South coast NAPLAN: Most improved schools share their secrets to academic success
Schools across the south coast have bounced back after a one-year hiatus from NAPLAN testing to achieve some stunning results, as teachers look to move past Covid.
The South Coast News
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South coast school principals are looking to bounce back in a big way as the results of the first NAPLAN test since Covid reveal which schools have overcome teaching strains during the pandemic to improve their ranking.
Shoalhaven Heads Primary School ranked just 1447th in the 2019 NAPLAN testing, but has since seen improved its numeracy dramatically, according to deputy principal Belinda Walker.
In 2019, students in Year 5 received a score of 476 for numeracy.
Two years later, those scores had risen to 503, an increase of nearly 30 points.
On average, the school’s scores increased in 2021, rising by a point for Year 3 students to 396.4, while for Year 5 students, the average rose by 0.04 to 479.8.
Ms Walker said teachers had worked hard through the challenging two years to ensure that when NAPLAN testing resumed last year, no child was left behind.
“We specifically decided growth was our goal; to develop students across the school, rather than just their attainment,” Ms Walker said.
“As a result, we made a huge improvement with numeracy, and I think that comes down to quality teaching.”
At the heart of the school’s approach is a unique model called “co-teaching”.
Rather than having classes broken up traditionally into grade groups, Ms Walker said years three and four, and five and six, were grouped together, with multiple teachers in each new grouping.
“We’ve got three teachers in each class, and I think that makes a huge difference to the attention the kids get,” she said.
“One teacher can be leading a lesson, but the other two are supporting or extending kids’ need.
“The kids know there’s someone there for them if they need help – the kids feel supported.”
While Lake Heights Primary School principal Kieran Corbyn maintains a more traditional approach to teaching, he agrees that navigating the hurdles presented by the Covid pandemic has required dedication and a new direction.
“Preparation for NAPLAN occurs every day,” he said.
“We‘re preparing for NAPLAN today, and we prepared for NAPLAN yesterday, and we’ll prepare tomorrow because we’re teaching our kids the skills that are in the curriculum and the skills that they’re going to need.
“Covid present hurdles, absolutely, but it was the professionalism of our staff, the support of our community, and resources from the department, that helped us navigate those hurdles and maintain our core business which is teaching.
“We do absolutely everything we can to maintain continuity of learning, so that our children didn‘t fall behind.”
The Lake Illawarra school ranked sixth last among schools on the south coast in 2019 testing, but has since made a marked improvement, Mr Corbyn said.
In 2019, students in Year 3 received an average score of 367, while those in Year 5 received 327.4.
In last year’s testing, Year 3 students increased their average to 384.
Year 5 students scores increased by a more than a hundred points, achieving a score 475.2, with a score of 482 for writing performing above standard.
Mr Corbyn owes the success to an intensive teaching program, and to help from government initiatives.
“Our kids showed progress well above expectation, and the growth was something we are really proud of,” he said.
“We’ve had a relentless focus on student growth and attainment for every child in literacy and numeracy.
The school was involved in two programs by the NSW Department of Education which focused on maths skills and accelerated curriculum reform project.
“Those two programs have really revolutionised a lot of what we do at school,” Mr Corbyn said.
“But, on a simple level, it‘s just been maintaining that relentless focus, and ensuring that every child grows and continues to develop.
“Something that‘s often left out of these equations are our kids – they’re the ones that turn up every day and give their best in the classroom.
“Schools are a combination of staff, students and community, and when they all work together in harmony and with rigour, really positive things can happen.”
As schools look forward to continue grading in 2022, Ms Walker said her and her staff were looking at continuing to grow the success they’ve had in numeracy in 2021 with their co-teaching model.
“We found the kids are doing well and are improving, but we actually wanted them to love maths and love the engagement part of numeracy.
“That’s the tweak we’re making this year: making sure there‘s a lot of hands on engagement and real world mathematics to make sure that the kids see the relevance to their life and the future.”
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