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ANNUAL REPORT 2014 1Annual Report2014

2 Pymble Ladies’ College

ANNUAL REPORT 2014 3

Contents

THEME 1: A Message from Key School Bodies ...........4

Message from the Chair of College Council ................................4

Message from the Principal ............................6

Message from the Head Prefect ....................7

Message from the Pymble Parent Association (PPA) .................................8

THEME 2: Contextual information about the School and characteristics of the student body....9

THEME 3: Student outcomes in standardised national literacy and numeracy testing .....10

NAPLAN 2014 ....................................................10

THEME 4: Senior secondary outcomes ........................11

Record of School Achievement ....................11

2014 Higher School Certificate .....................11 – Best in Subject ...............................................11 – All-round Achievers......................................11 – Honour Roll ...................................................11 – HSC Showcases and Exhibitions ...............11 – ARTEXPRESS ..................................................11 – ENCORE .........................................................11 – OnSTAGE ........................................................11

2014 Higher School Certificate Results .......12 – Performance Band Achievement by

Percentage (rounded) ..................................12

2014 Extension Courses ..................................13 – Performance Band Achievement by

Percentage (rounded) ..................................13 VET ...................................................................13

THEME 5: Teacher qualifications and professional learning ....................................14

Learning and Teaching – overview ...............14

THEME 6: Workforce Composition ...............................18

THEME 7: Student attendance, retention rates and post-school destinations in secondary schools .........................................19

Attendance Summary Calculation Assumptions ......................................................19 – Secondary School ........................................19 – Preparatory and Junior Schools ................19

Student Retention Rate Years 10 to 12 .........19

Post School Destinations ................................19

THEME 8: Enrolment policies ........................................22

Scope ..................................................................22

Definitions ..........................................................22

Policy ...................................................................22

Procedure ...........................................................23 – Final Enrolment Offer ..................................24 – Enrolment Confirmation .............................24 – Enrolment Cancellation ..............................24 – Conditions of Attendance ...........................25 – Revocation of an Enrolment ......................26

Student Population ..........................................26

THEME 9: Other school policies ....................................27

Policies for Student Welfare ...........................27

THEME 10: School determined priority areas for improvement ..................................................28

Priorities/Intents for 2014 ...............................28

Priorities/Intents Identified for 2015 .............31

THEME 11: Initiatives promoting respect and responsibility ..................................................34

Preparatory School...........................................34

Junior School ....................................................35

Middle School....................................................35

Scope and sequence .......................................35

Respect (attitude) ..............................................36

Responsibility (action) ......................................36

Upper School – Social responsibility ...........36

Senior School ....................................................37

THEME 12: Parent, student and teacher satisfaction ......38

Year 7 and Year 12 Parent Views ....................38

Year 12 Parent Quotes on what they value about Pymble ................39

Year 6 Student Quotes on what they value about Pymble ................39

Year 7 Parent Quotes on what they value about Pymble ................40



Learning and Teaching Survey highlights the gap analysis and our next steps ..............41

Key Focus Area: Feedback ..............................41

Key Focus Area: Thinking for understanding .............................................41

THEME 13: Summary financial information ..................42


MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF COLLEGE COUNCIL

Our four signposts of Personalised Education, People and Culture, Community and Sustainability guide us in the delivery of an education that is universally acknowledged for its outstanding quality providing exceptional opportunities for our girls and young women.

These signposts provide the direction for a best practice education founded on worldwide research, embracing the importance of technology and community in creating learning environments, and highlight our growing leadership within the global education community.

The College Indigenous Scholarship Program continued to grow, increasing from 13 students in 2013 to 14 students in 2014. The program will have 17 students in 2015. A key element of the ongoing success of the program is the support provided to our Indigenous students through the Pymble mentoring program and externally by the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation appointed mentors.

In addition to the Indigenous Scholarship Program, the College also continued to offer a range of scholarships and other assistance to students of the College.

In 2014 the College established the Barbara Nippress Scholarship, a new scholarship program for a student in Years 7 to 12 with a physical disability. Applications have been received with activation of the scholarship to commence in 2016.

The College maintains its strong commitment to embracing diversity and delivering a high standard educational experience to our community. With no entrance examination, the College caters to girls of all abilities with 100% of our 2014 graduating students who applied for tertiary entrance receiving an offer.

The College had 249 students sit the NSW 2014 Higher School Certificate in 44 courses. Our students continued to achieve strong performances with the following results:

• On average, 96% of candidates, across all 2 Unit courses, achieved results in Band 4 and above;

Pymble is now in its second year of implementing our strategic vision, Towards 2020 – Striving for the highest.

