South Hedland's Cassia named school of the year

Cassia Primary School in South Hedland has taken out the WA School of the Year award thanks to the hard work and support of teachers, students and parents.

The 380-strong, independent public school has turned its fortunes around under the stewardship of principal Janine Kinninment.

"I knew we could win, I expected it," Mrs Kinninment said.

"We had already won just about every other award you could win this year … we were in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

"Over the years we've been steadily winning more and more awards.

"We have been able to prove to parents in the area that you don't need to send your kids to the cities for a quality education, you can get it right here."

A Department of Education spokeswoman said Mrs Kinninment's quest for excellence and fervour for change resulted in a major shift in attitude, and convinced the school community in South Hedland to take ownership of the school's performance.

"Student attendance and academic results have improved significantly across the board with 45 per cent of pre-primary students achieving satisfactory results in their on-entry assessments," she said.

"(This was) a vast improvement in NAPLAN results in all year levels since 2010, and 95 per cent of parents agree(d) that the school was catering for their children's needs."

The spokeswoman said the key factor in the school's turnaround was the decision to invest heavily in professional learning for staff to extend their curriculum knowledge and teaching expertise.