Congratulations to the Marian College Ararat community who has been awarded The Age’s 2024 Schools that Excel winner for non-government schools in rural/regional Victoria.

Part of the College’s key to success has been building up a culture of belief for staff and students, ensuring everyone at the school knows it is possible to succeed at a high level, The Age reports.

“It has to start with the staff – if staff don’t believe that you can achieve at high levels, then students aren’t going to believe it either,” Principal Carmel Barker said.

As part of that process, teachers looked at structures within the school, researching ways to help students become more successful across all areas of their studies.

“I wanted staff very much to have a voice coming through as the ones at the frontline, saying … what’s working across the school and what’s not,” Barker said.

Ensuring students were also supported outside of academics is also key for the school, with students attending weekly wellbeing sessions tailored for different year levels.

“Wellbeing and education go hand in hand,” Carmel Barker said.

Read more here: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-regional-school-where-the-surf-s-up-and-so-are-the-vce-scores-20240620-p5jng4.html