP coolaid!

      • 

        captobvious on 30/04/2017 - 14:05

        @syousef: you gotta do what you gotta do. Eventually push will come to shove. Western sydney is a region is it not?

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:08

        @captobvious:

        You're talking complete rubbish. It makes no sense and would be idiotic for a teacher on <$80k a year to move if she has a partner earning $120k a year working as a professional in the city. In that case what you gotta do is give up your damn career as a teacher, or take whatever casual work and crappy conditions you can.

        Stop with the bad economics. You're paying for these teachers to be educated. You're paying when kids grow up with a bad education. You're paying with the knock on effects on other professions. You're paying when the teacher has a mental breakdown. You're paying if the teacher's marriage fails and the government has to intervene with child support and welfare.

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:09

        @captobvious:

        And that's before we talk about violence in some schools in some parts of western sydney.

      • 

        captobvious on 30/04/2017 - 14:11

        @syousef: sorry you are right. I should try and understand alp supporters are used to handouts and their asses wiped for them.

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:12

        @captobvious:

        Wanting a job is not wanting a handout. Wanting someone to work for you for free ala work for the dole is wanting a handout. Get your facts straight.

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:12

        @captobvious:

        Nice dodge of any kind of a response to my argument by the way. It's because you have none.

      • 

        captobvious on 30/04/2017 - 14:13

        @syousef:handout go pick it up at centrelink.

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:14

        @captobvious:

        Send someone else to the salt mines, you slavery endorsing troll.

      • 

        captobvious on 30/04/2017 - 14:16

        @syousef:

        And yet there is a glut of 40,000 teachers looking for work in NSW.

        Yeah your facts are so Straight

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:18

        @captobvious:

        Dozens of articles on the issue. 40,000 looking for a full time job. You know the kind where there's some job security and you can support yourself and a family. As opposed to casual labour with no security where a minor illness will put you on welfare. Facts are damned straight.

      • 

        captobvious on 30/04/2017 - 14:18

        @syousef: Jobs a Job, thank your lucky stars you have one.

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:20

        @captobvious:

        Clean the wax out of your ears. A job isn't a job. You can't move house on the hopes that a short term contract is extended. Most teachers over a certain age are female primary care givers raising a family. Where you do you think the next generation of workers come from exactly?

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:22

        @captobvious:

        And lets base our economics and job policy on something better than lucky stars and begging for work.

      • 

        captobvious on 30/04/2017 - 14:28

        +1

        @syousef: Not willing to move, no jobs for you? government not helping out? then better yourself, diversify your skills and change careers.

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:33

        +1

        @captobvious:

        In other words let's not support education. No respect for or value for teachers. Just another commodity. Yep LNP mentality. I don't know how else to explain to you that insisting that most teachers to move get a job when there is a shortage in your biggest city is an impractical joke. I'm done arguing. You're not listening, and you're not actually countering my arguments. You're wasting my time.

      • 

        captobvious on 30/04/2017 - 14:36

        @syousef: Yeah same ALP mentality bail out when the going gets tough. I've wasted my time. Goodbye.

      • 

        syousef on 30/04/2017 - 14:40

        @captobvious:

        There's nothing tough about you wasting my time, troll.

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  D Money on 29/04/2017 - 16:11

  +3

  Cage fight matches - 2 students enter, 1 student leaves!

  • 

    xoom on 29/04/2017 - 18:38

    field trip for students battle royale style.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Royale_(film)

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  Gronk on 29/04/2017 - 18:06

  A good first step would be not to leave it all up to the public education system :)

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  ChupaCabra on 29/04/2017 - 18:09

  +1

  Long term, the government should build the infrastructure to take care of the additional 250,000 immigrants we have each year since the natural birth rate isnt that high in Australia majority of extra children are a result of increased immigration.

  • 

    DrDollar on 29/04/2017 - 23:05

    Largely because the most intelligent are having fewer offspring, later in life… Because of the negative impact having kids early on has on financial sustainability long-term.

