Northern beaches school Naplan results revealed

THE northern beaches’ top schools have been revealed. Find out where your school ranked based on Naplan results.

• Bronwyn Bishop: Chopperagate story ‘basically true’
• Neighbourhood fights $1.4m boarding house
• Dogs being treated for stress

A NORTHERN BEACHES school has been recognised for incredible improvements in its Naplan results.

Balgowlah Boys, part of the Northern Beaches College Campus, was one of 10 NSW schools singled out by ACARA, the body responsible for Naplan.

Balgowlah Boys has performed well in NAPLAN. Principal Paul Sheather with a group of students.

More than 70 per cent of the students reached expected, or better than expected, results in their Year 9 test last year.

Principal Paul Sheather, who has turned the school around since joining eight years ago, said he was particularly proud it was one of only two government schools on the ‘best gains’ list to see improvements in both numeracy and literacy.

“We have had some wonderful results in the last few years in both Naplan and the HSC,” said Mr Sheather, who has seen the pupil population double following the school’s academic success.

“We will be approaching capacity soon.”

One of the major successes at Balgowlah Boys has been its high literacy results, unusual considering it’s an all-boys school. Mr Sheather said teachers from other northern beaches and north shore schools had been asking how they could replicate Balgowlah Boys’ success in literacy.

John Colet was the top performing primary school. Picture: Troy Snook

He said reading material was chosen to appeal to boys, and literacy was scheduled at 10.40am, when boys are at their peak for concentration.

Mr Sheather is also a parent at the school with all three boys having attended. His youngest is in Year 12.

“What I wanted for my own boys is what I want for all the boys here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Galstaun College, which is a small coeducational Armenian school in Ingleside, has been recognised for its improvement in both numeracy and reading.

The school’s numeracy results indicated that Year 9 students are well above the state average, curriculum co-ordinator Gregory Chahrozian said.

Also, innovative learning at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Forestville, has resulted in recognition for ‘learning gains’ in numeracy and reading, which are “substantially above expectations,” principal Meredith Tomkins said.

To find your school’s Naplan results and compare them with other schools on the northern beaches go to myschool.edu.au.