NAPLAN 2026 & Curriculum Updates

Strong Results Continue for our BHHS Students

NAPLAN results were released at the start of Term 3, and BHHS is again celebrating the excellent achievements of our students. NAPLAN is a national test that all Australian students sit in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Each student's result is placed in one of four groups: Needs additional support, Developing, Strong, or Exceeding. A result of Strong means the student is meeting what is expected of them at their year level, and Exceeding means they are working beyond it.  

Year 9 is the result that matters most to us, because those students have been ours since Year 7. In 2026 they delivered our best set of results in four years. This year, 86 per cent of our Year 9 results were in the Strong or Exceeding groups, the highest figure our school has recorded since the NAPLAN proficiency scale was introduced. 

We are particularly proud of our Year 9 Numeracy and Writing results, with 45 per cent of students achieving Exceeding in Numeracy and 41 per cent in Writing.

Our Year 7 students also achieved outstanding results, with almost nine in ten in the Strong or Exceeding groups, a credit to the primary schools in our local area. 

These results are part of a steady improvement over the last four years, as the graph above shows. 

Since 2023, the proportion of our Year 9 students in the Strong or Exceeding groups has risen steadily across in Numeracy, Spelling, Reading and Writing. Fewer students now need additional support in any area. 

This progress reflects the learning happening in our classrooms and the dedicated work of our students and teachers, and it is supported by a wide range of enrichment programs for students in Years 7 to 9, including reading, writing and mathematics programs such as maths games days, visiting authors and the Victorian High Abilities Program. 

Curriculum developments for 2027 

The school is making several improvements to its curriculum offerings for students in 2027. 

IMPACT program 

In 2027, we will introduce our new IMPACT program into the Year 9 curriculum. 

Students will explore the inquiry question: 

"How can I create meaningful change in the world, starting with who I am?" 

In Year 9 IMPACT, students examine genuine issues, identify how change happens, and work out how they can have an impact on themselves, on their communities and on a global scale. The subject builds students' understanding of leadership and effective change through real case studies and through an inquiry into issues affecting Melbourne, and ultimately affecting people around the world. 

Each term has its own theme, which explores the key subject question from a different angle. The major element of the subject is the inquiry, which centres on the changes students would like to see in Melbourne to create a more equitable, efficient, sustainable or safe society. Topics and strands from the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) curriculum, the Civics and Citizenship curriculum and the Victorian Curriculum capabilities are deliberately built around this inquiry to support and extend it. 

VCE Units 3 & 4 Systems Engineering 

Following the successful re-introduction of VCE Units 1 & 2 Systems Engineering this year, the school will offer VCE Units 3 & 4 Systems Engineering in 2027. This gives students with an interest and strength in technology a complete study pathway through their VCE. 

Year 10 elective changes 

At present only around 40 per cent of our Year 10 students study any Health and Physical Education (HPE). To encourage students to choose a broad and balanced set of subjects, we are adjusting the Year 10 elective requirements from 2027. A broad Year 10 program keeps more options open for VCE and beyond, and it gives students the chance to discover strengths and interests they might not have expected, at an age when narrowing choices too early can close doors that are difficult to reopen. Studying across several different areas also develops skills that employers and universities consistently value, including physical health and teamwork, creative thinking, and the ability to understand people and cultures beyond one's own. 

Most students will need to: 

• select at least one HPE subject 

• select at least one subject from the Arts, Humanities or Languages domains 

   

Science will also change from a full-year subject to a single semester. 

A small number of students will be exempt from these requirements. These are mainly students whose course is already tightly constrained because they are studying several year-long subjects. 

Course selection timeline 

Course selection for next year has been completed. The school will be working through a planning process for the remainder of Term 3. 

Senior students can expect to be advised of their subjects for 2027 a few weeks into Term 4 in preparation for the Jumpstart program. 

Junior students will be informed of their electives for next year towards the end of Term 4.