From the Director of Curriculum and Innovation (ELC-12)

The best NAPLAN results we have achieved as a College

The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results have just been released and the results are the best we have achieved as a school, averaging 11.8% above the state average. 

There is a clear pattern of growth over the last 12 years as seen in the graph below. This is a testament to our students and the teachers who passionately guide them in their learning.

When I reflect on NAPLAN there are three key areas I like to focus on

• Involvement of families
• Teaching practice
• Catering for all students' needs

Emmaus NAPLAN performance relative to the State average. Note: NAPLAN was cancelled nationally in 2020.

See full results at  https://myschool.edu.au/school/49838 

Involvement of families

Students thrive in school when they have a supportive family invested in their education. We are blessed as a school to have such highly engaged families. Our school has highly educated parents who invest time and finances into their children’s learning, and our teachers are blessed by this when your children come to school keen to learn. 

The involvement of families in children’s learning starts at birth and continues beyond Year 12 graduation. 

If you read an average of one picture book to your child a day from ages 0-5, that is over 1,800 books they have been exposed to before starting school, which sets them up so well for engaging in literacy learning. 

Our family norm is three books a night, and we still read to our 7-year-old son most nights while his older brothers read their own books. 

Everything you do at home to foster your child’s curiosity and love of learning builds directly on our teachers' work, helping students reach their full potential. Without families' support, our students wouldn’t achieve these outstanding results.

Reflecting on teaching practice

Standardised testing like NAPLAN and PAT (Progressive Achievement Test) gives the school an opportunity to assess our teaching practice and identify areas for improvement. 

Over the last five years, the Junior School curriculum teams, led by Corrinna Smith and Caroline Wicks at South Plympton, and Kate McGee at Brooklyn Park, have been working with teachers to implement new Literacy programs. 

The InitiaLit program has been used for four years and this year’s Year 3s are the first year level who have used it for their entire schooling. In the NAPLAN results, this cohort has produced the highest Spelling results we have had across any year level in the last 10 years, achieving at 16.4% above the state average. Year 3 Reading is 15.3% above and Grammar 18.1% above, showing that the teaching and programs in Junior Primary Literacy are setting an amazing foundation for students' learning in future years. 

With the Literacy program renewal fully embedded in teaching and learning, the Junior Schools have started focusing on renewal of our Numeracy programs. I look forward to seeing continued growth in this area in the years to come.

Catering for all students' needs

Media headlines for NAPLAN often emphasise the very top schools and the significant number of students who aren’t meeting the set targets. 

One of the key things I look at when assessing our NAPLAN results is the students who were in the category ‘Needs additional support’, and if these students are falling through the gaps or already involved in our learning support structures to help them move forward in their learning.

Percentage of students at Emmaus in each NAPLAN band by year level.

In 2026, we had 1,836 NAPLAN assessments completed, and 1.25% of those results were in the ‘needs additional support’ category. This is 16 students who achieved in this band, and the majority of these students were in this band for only 1 NAPLAN category of the 5. 

• All students who achieved in the ‘Needs additional support’ category had already been identified by the school's Learning Support team prior to NAPLAN. 
• The majority of these students have existing Adjustment Plans. This is the most important thing for me: knowing that students who need additional support are already part of programs that help them reach their full potential and not 'slip through the cracks'. 

I hope these NAPLAN results are encouraging to you and a confirmation that Emmaus is supporting you in giving all our children the best opportunity to flourish academically in a distinctly Christian environment.

Josh Brenkley

Director of Curriculum and Innovation (ELC-12)