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news-articles

Commitment to Close the Gap clear for Western Sydney Catholic schools

21 Mar 2025

3 CSPD students wearing Traditional Aboriginal Paint

Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) has released its first annual Closing the Gap report. This report outlines its contribution to improving socio-economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly students and their families.

CSPD Chief Executive Officer Jack de Groot said the report reflects the dedication of CSPD’s 6 500 staff in fostering reconciliation and equity through the organisation’s 80 outstanding school across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

“We’re strongly committed to great outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through education grounded in excellence and inclusion,” Jack said. “Our Catholic tradition puts people in need first and there is still so much more to do to Close the Gap for First Nations people in Australia, including in our Catholic schools.”

The annual report is an additional commitments CSPD has included in its forthcoming Reconciliation Action Plan. While not exhaustive, the report highlights some of the meaningful efforts being made through CSPD schools and services across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. Some highlights include:

  • a year-on-year increase of approximately 7.5% enrolment growth for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to 1,217 total)
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students maintained an attendance rate above 87% in both 2023 and 2024, compared to 85.1% in 2022
  • increasing HSC participation with 65 HSC candidates in 2025, in contrast to 10 HSC candidates in 2016
  • steady improvement in HSC results, with the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students achieving top-band awards rising from 7.69% in 2016 to nearly 30% by 2024
  • achievements in Vocational Education and Training such as St John Paul II Catholic College Schofields student Tataya Curry-Jones being named NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year and St Agnes Catholic High School Rooty Hill student Jewel Osborne won the prestigious Aurora Award at the Western Sydney and Blue Mountains Region at the 2024 NSW Training Awards.

The report celebrates the strengths-based work of the CSPD Jarara team based in Mount Druitt and Family Liaison Officer Aunty Roz Webb, an Aboriginal Elder embedded within CSPD’s Student Support Directorate. Other successful initiatives include the Murama Youth Ambassador Program, cultural learning programs such as Sky Country Dreaming and the Up and Go Bus that provides students with transport to school (and brekky on the road), an initiative to support student attendance.

Looking ahead, opportunities to increase CSPD’s contribution to national efforts to close the gap include considering scaling the Family Liaison Officer model, expanding transition support, and strengthening vocational pathways will be key priorities. Deepening partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, universities, and employers while increasing access to targeted wellbeing services will further enhance student outcomes. By refining exisiting programs and fostering strong community collaborations, CSPD can continue to make a contribution to sustained progress towards parity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Closing the Gap report

Aboriginal Education CSPD News Executive Director General

Written By

Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese

Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au

Facebook

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    04 Jul 2025

    From Facebook
    Yesterday our year 6 students collected and delivered almost 900 items to the demountable (connected to the church) where St Vincent De Paul volunteers will be ready to pack the items and distribute them to the vulnerable and marginalised in our community. Thank you to our families for their generosity in supporting our St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal this year.
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    03 Jul 2025

    From Facebook
    In Creative Arts, students in Year 3 have used the technique of print making to create their own artwork.

Latest news More news

755417086587041_1336694545125956-1

04 Jul 2025

From Facebook

Yesterday our year 6 students collected and delivered almost 900 items to the demountable (connected to the church) where St Vincent De Paul volunteers will be ready to pack the items and distribute them to the vulnerable and marginalised in our community. Thank you to our families for their generosity in supporting our St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal this year.

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03 Jul 2025

From Facebook

In Creative Arts, students in Year 3 have used the technique of print making to create their own artwork.

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01 Jul 2025

From Facebook
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30 Jun 2025

From Facebook

📚 Our amazing Year 4 students are diving into the magical world of fairytales! They're becoming expert readers, spotting all the enchanting characters, captivating settings, and exciting plots. Stay tuned for their own magical stories!

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28 Jun 2025

From Facebook

Year 3 are learning Basketball skills. They have been learning different passing, dribbling and shooting skills.

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27 Jun 2025

From Facebook

Today, our Stage 3 students and families attended Parish Mass where we celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart. ♥️ Father Dave reminded us of Jesus' sacred heart, comparing his love for us to the shepherd in the gospel story of the Lost Sheep. He also spoke to us about sharing our gifts of the heart with others just like Jesus did. 🙏

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26 Jun 2025

From Facebook

🎶🧠 Today in Zing, Year 1 explored their feelings and learned how to sign emotions like Happy, Angry, Sad, and Excited using AUSLAN! 🤟😊😠😢🤩 What a wonderful way to build emotional awareness and communication skills! 💛👏

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25 Jun 2025

From Facebook

Year 2 made Junk Instruments! During our incursion we used recycled items to create our very own musical instruments and we even got to keep them! Please see the link below for additional photos https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19oXieONiJ1hUvDHdvynsQ7cJ2jSVMtiS?usp=sharing

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22 Jun 2025

From Facebook

We are nearly there.... 100 Days of Learning is so close. We are celebrating this special occasion through art! Share a photo of you own 100 Days artwork in the comments below! Let's fill our feed with their creativity and celebrate these amazing little learners. 👇

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20 Jun 2025

From Facebook

In Year 3, we're exploring language structures in imaginative texts! ✏️🔍 Our students are using adjectives and nouns to craft vibrant, descriptive sentences.

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20 Jun 2025

From Facebook

We had an absolutely SPECTACULAR Jump Off Day for Jump Rope for Heart today! 🎉 Our students showed incredible enthusiasm, skill, and heart as they jumped, skipped, and soared their way to supporting a fantastic cause. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces and so much energy dedicated to raising funds for the Heart Foundation. A massive THANK YOU to all our amazing students for their fantastic efforts, and to our wonderful school community for your incredible support and generous donations. You've all helped make a real difference! ❤️ A quick video of our teacher jump off for 2025. Enjoy!

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20 Jun 2025

From Facebook

Congratulations to our Stage 3 students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation recently, embracing the Holy Spirit’s gifts with open hearts. We sincerely thank our families, sponsors, Parish Sacramental Team and our Parish Priests for their unwavering support.

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