From the Principal

Dear Parents, Students, and Friends of St Virgil’s College, 

The Tasmanian Minister for Education, Jo Palmer, recently announced that the Government will undertake an independent review of the state’s education system. The review is welcomed given the poor academic outcomes for Tasmanian students with only 53% of students completing the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) compared with the national average for boys currently sitting at 76.3%.   

This alarming statistic was also highlighted in a recent article entitled, ‘Warning over rotten Apple Isle schooling’ which appeared in the Weekend Australian (20 July). The author warned that despite the state spending more per student than any other state, Tasmania’s Year 12 attainment rates are the lowest in the nation. 

Independent experts tracking the decline of the state’s educational performance suggest urgent, far-reaching reform including a review of the state’s college system which has led to high dropout rates after Year 10 in Tasmania. 

This decline in academic outcomes is evident when tracking the data for students who left St Virgil’s College at the end of Year 10. Between 2016 and 2022 students who left the College at the end of Year 10 to complete Years 11 and 12 at various Colleges across Hobart, only 68% achieved the TCE, 41% achieved an ATAR and 16.6% attained a VET Certificate. Well down compared to the national average. 

With the College’s extension and inclusion of Years 11 and 12, I am happy to report that St Virgil’s College results are tracking well above the state and national averages. At the end of 2023, there were 194 enrolments in TASC subjects. 96% of these students successfully received credit points to qualify for the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE), while 85% received a Satisfactory Achievement (SA) or more. Of our current Year 12 students looking to meet the requirements of the TCE, 97.4% met the Literacy Standard and 85% the Numeracy Standard by the end of Year 11. 

More than 65% of our students received a Commendable Achievement (CA) or more for a diverse range of pre-tertiary subjects including Visual Art, English, Modern History, Mathematics Methods Foundation, Mathematics Methods, Studies in Religion and Drama.

This was a greater proportion of students achieving a CA or more than for students across the state in each of these subjects. 

More than 68% received a CA or more for the Level 2 subjects Biology, English Foundation and Contemporary Music and Songwriting. Of our Year 10 students in 2023 who studied Mathematics Methods Foundation and sat the external examination, 75% received a CA or more.

I have been heartened to see how well our current Years 11 and 12 students along with their teachers have responded to this challenge over the past couple of years and confirm that St Virgil’s College is on the right track in providing senior secondary education at our Austins Ferry Campus.     

The College has an ambitious goal of 100% TCE, ATAR or VET completion for those who choose any one of these certificates. As Principal I believe our young men deserve nothing less and with the expertise of our staff and our commitment to creating a supportive and conducive learning environment, I am confident that all students can achieve their personal best.   

I look forward to reporting on our Year 12 results at the end of the year celebrating their success with the broader College community. 

Academic Awards Assembly

Today’s assembly provided an opportunity to acknowledge the academic efforts of many of the students from Years 7 to 12 over the first half of the year. It was pleasing to see so many young men being acknowledged in front of their peers – whether it be for high achievement or their application across all subjects. It was also an opportunity to recognise and acknowledge those students who received Year 11, 2025 Academic Scholarships or Bursaries for All-Round Excellence.

This assembly reflects some of the most important aspects of St Virgil’s College, as a community that strives for and celebrates educational achievement, as part of its mission in preparing young men to make their contribution to the greater good of our world now and into the future. Congratulations to all those students who received an award, scholarship, or bursary and to all those others who just missed the cut – keep up the good work and continue to aspire to be the best version of yourself.

Award Recipients

2025 Harold Gatty Memorial Academic Scholarship: Riley Stocks

2025 Leo Doyle Memorial Academic Scholarship: Luca McCreadie

2025 Old Virgilians Association Scholarship: Llewellyn Gray

2025 Sir John Galvin Memorial Scholarship: Hayden McKay

2025 Excellence Bursary

Charlie Cubit

Luke Morrisby

Leo Pigden

Xavier Wright

Outstanding Academic Achievement Award

Year 9: Jonte Tummon and Samuel French

Year 10: Riley Stocks, Joshua Topham and Jacob Berry

Year 11: Lachlan Gillie

Year 12: Thomas Marr, Liam Wighton and Oscar Brewer

Academic Merit Award

Year 7: Evan Hnaidi, Zach K-S, Jesse Mackey, Edwin Wootton, Benjamin Pigden and Samuel Skinner

Year 8: Chimdalu Ndupu and Darcy Hickey

Year 9: Samuel Lee, William Lynch and Riley McCreghan

Year 10: Ayaan Jafery, Bumi Dias, Charlie Cubit, Xavier Wright, Hayden Mckay, Cameron Birchall and Kooper Holden

Year 11: Daniel Mulcahy, Nicholas Roberts, Chandler Bradley, Mitchell Young, Ripley Yost, Oliver Cupit, Saxon Van Anholt and Shinnosuke Igarashi-Myers

Year 12: Nicholas Keating, Angus Percey, Jacob Clothier, Charles Lennon, Adam Collins and James Harvey

Commendable Effort Award

Year 7: Benjamin Maynard, Rory Loader, Jack Clark-Sullivan and Lucas Skinner

Year 8: Oliver D’Silva, Jerry Horne, Ricky Cooper, Éamon Lawler and Ethan Hodgson

Year 9: Jack Kearney and Trent Smith

Year 10: Ethan Medina, Oliver Rhodes, Hayden Clark-Sullivan, Joseph Grace, Lachlan Cannan, Jack Byrne and Llewellyn Gray

Year 11: Dominic Halys

Year 12: Samuel Nadler and Tyler Barrett

Gold Commendation

Year 7: Jack Lemm, Edwin Wootton, William Thayer, Thomas Allen, Rory Loader, Benjamin Pigden, Campbell De La Torre, Deakon Stabb and Yumeth Dankoluwe Liyange

Year 8: Caleb Hollis, Jake Direen and Kai Martin

Year 9: Cillian Cullen

Best wishes for the week ahead.

Jon Franzin

PRINCIPAL