NAPLAN data reveals schools where students making strong progress

One of Geelong’s biggest improvers in NAPLAN has revealed their secret to surging rates of high achievement despite some huge challenges. SEE THE RESULTS

New data has revealed local schools where students are making great gains despite the challenges of the Covid pandemic.

The cancellation of NAPLAN for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant there was no NAPLAN data last year, but with NAPLAN successfully undertaken across the country in 2021, the My School website has now been updated with school-level NAPLAN data.

“My School is an excellent resource to help parents, schools and governments understand the performance of schools,” ACARA chief executive David de Carvalho.

Ekrai Dillon and Eleanor Riddle. Fyans Park Primary School improved its NAPLAN results.

The “Student progress” information includes tables showing the percentage of students at the school whose progress was better than expected, given the school’s average score two years ago and the level of community socio-educational advantage.

Tate Street Primary School students recorded impressive growth between 2019 and 2021.

At the East Geelong school, between grade three and five 71 per cent achieved above average progress in reading and 74 per cent in writing when compared to students with the same starting score and similar background, MySchool data showed.

Tate Street Primary School learning specialist Alicia Nuttall said the kids had done an “amazing job”.

“Over the last few years we’ve had a strong focus on literacy,” she said.

The school had a focus on early intervention to ensure kids had a successful start, with education support officer support for preps and an oral language program with a “great success rate”.

Tutors brought in by the state government across Victoria during the Covid pandemic had also supported students.

Mrs Nuttall said the school community was quite small, with only about 180 students.

“The teachers know everyone,” she said.

“The parents and teachers work together as a team.

“We know our students so well we are able to tailor our programs.”

AJ Bellia and Griffon Hoiles at Fyans Park Primary School.

Other local schools with impressive results included Aireys Inlet Primary which recorded well above average progress for reading and numeracy when compared to students with the same starting score and similar background.

Anglesea Primary School students’ progress was well above average for reading, while St Francis Xavier School in Corio and Teesdale Primary students were well above average for numeracy.

Meanwhile, Geelong Grammar was above average progress for reading between years seven and nine; Grovedale College for numeracy; and Saint Ignatius College Geelong for writing.

Proud principal Darlene Cameron says maintaining strong links between families and staff had been key to students’ success.

Between years three and five in 2019 and 2021, 53 per cent of Fyans Park Primary School students made above average progress in reading and writing compared to students of a similar background and who had the same starting score on their previous NAPLAN test.

Fifty-nine per cent made above average progress in numeracy.

Mrs Cameron said staff were incredibly proud of the results.

She said maintaining a remote learning partnership had been key during the Covid pandemic.

And amid the unpredictable nature of lockdowns, wellbeing was a focus during remote learning for students from the Newtown school.

Mrs Cameron said ensuring students could still see their teachers face-to-face using Webex had been pivotal.

Originally published as NAPLAN data reveals schools where students making strong progress