Crestwood High School in Sydney’s north-west has become a beacon of educational transformation, raising the standard for its students and reshaping its approach to teaching. At the beginning of each school year, the top student from the previous year addresses the incoming HSC graduates, sharing insights on study habits, time management, and balancing personal and academic life. Principal Tania Wright described this tradition as “very authentic” and effective in motivating students. Recent analyses of Higher School Certificate results suggest that the school’s efforts are yielding tangible results. Crestwood High has significantly improved its performance over recent years, placing 23rd among public non-selective schools in the annual HSC results rankings based on band 6s. However, when considering average scores across the entire student cohort, the school ranks in the top 10. Last year, the school’s average HSC score across all subjects reached 80, surpassing its average score over the past three years. Music 1 was the highest-performing subject, followed by English Advanced, with students achieving average scores above 85 in each. Visual Arts, Mathematics Advanced, and Investigating Science followed closely behind. Wright emphasized the role of teacher expertise in driving these improvements. A key initiative involves shifting students from band 5 (scores between 80 and 89) to band 6, and even pushing students from band 4 to band 5. Teachers engage in workshops to refine their methods and strategies for achieving these goals. The school employs a backward-mapping strategy, starting from Year 12 and working backward to Year 7, ensuring that students progressively develop more complex writing and analytical skills appropriate for their grade level. Similar improvements are evident at Lake Macquarie High, located south of Newcastle. The school saw a 10 percentage point increase in its average score between 2023 and 2025. Principal Brendan Maher, who took charge over a decade ago, faced initial challenges due to the school’s declining performance and rapid loss of students. His first priority was to rebuild the school’s reputation and increase enrollments. He invested heavily in professional learning to boost staff confidence and encourage innovation in teaching methods. Maher’s journey to becoming a teacher began after he lost his job when the BHP steelworks in Newcastle closed in September 1999. Now, he leads a school that has undergone significant upgrades, including a marine ecology lab, indoor gym, recording studio, and commercial kitchen. These facilities support a broader curriculum aimed at nurturing gifted and talented students. Despite focusing on improving outcomes for all students, especially those who initially believe they cannot achieve higher HSC results, the school has seen a substantial rise in enrollment, growing from nearly 250 students to over 500 for the upcoming year. The success of Crestwood High and Lake Macquarie High highlights broader trends in Australian education. Experts emphasize the importance of literacy beyond the classroom, linking it to long-term employment and health outcomes. Professor Tanya Serry from La Trobe University warns against overreacting to NAPLAN results, noting that they are not diagnostic tests and should be viewed as snapshots rather than definitive indicators of a student’s abilities. She encourages parents to consult with schools to gain a clearer understanding of their child’s progress. Ardeer Primary School in Melbourne’s western suburbs exemplifies successful educational reforms. The school recently achieved its best-ever NAPLAN results, showing significant improvements in reading, writing, and numeracy for students in Years 3 and 5. Principal John Mifsud attributes this success to the adoption of explicit teaching, a method that clearly outlines learning intentions and success criteria for students. This approach contrasts sharply with the previously favored whole language model, which has since been discredited. Explicit teaching has led to increased student engagement and attentiveness, with positive outcomes reflected in the school’s performance metrics. These developments underscore a growing emphasis on practical, evidence-based teaching strategies across Australia. As schools continue to adapt and innovate, the focus remains on equipping students with the skills necessary for future success, whether in academic pursuits or real-world applications.
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