Elite private schools drop the ball in HSC rankings
Some of Sydney’s most expensive private schools have flunked out in the Higher School Certificate rankings this year, while newer migrant-dominated schools in the west are big improvers.
Some of Sydney’s most expensive private schools have flunked out in the Higher School Certificate rankings this year, while newer migrant-dominated schools in the west are big improvers.
This year, prestigious institutions such as Kincoppal Rose Bay, Ravenswood School for Girls and Riverview — which charge around $30,000 a year for Year 12 education — dropped more than 10 places in HSC rankings.
Trinity Grammar at Summer Hill suffered one of the biggest falls, dropping from number 64 last year to 111th spot on this year’s list. It charges Year 12 students $33,680 for tuition and a further $31,010 to board.
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The school’s head Timothy Bowden said a number of students were doing the rival International Baccalaureate so this year’s candidature sitting the HSC had been greatly reduced.
“Last year, for example, 25 boys got an ATAR over 99,” he said. “Half the year group got an ATAR over 90. We expect similar results this year.”
The IB remains a niche alternative to the HSC with fewer than 600 NSW students sitting it last year.
Kincoppal Rose Bay, the setting of the film Looking For Alibrandi, which charged parents $29,799 dropped 16 places from 28 to 44th.
Prestigious Ascham School in Edgecliff fell from ninth last year to 18th while The King’s School, Loreto Kirribilli and SCEGGS at Darlinghurst also all dropped nine places this year. Former PM Tony Abbott’s alma mater St Ignatius College Riverview fell from 46th place last year to 61st.
The state’s top school for the 23rd year in a row was selective powerhouse James Ruse Agricultural High.
But private schools rising up the rankings included Muslim campuses Al Noori in Greenacre and Al-Faisal College in Auburn.
Al-Faisal jumped from 54 to 26 while Al Noori, where 99 per cent of students have a language background other than English, improved from 45 to 42.
School dux Sabrine Mouslemani, 18, said the students had a great relationship with the teachers and the support of their parents.
“Our principal and teachers make sure we have a key goal and a clear purpose.”
Sabrine received a mark of 93 in the Advanced English course despite the fact her parents speak Arabic at home.
“We have been studying English ever since day one in Kindergarten. I think our school has tried really hard from the year before — what went wrong and what went well.”
Fellow student Solaiman Hossain, 17, said teachers also helped him focus on his goal of getting into commerce at Sydney University, which requires an ATAR of 95.
“I just think the relationship with the teachers was the main focus, the school wanted us to achieve our goals.”
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CHERRYBROOK TECH TEACHER LOSS LEADS TO DROP
Another success story was at Narellan’s Elderslie High School, where students Lachlan Willingham and Hannah Jenkins (pictured left) topped their courses in general maths and fashion design in the 2018 HSC.
“In the last term every Monday I would just sit down and go over what I needed to do,” Lachlan said.
“I didn’t really think about maths, I was more worried about my other subjects.”
23 YEARS ON TOP FOR JAMES RUSE
UTS lecturer in teaching methods Mohan Dhall said migrant-dominated schools could be more agile to new ways of teaching and learning while others rested on laurels.
“That is always a concern about any school that has a high rank and then falls.”
Girls beat the boys overall this year, with 20,772 girls receiving a distinguished achievers awards, compared to 15,740 boys.
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