Ben Venews

Principal's Message

Welcome to Week 4 of Term 3. 

 

A reminder that on Thursday 14 August this week, we will celebrate Public Education with an assembly from noon, and open classrooms from approximately 12:30 pm. I hope to see you there.

Opera House Choir excursion

On Saturday, students and teachers returned from the Opera House Choir excursion, during which our students sung with other public schools from around the state in the Festival of Choral Music, Endeavor Concert. Aside from the beautiful singing of our students, the behaviour of all attending the excursion was exemplary. From vacating seats on trams for use by others, to ensuring areas were left tidy after our use, to consideration of members of the public when moving around Sydney, our students were outstanding representatives of Ben Venue.

 

Thank you to Mrs Porter and Mrs Farmer for coaching the choir and caring for our students while on excursion.

Great Aussie Bush Camp

I also want to thank Mrs Farmer, Mr Osborn, Mrs Watson, Mrs Pattison, Mr Cotter, Mrs Hunt, Ms Walker and Mrs Burey for giving up their days and nights, Tuesday to Friday in Week 2, to make the major Stage 3 excursion possible. For a more detailed report on the camp, please see the Stage 3 section of this newsletter.

2025 NAPLAN results

Since our last newsletter, comparative NAPLAN data has been released to schools. This information provides useful insights into whole school performance, including achievement relative to schools with statistically similar student populations and the NSW state average.

 

Data for Ben Venue students in Year 3 indicated:

  • performance at a level above the state average and statistically similar schools in reading as well as in numeracy

  • writing results equivalent to the state average and above that of statistically similar schools

  • performance at a level below the state average but above statistically similar schools in grammar and punctuation

  • a drop in spelling results, indicating that is an area for focus.

Data for Ben Venue students in Year 5 indicated:

  • a significant improvement in both reading and grammar and punctuation, moving from below the average of the state and equivalent to similar schools in previous years to above both in 2025

  • a sustained improvement in writing results at a time when state and similar schools experienced a decline, but with further work required to surpass the state.

  • improved results in both spelling and numeracy, surpassing similar schools, but with further work required to surpass the state.

Overall, this data is very positive for our school and students, indicating the success of improvement initiatives implemented over the past few years, and effort and engagement on the part of our students. In the coming weeks, we will analyse the data in further detail, identifying specific areas to target in order to continue to lift outcomes for all our students.

2026 enrolment - the time is now

In September, Armidale principals and school enrolment panels meet to determine the allocation of non-local enrolment places for each school in 2026. Any families seeking non-local enrolment are strongly advised to contact the school as soon as possible in order to be considered in this process.

 

Local families and families with siblings currently enrolled at Ben Venue are also asked to contact the school as soon as possible if seeking 2026 enrolment, so that accurate decisions can be taken to ensure places are reserved for these students. If unsure whether your current address is zoned for Ben Venue, please access School Finder to conduct a search.

 

 

Cam Pryce

Principal