blue mountains school child smiling

Choosing a Blue Mountains School

Whether you are new to the Blue Mountains and considering where you may like to live or looking to choose between a private or public school, it can feel a little overwhelming knowing where to start when choosing a Blue Mountains school for your child. Booking a school tour and asking advice from friends or mum’s groups can be helpful in getting a feel for each school.

However, if you need more concrete data to give you definitive information on what Blue Mountains schools are all about, you should look at a school’s Annual Report. We have collated the Annual Reports for every Blue Mountains school in the Region and posted it here for you. We hope that this resource is a convenient, useful and informative part of your decision making process.

View The Blue Mountains Private & Independent School’s Guide 2022

blue mountains private and independent schools guide 2022 cover design

Know which Blue Mountains school is in your catchment area

If you choose to send your child to a public school, you will most likely need to attend the one in your catchment area. Click on this catchment area link and type in your address to find out which Blue Mountains public school you are in area for.

What is an Annual Report?

Annual Reports are mandatory reports produced by schools every year to inform their community of their ongoing progress toward the strategic directions identified in their school plan. This includes the results of the school’s self-assessment using the Department of Education’s School Excellence Framework Self-assessment Survey.

Annual Reports are an excellent resource to gaining insight into a school’s achievements, strategic directions, policies, progress toward improvement measures, funding, student demographics, NAPLAN results, and levels of community satisfaction. 

blue mountains school, teacher with four students

What To Look For In An Annual Report?

The information you may find most helpful in an Annual Report includes:

  • Student attendance profile – a consistently high percentage of student attendance often indicates a happy and productive learning community.
  • NAPLAN performance – Is the school performing at or above state standards? Which bands are students placed in? Looking at the ‘school average’ in graphs is important to determine whether a particular cohort happened to get lower than average results that year (results might not always be below, but just a particular cohort may have had lower than average results). You can access any school’s NAPLAN results from the My Schools website. Please remember that NAPLAN is a snapshot in time in a child’s learning and there are many important aspects of a child’s capabilities and achievements that are not measured in a standardised test, including creative and performing arts, sporting achievements and character development.
  • Parent, student and teacher satisfaction survey results – this usually gives some insight into how the community feels about the school and how they perceive that it might improve.
  • Adjustments for disability – this is important if your child will need additional support at school. How many Learning and Support Officers were employed to work with identified children? How many days were they employed? What programs did they implement to support students? Talk to the Principal to get more information on this.

We are fortunate that Blue Mountains schools are of an excellent standard. You are usually not able to choose which public school your child can attend but it is helpful to read the annual report to gain a deeper insight into your child’s school and what their strategic directions are.

If you click on the My School links below (Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)) you will find the school’s website and other information.

Visit the school’s website to read in more detail about the school, read their newsletters and learn about the school’s programs, staff, policies and enrolment procedures.

You might also like to download Annual Reports from previous years (found under ‘School planning and reporting’ for public schools) and read more about the school plans which are underpinned by the School Excellence Framework

The 2021 Annual Reports for Blue Mountains Schools

Lower Blue Mountains Primary Schools

Public

Emu Heights Public School

Emu Plains Public School

Leonay Public School

Glenbrook Public School

Lapstone Public School

Blaxland East Public School

Blaxland Public School

Mount Riverview Public School

Warrimoo Public School

Ellison Public School

Faulconbridge Public School

Springwood Public School

Winmalee Public School

Independent

St Finbar’s Primary School, Glenbrook

Our Lady of the Way Primary School, Emu Plains

Penola/McCarthy Catholic College, Emu Plains

Blue Mountains Preparatory Grammar School PreK – Year4, Valley Heights

St Thomas Aquinas School, Springwood

Wycliffe Christian School, Warimoo

Wycliffe Hope School, Warrimoo

Lower Blue Mountains High Schools

Public 

Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School

Blaxland High School

Springwood High School

Winmalee High School

Independent

Wycliffe Christian School, Warimoo

Middle Blue Mountains Primary Schools

Public

Hazelbrook Public School

Lawson Public School

Independent

Korowal School, Hazelbrook

Our Lady of the Nativity Primary School, Lawson

Middle Blue Mountains High Schools

Public 

None

Independent

Blue Mountains Steiner School, Hazelbrook

Public

Katoomba North Public School

Katoomba Public School

Leura Public School

Wentworth Falls Public School

Mount Victoria Public School

Blackheath Public School

Megalong Public School

Independent

Kindlehill School, Wentworth Falls

M.E.T School One School Global, Years 3-6, Mt Victoria

Blue Mountains Grammar School, Wentworth Falls

Upper Blue Mountains High Schools

Public 

Katoomba High School

Independent

Blue Mountains Grammar School,Wentworth Falls

M.E.T School One School Global, Mt Victoria

Mountains Christian College, Blackheath

St Canices Primary School, Katoomba

Blue Mountains National Park Regional Schools

Public

Bilpin Public School

Kurrajong East Public School

Kurrajong North Public School

Kurrajong Public School

Mulgoa Public School

Warragamba Public School

Independent

Hawkesbury Independent School, Kurrajong

Kuyper Christian School

Lithgow Primary Schools

Public

Cooerwull Public School

Lithgow Public School

Zig Zag Public School

Independent

Scots All Saints College, Lithgow

St Patricks Catholic Primary School

Lithgow High Schools

Public

Lithgow High School

Independent

La Salle Academy

Scots All Saints College, Lithgow

Penrith Independent Schools

Penrith Christian School, Orchard Hills

Penrith Anglican College, Orchard Hills

St Paul’s Grammar School, Cranebrook

Nepean Christian School, Mulgoa 

Penrith Public School

Penrith High School

blue mountains school students playing at school in the Blue Mountains Natioinal Park

Once you talk to others about their experiences, meet staff, take a tour, ask questions concerning special programs and opportunities and how the school might meet your child’s individual needs, you may feel better equipped to make an informed decision about which Blue Mountains school might suit your child best.

If you are after great websites for your kids at home, check out our Science, Technology, Maths and Engineering (STEM) collection of websites. STEM websites for kids Part One and STEM websites for kids Part Two include excellent resources for teachers and children to explore, enjoy and enhance student outcomes in STEM subjects.

View The Blue Mountains Private & Independent School’s Guide 2022

blue mountains private and independent schools guide 2022 cover design

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