Canterbury Vale School

24 Wangee Rd, Lakemba NSW 2195

PublicSpecial

Canterbury Vale School is a government special school in Lakemba, NSW with about 36 students. Its ICSEA is 921, where the national average is 1000.

36students

921ICSEA · higher than 47% of NSW primary schools

60%language background other than English

8%Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

16teaching staff (FTE)

Language background, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander share, Teaching staff: ACARA School Profile 2025. Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Terms

Attendance and enrolment

53.7%attendance rate, 2024 · -5.7 pts over 3 years

+57%enrolment change over 5 years

154FOEI (Family Occupation and Education Index; higher means more disadvantage, NSW average about 100)

3support classes

Enrolments by year, 2016–2025. Latest 36.

About this school, from public sources

Publicly available information describes Canterbury Vale School as a NSW Department of Education specialist support school in Lakemba, established in 2006, serving students in Years 7 to 12 with behaviour disorders, emotional disturbance, and (since 2022) mental health and autism spectrum needs. The school runs small, individualised classes with a strong trauma-informed focus, with staff trained in the Berry Street Education Model, aiming to help students rebuild engagement with learning and transition back into mainstream or post-school settings.

Often praised

Trauma-informed teaching approach
Small, individualised class sizes
Focus on reintegration into mainstream schools

This note was generated from publicly available online sources (the school's website, official pages and online feedback) as at September 2026. It reflects what is said online, not an assessment by SchoolList AU or any government body, and it deliberately records only neutral and positive points. Confidence: medium. Verify anything important with the school. Report an inaccuracy.

NAPLAN

School-level NAPLAN results are published by ACARA on My School under terms that do not allow them to be reproduced here. See Canterbury Vale School on My School · Why some data is missing

Location and nearby schools

Straight-line distances. List every school within 5 to 50 km.

School	Suburb	Type	Distance	ICSEA	Students
Rissalah College	Lakemba	Independent k–12 / combined	0.2 km	1,041	946
St Charbel's College	Punchbowl	Independent k–12 / combined	1.7 km	1,054	1,198
Al Sadiq College	Greenacre	Independent k–12 / combined	1.8 km	942	771
Aspect South East Sydney School, Belfield	Belfield	Independent special	2.1 km	—	—
Wangee Park School	Campsie	Public special	2.1 km	1,011	51
Australian International Academy, Sydney, Strathfield Campus	Strathfield	Independent k–12 / combined	2.9 km	1,074	493
Greenacre Christian College	Greenacre	Independent k–12 / combined	2.9 km	1,087	322
Aspect South East Sydney School, Greenacre	Greenacre	Independent special	3.0 km	—	—

Schools with a similar ICSEA in NSW

Same sector and type, ICSEA within 25 points. This is the comparison that separates teaching from postcode.

School	Suburb	Type	Students	ICSEA
Karningul School	Regents Park	Public special	20	919
Willans Hill School	Wagga Wagga	Public special	71	929
Casuarina School	Riverstone	Public special	40	912
Wewak Street School	North Albury	Public special	67	930
The Crescent School	Goulburn	Public special	77	911
Lakeside School	Gateshead	Public special	58	910

About this data

Figures are from the latest published datasets and can lag the school by a year. Confirm enrolment rules and catchment boundaries with the school or department before relying on them.