ACARA news, September 2019

Student–teacher ratio and class sizes


16 September 2019

Recent media coverage has reported on class sizes across Australia using data from ACARA.

ACARA maintains a National Report on Schooling Data Portal that provides interactive access to a number of national data sets for schooling.

Although ACARA reports on student-teacher ratios through the Data Portal, we do not report on class sizes. This is because student-teacher ratios are only an indicator of the level of staffing resources used. They are not a measure of class size. They do not take account of teacher aides and other non-teaching staff who may also assist in the delivery of school education or of non-teaching duties of teaching staff. Data such as this requires context and there are many variables that determine the relationship between the student-teacher ratio and class size.

ACARA is responsible only for collecting, managing, analysing, evaluating and reporting statistical and related information about educational outcomes.

New resources on the Australian Curriculum website


10 September 2019

The Australian Curriculum website has been updated with new resources for teachers:

  • work samples for Languages (Korean F–10)
  • work samples for History (7–10)
  • Year 3 and 4 teacher background information to support teachers incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures in the Australian Curriculum: Science. 

Indigenous Literacy Day


05 September 2019

Yesterday was Indigenous Literacy Day, a day for celebrating Indigenous culture, stories, language and literacy, as well as promoting access to literacy resources in remote communities.

Read our media release (PDF 138 kb)