This week the Courier Mail published an article by David de Carvalho with the title “Opinion: Why NAPLAN’s never been more important.” 

The article’s premise is that if COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of life, what has been the effect on education? 

The particular importance of NAPLAN in 2021 is not suggesting that parents and students should be more anxious or stressed about the testing which began on Monday. The 2021 results will be significant because this snapshot of learning is taking place after a year of upheaval, new teaching techniques and a shake-up of traditional learning methods. 

Even though we have been blessed in our Beerwah bubble to have minimal impact from COVID-19, we should remember that NAPLAN is comparing all schools across the country. Another reason why NAPLAN is so important this year is because it has been two years since the testing took place as it was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. 

David de Carvalho in his article said, “Last year ACARA analysed the data and discovered that when you look at progress rather than just overall achievement, high-performing schools can be found right across the socio-educational spectrum. The things they tend to have in common are practices such as explicit teaching, good use of data about student learning and a collaborative approach to professional development.”

In other words, schools that teach well, measure what works for their students and take education seriously, have excellent results no matter what their suburb or socioeconomic background. 

I believe that this is one of the reasons Glasshouse Christian College experienced a huge upswell in enrolments and interest since mid-2020. Even during the peak times of the COVID-19 impact, we were able to continue teaching and maintain relationships between students and teachers. Our teachers pulled out all stops to make online learning fun, creative and educational. 

Thanks to our wonderful teachers and an extraordinary IT Department, GCC was able to continue to provide excellent schooling for all of our students throughout very uncertain times. 

Speaking of excellent schooling, this Saturday 15 May between 10am and 2pm is the perfect time to see GCC in action. You will be able to visit the classrooms, see our students perform, enjoy lunch from a food truck and generally have a wonderful day celebrating Open Day with us. Bring your friends and make a day of it!

Mike Curtis, Principal