    We are breeding less and breeding less intelligent. Well, it's true…

    • 

      greatlamp on 30/04/2017 - 10:22

      Most educated isn't most intelligent, so there may be some hope for humanity

  • 

    Azif on 01/05/2017 - 20:25

    They should restrict migration (non-humanitarian) until the infrastructure is there
    Migrants should fund more of the infrastructure

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  outlander on 29/04/2017 - 18:49

  +8

  Make it an issue. A nation which doesn't take care of its children is a nation running on borrowed time. Eventually the strong who make wise investments prevail and kill the weak

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  xuqi on 29/04/2017 - 19:23

  +4

  I don't understand why private schools are given any public funding at all. The usual argument of 'Private schooling reduces pressure on the public system" is BS.

  If the money being handed to private schools were spent on the public sector, you'd have no shortage of schools, classrooms, etc.

  If its private, then so be it but they should fund their own way. The ridiculous system in-place now whereby public money is funneled in to already well off schools, further starves much needed funds from the government sector.

  The biggest problem with all funding in Australia is governments only plan for the election cycle. No longer-term plan for the country what-so-ever.

  Edit; My son goes to a private school which we happily pay for, but this doesn't change the fact the public system is being ruined by the private sector handouts.

  • 

    vr4indian on 29/04/2017 - 20:34

    +2

    I hear somewhere that private school gets millions from alumni.

    I am not against private schools but govt should focus on public school immediately from where large number and percentage of future innovators and tax payers will be emerging.

    Low quality education means fractured and unsustainable future for country

    At least one of our university should be in top ten in the world and only in southern hemisphere

  • 

    greatlamp on 30/04/2017 - 10:30

    -1

    If your childs school lost public funding, fees would rise by that amount.

    Would all those students still be in private school if fees went up 4-5 k per year?

    Public Schools get more funding than private schools, so financially they do take pressure of the public system.

    However it means problems in public schools can be ignored by a significant proportion of taxpayers, so issues which could be addressed are ignored.

    • 

      xuqi on 30/04/2017 - 12:35

      +2

      My point is if its 'private' it should not be receiving funds from the government, period..

      I attended private schooling fully paid for by my parents. I pay for my child's private schooling, and will happily do so if the price rises.

      It was my decision to do so because we can afford it, but it annoys me to see public school teachers struggling to provide necessary classroom consumables out of their own pocket, whilst my son's school builds a new pool.

      In Australia we have this perverse thinking/system that funds all forms of private enterprise, out of the public purse to the detriment of the public system.

      My point is simple. If the money currently handed to the private sector was spent within the public system, then there would be little to no stress in the system in the first place.

      Without the public funding, the private system will then either adjust to survive, as per the much beloved 'free market' concept.

      Same happens for the private medical cover. Funnel billions of $ of public funds in to a crumbling private system, failing due to the simple greed of the companies involved, continually increasing their costs driving down membership.

      Same ridiculous argument is always used to justify this squandering of public funds subsidizing the sector.

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  DrDollar on 29/04/2017 - 20:11

  Ha!

  Our government does not care about young people in the slightest… Children through to young adults. They're all getting screwed.

  Both major parties laughed at the thought of reintroducing a minster for young people a few weeks back. Not that it would necessarily have "helped" anyway - Their voice would have been ignored.

  And why would they? This would mean they need acknowledge and begin to tackle real long-term issues. Environmental sustainability, renewable energy targets, education, housing affordability, the crippled infrastructure in our major cities (hello Sydney).

  You won't see "better" quality public schooling in this country for some time. Or ever.

  Good luck.

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  lunartemis on 29/04/2017 - 21:38

  +7

  De-sex all the bogans so they can no longer produce trouble maker kids

  • 

    ChupaCabra on 30/04/2017 - 17:32

    +1

    Dumb bogans arent the reason we have overcrowded schools. The average woman born in Australia is only having 1.86 kids which should actually mean population will decrease as we have less kids naturally. So I wonder where all these extrac kids causing the issue of overcrowded schools are coming from then…. elephant in the room.

