More than nine in 10 Year 3 students at St Peter Chanel Primary School in The Gap reached the Strong or Exceeding levels for writing in this year’s NAPLAN, leading a set of results in which at least 84 per cent reached those levels in every tested area.
The school’s 92 per cent result in writing was followed by 88 per cent in grammar and punctuation, while reading, spelling and numeracy each recorded 84 per cent.
That performance comes against a largely steady national NAPLAN picture. Across Australia, about two-thirds of students achieved Strong or Exceeding in reading, writing and numeracy this year, while the average Year 3 numeracy score fell to its lowest point since the current proficiency scale was introduced in 2023.
For St Peter Chanel, numeracy was therefore part of the story rather than an outlier: 84 per cent of its Year 3 cohort reached the top two proficiency levels, alongside still higher results in writing and grammar.
Read: Local Classrooms Excel as The Gap State Schools Secure Strong Results in National Analysis
Teaching Changes Have Been Years in the Making
St Peter Chanel principal Bec O’Connor said the results followed several years of work on teaching practice rather than one particular program.
“Our NAPLAN growth wasn’t the result of a single program,” Ms O’Connor said.
“It reflects years of disciplined engagement with Brisbane Catholic Education supported initiatives such as Foundations for Success, and a commitment to improving the consistency of teaching practice across every classroom.”
That work has included common instructional approaches, professional learning and a greater emphasis on evidence-informed literacy teaching, with teachers developing a shared language around how lessons are delivered.
St Peter Chanel is a relatively small school, which is important when reading percentages from individual year groups. Queensland Government data recorded 129 students at the school in July 2025, including 17 in Year 3, while Brisbane Catholic Education figures show total enrolment was 180 in 2024.
Strong NAPLAN Cohorts Have Come Before
This isn’t the first time a Year 3 group at St Peter Chanel has recorded high results across the national assessment.
Official Queensland data from 2014 shows at least 98 per cent of the school’s Year 3 students reached the national minimum standard in each of the five tested areas. All students met the standard in writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy, with reading at 98 per cent.
The older figures cannot be directly compared with this year’s percentages. NAPLAN moved to a new measurement scale and four proficiency levels — Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support — in 2023, and the former national minimum standard is not equivalent to today’s Strong or Exceeding benchmark.
What the 2014 results do provide is some historical context: St Peter Chanel has previously had a Year 3 cohort recording high outcomes across the full range of NAPLAN assessments.
Read: Hands-On Prep Program Builds Confidence in The Gap
Early Learning Remains Part of the Focus
The latest results come as St Peter Chanel continues to put attention into its early years, including the Ready, Set, Prep transition program introduced in 2024.
Children attend a series of sessions before beginning Prep, combining books, early literacy and numeracy activities with hands-on learning. The sessions also give teachers an opportunity to get to know incoming students and their learning needs before their first formal year at the school.
Ready, Set, Prep is too recent to account for the performance of the children who sat Year 3 NAPLAN this year, but it sits alongside the broader work on teaching practice described by the school.
For the current Year 3 cohort, the results offer a strong snapshot across literacy and numeracy, with writing the standout at 92 per cent Strong or Exceeding. A decade after another St Peter Chanel Year 3 group recorded high results across all five NAPLAN areas, the school’s latest figures put its youngest tested students back in focus.
Published 14-Sept-2026
