Published on February 20, 2025
It is that time of the year when Senior School teachers, with their Heads of Faculty, finish analysing 2024 HSC results. This marks the end of a deep dive into the cohort’s results, and the performance of individual classes as well as individual students. The analysis is by individual and by subject and by cohort. It is robust! The data is segmented and compared to other indicative data which we have: student achievement reports, standardised tests results and historical data for subjects and cohorts.
It is a mammoth task and one we embrace each year, while trying hard not to be distracted by the HSC School Ranking narrative.
As you would be aware, schools are ranked in the Sydney Morning Herald based on the number of Band 6s attained in a school. The rankings are calculated by NESA using the ratio of the number of Band 6 results in comparison to the number of exams sat at the school. Importantly, the number of students in the Year 12 cohort is irrelevant; the only relevant data is the number of individual exams sat and the number of Band 6s.
This is where things get interesting, and we start to see the narrowness of this metric tool.
One way to describe the algorithm that determines a school’s ranking is to say that it is very volatile and highly sensitive to the addition of a new examination. The addition of one more examination sat at the school can have a significant impact on a school’s ranking. This happened for HVGS in 2024.
In 2023 and 2024 HVGS had the same number of Band 6 attainments. However, in terms of the total number of HSC exams sat at the school, this increased by one from 485 to 486. The addition of just one more examination sat resulted in minor Band 6 percentage adjustment from 13.40% to 13.37% in the SMH league tables. Our success rate, based on the inclusion of one more examination, moved 0.03%. This 0.03% adjustment, though, led to a drop in our ranking by 18 points.
To summarise, in 2024 HVGS students achieved the same number of Band 6s as our graduates did in 2023, but the addition of one more examination led to an adjustment of 3% in our success rate and an 18 point drop in our ranking. From any perspective that is a remarkable shift based on a small percentage adjustment resulting from the addition of one examination. Especially when the number of Band 6 attainments remained the same as the previous year. In addition, the number of distinguished achievers for HVGS was the same in 2023 and 2024. In terms of actual measures of excellence, there was no shift between the two years.
The volatility of the HSC school ranking calculation points to its limitations as a sole measure of success for a school and importantly for students within the school.
By contrast, when we analyse ATAR results, we start to see different forms of success and excellence emerge. It is a student’s ATAR that gets him/her into a university course of their choice (if they don’t have an unconditional university offer prior to the completion of the HSC, which means neither Band 6s nor ATARs really matter for that student). Students achieving strong ATARS are those who have achieved consistently well across all their subjects. As an indicator of success this is robust because it is a holistic measure of success.
At HVGS when analysing HSC data we look closely at students who embody excellence, commitment and perseverance across all subjects, and their co-curricular endeavours, to see how they fared. Some of our strongest all-rounders achieve the strongest ATARS. Interestingly, a student can achieve an ATAR of 95+ with just two Band 6 results. We have had students with two Band 6s, and the rest are Band 5s and a strong performance on an extension unit who have achieved an ATAR of 95+. Likewise, we have had students who achieved a 94 ATAR with one Band 6.
At HVGS our motto is “success through endeavour” and what better way to see that in action than with a student who applies themselves effectively across all subjects and strives for excellence in all that they do. The narrow focus in the HSC ranking system on the number of Band 6s in relation to the number of examinations sat, doesn’t create space for this type of success to be recognised, valued and celebrated.
Rankings are important, but the metrics used to determine rankings are equally important and need to be interrogated. This is because what we measure is what we say matters. Right now, what we say to our communities and students through the HSC school ranking process is that the number of Band 6s matters more than whether a student has reached their potential, challenged themselves and been well supported on that journey. We need to take into consideration the complexity of learning rather than reduce achievement to a simple number. We need a more nuanced notion of success that sees it as about challenge and growth as well as achievement and performance.
At HVGS we provide an incredible suite of courses and pathways to our students in Years 11 and 12. They can choose from one of three pathways:
- HSC
- IB Diploma
- IB Career Related Programme
Within the HSC in 2025, we offer approximately 44 courses. Both the three pathways and the range of subjects on offer give a breadth of choice to students. We don’t discourage students from taking specific courses, if they want the challenge. If we are concerned that the challenge overall is too much for them – or they don’t have the requisite background knowledge to be successful in a particular course – we will advise students and parents accordingly. The decision, though, remains in the hands of the family.
I share this because it illustrates the alignment between our practices as a school and our philosophy: we want students to have agency in the pathway and course selection process for Years 11 and 12 and we believe they can rise to the challenge they set for themselves. This means undertaking “stretch” subjects and enabling students to pursue their passions, regardless of the rankings game. Our focus then goes to supporting students through their learning journey in Years 11 and 12 and providing them with timely and purposeful feedback so they can continue to grow as learners.
The number of Band 6s achieved in a school is a valuable metric to review, consider and use to set goals for our learning programmes. Our teachers do this as part of their analysis each year. They look at this data point in terms of the potential of each student: if they could have achieved a Band 6 did they? If they didn’t, why might that be? What was different and/or similar about this cohort of students in my class compared to previous years?
I would like to see all of us – school leaders, teachers, parents, media – engage in a more nuanced understanding of achievement and success rather than reduce success to a volatile metric. We need to look at HSC data through multiple lenses and encourage everyone in the community to dig deeper and be more “factful” when exploring the HSC School Ranking guide. It is blunt and coarse instrument by which to determine the success of schools when behind that data are statistics that are worth us understanding and celebrating.
In the meantime, our teachers will continue to work hard to review the full suite of results from each HSC (and in the future IB Diploma) cohort. They will continue to dissect this data, take away key learnings and transform their learning programmes to provide the best opportunities for success for all HVGS students. They will peruse the HSC school rankings but stay focused on our end game: ensuring students demonstrate “success through endeavour” and that they are challenged to set stretch goals and reach their potential.