HSC results: The Mid-North Coast’s best performing schools
There were some great HSC results from students across the Mid-North Coast region. Here’s a look at which schools performed the best.
Mid-North Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mid-North Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
As the new school year approaches and another cohort of Year 12 students prepare for their toughest test to date, we take a look back at which Mid-North Coast schools performed well in last year’s Higher School Certificate (HSC).
In what was widely regarded as the most challenging school year on record, two Port Macquarie schools managed to shake off the hype and drama surrounding the final year results and posted rankings within the top third of NSW schools.
St Columba Anglican College ranked number 140 on the list of 585 high schools, narrowly pipping the year 12 team at MacKillop Catholic College, who also gave good account of themselves coming in at 176.
St Columba Anglican College principal Terry Muldoon spoke to the Mid-North Coast News about the schools performance-based ranking, and how this compared to the teachers, students and parents overall expectations.
“I think we’ve really been able to add value to add to their [student’s) natural potential this year, and I think it’s the sixth year where we’ve ranked in the top 150,” he said.
“We’re glad that we got there, but I’m probably even more pleased with the attitude that they finished with.
“Nearly all of them had university places even before their results came out, but the way that they worked together, the way they hung together, they didn’t let that tsunami of bad news bring them down all the time.
“They hung in there, they were good to each other, they acknowledged the hard work that staff did and they were grateful to their parents. They were just a really good group of kids.
“While they might not have had that aspirational edge you find in some year 11s and 12s, they were happy to work as a team and they were just good to be around.
“They accepted that this year didn’t turn out long they wanted, so they didn’t whinge, they just said ‘oh, well, what the hell – let’s just get on with it.”
He said the school’s strong focus on wellbeing during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was key to its eventual success.
“We spent a lot of time on wellbeing,” Mr Muldoon said.
“Our deputy director of wellbeing made about 423 phone calls over a couple of weeks to make sure that kids and parents were OK, and that everything was working, and just listening to people.”
He said this type of nurturing, guidance and advice helped most students to get the best out of their school year in trying circumstances.
“Most got the ATAR [Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking] they thought they would, and deserved – and those that did perform well – were always just striving for that little bit extra,” Mr Muldoon said.
“A couple said to me, if only I’d got 90 [ATAR] instead of 89, or 91 instead of 88, I would have been felt a bit better and might have been on the premier’s list.
“They didn’t get everything they wanted, but instead of whining about it, they took what they could have and they made the best of it.
MacKillop Catholic College Principal Cath Eichmann said the college was very pleased with how the students managed the challenges of 2020.
“While we often focus on the statistics and high ATAR scores, ultimately success in the HSC is about students achieving their potential and goals,” she said.
“In addition to our excellent ATAR score and many students achieving scores in the 90s, a large number of students excelled in their practical works and performances.
“The College also has a strong focus on every student‘s individual growth and in the last few days we have been able to analyse each students individual growth using data collected throughout their whole-schooling against their HSC results.”
She said initial data indicated many students had achieved well above expected results, which was testament to their efforts and the guidance they received from their expert teachers.
The HSC performance ranking is calculated as the number of students who achieved a band six as a percentage of the number of students enrolled in the school.
Following close in the footsteps of St Columba and Mackillop Catholic College was St Joseph’s Regional College, ranked 218, and St Clare’s High School, Taree, at 395.
Just one rank away was Hastings Secondary College Port Macquarie Campus on 396.
The region’s other performers included Taree High School at 424, St Paul‘s College, 465, Hastings Secondary College Westport Campus, 558 and Chatham High School on 560.
Johns/Daley Cup: Top-10 performers from round one
There were matchwinning halves and destructive backrowers. See who were the top-10 stars during round one of the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cup.
Throw the book: Consequences, not just cash for youth crime fight
They say cash is king, but not when it comes to young criminals terrorising regional NSW towns. Amid a huge funding boost, one MP says real consequences are required to see real change.