NAPLAN 2024: Celebrating exceptional growth in our students’ learning

St Patrick’s College has received its 2024 NAPLAN results, revealing incredible growth in our students’ learning outcomes.

A comparison of our 2024 outcomes with last year’s results shows that our performance is above the national 2023 mean for boys in almost all domains.

Acting Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal for Learning Innovation Carol Roberts said the achievement highlighted the remarkable efforts of our students, teachers, and support staff.

“As a school, in recent years, we have commenced integrating a research-based, evidence-informed educational model into our practice. It is very exciting indeed to see how these approaches and strategies are translating into tangible outcomes in our students’ learning,” she said.

“The model represents best practice in boys’ education, considering what we know from the science of learning while ensuring we maintain our positive approaches to wellbeing and pastoral care. There are a few key features of this model that we see as contributing significantly to the improvement we have seen.”

Ms Roberts explained that everything we do at St Patrick’s College was seen as an opportunity to learn.

“Our lessons are highly structured, and unapologetically so. We know that boys thrive with routines and structures, so each lesson has a particular format that starts with teacher instruction, which is gradually released until they can undertake the task or skill independently, with the intention of building their confidence,” she said.

“Our lessons are also developed in teams of teachers so that all students benefit from the expertise of a team of educators rather than one teacher. This also ensures equity, with all students experiencing a consistent best practice approach rather than the lesson “lottery” that many schools have.”

Ms Roberts said while even modest increases in scores were worth celebrating, we had seen very high levels of growth, including:

• Significant improvements in all measurable domains (Numeracy, Writing, Reading, Grammar & Punctuation, and Spelling) at Year 9
• Our greatest improvement was in Year 9 Writing, traditionally a challenging area for boys nationally
• Improvements in Numeracy, Writing, Reading, and Grammar & Punctuation for Year 7
• Outcomes above the 2023 national mean for Year 9 boys in Writing, Numeracy, Grammar & Punctuation, and Reading (and equal to the 2023 national mean for Year 9 boys in Spelling)
• Outcomes above the 2023 national mean for Year 7 boys in Writing, Numeracy, and Reading
• Notably, Year 9 demonstrated the greatest improvement, reflecting the significant impact of our instructional practices

Ms Roberts reminded us that while scores were not the fundamental purpose or goal of education, they do indicate that our approaches are working for our boys.

“We have a strong focus on literacy, as we know that nationally this is an area that boys struggle in, particularly with writing. In this context, we are particularly interested and pleased to see the improvements in our writing outcomes, which are clearly bucking nationwide trends in literacy standards, particularly for boys,” she said.

“We attribute this to our explicit approach to the teaching of writing, which breaks writing down at the finest grain level. This approach is supported by research and has been shown to improve writing, particularly for boys.”

She also acknowledged the criticisms and media attention that NAPLAN has attracted over the years, but affirmed its value as a standardised measure that is vitally important in ensuring continuous improvement as a school.

Reflecting on this success, Ms Roberts emphasised the holistic and formative nature of education at St Patrick’s College.

“Our commitment to integrating a research-based, evidence-informed educational model is not just about improving academic outcomes; it is about fostering a holistic environment where boys can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally,” she said.

“By maintaining a balance between structured, consistent teaching practices and a strong focus on wellbeing, we are confident that our students are not only meeting but exceeding their potential.

“The tangible improvements in our students’ learning and the positive feedback we receive are a testament to the effectiveness of our approach. We look forward to continuing this journey, constantly refining our methods to ensure that every student at our College has the opportunity to succeed and flourish.”