THEME 1: A Message from Key School Bodies


• In the 1 Unit Extension courses, on average, 96% were placed in Band E3 or Band E4;

• 12% of our students (29) were named in the All-round Achievers’ list for earning marks of 90 or above in 10 or more units;

• 73% of our students (181) earned 527 places on the Honour Roll;

• 30% of students received an ATAR of 95+ and 54% of students achieved an ATAR of 90+.

During 2014 the College continued to build on the 2013 initiatives through the following actions:

• In order to strengthen our commitment to creating a personalised learning environment for each Pymble student we reviewed the Kindergarten to Year 12 Pastoral Care Program allowing us to identify the key strengths and awareness to better support the care and wellbeing of every student;

• We strengthened our links with former students and current parents to provide mentoring, work experience and career advice for our current students;

• A Cultural Community Network was established in recognition and celebration of the cultural diversity that is uniquely Pymble, and to provide a support network for Pymble families from different cultures and nationalities where English is a second language;

• We continued to invest in the professional learning and development of our staff and encouraged a culture of reflective practice and continual improvement. The College launched a teaching and learning framework to ensure a consistent Kindergarten to Year 12 approach to developing teachers’ professional practice;

• In September 2014 Pymble was granted ‘Endorsed Provider’ status by BOSTES for three of our internal professional learning courses.

• In alignment with our commitment to strengthen and expand our connections to broaden the social awareness opportunities we offer our students, we developed partnerships and provided opportunities for exchanges in disadvantaged and remote regions of Australia and the world;

• Construction commenced on a new state-of-the art Aquatic and Fitness Centre, Centenary Walkway and the redevelopment of the Mollie Dive (hockey) Field to enable Pymble to expand and enhance the quality and delivery of our sport, fitness and wellbeing programs for decades to come;

The College acknowledges the growing cost of education and has continued to review its operations to achieve greater efficiencies and improvements in the delivery of education to our community.

The College continues to be led and well managed by our Principal, Mrs Vicki Waters and her team. The College is well placed to adapt to the demands of a dynamic learning environment and is committed to continuing to develop its leadership within the global education community.

We acknowledge parents have a choice in where they choose to educate their daughter/s and appreciate that they have entrusted their daughter/s to Pymble Ladies’ College for their education. We also remain grateful for the ongoing involvement and support of parents, ex-students and friends in the life of the College.

Mr Braith Williams BBus, FAIBF, FFin CHAIR OF COLLEGE COUNCIL



MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

In 2014 one Year 12 student achieved a perfect Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 99.95, 10% of students achieved an ATAR of 99+, 30% of students achieved an ATAR of 95+ and 54% of students ranked 90+ in their ATAR.

After launching the College’s strategic vision, Towards 2020 – Striving for the highest in 2012, substantial progress has been made under the four signposts of our vision: Personalised Education, People and Culture, Community and Sustainability. The College made significant investments in its learning spaces, including opening up the Year 5 classrooms to become flexible learning spaces to create opportunities for greater collaboration and innovative learning.

Works commenced in June on a major building project – the Centenary Precinct, which incorporates a new Aquatic and Fitness Centre, undercover car park for 230 cars, redevelopment of the College’s hockey fields and a commemorative walkway. The precinct is scheduled to open in 2016 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the College.

In July 2014, Pymble launched a dynamic new website providing a more user friendly experience, faster browsing speeds, an enhanced responsive mobile experience and greater content exposure. Academic and operational staff continued to engage in professional learning. Pymble’s Experts in Residence Program saw international experts, including Dr Ron Ritchhart from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Dr Lyn Sharratt of Canada, an internationally regarded educator, work with College staff.

Locally and globally Pymble provides opportunities for students to discover and practice personal, sustainable responsibility. Initiatives achieved in 2014 included further developing the solar generation at Pymble and participation by Year 8 students in the Kids Teaching Kids green workshops. Students embraced their community service and social responsibility activities. These activities ranged from supporting local drought-stricken communities through to supporting literacy in disadvantaged communities internationally.

A Year 12 Indigenous Scholar collected books for Indigenous communities to promote reading skills. The College continued its commitment of providing an outstanding education for Indigenous students with 14 Indigenous Scholars enrolled at the College in 2014. In 2014, the College expanded students’ global opportunities for cultural and language exchanges to include schools in 15 countries.

Students excelled on the sporting field with Pymble teams victorious in numerous disciplines including diving, gymnastics, hockey, netball, football, cross country, basketball and mountain biking. Pymble claimed the overall pointscore trophy at the 2014 Head of the River and placed third at the Tildesley Tennis competition.

