Welcome to Week 6, Term 4.

This fortnight, our regional champion debating team will compete at the state championship competition in Sydney, Ben Venue will lead a meeting of primary school and early childhood educators to enhance transition to school processes, Kindergarten students will enjoy a visit from the RFS, Year 6 leaders will visit the BUPA aged care home, classes will begin participating in a lesson using historical teaching techniques as part of our 125th anniversary activities, and Kindergarten to Year 5 students will experience the first of 3 'step-up' days to support transition to the next year of schooling in 2026.

125 years celebrations

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us in marking the 125th anniversary of Ben Venue Public School. It was a lovely opportunity to celebrate the journey of our school and everyone who makes it the special place that it is.

Feedback survey results

We have recently been able to review the combined results of feedback survey data from families and from students. Below is a summary of the standout results from these surveys.

Parent/carer survey results

Thankyou to everyone who took the time to complete our feedback and future directions survey over recent weeks. The overwhelming majority of feedback we received was positive and constructive. Your feedback highlighted the following themes:

Areas to maintain / highly valued

Student goal setting
Range of opportunities
Whole school wellbeing programs and approach
Supportive environment and community feel
Inclusivity
Celebration of cultural diversity

Areas for improvement

Preparation of students transitioning to high school for homework expectations in secondary

Student Survey results

The Student Survey is a whole of state data collection, surveying Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students.

Areas in which Ben Venue exceeds statistically similar schools

High expectations
Engagement in learning
Lack of bullying or discrimination - this is the area in which Ben Venue outperforms similar schools and the state average by the greatest margin
Intrinsic motivation - our second highest performing area as rated by students, indicating the success of our approach

Areas for improvement

Students' reported experience of explicit teaching, particularly in the area of effective feedback

Further feedback data will be collected in the coming weeks via student focus groups, as we seek information on current 'reflection/detention' practices as well as broader themes. These data points, along with those relating to academic achievement, attendance and validation against the Schools Excellence Framework will inform our planning for the 2026-2029 Strategic Improvement Plan.

2026 requests

Families wishing to request pairings, separations or specific teachers for their child in 2026 are now invited to do so by emailing their request to benvenue-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au. Please email with the subject line, '2026 request'. Requests will be accepted up to 23 November.

While we do attempt to accommodate all preferences, conflicting requests are often made and multiple classroom dynamics need to be considered when forming classes. As such, we do not guarantee that requests will be met.

Not returning to Ben Venue?

If you are moving away from Armidale and your child/children will not attend Ben Venue in 2026, I ask you please to complete this very short form. This is not required for students moving to high school.

I greatly appreciate your time in completing this very short survey, as it helps us to effectively plan for the beginning of next year, ensuring we have the required staff for classes, while remaining within our operating budget.

Cam Pryce

Principal

Parents & Citizens Association