A Melbourne high school teacher who had sex with a student has cried in the dock after being sentenced to three years and nine months in jail.

Wesley Ellis, 37, had pleaded guilty to sexual penetration of a 16-year-old child under his care after having sex with the teenage girl on 12 occasions in 2015.

Driver jailed for killing a grandmother in Sunshine. Credit:Penny Stephens

County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd on Tuesday jailed Ellis for a minimum one year and 10 months, saying the sentence needed to be significant enough to deter others, particularly teachers, from engaging in such crimes.

"As the victim's teacher you occupied a significant position of authority and trust in the community with respect to your students," Chief Judge Kidd said. "The community is entitled to have confidence in the very significant trust placed in our teachers with our children."