Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Primary School in Sefton has been recognised among the top 20 New South Wales schools for exceptional student progress in literacy and numeracy by the national assessment and curriculum body ACARA.
Roslyn Moran, Principal at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Sefton, said the results reflect a school that is deeply committed to supporting all students to achieve their best and feel engaged in their learning.
“Our focus is on knowing every learner and maximising quality teaching time, which allows us to provide targeted support from Kindergarten to Year 6. We’ve embedded Positive Behaviours for Learning across the school and strengthened early intervention in reading and mathematics, supported by evidence-based programs such as MiniLit, MultiLit, the SCS Literacy Intervention Program and Number Fluency Practice,” she said.
“We work closely with our Diverse Learning Coordinator, Learning Support Officers and in-school allied health professionals to ensure learning is accessible and differentiated for every student. Clear assessment strategies, collaborative planning and consistent modelling and guided practice across all grades have been key drivers of improved engagement and achievement in learning.”
The ‘Schools making a Difference’ list recognises those schools with the highest proportions of students making above-average gains across reading, writing and numeracy in their socio-educational context across a two-year progression between 2023 and 2025.
Danielle Cronin, Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools says schools such as Immaculate Heart of Mary in Sefton serve communities with diverse, multicultural backgrounds and varying socio-economic challenges, making their strong NAPLAN growth a particularly impressive achievement.
“Across our schools, staff implement evidence-based teaching, use data to inform learning, provide mentoring and targeted support, and engage families and communities to help every child succeed,” Ms Cronin said.
“These schools are achieving remarkable student growth while supporting communities where most students speak a language other than English at home and many require additional learning support.”
“The ACARA recognition is a powerful endorsement of the quality of our teachers, our inclusive culture and targeted interventions.”
This year, Sydney Catholic Schools’ system-wide NAPLAN results stood out for their targeted approach to supporting students, particularly in low socio-economic communities.