    • 

      ProjectZero on 01/05/2017 - 08:53

      Considering there is a population of couples that do not want children or can not have them. The average could have been increased due to the high amounts of children born to bogans? Just something to consider when it comes to averages…

    • 

      lunartemis on 01/05/2017 - 16:48

      Having taught at several schools with the majority of the students are from low to middle class, I have seen plenty of bogan families with 4-6 kids going through (1 family had 11 kids) where they don't know the meaning of good manners let alone using it.

  • 

    yannyrjl on 01/05/2017 - 11:58

    Bit extreme, but my experience is kids with parents who place little importance to education do caused the greatest drain on the system. Not only in teacher attention but primarily disruption of classes and robbing others' opportunity to learn effectively.

    Funding is not the answer, and "No child gets left behind" mentality unfortunately doesn't work if the kids don't want to learn and their parents are not cooperating with the school.

  • 

    NancyCat on 01/05/2017 - 19:20

    No need to de-sex them. Just stop paying child support welfare for the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th..kids.

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  Hamlet on 29/04/2017 - 21:59

  +1

  Ever heard of Teach for Australia? It's a non-profit that offers an option for talented professionals to change fields and become teachers where they are placed at disadvantaged schools across Australia for 2 years. This program is informed by John Hattie's research that teachers make the most difference to student achievements outside of uncontrollable student-related factors such as learning abilities and intelligence. These professional-turned-teachers are the basis for the SBS show 'Testing Teachers', which is still airing. If TFA can continue to attract teachers into crowded disadvantaged schools, perhaps schools can actually afford to have smaller class sizes?

  Of course, while the TFA program does not solve all the problems that our public education is facing today, it is one big step towards improving outcomes — especially in disadvantaged areas where students are often 2-3 years behind in literacy and numeracy.

  You can read a report on the impact of TFA since it started in 2010 here:
  http://teachforaustralia.org/2016/03/20/promise-tackling-edu…

  • 

    DrDollar on 29/04/2017 - 23:01

    Whilst this is great - You're right, it truly doesn't solve the problem. This is a symptom of an issue, not the solution. But sure, it is a good coping mechanism / way for individuals to help whilst the government twiddles it's thumbs, because being in government is… everything… apparently.

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  Gershom on 29/04/2017 - 22:44

  +1

  public schools are so overcrowded

  Compared to where you come from you mean?

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  spy on 30/04/2017 - 00:43

  +1

  Easy fix - pick more fights where we have no business and blow even more money on defence and intelligence.

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  shangoz on 30/04/2017 - 09:21

  +1

  Learn the HongKong way, School get morning lesson and after noon lesson, this way, one scholl can have two team of teacher, and overcrowwd class can be reduce.

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  DiscoJango on 30/04/2017 - 09:43

  i know easier said than done, but relocate to a less populated city. ive been to many of AU's states, and sydney, while nice, is just too overcrowded and costly. there are many regional cities which offer a much relaxed lifestyle.

  many people forget the effects of stress (time, financial) on theirs and their families health

  ps: no one really cares if you live in a waterfront apartment driving a bmw x5 or live in a regular crappy house with a camry.

• 

  SydStrand on 30/04/2017 - 12:47

  Don't live in Sydney. I know it's not realistic for everyone, especially if your work is tied there, but look elsewhere and especially while the kids are young. There are frankly, too many people. And a lot of the population growth is squeezed west. Even if you could afford it, Sydney's best private schools are all in the east, inner city, or lower north shore so it'll be a crap commute. Selective schools are worth a thought, but no guarantee your kid will get into a good one. If the alternative is to put them in a school filled with Jonah Takaluas, you're screwed.

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  Savas on 30/04/2017 - 14:12

  +1

  I am in year 12 and every class (except maths) are composite with year 11. Is this normal?

