Sacred Heart Cabramatta recognised for ‘making a difference’ in NAPLAN literacy and numeracy growth

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Cabramatta has been recognised among the top 20 New South Wales schools for exceptional student progress in literacy and numeracy by the national assessment and curriculum body ACARA.

Julie Straub, Principal at Sacred Heart Cabramatta, said particularly high gains in Numeracy (+41.4%), Writing (+14.9%) and Spelling (+9.2%) have been due to the school’s specialised curriculum and enrichment programs. 

“By focusing on strategies like our Maths Academy for gifted students, tiered English and Maths interventions, and a strong culture of celebrating growth and effort, we ensure every child is both challenged and supported,” she said.

“Strong partnerships with families, the broader community and wellbeing initiatives enhance inclusion, confidence, and a love of learning.”

The ‘Schools making a Difference’ list recognises those schools with the highest proportions of students making above-average gains across reading, writing and numeracy in their socio-educational context across a two-year progression between 2023 and 2025.

Danielle Cronin, Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools says schools such as Sacred Heart Cambramatta serve communities with diverse, multicultural backgrounds and varying socio-economic challenges, making their strong NAPLAN growth a particularly impressive achievement.

“Across our schools, staff implement evidence-based teaching, use data to inform learning, provide mentoring and targeted support, and engage families and communities to help every child succeed,” Ms Cronin said.

“These schools are achieving remarkable student growth while supporting communities where most students speak a language other than English at home and many require additional learning support.” 

“The ACARA recognition is a powerful endorsement of the quality of our teachers, our inclusive culture and targeted interventions.”

This year, Sydney Catholic Schools’ system-wide NAPLAN results stood out for their targeted approach to supporting students, particularly in low socio-economic communities.