STAFF
Between 2012 and 2013, the number of teaching staff in schools in Australia in full-time equivalent (FTE) terms, rose by 2,599.4 (FTE) to a total of 261,585.0 (FTE). The majority of this increase was in non-government affiliated schools where staff numbers grew by 1,848.0 (FTE).
Since 2008, national teaching staff numbers have grown at a rate consistent with the growth in national student numbers over the same period to the extent that student to teaching staff ratios have remained virtually constant over the last five years. Nationally, the student (FTE) to teaching staff (FTE) ratio for 2013 was 13.9. Independent schools recorded the lowest student to staff ratio of 12.1, while Catholic schools recorded the highest, 14.8.
STUDENT (FTE) TO TEACHING STAFF (FTE) RATIO, by school level and affiliation, Australia, 2013
Considering all in-school staff, in 2013 there was a total of 368,355.6 full-time equivalent (FTE) in-school staff in Australia, a rise of 1.5 percentage points on the 2012 figure. Across the states and territories, WA rose 4.2 percentage points, representing an additional 1,738.70 (FTE) staff, while NT in-school staff fell by 4.0 percentage points, or 220.8 (FTE). The majority of in-school staff were female. This was particularly the case with teaching staff, although the proportion varied between primary and secondary levels of education, with females comprising 81% of primary teaching staff, and 58.7% of secondary teaching staff.
NUMBER OF IN-SCHOOL STAFF (FTE), by major function and sex, Australia, 2013