The national curriculum authority has identified NSW schools achieving above-average results compared with students of similar backgrounds.
When Fairfield West Public School principal Genelle Goldfinch walks around the playground on the first day of term, she asks her students how they spent their holidays. Their responses typically do not include visits to the beach or other Sydney landmarks.
The primary school, where two-thirds of students are in the lowest socio-educational quartile, rolled out a “building background knowledge” program this year. This involves students taking once-a-term excursions to different parts of Sydney, including to beaches, the Art Gallery of NSW and the zoo. “I say ‘if you all agree with me, well, I may as well be in the room by myself’. I encourage rigorous debate and discussion and the teachers and leaders work extremely hard,” she said. “That’s why we get the results, because of their moral purpose, they’re driven to make that difference for the children.”
“It’s been three years of intensive improvement,” says principal Brendan O’Connor. “We use high-quality formative assessment and have daily review practices, which is a fast-paced 10-minute recap of the previous day’s content at the start of each lesson.”“We are assessing students in real time,” explains O’Connor, who said the release of new English syllabuses several years ago sparked a major review of the school’s approach to teaching and learning.
The high-fee school achieved well above average results for all domains, improving results in spelling in years 3 and 5 significantly. Year 3 maths scores also improved to be well-above average, compared to close-to-average in 2023.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US election 2024: Donald Trump picks Senator Marco Rubio as his Secretary of StateThe conservative legislator is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran; US attorney general nominee to “end weaponised government”. Follow live updates.
Read more »
US election 2024: Donald Trump sweeps to power as a new era dawns in AmericaDonald Trump has completed a stunning victory, taking the US presidency with 277 electoral college votes; the Democrats’ blue wave has fizzled out; Follow live updates.
Read more »
Brown clinches 2024 Supercars crown after red-hot finish in AdelaideSupercars: Will Brown has been crowned the 2024 Supercars Champion after finishing second at the Adelaide 500.
Read more »
US election results and map 2024: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris vie to be presidentWith 30 states called, the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to be the next US president is coming down to the crucial swing states. Follow the latest results from across the US
Read more »
Melbourne Cup 2024 LIVE updates: Crowds flock to Flemington for Australia’s greatest raceFrom fashion to race analysis and everything in between, follow our rolling coverage of all the action in Melbourne.
Read more »
Brisbane Metro Network's Return of Services Promised for January 2024As drilling under Brisbane's CBD for the council's Metro network concludes, Brisbane City Council has promised the permanent return of services through city routes from January 28, 2024. The council cites a 'landmark' deal with the state government, while Brisbane City Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner calls it a 'really exciting' milestone.
Read more »