On Friday last week we had our five yearly registration and accreditation visit from the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). All independent schools must be registered with NESA and accredited if they offer the Record of Student Achievement (ROSA) at Year 10 and the HSC program at Years 11 and 12.

The process requires us to submit sample evidence of compliance with NESA regulations and for me as Principal to sign off that in all respects our school meets the requirements for a registered school. A NESA Inspector visits to review a sample of curriculum documents and our submission. We passed with no issues being raised by the Inspector.

We are also an accrediting authority on behalf of NESA for teacher registration. This requires us to submit documentation that demonstrates that we meet all the regulations and requirements for accrediting our teachers. The NESA Inspector also reviewed that part of our operation and again we passed and were granted a five year renewal which is the maximum you can be given. Mrs Jane McLarty, our Deputy Principal, is the person who heads up that operation for us.

This past week we had all our Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students sit for the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). This is Australia’s way of checking on the progress of students over time in meeting curriculum standards. These are not tests we can specifically prepare students for, and neither should we. It is a sample of a cohort every two years to see how they are doing and allows us to track progress across those years.

The media love to use these results (as they do the HSC ones) as a measure of school success. It is true that a school plays a very significant role in helping students learn at an appropriate pace and level for their age, but schools also cannot control some aspects of success for a student. Your role as parents is as significant in how well your child will do at school. If you encourage and promote curiosity, investigative play, read to your child and provide a stimulating oral and physical environment for them, help them to socialise and provide stability and love at an early age, there is every chance they will do well at school.

But even when home and school do all the right things, we accept that each child is an individual and there are many other factors beyond our control that may make learning challenging for a child. That is why it is important to take a long term view of learning. Our motto, "Equipped for Life" is not meant to imply that once they leave us, they are set for life, but that we play a part on the long journey of life in setting them up for success. You do as well.

So, whatever the NAPLAN results for your child, encourage them to keep going forward. A child is not defined by their NAPLAN results, but by who they are as a holistic human being. As a school we will certainly review the results and ensure we continue to work at creating the best possible learning environment for our students that we can.

Phillip Nash