Small country schools among South Australia’s best NAPLAN performers

Some of SA’s smallest schools have recorded mighty gains in this year’s NAPLAN results. See the list.

Some of the state’s smallest regional public schools are celebrating being among those with the most improved numeracy and literacy test results, new data shows.

While it comes as no surprise that large primary schools in wealthier areas were among those with the state’s strongest overall NAPLAN results, educators prefer to shine a light on schools showing improvement.

The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) says 12 public SA primary and combined campuses showed above or well above average progress, when compared with similar schools.

Schools in Mypolonga, Kimba, Mannum, Minlaton, Moonta and Cobdogla featured in ACARA’s list of high progress schools – those making significant inroads in reading, numeracy and writing from years 3–5 or years 7–9.

Meantime, Linden Park Primary, Highate School, Burnside Primary and East Marden Primary were among those recording some of the state’s highest overall raw results.

At Mypolonga, principal Sunyl Vogt was chuffed with the school’s improvements in its numeracy tests – an achievement he linked back to students’ experience solving real-world problems.

Mypolonga Primary School students Mikaela, 11, and Charlotte, 11. Picture: Dean Martin

For example, the school has no canteen, but students organise lunch orders once a week, and before the height of the pandemic they sold food and other items to passengers from the Proud Mary river boat that passes through the area.

They calculated profits, losses and commissions.

“It has really increased our kids’ numeracy skills – that has made the idea of maths not this foreign object,” Mr Vogt said.

“The kids explain to the guests how the shop operates – how the profits and losses work and how the goods sold go back to funding what happens in the school, so the kids’ understanding of it is really strong.

“The kids are teaching each other and passing on their knowledge, which is definitely part of the continuity of learning for all the kids.”

Mypolonga’s high progress results in reading were also boosted by its “literacy cup”, Mr Vogt said, won by the school house whose students completed the most night-time reading each year.

Education Department chief executive Rick Persse. Picture: Supplied

Glen Osmond Primary showed “well above” average growth compared with similar schools in reading and numeracy from years 5-7 and also in writing from years 3–5.

Principal Garry North said the school’s focus on teaching phonics had been a significant driver of those results.

“It’s the whole school expectation that everybody engages in this way of teaching phonics and it has had undoubtable impact on our reading and writing,” he said.

“(But) we’ve also made some big steps in maths.”

Blair Athol North B-6, Modbury South, Pooraka and Richmond were among other city schools showing above average improvement.

Meantime, Australia’s education ministers have agreed to move NAPLAN from May to mid-March in 2023.

Education Department chief executive Rick Persse said this would allow teachers more time to work with students after they received the results. “NAPLAN is about trying to get an early diagnostic assessment of where a child is at and that information is most helpful for the family and the teacher,” he said.

Mr Persse said the department was “very encouraged” by this year’s NAPLAN scores.

“The challenges of keeping schools open has been really difficult for teachers, principals and SSOs (school services officers) over the last couple of years and they’ve done a sterling job,” he said.

“We’ve seen growth in NAPLAN year-on-year, and some of the best growth in the country, and also seen improved SACE completion in and amongst the pandemic.”

Find more information on each school’s results at myschool.edu.au.

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