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.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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18 May 2026
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Good luck to Georgia (Year 6) who is competing this week in Port Macquarie as part of the MacKillop Basketball team! 🏀 🏀 🏀 This is an outstanding achievement and a reflection of her talent, dedication and hard work. We are so proud of her efforts and wish her all the best for the tournament! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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10 May 2026
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🌸 Happy Mother’s Day 🌸 Today we celebrate the love, care and dedication of all the wonderful mums in our community. Thank you for the countless ways you support, guide and inspire your children every day. We hope you have a beautiful and relaxing day surrounded by love. 💖
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06 May 2026
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Today we acknowledge and celebrate our amazing office team… Mrs Muscat, Mrs Kerai, Mrs King, Mrs Derrick and Mrs Baggs! 💙 Behind every smooth school day is a group of dedicated staff working tirelessly to support our students, families and teachers. From answering phones, managing first aid, organising events, handling enrolments and attendance, comforting upset children, assisting parents, and keeping the school running efficiently — they truly do it all with care, patience and kindness. Thank you for the countless ways you support our community each and every day. Your hard work often happens behind the scenes, but it never goes unnoticed. We are so grateful for everything you do for St Andrew’s! 🌟
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From Facebook
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Congratulations to Adrijana (Year 5) on her selection in the Parramatta Diocesan Soccer team. Congratulations also to Halim (Year 6) on his selection in both the Parramatta Diocesan Rugby League and Rugby Union teams. 👏👏👏 This is a fantastic achievement, showcasing their talent and hard work. We wish Adrijana and Halim the very best as they represent our school as part of the Parramatta Diocesan teams. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Congratulations to the recipients of this week’s Best Class Awards: 6B, 2B, 2G & 4B! There were so many raffle tickets in the box this week meaning so many classes are trying their best! We also congratulate our Students of the Week. It was great hearing the reasons why these students have received their awards! Congratulations to all!
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From Facebook
We are proud to share that William (Year 6) recently represented the Mackillop team at the NSW PSSA Swimming Championships. He competed in the Senior Boys 200m Individual Medley and the Open Boys 100m Freestyle. He finished his primary school swimming journey on a high, earning a finalist pin in the Open Boys 100m Freestyle — a fantastic achievement! Congratulations William, on your dedication and effort in the pool. A wonderful way to wrap up your primary school swimming career! We wish you continued success and can’t wait to see where your swimming journey takes you — hopefully all the way to representing Australia!
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Congratulations to our Students of the Week!We are very proud of the way you have demonstrated positive attitudes, resilience, and a commitment to your learning this term!
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From Facebook
Today our staff gathered for a Formation Day focused on exploring Scripture and deepening our understanding of how God’s Word speaks into both its original context and our lives today. Through prayer and professional dialogue, we reflected on Scripture as a living text—one that invites careful attention to its meaning, the tradition that shapes it, and the way it continues to speak in new and relevant ways to our school community. It was a valuable opportunity to learn together and strengthen how we bring Scripture to life for our students in meaningful and accessible ways.