Awards Acknowledging our School's Outstanding Performances

Auburn North Public School has been acknowledged as an outstanding learning community by the NSW Department of Education and other education authorities. Over the past ten years we have been presented with a  national award  and a range of State awards acknowledging our excellent performances and results in areas such as leadership, teaching, learning, parent participation, and community cohesion. Some of these awards include the:

• 2026 NSW Premier's Award Finalist - 'Safe and Thriving Community' category.

• 2025 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for School Achievement - Lights on Literacy Project.
• 2025 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for School Achievement - Becoming Mathematicians Project.
• Winner 2024 Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) National Susan Ryan Family Engagement Award. ACSSO represents the interests of the families and communities of more than 2.4 million children attending government schools in Australia.
• 2023 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for School Achievement - Assisting All Teachers Become Their Very Best.'
• 2023 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for an Outstanding School Initiative - Developing the Mathematician Project.'
• 2022 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for School Achievement - Auburn North's Collective Teacher Efficacy Project'.
• 2022 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for an Outstanding School Initiative - Commendation - 'Effective Reading Instruction Project.'
• 2021 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for School Achievement - Auburn North's Collaborative School Culture.'
• 2021 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for an Outstanding School Initiative – Use of Video for Self-Reflection and Peer Reflection.'
• 2020 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for an Outstanding School Initiative – COVID-19 Blended Approach to Flexible Learning Project.’
• 2019 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for an Outstanding School Initiative - Leadership for Whole-School Improvement.'
• 2019 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's Award for School Achievement - Parents as Partners in Learning Program.'
• 2018 NSW Department of Education’s ‘Secretary’s Award for an Outstanding School Initiative – High Impact Teaching Strategies.’
• 2018 NSW Departments of Education’s ‘Secretary’s School Achievement Award – Maximising the Learning, Social, and Emotional Outcomes for Refugee Students and Parents.’
• 2017 NSW Department of Education 'Secretary's Award for an Outstanding School Initiative'.
• 2017 NSW Department of Education's 'Secretary's School Achievement Award'.
• NSW Director-General's 'School Achievement Award'
• NSW Minister for Education's 'Cohesive Community School Award' (runner-up previous 2 years)

OUR OUTSTANDING 2026 STAFF – “THE VERY BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN”

I believe all our staff members are all outstanding teachers. Our staff includes Mrs Acar and her ‘ambassadors’, our leaders, our teachers, Mrs Ashfaq, Ms Stef, Ms Lima, Mr Sewar, and Mr Frank and Mr Ray. I learn from them every day and our students learn from them every day.

All these special staff members model our school’s values every day. They model kindness, respect, honesty, fairness, friendship, and responsibility.

When I arrived at Auburn North in 2000, the school was already a very good school with a very good staff.

Since then, we have continued to further improve the quality of our school and staff.

During my career I have taught in high schools and primary schools in five countries, and I have been the principal of three schools. Auburn North this year is the most outstanding school I have seen, and our 2026 staff is the most outstanding staff I have ever seen working in a school.

Our 2026 staff is SO:

• Positive.

• Happy.

• Cohesive.

• Committed to their ongoing professional development.

• Committed to ensuring every student achieves excellent wellbeing and learning outcomes.

• Committed to assisting all our parents be active participants in their children’s education and learning.

My opinion of our school’s staff/teachers was reinforced earlier this week when our school received two documents in the mail. The documents were from the Teaching School in Newcastle

You may remember that earlier in the year, leaders and 19 trainee teachers from the Teaching School in Newcastle drove all the way from Newcastle to visit our school.

They were very interested in learning about our school’s teaching and learning programs and practices, and our parent participation programs.

They also asked if they could watch some literacy and numeracy lessons in our classrooms.

We organised for the trainees to watch lessons in more than 12 different classrooms.

The two documents were from the Teaching School. One document was the school’s term 3 newsletter, the other was a 20-page pamphlet full of reflections by the trainees about their time at Auburn North.

Ms Darlene Erieau, the school’s professional development leader and the person who worked with Mrs Clift and Mrs Southgate to coordinate the visit, wrote an article about the visit to Auburn North.

This article was featured in the Training School’s recent newsletter.

Extracts from her article included the following:

“The story of Auburn North … is defined by what is possible when high expectations, explicit teaching, and strong partnerships with families come together.”

“Trainees saw classrooms where students knew what they were learning, understood what success looked like, and were supported to achieve it. They saw teachers carefully guiding learning, addressing misconceptions, and creating an environment where participation and success were expected of every student.”

