Revealed: Most improved South Australia NAPLAN schools in last five years

New analysis of 700 South Australian schools reveals surprising success stories among those with the most improved NAPLAN results. Search the list for your school.

Two small government primary schools battling absenteeism in areas of chronic unemployment and social dysfunction have achieved the state’s highest improvements in NAPLAN scores.

An analysis of year 5 results for 707 SA schools between 2017 to 2021 shows Melaleuca Park Primary School at Mt Gambier increased by 20.52 per cent while Hackham West Primary School in Adelaide’s southern suburbs went up by 13.89 per cent.

This compared to a 10.42 per cent increase for the best performing private primary school, St Joseph’s Memorial School at Norwood, followed by Our Lady Queen of Peace at Albert Park on 10.09 per cent.

Hackham West Primary School year 3 students (from left) Hazel, 9, Annabeth, 8 and Noah, 8, with principal Shannon Little. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Hackham West principal Shannon Little partly attributed her school’s success to buying a bus to get children to school while Melaleuca Park has run a breakfast club for over a decade and recently opened a community cooperative shop providing subsidised food to families.

The two schools are both classified as Category 1, which serve the most socially-disadvantaged communities in the state.

Ms Little said absenteeism was a significant problem at Hackham West when she became principal in 2017, with around half of its students not attending school each day.

“We had to improve attendance so, in 2019, we got a 24-seater bus to pick the kids up and bring them to school,” she said.

“Our whole focus has been supporting families in getting their children to school.

“Then we have worked very hard to ensure sure they feel welcome and comfortable when they are here.”

Ms Little said she and her teachers believed every child deserved a high-quality education.,

“To get that high quality education, they need to be at school every day,” she said.

Ms Little said attendance had reached “about an average of 80 or 90 per cent each week”.

Ms Little said the higher attendance was reflected in the school’s NAPLAN results.

“What we have done is work closely with our community and parents,” she said.

“Like us, they want the best for their children so we have a very personal approach to all of our students and their families.

“We have high expectations for every single one of our students, regardless of the complexities they come to school with.”

Similar complexities — ranging from domestic violence, drug abuse, unemployment and extreme poverty – exist in areas near Melaleuca Park.

They have not stopped the Mt Gambier school dominating the increase in NAPLAN year 5 results between 2017 and 2021 by doubling the total of all private primary schools across SA.

Melaleuca Park Primary School principal Erica Hurley with some of the Mt Gambier school’s year 5 students. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Principal Erica Hurley said she had introduced a British program based on nurturing children during their early education, which was being implemented with the help of a social worker.

Ms Hurley said the school also was part of a national pilot project being run by the University of Melbourne focusing on improving student wellbeing.

“It’s all part of our journey to help our students reach their full potential,” she said.

“We walk alongside families to support them.”

Ms Hurley said this had included setting up a store at the school with food charity, Foodbank, to provide affordable food such as frozen meat to parents.

About a third of its 105 students also attended a breakfast club, where they were given toast and Milo before lessons started.