Deputy Principal

NAPLAN

This week, our Year 7 and Year 9 students embarked on the 2025 NAPLAN testing. Whilst at different times NAPLAN has attracted some critical commentary, it provides us as a school with reliable information about our boys’ learning, in terms of their literacy and numeracy.

We are conscious that some students can become anxious about these tests. However, it is important that boys are made aware that the results are not a check on them, they are evidence of the areas that we can improve our teaching practice. Evidence-based practice shouldn’t be a luxury reserved only for some – it should underpin everything that every teacher does in the classroom. When we make decisions about your son’s learning, we need the best evidence upon which to make out instructional decisions. That’s where assessments like NAPLAN come in. They also provide us with knowledge about what each of our students knows and can do, which further informs our practice, so that we are able to tailor our instruction to best address the needs of every student.

At St Patrick’s College, the thing that motivates us most is that students are learning the things that we are teaching them. Of course, ensuring positive wellbeing is also an essential part of our role – however, we know that when student learning is not optimal, this can in turn impact their wellbeing. For this reason, understanding the impact of our teaching is vitally important to us. And that is where NAPLAN comes in – it provides us with an objective measure of our teaching, thus guiding us in where we are doing well, and where we can continue to grow.

Report on Mobile Phone Ban in Schools

Reports in the media last week show that the impact of banning mobile phones in schools is having incredibly positive outcomes for students. A New South Wales survey, which you can read here: Mobile ban improves learning, concentration and socialisation shows 87 per cent of students are less distracted in the classroom and 81 per cent of students have seen improved learning. In South Australia, there has been a 63 per cent decline in critical incidents involving social media and 54 per cent fewer behavioural issues.

Whilst these are statistics are from our neighbours over the borders, as educators we have all experienced how taking phones out of schools has had an extremely positive impact on student wellbeing and learning.

In line with these positive findings, our school remains committed to enforcing the mobile phone ban during school hours. If phones are seen on school grounds, they will be collected by our staff and held at Student Services for the remainder of the day. This policy protects students, ensuring that they stay focused on their learning - free from distractions and the social pressures that mobile phones can bring. If a student needs their phone, they may use it once have left the school grounds at the end of the day. By maintaining this approach, we are protecting students, supporting their concentration, social interactions, and overall wellbeing.

New Work Habits on Student Reports

As a school, we are committed to maintaining high standards of communication and fostering strong partnerships between the College, parents, and students. In this context, we recognise the importance of ensuring our reporting processes support these principles and the learning journey of every student.

Recently, a comprehensive review of our reporting processes took place. As one aspect of that review, we looked at the ways in which we report on student work habits. As an outcome from the review, we have implemented changes to the way we report on student work habits. When you receive your son’s Term 1 report, those of you who are not new to our community will notice that there will be changes from previous reports. The new work habits report will look like this:

These provide a clearer understanding for our parents of their son’s strengths and areas for improvement. They also focus on specific behaviours that we know contribute most to a student's ability to learn effectively. The new format is also frequency-based, meaning there is more objective reporting, leading to more reliably interpreted information for parents. This ensures that families receive clear and meaningful insights, helping them to better support their son’s learning journey.