“It is what becomes possible when every learner is seen, valued, and supported to succeed.”

‘Many trainees were particularly struck by the programs designed to support families … and by the school’s efforts to build a genuine sense of belonging.”

Comments by the trainee teachers in the pamphlet included the following:

“Auburn North showed me what can happen when diversity is treated as a strength rather than a barrier.”

“The practices and knowledge I learnt in one day (at Auburn North) from those teachers will be something I will continue to strive for and go back to for inspiration. It will also be the benchmark of where I aspire to be as a teacher and will be something I continue to use to check where I am at as a teacher.”

“I was particularly interested in the school’s belief that students should be successful both today and in the future. They recognise that this requires students to develop strong foundations in literacy and numeracy, technical skills, and important 21^st century capabilities such as critical thinking, creativity and collaboration.

I appreciated that the responsibility for student success was not placed solely on teachers. Instead, leaders, teachers and parents are all viewed as important contributors to children’s learning and development.

Continual professional learning is therefore provided so that the adults (teachers and parents) surrounding the children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence required to support them.”

I am so proud to work with such an outstanding staff, and as one united, harmonious staff, we are excited about working alongside our parents and students to ensure our school becomes even better in the future.

Mark Harris, Principal

November 2026

A VERY SPECIAL 2025 MESSAGE FROM AN AUBURN NORTH PARENT

At the end of last year an Auburn North parent sent a very special email to our school. In the email, the parent reflected on the 13 years she has been a member of the Auburn North family.

The parent’s eldest daughter graduated from Auburn North and attended a local high school. The daughter is about to commence university. The parent’s youngest daughter graduated from Auburn North at the end of last year and has just started attending a local high school.

"The year 2025 marks a meaningful milestone for our family, as my youngest daughter completes her primary school journey while my eldest celebrates another major achievement, having completed her HSC.

Having been in Australia for only a year and still finding our way, my eldest began kindergarten in 2013 when, by a stroke of luck, we found ourselves in Auburn. From that moment on, Auburn North Public School became our second home.

Like all parents, my daughters are my greatest joy, and I have always wanted to give them every opportunity to thrive. Through the care, guidance, and dedication of this school, they have truly flourished, not only academically, but also in their confidence, character, and manners. While I have always tried my best to support them as a parent, I know their success would not have been possible without the safe, nurturing, and encouraging environment provided here.

Now, as my eldest steps into her first job and prepares for university, and my youngest gets ready to begin high school, it is clear that the strong foundation built during their primary years has prepared them well for the next chapter of their lives. Watching my daughters grow into confident, bright young individuals fills me with immense pride and happiness.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to every teacher who has supported and guided them throughout the years. Each of them has played an important role in shaping not only my children’s futures, but also the lives of countless young people who have walked through these doors. It is impossible to single out any one teacher, as the collective dedication has made all the difference.

For the past 13 years, this school has been a safe, welcoming, and deeply cherished place for our family. As my children’s time here draws to a close, I feel both pride and bittersweetness, but above all, deep appreciation.

Thank you for creating an environment where my children felt happy, secure, and eager to attend each day. Even after we moved further away, they never hesitated to wake up early, determined not to miss a single day, because this school has always been their safe and happy place.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything you do. I sincerely hope and pray that this remarkable school continues to grow, thrive, and reach even greater heights in the years ahead."— a parent of Auburn North Public School

“A SCHOOL IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS COMMUNITY”

In one of last week’s newspapers there was an editorial about NSW public schools. The article focused on some of the many positive features of these schools.

Two statements from the article really stood out to me. They were:

The second statement was:

I believe one of the main reasons why Auburn North Public School has been acknowledged as one of our state’s most outstanding schools is because its  parent community is outstanding  in so many ways.

Auburn North  parents  want the very best for their children. I believe and evidence shows our school’s  parents  want to:

1. Participate in their children’s education.
2. Develop trusting, mutually respectful and productive relationships with all members of the Auburn North staff.
3. Participate in the school’s many parent programs.
4. Contribute to the further development of the school’s culture.
5. Play an active role in future school decisions and programs.

Our parents have helped shape our wonderful school and they will play a vital role in making our school community in the future even better for students, parents and staff.

We are so lucky to have our parents contributing to the future development of our school.

Mark Harris, Principal

April 2026

The Auburn North Public School Difference

Get a feel for our school’s unique climate and culture — click here to watch short videos from 2024–2026. New content is added regularly!

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