The final year students at Kildare Catholic College have received the highest HSC marks since its founding in 2004.

74 per cent of the school’s HSC results were in band 4, 5 or 6, including 55 band 6 and 166 band 5.

In 2013, 17 out of 29 courses were above the state average, while this year 20 courses out of 27 made it above the average.

Deputy principal Simon Huntly said the school had adopted a new method of teaching, placing more emphasis on literacy, extended response writing and the process of learning, including essay writing and drafting.

"Historically, our focus has been on delivering HSC content, but we've changed that and instead focused on what the final goal is, which is education for life,” he said.

He also credits the improved results to more time spent on teacher training and the dedication and hard work of this year’s students.

“We've done a lot of professional staff learning too, which is obviously a huge part of it, but there's no doubt the students have been an exceptional group.” 

The additional attention to literacy and writing skills has paid off, with English and other humanity subjects, including religious education, history and PDHPE, showing strong growth.

Collaborative teaching and class discussion were also emphasised, something Sarah Kenny, who received at ATAR score of 98.6, said aided her in her learning.

"There was a lot more focus on group work and team work, as well as independent learning,” she said.

“It felt much more like an adult environment, because we had a lot more responsibility for our own learning, which encouraged us to really push ourselves."

18-year-old Lily Hogan, the school’s top scoring student with six subjects in band 6 and an ATAR of 98.9, said she also noticed a big shift within the classroom.

"I definitely noticed a change in the way we were being taught,” she said.

“It was about collaborative effort, rather than individual marks, and we all just bounced off each other.”

It wasn’t just high-achieving students who felt the benefit of this new approach to teaching, but also students who found themselves struggling academically.

“The school worked closely with those who were struggling with their studies,” Mr Huntly said.

"We've elevated students who were scoring in the lower bands and we've worked hard to tailor our teaching towards those who have needed special attention."