WA’s top schools for English and literature revealed

Students at Perth Modern School have a definite way with words, with the public school producing a perfect score for achievement in both Year 12 English and literature. Students from the Subiaco school have been among the best in the State in each of the two ATAR courses every year since the courses were first offered in 2016. With 14 mentions across seven years, Perth Modern leads The West’s list of top schools based on their students’ performance in English and literature. Following closely in second position is St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, with 13 mentions, and Methodist Ladies’ College in third, with 11. A Catholic school in Victoria Park, Ursula Frayne Catholic College, achieved equal billing with St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls to make fourth place with nine mentions each. Perth Modern principal Mitchell Mackay credited his students’ success to the way they combined their love of reading and analytical thinking skills to create outstanding responses to tasks set by their teachers. “The amazing intellect and communications skills of our children will allow them to be the leaders of industry and business into the future,” he said. Perth Modern’s head of English Danae Brazier said she believed the school’s exceptional results stemmed from a combination of factors, including stringent moderation to ensure the accuracy of results. “The attributes of our students allow teachers to actively develop higher-order thinking,” she said. “This begins in middle years, where we foster a love of learning and literature, and strongly encourage critical thinking.” “Our students are encouraged to read widely, and to build on their understanding and form inter-disciplinary links to enable a deep perception of relevant contextual elements.” Ms Brazier said the school’s highly knowledgeable teachers also expected students to take responsibility for their own learning. “Students are consequently better prepared for the WA Certificate of Education and beyond,” she said.