How to put your school in the top 10: a look at our great schools


Would like to see your school ranked in the top 10 for 2015? If so, keep reading.

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) has revealed Australia’s top 10 boys and girls’ schools with Sydney and Melbourne dominating the list.

ATAR is based on academic results from students’ overall academic achievement in Year 12 and helps to secure their entry into university.    

In order of rank, the top three boys’ schools were Scotch College Melbourne, Melbourne Grammar School and Melbourne High School, while PLC Melbourne, SCEGGS Darlinghurst and MLC Melbourne clinched the top three spots for girls’ schools.

The schools that did not make the top 10 might do well to consider some key improvements that could win them a spot in ATARs list for 2015. After all, a top-ranked school doesn’t win this title through mere luck. Just like its students, it has to learn and work hard to achieve it.
So what helps a school rank highly?

Enter the Great Schools Check List, authored by School Improvement and Governance Network President, Nicholas Abbey.

The check list is aimed at leadership teams, staff committees, school councils and boards to use in order to identify areas for improvement and monitor progress over time.

The attributes of leadership, vision, school governance and values were among the most important contributors to a great school.

However, Abbey also pointed out they are nonetheless a work in progress and are often longer-term goals due to a lack of time and/or resources.

“Many of these things are not done consistently or are longer-term goals due to a lack of time and resources,” Abbey said.

“The huge workloads faced by principals and teachers make it difficult for schools to do everything that they would like to do.”