A number of Catholic schools have been recognised by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) for the encouraging outcomes achieved by students in the latest NAPLAN results.
The information available today on the My School website shows the latest school-level NAPLAN data, helping parents, carers, schools and governments to better understand student performance in the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy.
There were 17 Catholic schools listed in ACARA’s national high performing schools’ list – two are from South Australia:
“These two school communities are to be especially congratulated for their strong focus on literacy and numeracy,” says Dr Neil McGoran, Executive Director of Catholic Education South Australia.
“They are clearly high achievers when it comes to student learning outcomes and the principals, staff and students in these communities should be immensely proud of their success.
“While all Catholic schools are committed to excellence in learning and teaching, it is pleasing to see these two schools highlighted as leaders in the nation.”
St Joseph’s School Principal Liz Thomas praised her school community.
“This achievement reflects the collective effort and commitment of our students and staff, we are dedicated to continuous improvement as we strive for excellence,” she said.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College Principal Maria Urbano also congratulated her school’s staff and students.
“We are proud of their continual level of commitment to teaching and learning and living out the College’s pillar of OLSH education; We are Heart People who Pursue Excellence."
National Catholic education executive director Jacinta Collins said that NAPLAN results across Catholic schools are encouraging with schools performing above or well above the national average in all of the domains tested.
“However, we know there is still a way to go to lift results for all schools and all students, particularly those experiencing educational disadvantage such as students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and students with disability, as well as those from regional, rural and remote areas,” she said.
“The schools identified by ACARA have a sustained track record of improving. I know there are many schools able to show similar improvement in student achievement that are not on this list. All students, teachers and school leaders should be very proud.”
Ms Collins said one of the great strengths of NAPLAN was its ability to highlight areas students could be supported in their learning and where additional resources or early intervention could be applied to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes.
“The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) is currently collaborating across the Catholic sector to address student outcomes in mathematics.
“This work includes our Mastery in Mathematics curriculum resources, with the first phase being launched today via the Ochre Education website will deliver a full year’s worth of high-quality, evidence-based and adaptable teaching resources for Years 7 and 8 mathematics teachers in Catholic schools by the start of the 2024 school year,” Ms Collins said.
NCEC is the peak body for Catholic Education in Australia and is responsible for the national coordination and representation of Catholic schools and school authorities. There are 1,759 Catholic schools educating nearly 794,000 or one in five Australian students and employing over 104,500 staff.
Almost 500 scholarships have been offered to primary and secondary school-aged children and young people in care, thanks to an ongoing collaboration between Catholic Education South Australia and the Department for Child Protection.
