TOP MARKS FOR GRAMMAR
TOWNSVILLE Grammar School was the best performing NAPLAN school across North Queensland.
Students in Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 took part in the controversial nationwide standardised test in May.
NAPLAN is designed to measure students in literacy and numeracy, tracking their progress through the years.
The results showed primary and high school students at Townsville Grammar were the best performing in North Queensland.
The prestigious school featured in the state’s top 50 best. It particularly excelled as a high school after it was ranked the 14th best in the state.
It scored 5074 points in the primary years across reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy tests, and 6037 points in the senior grades.
School principal Timothy Kelly said there was a year-round focus on literacy and numeracy, which helped ease students through the stress of NAPLAN exams.
“We don’t specifically focus on NAPLAN preparation but what we do have is very strong literacy and numeracy programs that run right throughout the year levels,” he said.
“We try to get the students to approach the two days of testing so it’s a bit more relaxed.
“They’re well prepared because of the nature of what they do at school already. We really work on numeracy and literacy right throughout the year.”
Mr Kelly said the grammar school’s Year 7 students performed particularly well.
The second best performing school was The Cathedral School, which scored 4894 points in the junior year group and 5813 points in the senior years.
Cathedral’s head of Junior School Luke Baills said the school practised a teaching style focused around each individual student.
“We firmly believe acknowledging what each student brings to the school,” Mr Baills said.
“We have a well rounded picture of who they (the students) are.”
Mr Baills said the school adopted this approach about three years ago, which was helped by teachers staying at the school for a number of years.
“We have consistent teachers who are a master of their class. We don’t have a lot of staff turnaround,” he said.
The NAPLAN test remains controversial with the Queensland Government calling for a national review into the test.
After an independent review Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said it was time for a comprehensive national review of NAPLAN testing to ensure it remained current.
But advocates maintain the test is an important way to view student and school progress at one moment in time and schools use the results to improve teaching.