Early Action for Success was introduced at the end of 2012 in more than 300 state government, Catholic and independent schools struggling to lift the learning levels in their Kindergarten to Year 2 classes.

One of those schools was Hillvue Public, one of a number of schools in Tamworth that is reaping the benefits of the five-year action plan.

It involves specialist teachers, or instructional leaders, helping classroom teachers track the progress of each student once every five weeks and tailoring specific programs to individual children based on their learning level. 

After just two years, the advisory group charged with monitoring the plan’s progress has told NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli that improvements have been dramatic.

Another 100 schools are to be added to the program next year. 

At Hillvue Public, instructional leader Lynette Grimes produces the statistics that back up these sentiments.

In 2013, 37 per cent of Year 1 students were achieving numeracy benchmarks. A year later, that rate has jumped to 89 per cent, while another year improved from 25 per cent to 94 per cent of students hitting the benchmarks the following year.

Principal Chris Shaw has nothing but praise for the program, and is now using the school’s own funding to employ an instructional leader for years 3 to 6 to ensure the progress made in a student’s early years is continued through to the end of their primary education.

“There is nothing negative about it, nothing,” Mr Shaw said.

“It’s inspiring to me as a principal when I walk into a classroom and see the way the teachers are embracing this ... their passion and enthusiasm for improving the outcomes of their students.”

One of the key planks in the plan’s platform is the professional learning and support offered to classroom teachers so they can offer the best intervention and assistance for students.

Mrs Grimes said particularly for the younger teachers, the mentoring and opportunity to reflect on what they were doing in the classroom was one of the best aspects of the program, with student results the big winner. 

With improved learning outcomes also came improved attendance rates and behaviour.

“Students are just so much more engaged,” Mrs Grimes said. 

Advisory group head, former NSW education director-general Ken Boston, is excited about the future of the program.

“All the signs are that, for the first time in a long period of time, something’s happening,” he said.

“We are incredibly optimistic that we’re onto something here and that the rest of the schools in the system can learn something from it.”