Vulnerable students could 'fall through the cracks' in Catholic schools shake-up

Catholic Schools Office. Picture by Jonathan Carroll Students who need help with English could "fall through the cracks" in Hunter classrooms as part of the proposed staff changes in Catholic schools. Subscribe now for unlimited access. SAVE $139 All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper All other in your area An English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) teacher working in schools in the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has sounded the alarm on a potential restructure that could result in support for students more than halved in 2027. The Newcastle Herald understands EAL/D teaching allocation for Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle could be reduced to support the highest needs only with the current 19.9 full-time equivalent allocation reduced to 6.4. The diocese was considering moving EAL/D education to a regional model where teachers worked across multiple schools. Schools in the Lower Hunter were given an allocation of 2.0 full-time equivalent, while the Lakes and the Central region was given 1.0, and North, Manning and Upper Hunter were given 0.8. An allocation of 1.0 was equal to a five-day work week. There are more than 20,000 primary and secondary students across 58 schools in the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, including Newcastle, Lake Macquarie out to Maitland and the Hunter Valley, and up to the Manning region. An EAL/D teacher said they were told their current role was being retired last week. "I'm feeling sad for our students because part of the role we perform is not a purely educational or academic one, it's also an advocacy one," they said. They said EAL/D teachers also ensured the school policies reflected the cultural, religious and linguistic needs of the most vulnerable students. EAL/D teachers are qualified primary or secondary teachers who have completed approved Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages studies, according to the Department of Education. The Hunter teacher said if specialised roles were reduced, the work would fall back on classroom teachers. "That's a huge burden on teachers who are already so overworked," they said. Cuts to the EAL/D allocation were nothing new, the teacher said. "In many schools, student numbers have increased dramatically while EAL/D teaching hours have decreased dramatically or even halved," they said. For smaller schools that could mean no EAL/D teacher on staff altogether, they said. "EAL/D students yearn to fit in with their peers, which means they rarely ask for help or volunteer that they don't understand," the teacher said. "I fear those EAL/D students will fall through the cracks in our classroom." The teacher said staff were still waiting on answers about what the new EAL/D positions would entail in terms of role permanency, location and pay. A spokesperson for Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle said the EAL/D funding model was being revised to better reflect student needs and educational priorities. They said while federal funding contributed 5 per cent annually to the cost of their EAL/D programs, the revised allocation would continue to provide significant support for students, and would ensure resources were distributed equitably. The Newcastle Herald understands that Aboriginal education workers, wellbeing and gifted education staff could also be affected by the proposed role changes. The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT believes teacher librarian roles in primary schools would be completely discontinued. Affected staff have been given the option to seek suitable redeployment within the diocese or take a redundancy. Proposed cuts to teacher librarians have caused uproar with the Australian Library and Information Association criticising the move, and a petition to mandate teacher-librarians across all Australian schools garnering more than 4000 signatures. A spokesperson for Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle said they were undertaking a consultation process on proposed staffing changes to strengthen educational outcomes and ensure long-term financial sustainability. More from Education Be the first to know when news breaks. Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. 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