Parkes Christian School students Madeline McCutcheon, Hudson Field, Jasmine Collier, Mark Allen are part of a supportive school environment where they feel valued.
Parkes Christian School is one of the top NAPLAN schools in the state following the release of a comprehensive analysis of results.
The analysis reported on the growth of student results from Year 5 and Year 9 over a five-year period. Parkes Christian School’s growth in Year 9 results since 2014 was a staggering 9.1%, placing the school fourth out of 811 schools in NSW.
The Year 5 result was also impressive, with a 5.5% growth recorded, resulting in the 184th best result from 2,071 primary schools in the state.
According to Parkes Christian School Principal Glen Westcott, these rankings are the result of a “back to basics” approach to classroom teaching.
“Over the past few years we have had a real focus on explicit, direct instruction that involves teaching students exactly what they need to learn through repetition and fast-paced, dynamic teaching strategies,” Glen said.
“This leads to massive improvements in literacy and numeracy skills as reflected in our NAPLAN results.”
“Having a strong base in these fundamental skills is just so important for students as they move into high school and start exploring more abstract concepts. The link we have between our primary and high school has also led to our impressive Year 9 results.”
While being very pleased with the NAPLAN results, the Principal said the school was far more interested in overall improve- ment rather than the results of a standardised test.
“As a school we emphasise to our students to strive for improvement in all areas of life.”
“We aim to build students of strong character, who are well-equipped for the challenges that life will throw at them.”
“We work very hard to create a school where students are valued and they actually enjoy being at school. Happy students will always want to work harder and improve.”
As one of the only Kindergarten to Year 12 schools in the local area, and the only school delivering Compressed Curriculum for the HSC, Parkes Christian School provides a unique opportunity for students to grow up in a supportive and dynamic environment for the entirety of their schooling.