The petition of residentsof the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the House that the current formula that determines the allocation of teachers to one-teacher schools fails to provide equality of educational opportunity for students attending one-teacher schools in Queensland. With the introduction of Prep, students in the lower grades consume a lot more teacher time than those in the upper grades. For those schools with a heavy enrolment in the lower grades, the demand on teacher time is high. However, when the total enrolment determines whether an additional full-time teacher is appointed, the need for a second teacher in one-teacher schools is not identified. Your petitioners therefore request the House to implement an alternative staffing model to one- teacher schools in Queensland so that the teacher: student ratio reflects the demand of younger students on teacher time.