Mr Joel van Bentum | Principal   

NAPLAN

This week, individual NAPLAN results have been sent home to families of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. If you've opened a newspaper or watched the news recently, you will have noticed that the release of these results has sparked another round of national NAPLAN analysis, something that is quickly becoming one of our national pastimes. As a result, many schools come under the spotlight, either for strong results or areas of concern.

Headlines such as "The country is failing," "Students slipping behind," "[School X] has found the secret sauce," or "[Teaching method Y] is the future" are common. These are often accompanied by colourful graphs that represent one perspective on a complex picture.

What is often missing from these conversations is the broader context of education and an understanding of its moral purpose. Education is so much bigger than NAPLAN. The NAPLAN assessment provides a one-day snapshot of a student's progress in literacy and numeracy. It holds some value in helping teachers track learning and identify areas for growth, but it is just one tool among many.

Here at GPCC, we use NAPLAN to inform our practice and support student progress. We also draw on a wide range of other tools that offer more immediate feedback, allowing us to respond quickly and meet the individual needs of our students.

I often say to staff: if we aim solely for NAPLAN or the HSC, we will likely miss our broader goal. But if we aim beyond these assessments, towards deeper, purpose-driven educational outcomes, we will not only achieve those goals, we'll reach the NAPLAN and HSC targets along the way.

At GPCC, we offer a holistic education that prepares students for life. Our moral purpose as a College is to equip students for lives of redemptive action, grounded in biblical perspective. We strive to help students embody our Learner/Graduate Profile, developing the skills assessed by NAPLAN and beyond. Often, it is the "beyond" that plays the greatest role in shaping a student's long-term purpose, motivation, and success.

For those interested in results, in 2025 we saw approximately 80% of all students achieving either "Exceeding" or "Strong" results, compared to a national average of 65% and a NSW average of around 67%. As a College, we will be carefully reviewing the data to identify both areas for celebration and areas for ongoing improvement.

If you have questions about your child's individual NAPLAN results, I encourage you to contact their class teacher directly. 

Partners in Education Event