On November 15, 2015, The Sun Herald carried a very encouraging story about St John’s Park High School in Sydney, is principal Sue French and staff, and most importantly – its students.
Quoting Ms French, the report said
At .. St Johns Park High School, more than 90% of students come from a non English speaking background, while more than 100 of them are refugees. Yet for the HSC last year we had five students with ATARS over 99, 15 over 90, and 146 out of 170 students received a university offer. … Ms French Said. … Surprisingly, those schools had less parent involvement than worst performing schools. … The schools early intervention by one-on-one interviews was integral to identifying children’s needs, whilst the bonus of the first four years of Gonski funding had certainly helped, Ms French said. … It’s about building resilience and their ability to express themselves, so students can take the opportunities and run with it. That has been the key.
See link below for the full reports.
http://cese.nsw.gov.au/publications-filter/high-value-add-schools-key-drivers-of-school-improvement
John Menadue is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Pearls and Irritations. He was formerly Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, Ambassador to Japan, Secretary of the Department of Immigration and CEO of Qantas.