First they topped the HSC. Now North Sydney Boys is raising the bar
'The attention span is always difficult. But there's room for a love of literature and for reading, which we instil from the first day of year 7. We are also constantly challenging students with really high standards,' she says.
An analysis of exam results shows North Sydney Boys achieved an average HSC score of 91.5 across all English courses last year, making it the state's top-performing public school in that subject.
Sharpington-Recny said enrolments in harder HSC English courses are also rising at the school, with 45 students taking English extension 1 this year, up from 38 in 2024.
It has defied the statewide slump in English extension enrolments; two courses in which girls are twice as likely to take the subjects as boys.
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'Traditionally, the students are maths- and science-focused, and by year 12 that can be the path they go down. But we find more and more they are interested in taking extension English.'
She said Albert Camus' novel The Stranger and T.S. Eliot poems are among the texts year 12 students have most engaged with this year.
'Reading widely is critical for grasping very complex concepts,' she said. 'Do students across the state read enough? No. And it's the same here, and as they get into teenage years they tend to stop reading. We encourage it, provide book lists and ask parents to support reading. The more they read, the better their vocabulary will be.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
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The Age
an hour ago
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People are queuing for hours for scrolls. Why?
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The Age
11 hours ago
- The Age
First they topped the HSC. Now North Sydney Boys is raising the bar
The head of English at North Sydney Boys High, Loveday Sharpington-Recny, is no stranger to the challenge of keeping teenagers engaged in a novel when they could be flicking through an endless stream of TikTok videos. 'The attention span is always difficult. But there's room for a love of literature and for reading, which we instil from the first day of year 7. We are also constantly challenging students with really high standards,' she says. An analysis of exam results shows North Sydney Boys achieved an average HSC score of 91.5 across all English courses last year, making it the state's top-performing public school in that subject. Sharpington-Recny said enrolments in harder HSC English courses are also rising at the school, with 45 students taking English extension 1 this year, up from 38 in 2024. It has defied the statewide slump in English extension enrolments; two courses in which girls are twice as likely to take the subjects as boys. Loading 'Traditionally, the students are maths- and science-focused, and by year 12 that can be the path they go down. But we find more and more they are interested in taking extension English.' She said Albert Camus' novel The Stranger and T.S. Eliot poems are among the texts year 12 students have most engaged with this year. 'Reading widely is critical for grasping very complex concepts,' she said. 'Do students across the state read enough? No. And it's the same here, and as they get into teenage years they tend to stop reading. We encourage it, provide book lists and ask parents to support reading. The more they read, the better their vocabulary will be.'
