Dandenong North Primary School
Gabrielle WILLIAMS (Dandenong – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples) (09:58): I rise today to celebrate the outstanding NAPLAN results at Dandenong North Primary School, whose high performance was noted on the front page of the Age recently as the only school in Victoria where students in every tested year level made above-average progress each year between 2019 and 2022. This achievement is amplified by the fact that 70 per cent of the school students are considered disadvantaged and 89 per cent come from non-English-speaking backgrounds. Such a triumph is a credit to the entire school: teachers at every level, English as an additional language, specialist and admin staff as well, the students themselves, of course, and their families. It speaks also to the impact of the recently retired Kevin Mackay OAM and Jenny Mackay, former principal and assistant principal, who each dedicated nearly 40 years to creating an inclusive, warm environment for students from more than 50 different nationalities. Though the excellent Paul Hilton now leads the school, the legacy of the Mackays is to be memorialised in the Mackay gymnasium. The gymnasium to which the Andrews Labor has contributed some $6 million will soon be complete.
I also want to point out that we know NAPLAN results are not definitive. We know that education comes in many forms and there are many different measures of success. However, it is wonderful to recognise Dandenong North Primary School for their exceptional and innovative work.