Campbelltown students are receiving a better education under the Minns Labor Government, as the number of students being left in merged and cancelled classes has almost halved over the last year according to a new survey from the NSW Department of Education.

The 2024 Alternative Supervision Survey tracked merged and cancelled classes across the state, which we know creates a disruptive environment for students.

The former Liberal National Government dismissed the teacher shortage crisis and the former minister refused to collect data on the true impact of merged and cancelled classes on students.

Last year, the inaugural Alternative Supervision Survey found students has lost close to a million hours in learning over the year due to the teacher shortages inherited by the Minns Labor Government.

This year, about half a million hours of lost learning for students has been regained through our work to rebuild public education in NSW, according to these results.

Schools in the Campbelltown electorate have had a 26% reduction in the number of merged and cancelled classes in their local schools.

While there is more to do to, the results of the second Alternative Supervision Survey show the Minns Labor Government is making progress addressing teacher shortages, which had escalated to crisis levels under the Liberals and Nationals.

Since being elected in March 2023, the Minns Labor Government has made progress in rebuilding public education, by addressing the teacher shortage left by the Liberals and Nationals, including scrapping the wages cap and delivering teacher the largest pay rise in a generation.

The Minns Labor Government has also converted the roles of more than 16,000 temporary teachers and school support staff to permanent roles and banned mobile phones in all public schools to help foster a more positive school environment. We are also continuing to make progress on reducing the workload of teachers through an expansion of the School Administration Reduction Program trial.

These efforts have helped reduce teacher vacancies to a three-year-low, with NSW public schools reporting 24 per cent fewer vacancies at the start of Term 3, 2024 than at the same time last year.

Member for Campbelltown and Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Early Learning Greg Warren said:

“It is no surprise to anyone that our students learn better when there is a teacher in the classroom.”

“Across Campbelltown we are seeing fantastic improvements in the rates of merged and cancelled classes that are having an impact on our students.”

“There is still more to do, but we are doing the work to rebuild the teaching workforce and ensure that all students have access to the best standard of education.”

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns:

“We are getting more teachers in classrooms, and that's making school less disruptive for our kids.

"This is good for children and a relief for their parents.

"Parents can be reassured that we are addressing the teacher shortage crisis we inherited and we are seeing improvements.

“We know there is more to do, but we are making progress to rebuild our teaching workforce to give NSW kids the best education possible.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

“It’s no secret that the way to improve our students’ results is to make sure there is a teacher in front of every classroom, doing what they do best – teaching.

“The Liberals and Nationals’ long-term neglect of our education system caused damage to our educators and our children’s education, and it cannot be reversed overnight.

“We promised the people of NSW before the election that if we came to Government we would fix the issue of merged and cancelled classes across NSW schools.

“While there is still more to do, this data shows our work has our schools are moving in the right direction.”