Principal Emily FitzSimons is adamant Overnewton Anglican Community College is not an “ATAR factory” and vows it never will be.
That’s why she believes the secondary school’s VCE improvement over the last three years is even more impressive.
“We’re very much committed to an excellent all-round education for young people,” she said.
On the cusp of country and city, amid rolling green hills, senior school students at Overnewton Anglican Community College gather in the library at lunchtime or after school to study alongside high-achieving old collegians who mentor them.
The school is focused on empowering students to achieve their best and make a positive impact on the world.
Senior school students are expected to be involved in extracurricular activities such as volunteering, sport or arts programs alongside their VCE studies.
It’s part of a multipronged approach to boost scores that FitzSimons and head of teaching and learning John Lee developed at the sprawling Keilor campus when she started three years ago.
It includes detailed data crunching and an academic leadership structure, a focus on explicit teaching, a sense of inquiry and project-based learning as well as staff who also volunteer as VCE assessors.
Their dedication has resulted in a sustained improvement in median VCE study scores over the past few years.
Between 2016 and 2022, Overnewton’s median study score remained relatively consistent at 30, but in two of the three past years its median has jumped to 32.
It’s no mean feat, said FitzSimons.
“It’s very hard to get from 30 to 32, and we’ve done that in three years,” FitzSimons said.
It is for this reason that Overnewton Anglican Community College has been named The Age’s 2026 Schools that Excel award winner for the western Melbourne region.
The annual series celebrates schools that achieve outstanding advancement in their VCE results.
Their median ATAR has also increased from 70 in 2022 to 75 last year, FitzSimons said.
“That’s also quite hard because that’s not just one or two high-profile students, that means you’ve really lifted the middle,” she said.
She said they have also increased the percentage of ATARs over 90, from 6 per cent in 2022, to 17 per cent in 2025.
“Last year we did some really good predictive analysis work, and that helped us know where we think our students are going to land, and we’re pretty accurate in that,” FitzSimons said.
“Working with individual students on their goals, helping them to refine their goals with the data that we’ve got, has proven to be very effective.”
Old collegian and former dux Dylan Gekas, who has returned to mentor VCE students since the program started in 2025, said there were plenty of resources and opportunities at the school without the intense culture.
“Education is a lot about balance, and it’s an important skill going into your work,” he said. “Overnewton does a good job in its culture of pushing students the right amount.”
On a Monday afternoon, he is emphatically explaining probability using Melbourne’s inclement weather as an example. The mentors ensure no question goes unanswered, and they help teachers understand what areas may need more attention.
“You become very invested in their success and their learning, and to be able to play a role in that, and in developing enthusiasm and enjoyment out of the process, is something that is really special to me,” he said.
Along with their academic program, it’s clear the school has a strong community.
In 1987, a group of parents and clergy built it from the ground up, feeling the need for an Anglican education in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne.
“At that time there wasn’t really much here, and it was proudly low-fee,” FitzSimons said.
The diversity of the western suburbs is reflected in the school’s cohort, where the last count showed the school had as many as 70 different nationalities and cultural backgrounds in their cohort, ranging from Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Vietnam to Kenya.
The sense of community is one of the reasons head of teaching and learning John Lee was enticed to join the school, which celebrates its 40th birthday next year.
“We want our students to work together collaboratively, to never see each other in competition,” he said.
It’s something year 12 student Thomas Murton values as he juggles football training and exam prep.
The school has created an environment where he feels supported and free from unnecessary pressure, he said.
“It’s super helpful to have wellbeing support,” he said. “I think just having that there really puts you a step ahead.”
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