Revealed: The most improved schools across Northern Sydney
After much number crunching NewsLocal can reveal the most improved schools over the last five years across Sydney. See the full list and where your school came.
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An independent analysis of five years of NAPLAN results have revealed the schools that improved most in the Northern Sydney region.
The independent analysis, which compiled data from the Federal Government’s My School website, looked at scores from the year 5 and year 9 tests between 2014 and 2018.
The Northern Sydney school that improved its year 5 results the most since 2014 was
St Rose Catholic Primary School, in Collaroy Plateau, where average results improved by 11.9 per cent across all subjects.
By comparison the average year five NAPLAN improvement across the state was just 0.25 per cent and 0.39 per cent across the Northern Sydney region.
The biggest improvement made by St Rose was in the year five grammar test, as grammar results jumped 134 points since 2014.
The next biggest improvement was in reading, which jumped 77 points, followed by numeracy which climbed 51 points.
Principal of St Rose Catholic Primary School, Josie Vescio, highlighted “early identification and intervention for each student’s learning strengths” as integral to improvements in grammar and reading, and this starts before the pupils even reach kindergarten.
“Our ‘Transition to School’ program … ensure[s] we develop a profile of the student at entry point, tailor learning experiences that will close the gaps and improve reading skills core to all learning,” she said.
Ms Vescio also praised the efforts of parents consolidating the efforts in the classroom through home learning.
“Our parents and teachers collaborate to form a wraparound model to enable children to achieve outcomes,” Ms Vescio said.
“Parents regularly help out in the classrooms and they have an understanding of the strategies teachers use to deepen the students’ learning.”
St Rose Catholic Primary School has a library program where year five students are responsible for collecting and re-homing returned books, encouraging them to use the library facilities.
The school’s co-curricular meditation initiative has also provided students with the tools to increase focus and remain calm in stressful situations such as NAPLAN testing.
Despite having the biggest year five NAPLAN improvement in the area, Ms Vescio identified key learning areas she hopes the school will continue to improve.
“We have identified spelling and sentence structure, in writing, as areas of continued focus,” she said. “Through working mathematically we aim to improve students’ problem solving, reasoning and creative thinking skills.”
The school with the second biggest improvement in year five results was Meadowbank Public School, in Ryde, where scores increased 7.9 per cent.
Meadowbank’s biggest improvement was in year five reading, which climbed 49 points over five years.
The principal of Meadowbank Public School, Jenni Cope, said the school has used its Gonski funds to support students who require extra assistance and provide extension and enrichment for more capable students.
“This has been done by employing extra teachers and extra provisions such as a speech therapist,” she said.
Ms Cope also highlighted the use of multiple platforms to share information with parents, such as the Skoolbag app and Seesaw – an online learning journal – as integral to reinforcing learning at home.
“Good communication with parents and carers is a priority at our school,” she said.
Meadowbank Public School has used the NAPLAN data alongside internal assessments to evaluate student progress, resulting in an explicit writing program to strengthen literacy.
The third best year 5 improver was St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School, in Dee Why, where results increased 7.8 per cent over the five-year period.
St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School had its biggest improvement in reading which jumped 69 points, followed by grammar and spelling.
Rounding out the top five were St Therese’s Catholic Primary School, Denistone, with 7.6 per cent and Hornsby North Public School with 6.8 per cent.
Riding high on the list for year nine improvements was Marist College Eastwood, which had the biggest jump in year nine results in Northern Sydney, increasing by 2.9 per cent overall.
Marist College Eastwood achieved its most significant improvement in year nine writing, which jumped 41 points over the five years.
Principal of Marist College, Anthony Boys, partly attributed enhanced NAPLAN results to the introduction of Education Perfect, an online resource management system that allows teachers to “maximise the opportunity for personalised teaching” through the customisation of each student’s learning.
“With NAPLAN moving online, Education Perfect has assisted students in moving from paper tests to the online format,” Mr Boys said.
Mr Boys also highlighted a shift away from rote-learning teaching methods, as the College has been committed to instructional methods of teaching literacy rather than assessments which deliberately mirror the NAPLAN writing test.
“At Marist College Eastwood, good teachers know that quality teaching and learning is contrary to instruction through practice tests,” Mr Boys said. “There is little time for practice tests when focused learning will achieve more, both for student growth and test results.”
Positive improvements in writing in year 7 and year 9 have carried over into the senior years too, as Mr Boys said the College’s 2018 HSC results “were the best the school has achieved in over a decade”.
This has been a result of the College using data provided by NAPLAN to make adjustments and appropriate interventions to learning programs, as well as ongoing professional development for teachers.
“[Supporting] teachers in understanding and using a range of data to inform individual learning plans for students continues to assist students in improving their literacy skills,” Mr Boys said.
Marist College Eastwood has shown a strong commitment to co-curricular activities as well, highlighted by 10 per cent of the school population taking part in the Catholic School’s Debating Association competition.
The Northern Sydney school with the second biggest year 9 improvement was Northern Beaches Secondary College Balgowlah Boys Campus, in Balgowlah, where results improved 2.6 per cent.
The school’s strongest improvement was in grammar which climbed 41 points, followed by numeracy and spelling.
Average results at Hunters Hill High School, in Hunters Hill, increased 2.6 per cent, which was the third highest increase in Northern Sydney.
Special schools, schools with fewer than 20 students enrolled in either year, and schools that did not report any results for NAPLAN subjects in either year were excluded from the analysis.
Northern Sydney’s top 10 Year 5 NAPLAN improvers over five years:
1. St Rose Catholic Primary School: 11.9 per cent
2. Meadowbank Public School: 7.9 per cent
3. St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School: 7.8 per cent
4. St Therese’s Catholic Primary School: 7.6 per cent
5. Hornsby North Public School: 6.8 per cent
6. Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Primary School: 6.7 per cent
7. Epping Heights Public School: 6.6 per cent
8. Arden Anglican School: 6.5 per cent
9. Melrose Park Public School: 6.4 per cent
10. Northcross Christian School: 6.4 per cent
Northern Sydney’s top 10 Year 9 NAPLAN improvers over five years:
1. Marist College Eastwood: 2.9 per cent
2. Northern Beaches Secondary College Balgowlah Boys Campus: 2.6 per cent
3. Hunters Hill High School: 2.6 per cent
4. Epping Boys High School: 2.5 per cent
5. Asquith Boys High School: 2.2 per cent
6. Holy Cross College: 2.0 per cent
7. Oxford Falls Grammar School: 1.9 per cent
8. St Luke’s Grammar School: 1.6 per cent
9. St Augustine’s College Sydney: 1.5 per cent
10. St Pius X College: 1.5 per cent
Lowest improvement percentages in Northern Sydney - Year 5
1. Northside Montessori School: -8.15
2. Berowra Christian Community School: -7.96
3. Rydalmere East Public School: -7.77
4. Maria Regina Catholic Primary School: -6.24
5. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School: -6.05
6. Turramurra North Public School: -5.63
7. West Pymble Public School: -5.47
8. Cromer Public School: -5.40
9. Brooklyn Public School: -5.19
10. Balgowlah North Public School: -4.41
Worst improvements in Northern Sydney - Year 9
1. North Sydney Girls High School: -3.19%
2. Barker College: -2.84%
3. Marist College North Shore: -2.81%
4. St Leo’s Catholic College: -2.66%
5. Hornsby Girls High School: -2.27%
6. Mosman High School: -1.91%
7. SHORE - Sydney Church of England Grammar School: -1.81%
8. Ravenswood School for Girls: -1.72%
9. Northern Beaches Secondary College Cromer Campus: -1.50%
10. Roseville College: -1.47%