Pymble students captivated audiences in their drama, dance and musical performances in 2014, including an evening of jazz at Swing ‘n Sing, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cinderella, Stage Door, dance and drama showcases and musical ensembles.

The College hosted functions in Hong Kong and Shanghai, and launched a Cultural Community Network to acknowledge the diverse cultural backgrounds of families within the Pymble community. The College also welcomed members of its rural community to functions in Mudgee and the Hunter Valley and attended expos in Wagga Wagga and Narrabri. Our community of parents celebrated the spirit of Pymble with more than 130 parent group events conducted during the year.

2014 was a year of excellence for Pymble Ladies’ College and I look forward to another exciting and successful year in 2015.

Mrs Vicki L. Waters MSchM, BEd, DipT, MACE, MACEL, MAICD PRINCIPAL


Pymble Ladies’ College continued to provide extraordinary opportunities for its students during 2014. The year finished with excellent results in the Higher School Certificate (HSC).



MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD PREFECT

It was an honour to serve as Head Prefect for 2014, a role in which together with a Deputy Head I led a team of 52 prefects. My role afforded me the opportunity to interact with students from every year group and as MC of fortnightly assemblies I attempted to enhance each student’s active citizenship in the College community.

The theme for 2014 – a year that does not lend itself too easily to rhyme – came from the movie The Three Musketeers. The iconic motto “All for One and ‘One Four’ All” containing fourteen, but only just, by juxtaposition of 1 and 4, succinctly captured our goals for a supportive college culture and simultaneously an ambition to facilitate each student whilst striving for their highest.

Whilst there was a Prefect for every week of the year, each was involved in a separate area of school life – whether it be house-sports, sustainability, or music. This year a few significant changes to the organisation of prefects were implemented – such as the appointment of a Student Representative Council President and Vice-President, who co-ordinated a Secondary School system of translating the student voice into practical realities. Further, the Schools Co-ordinator role was given to a prefect both to manage communications with the Middle, Upper and Senior School and also to track the work of those Prefects and their involvement. These supportive measures resulted in an increase in productivity and satisfaction of Prefects and students within their relevant areas and also made their input and dedication more visible and recognisable.

This year many larger projects were undertaken, the most notable of these was a ‘Colour Run’ put together by the Community Service Captains – supporting our main service project – the Girl Effect. The Colour Run took place on the school grounds, where pigmented powder was sprayed over the jogging students. The run was an amazing success and the girls raised desperately needed funds by selling and buying merchandise.

Prefects also worked on ways to enhance communication with students across schools. The Music Captains ran the first ‘Battle of the Bands’ to engage with musicians not currently involved in bands and orchestras. Further, they also introduced a bulletin, which summarised humorously the musical events of theatre productions – such as Wizard of Oz and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ensemble concerts and competitions. Liaison prefects interacted with their schools by attending more year group assemblies and volunteering in events – such as the Year 7 Orientation Days, or the Year 9 and 10 study seminar sessions. Year 12 also spent a number of lunch times with Year 7 students to make the transition into the Middle School from Junior School easier and less daunting. These changes in participation contributed to one of my broader goals to increase the accessibility and connection between students and their prefects so as to establish greater inter-year student networks and mentorship.

Pymble Ladies’ College is an incredible space for learning. 2014 marked the beginning of the Centenary Project and changes in leadership style. Whilst leading the students, I always felt supported and encouraged to try new initiatives and hopefully improve some aspects of College life. The initial goal I outlined of students becoming more involved in school activities was certainly achieved under the banner of our theme. Overall it was an honour to represent my school community and take an active leadership position in which I could make a real difference. It was a fantastic year for the school, and I am delighted to have contributed to the success of 2014. I am grateful to have had such a unique and rewarding opportunity to contribute to the College and very proud to have played a part in a special year.

Mannat Malhi HEAD PREFECT 2014

Pymble Ladies’ College is a vibrant and dynamic school environment that enriches and develops the life of every girl who enters its gates.


MESSAGE FROM THE PYMBLE PARENT ASSOCIATION (PPA)

The PPA represents the Pymble Ladies’ College parent community. The purpose of the PPA is to support and promote the well being of the College and its students, by representing parents in the life of the College. Members of the PPA are indemnified against any liability they may incur in respect of any act, matter or thing done in good faith and in conformity with the purpose of the PPA and its constitution.

The role of the PPA is to represent its members in the life of the College and to act as the co-ordinating group for the various Parent Support Groups that exist within the College. The PPA is the peak parent support group. It helps co-ordinate the social and fundraising activities of all other Parent Support Groups and is ultimately responsible for ensuring all support groups:

• Comply with College Policies and Procedures

• Adopt and operate according to the Charter for College Support Groups

The PPA reports directly to the Principal and the College Council. The key staff liaison between the College and the PPA is the College’s Community Manager.

