Mrs Frisby, Miss Paroz and Miss Carter hosted Prep and Kindergarten Information sessions for parents last week and we were very pleased with the numbers of families present. Recently also Mrs Stuart and Teachers hosted a Senior School Subject Information event that also was pleasingly well attended and very positive in discussing the wide range of subjects and courses available for our students. With Education Queensland concluding their Primary schooling at the end of Year 6 and not Year 7 for the first time this year, these Year 6 students’ families will be deciding on their new school earlier than previously. With that context, it seems timely to report a study of OP data in an Independent School with a sample of more than 1,500 Year 12 students over eight years. The data showed that the earlier students enrolled in their high quality Independent School, the higher was their OP result at end of Year 12.  In that study, students who commenced with their School in Prep to Year 6 achieved a Year 12 academic results outcome that was between 1 and 2 OP points higher than those students who commenced with their School in Years 7 to 9. Students who commenced later only in Years 10 to 12 achieved an OP that was between 4 and 5 OP points lower. A Year 12 OP is awarded on a scale between 1 and 25 in Queensland, with an OP 1 in 2013 being from the top 2.75 percent of the state’s Year 12 students that numbered 26,000 (OP Eligible) – 711 boys and girls achieved an OP 1. Whilst the higher OP scores from students who commenced in Prep to Year 6 in Independent Schooling are averages, and there will be many exceptions to the younger enrollees’ higher academic performances, it would seem safe to assume that the quality of Teachers and the high expectations that schools like CCPS present, do have a very positive influence on students’ learning. The data from the study of 1,500 Queensland students clearly shows that enrolling in early Years in a quality Independent School, will bring higher academic results and wider career and life options for your children by the time they’ve proudly graduated from their school in Year 12. My three children each experienced thirteen years of Independent Schooling, and it unquestionably was worth it!