People are starting to ask questions. What is happening down south? In a regional town three hours from Sydney, our school is punching above its weight and achieving some wonderful HSC results. People are starting to notice. Again, our school is moving up the rankings with the school reaching 113 on the list for NSW schools. Nowra Anglican College has been placed as the highest non selective school in all of the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and the South Coast in 2023.

Whilst the HSC league tables have many downfalls and we don’t rely on them to work out if you have had a successful year, they do show that students have achieved highly. I have always believed that students are capable of achieving highly and should be placing in the top bands. The more students who achieve highly, then obviously the higher the ranking of the school. For us it is not about a school beating another school, it is about each student achieving their very best in order to allow them to have many options for their future.

This year at NAC students have achieved the most Band 6 results in the history of the school. Students achieved 71 Band 6 results, 31 individual students were named on the Honour Roll and 14 students achieved ATAR’s over 90. These results are a testament to the hard work and dedicated approach of the students and their teachers. This is growth in learning.

Band 6 and E4 results were achieved across a wide number of subjects including English Advanced, English Extension 1, Mathematics Advanced, Mathematics Standard, Mathematics Extension 1, Mathematics Extension 2, Modern History, History Extension 1, PDHPE, Physics, Earth and Environmental Science, Biology, Society and Culture, Business Studies, Japanese Beginners, Music 1, Music 2, Music Extension, Drama, Dance, Entertainment Industry, Hospitality, French Continuers and Studies of Religion 2 unit.

The highest ATAR in the College, and the Shoalhaven, was achieved by Madeleine Girling who was state ranked in Studies of Religion 2 unit and named on the All-round Achievers list for achieving in the top Band in every subject.

The results in English Advanced were particularly pleasing this year with 12 students achieving Band 6 results. What has been exceptionally pleasing is the improvement in student results across the entire range with many students moving into the Band 5 range.

Our Creative and Performing Arts results were also a highlight, with many students being nominated for their exceptional performances in Music, Drama and Dance. One of the group performances for Drama has been selected to perform at the Onstage concert early next year. Congratulations to Ava Robinson, Max Keilly and Alaska Turner for their exceptional achievement.

So, what is going on at Nowra Anglican College?

Firstly, the College provides a holistic education and encourages students to participate in a rich variety of educational experiences such as sport, the creative and performing arts, Duke of Edinburgh program, excursions, service and leadership opportunities.

Secondly, and most importantly, the school has implemented a learning and teaching framework which emphasizes how to learn. We call this framework Building Learning Power. The emphasis in our school is all children are capable of learning. We foster a culture and love of learning. This framework was introduced five years ago and each year our HSC results have improved with our highest achievement so far in 2023.

Our students are taught how to work collaboratively and interdependently. They are taught how to revise their work so that they effectively remember concepts taught. They are placed in positions to help them develop perseverance and resilience. They are taught how to reflect on learning experiences and apply their teachers’ advice in order to improve. There is also an emphasis on collegiality where students support each other and learn from each other. Our staff are becoming experts in applying effective teaching strategies to make this happen.

So where to from here? We will continue to help our students achieve highly in their learning. It is what we are called to do and is part of our mission; to provide a high-quality Christian education where every child is welcomed and belongs in our school.

So, what do I want to see next year? Every year, we look for ways to improve even further. It is my prediction that we are going to continue to see our students achieving highly in both the HSC and beyond.

We are so proud of the achievements of every student and staff member in 2023.