  • 

    NancyCat on 30/04/2017 - 16:44

    +1

    I wouldn't say it's 'normal', but it happens very often. There are many Year 10/11 combined classes as well. It's basically spread the normal 2 years of HSC/VCE workload into 3 years, to ease the pressure in the final year (Year 12).

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  MessyG on 30/04/2017 - 14:55

  Can you afford to get some private tutors? I know it's not ideal but it seems to be what a lot of people are doing now. Or starting your own school.

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  jonathonsunshine on 30/04/2017 - 17:36

  +1

  The government wants the working class to be stupid. The the "nobles" go to private school to learn how to run the show and everyone else learns just enough to earn enough to be good little consumers.

  We're getting the education the government wants us to have.

• 

  Thenarrator on 30/04/2017 - 21:22

  well theyre slowing immigrant as a first off.. they already changes the visa making it harder for ppl to migrate..

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  Wystri Warrick on 30/04/2017 - 21:25

  +1

  Don't recommend private schools, especially religious schools, as I know someone who was recently abused as a little child in a Christian school.
  The person stopped talking for 2 years.

  From knowing people, children in religious schools are more likely to be "disliked" by the teachers, principal and students if you haven't been attending there church for a long time.

  I know a person who went to a private school, who where looked down upon by teachers principal and other students and bullied by students for being from a "lower" class.

  I also know a person who was racially abused and bullied in a religious school.

  I also know people who went to private schools, where the counselors (psychologist) never helped the students, they basically would just say leave any and all of your problems at home when you come to school.

  Statistics shown that public primary schools perform better, and private schools perform better in secondary.

• 

  amsaini15 on 30/04/2017 - 22:52

  How do everyone look for all private schools in the area and their fees? Is there any website which gives good idea of school's performance?

  • 

    yannyrjl on 01/05/2017 - 11:54

    +1

    depends what you define as performance, for academic you can look at the Naplan results and HSC ranking results. For sports, it's easy to approach the school and look at individual sports programs and competition results.

    If what you deem performance is in other less measurable areas, you would need to dig a little deeper or speak to local sources like local teachers / parents for that information.

• 

  suti on 01/05/2017 - 09:20

  For a start, the NSW government could look at BUYING land that ia adjacent to existing schools when it is available so that those schools can be expanded.

  Two examples:

  Eastwood Primary: A former petrol station was being sold a few years ago that was right next to the school. The school has demountables. Wouldn't it be a good idea for the government to buy the land and put some classrooms on it (or put some green grass for the children to play on)???? No…. the site is now hosting a 5 story apartment complex.

  Burwood Primary: Similar situation, land next to the school (former mechanic site from memory) was available to purchase when the school has visible demountables (you can see it from the train line, south side). Again… apartments are being built on site right now.

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  yannyrjl on 01/05/2017 - 11:51

  I find parental attitudes has more effect than the type of schools. The problem with public education especially in lower social economic areas is the parents (relatively) place less importance to academic results (regardless of private or public), hence the school's performance suffers and teachers need to spend more time on troubled students rather than teach.

  If you have student all keen to learn, then classes sizes become less relevant, as there's less disruptions (just look at China / Singapore system). Also student performance needs to be used when creating classes so the teachers don't have to cater to many levels when teaching the same class. Generally the poor performing students takes all the attention and the average student get minimal attention. These days, you do see "Gifted and Talented" classes forming in our primary and high schools which is a good change.

  Having said above and when the things are equal, teacher quality also has a big impact, especially in Primary school were teachers are expected to teach all subjects, which is a tough ask. The lack of a formal nationwide standard syllabus doesn't help, as inexperienced teach struggle to provide the same level of teaching.

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  ggkfc on 01/05/2017 - 12:25

  Simple. hire more teachers

  • 

    yannyrjl on 01/05/2017 - 12:46

    unfortunately it's not that simple, speaking to teachers the profession doesn't attract the most talented pool of candidates. It's also highly unionised so good passionate young teachers often don't have a role because and move into other professions.

