Public school students in need of potential interventions get assessed under an integrated framework for support, the Minister of Education said yesterday.

Crystal Caesar told the Senate that Multitiered System of Support teams meet twice a monthly to address pupils who might require additional assistance.

Student data gets monitored and analysed by each MTSS team, to ensure each student achieves maximum performance.

Her comments in the Upper House came after Victoria Cunningham, the Opposition Leader in the Senate, asked what protections were in place for primary school pupils at risk of falling behind “because repeated teacher turnover and long-term reliance on substitutes have become a systemic issue”.

Ms Cunningham said it had led to “inconsistent instruction” across multiple schools.

Ms Caesar responded that student performance could be influenced by myriad factors, including individual learning, attendance patterns, family circumstances, health and wellbeing and broader socioeconomic challenges.

She said that while the departure of teachers and the use of substitutes were often cited as concerns, “it is important to also realise that these are global realities and not the only reason why students may not reach established standards”.

The Senate heard there are about 41 substitute teachers in the system, with most employed on a yearlong basis.

Ms Caesar said substitutes were qualified teachers licensed to deliver the school curriculum.

She added that the Department of Education works throughout the year to fill vacant posts, and that by keeping substitutes long term, “disruption is minimised”.

She said: “Primary school students naturally progress through grade levels so they transition year after year to new teachers.

“So having a yearlong substitute would not necessarily impact the level of consistency for which that child is receiving instruction.”

Ms Caesar said the department and ministry worked together for continuity in the curriculum, with “standardised pacing guides” distributed to all schools to assist with lesson progression.