I congratulate the students and staff at Ashfield Boys High School on their absolutely outstanding improvements in the areas of reading and writing.

The school is a shining example of the benefits of student‑focused reforms in education. In just five years, Ashfield Boys has achieved unprecedented improvements in its NAPLAN literacy results, with 20 per cent more year 9 students achieving results in the top two bands than in 2017.

This measure is a testament to Principal Dwayne Hopwood's passionate and dedicated leadership. The reforms have been focused on introducing explicit teaching approaches and individualised learning programs and setting high expectations for all Ashfield boys.

The Ashfield Boys library is completely rearranged, sorting books by difficulty, to help students improve their reading levels. The school has introduced an award system for proactive readers, whereby students who have accrued enough points by reading receive $30 gift vouchers.

I congratulate Mr Hopwood and his staff and recognise the tremendous efforts of all students at Ashfield Boys.