    Also, there is very significant costs which actually goes to school administration and running "diversity" programs rather than for teachers to teach the core subjects such as the 3Rs.

    • 

      ggkfc on 01/05/2017 - 14:59

      there's apparently a shortage of jobs for young teacher, make compulsory retirement at 50 for teachers and hire more young ones

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  aimon on 01/05/2017 - 14:09

  Where exactly are you reporting overcrowding? i would be interested.

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  [Deactivated] on 01/05/2017 - 16:11

  get a tutor? you pay what you get

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  nobro25 on 01/05/2017 - 17:07

  Public School, Private School …. it's all a gamble in the end. It's not like you have a GTO in each school to help facilitate all the bullying and mishaps at school. There's really no guarantee. Best way really is to put your kids in many situations and guide them to make the decisions.
  If you protect them by restricting them from certain things eventually they'll find a way to get to it and that develops into trust issues and possible anti-social disorders.
  Let them experience as much as possible so they'll know how to handle different situations in diff senarios. You can't always becthere for your children forever.

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  kzrocky on 01/05/2017 - 19:02

  “make private schools illegal and assign every child to a [state] school by random lottery”

  http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehdi-hasan/warren-buffett-i…

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  serpserpserp on 01/05/2017 - 19:13

  Is this another migration bashing thread? Why should schools be ready for 2022? Why that year?

  • 

    vr4indian on 02/05/2017 - 08:49

    Just took 5 years down tbe line to build infrastructure as nothing can be built overnight at this scale.

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  SilentBob on 01/05/2017 - 20:46

  +1

  Everywhere is getting too overcrowded, too many people entering the country and staying.

  Government needs to either stop letting people in or start pushing them towards the center of the country to build up.

  The cities in Australia and surrounding suburbs are ridiculously overcrowded.

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  ozzieblue on 01/05/2017 - 20:48

  +1

  I think our infrastructure is overcrowded, from schools to public transport to roads. Ever tried coming back to Sydney after a long weekend? (Sydney) The government has not addressed these issues and they have built up. They are hard to address because we don't have the stomach for making decisions that are hard until too late.

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    serpserpserp on 02/05/2017 - 20:27

    Relax, you'll have a second airport in 10 years.

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  imcold on 01/05/2017 - 22:41

  Answer is quite simple really.. Just move to an older suburb, in a medium pricing housing area, 10 minutes away from major transport hubs, that hasn't had much major housing development in years. No new housing means most people living there would have already grown up and no longer need to go to school. Sure new people move in but a majority of people would have been sticking around keeping younger families rare.

  Easiest thing to do is google the demographics of a suburb and move into an area full of um older people ^^

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  baldur on 01/05/2017 - 23:01

  -1

  sorry but i cant take this seriously. the whole population is 20 million. what overcrowding are you talking about? seems like having no issues, having welfare, cause you to make up fake issues like this.

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    SilentBob on 02/05/2017 - 12:18

    +1

    20m people 10+ years ago, add about 4m to that now.

    Also you can't be that ignorant that you think the population is evenly spread over the country.

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  coffeed on 02/05/2017 - 16:33

  -1

  — New temporary classes means no play area

  Kids and teachers are resourceful. When I was a kid, demountables classrooms were more like permanent fixtures of the school. Even if we weren't on the oval, we managed to find space.

  — Less number of qualified teachers for kids

  Less teachers hired but the ones in the classroom must meet all of the same requirements. Once there's an overspill, schools have no choice but to add another classroom to accomodate them. Which seems to be an issue. Can't have one without the other.

  — Shrinking open spaces means schools can't expand

  Schools need to build up instead of around.

  — Large migration ( puts heavy burden )

  All those Baby Bonus kids are finally of age too.

  Simples: hire more teachers, build more classrooms and schools. But build them in a sustainable way instead of overcrowding the existing facilities.

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