Parent Newsletter Issue 12 2026

NAPLAN Results 2026 — Celebrating Continued Strength

I am delighted to share that our 2026 NAPLAN results confirm what we already know about Footscray High School: our students, staff and community continue to deliver outstanding outcomes, year after year.

Across both Year 7 and Year 9, our students have shown continued strength in literacy and numeracy, with growth from Year 7 to Year 9 in Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, and Numeracy all at or above the levels achieved by our network schools and across the state. This is a genuinely strong result, and one our whole community should be proud of.

I want to particularly highlight our Numeracy growth data: an outstanding 82% of our students demonstrated high or medium growth from Year 7 to Year 9. This is an excellent outcome.

Results like these don’t happen by chance. They are the product of sustained, deliberate effort — from our students, who have applied themselves with focus and resilience; from our amazing teachers and support staff, whose skill and dedication shape every lesson; and from our parents and carers, whose support at home makes such a difference. They also reflect Footscray High School’s ongoing commitment to excellent classroom practice and high quality curriculum across every learning area and program we offer.

Congratulations to our students on results that place Footscray High School firmly among the high-performing schools in our network and across the state. This is a wonderful reflection of what our school community achieves when we work together, and it gives us great confidence as we continue to raise the bar for every student, in every classroom, in the years ahead.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this achievement, our students, staff and families. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished together this year.

Coming Up: 2026 Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey 

WE WANT OUR PARENTS / CAREGIVERS / GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK! 

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. 

The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation. 

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. 

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 17 August to Friday 18 September 2026. 

All families are invited to participate in the survey.   

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. 

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to Kaylene Tanti via 7842-info@schools.vic.edu.au for survey guides in your language. 

Please contact me if you would like more information regarding this survey.

Note a communication will be sent in the coming weeks with your login details.

Reminder Student Free – Curriculum and Pedagogical Planning Day

Please note Monday 17 August is a student-free day.  Your child/children are not required to attend school on this date.

Jill English

Principal

Join us for our AGM, where we’ll celebrate the school’s achievements and share how we’re improving student outcomes, engagement, and wellbeing. It’s also a great opportunity to meet the principal team.

Date: 18 August 2026

Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Location: Kinnear Campus

Please RSVP by 17 August to Kaylene Tanti at 7842-info@schools.vic.edu.au

We look forward to seeing you there!

On 6 August, students came together for a special paper crane (tsuru) origami session in the Pilgrim Library as part of our school’s Towards World Peace initiative.

The lunchtime session was led by our Year 7 Pilgrim Peace Ambassadors—Henry, Nick and Theo—who guided other keen students in the art of paper folding.

The paper crane has become a worldwide symbol of peace, hope and healing. It is inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who developed leukaemia after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Sadako folded paper cranes in the hope of recovering from her illness, and her story has since inspired millions around the world to fold cranes as a symbol of peace and a future free from nuclear weapons.

Our Peace Ambassadors have folded one thousand origami cranes and these are currently on display in the FHS Pilgrim campus library throughout August. The exhibition was unveiled on the eve of the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and invites our school community to reflect on the importance of peace and the devastating human cost of war.

Our recent Course Counselling events were a fantastic success, with students, families and staff coming together to plan for 2027. It was wonderful to see so many families engaging in meaningful conversations about future learning pathways and subject choices.

Year 10 into Year 11 Course Counselling Expo

The Year 10 into Year 11 Course Counselling Expo gave students and families the opportunity to speak directly with teachers about our VCE, VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM) and VET programs.

Students explored subject content, prerequisites, assessment requirements, workloads and future study and career pathways, helping them make informed decisions about their senior secondary education.

A sincere thank you to our teaching and support staff whose knowledge, enthusiasm and guidance helped make the evening such a valuable experience.

Year 9 into Year 10 Course Counselling

Our Year 9 to Year 10 Course Counselling sessions also saw outstanding engagement from students and their families.

These individual meetings allowed students to discuss their interests, strengths and future aspirations with course counsellors, ensuring they are well supported as they prepare for the transition into Year 10.

Thank you to all of our families for partnering with us throughout this important process and to our dedicated staff for supporting every student in planning a pathway for success.

Thank You

We would like to thank all students, families and staff for making these events such a positive and successful part of our subject selection process. We look forward to supporting our students as they continue their learning journey and prepare for an exciting 2027.

Our Year 9 students will have the opportunity to explore a diverse range of careers at this year’s Careers Expo.

The Expo will be held at Pilgrim Campus on Wednesday 26 August and Barkly Campus on Thursday 27 August, giving students the chance to hear directly from professionals working across local government and community services.

Students will learn about the many pathways available in fields including architecture and project management, civil engineering, community development, horticulture, sports and recreation, building maintenance and trades, and youth services.

Presenters from Maribyrnong City Council will share insights into their careers, discuss the qualifications and skills needed for their roles, and provide students with a real-world understanding of the opportunities available within these industries.

This is a fantastic opportunity for students to ask questions, gain career inspiration, and begin thinking about the many pathways that could shape their future.

Every student should have a Career Action Plan. It helps them think about their strengths, interests and future goals. 

Students can reflect on what they enjoy, what they do well and the steps they may need to explore study, training and career pathways. Career action planning is required for students in Years 9 to 12, and it helps build the knowledge and confidence needed for informed decisions about the future.

Just as important as writing the plan is talking about it. A conversation with a parent, carer, teacher or career practitioner can help students clarify their ideas, ask questions and set realistic goals. It also helps students see how their subjects, skills and experiences connect to possible pathways after school. When these conversations happen regularly, students are more likely to stay engaged, review their progress and adjust their plans as they grow.

A helpful next step

It is never too early to start exploring possibilities, because plans do not have to be final. They should be revisited and updated as interests, strengths and goals change over time, and we all know life never goes to plan.

A good place to start is to go to myfuture and establish your profile today.

Go to myfuture

Our 2026 NAPLAN results for both Year 7 and Year 9 students indicate continued strength in both literacy and numeracy at Footscray High School.

From year 7 to year 9, our students achieved growth in Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, and Numeracy at or above our network schools and the state. Of particular note, is our Year 7 to Year 9 growth data in Numeracy that indicates 82% of students demonstrating high or medium growth.

This outcome is the result of the hard work of our students, amazing teachers and support staff and to you throughout the year, and of course the support provided at home by our parents. It also reflects our school focus on classroom practice and high quality curriculum across all learning areas and programs.