The affairs of the PPA are managed by the Executive Committee subject to and consistent with the Constitution. The Executive Committee positions are President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. The Executive Committee is assisted by co-ordinators in the roles of Events, Publicity and Care and Support. Additional co-ordinator roles may be determined as required.

The PPA has no powers or responsibilities in relation to the policy, control or governance of the College, or in relation to any function or duty of the Council, the Principal or any teacher, officer or employee of the College. The PPA observes all prohibitions or restrictions laid down by the Uniting Church in Australia, in regard to the manner in which funds may be raised for the schools and Colleges controlled by the Church. The PPA both raises and donates funds for specific purposes providing these purposes are consistent with the aims of the College and comply with all relevant policies and procedures of the College in force at the time of the activity. Before the PPA approves or proceeds with any public activity at which it is proposed to raise funds for, or on behalf of the PPA or the College, it obtains the approval of the College Council.

The College is fortunate to have a caring and active group of parents contributing to the Pymble experience. The Pymble Parent Association actively co-ordinates the social and community activities of students’ parents at the College.

All Pymble parents are free to join as many or few support groups as they wish. Each year at the Annual General Meetings (AGM), parents are invited to take on a more active role on elected committees.

A variety of support groups operate under the auspices of the Pymble Parent Association and include:

• Senior School Parent Group (SSPG)

• Upper School Parent Group (USPG)

• Middle School Parent Group (MSPG)

• Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)

• Preparatory School Parent Group (PSPG)

• Boarding Parent Group (BPG)

• Music Support Group (MSG)

• Rowing Support Group (RSG)

• Snow Sports Support Group (SSSG)

• Equestrian Support Group (ESG)

• Artistic Gymnastics Support Group (AGSG)

The College welcomed the contribution from 70 parents engaged in key roles within the School Parent Groups and the Parent Support Groups throughout 2014. The success of over 100 parent community events across the College on the 2014 calendar depended on these volunteers and other wider parent participation.

Significant PPA events across 2014 included the Icebreaker cocktail evening with record attendance of over 700 guests including parents and staff, the Pymble Staff BBQ for World Teacher’s Day, New Mothers lunch attended by 150 new College parents, Garden Party hosting 25 parent-led stalls, 150 volunteers and many thousands attending and various Cultural Community Network functions celebrating Pymble’s multicultural community. A very rewarding year of increased volunteer numbers across all school year groups.

The PPA presented the opportunity for Teachers at the College to apply for the PPA $5,000 Professional Development Grant and led the discussion regarding the commitment of over $120,000 in parent group funds to the Centenary Precinct.

The PPA continues to represent and serve the needs of the Pymble parent community.

Mrs Kylie MacdonaldPRESIDENT – PYMBLE PARENT ASSOCIATION



THEME 2: Contextual information about the School and characteristics of the student body

Pymble Ladies’ College is a leading independent girls’ school, of the Uniting Church in Australia, set on 20 hectares of park-like grounds on Sydney’s North Shore, for students from Kindergarten to Year 12, with boarding from Year 7. Established in 1916, Pymble offers extensive opportunities for students to explore and excel. They enjoy advanced learning technology, outstanding facilities and extensive choices in the performing arts, sporting and cultural arenas.

A strong academic record and focus on each student as an individual creates a stimulating environment which inspires a balanced educational experience. As we look to 2020, our College mission remains the foundation for our plans. We remain committed to creating a personalised learning environment for each Pymble girl so she develops a passion for learning and scholarship, a strong assurance of her own worth, and the desire and values to contribute meaningfully to her local and global communities. We continue to journey toward our vision of providing an education for our girls that is universally acknowledged for its outstanding quality and exceptional opportunities. Five important values reflect our spirit, heritage and traditions, our Christian beliefs as a Uniting Church school, and our commitment to providing meaningful, personal learning experiences for every Pymble girl: Care, Courage, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility.

The College motto of ‘All Ultimo Lavoro’ - Strive for the highest, inspires our students and staff to go beyond and to be the best that they can be.

Please visit MySchool website for further information about the College:

http://www.myschool.edu.au/SchoolProfile/Index/66604/PymbleLadiesCollege/43846/2014


THEME 3: Student outcomes in standardised national literacy and numeracy testing

NAPLAN 2014

Literacy and Numeracy Assessments in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9

Please visit the MySchool website for a full break down of Pymble Ladies’ College NAPLAN results for 2014. The results can be found in graphs, number and bands.

www.myschool.edu.au/ResultsInGraphs/Index/66604/PymbleLadiesCollege/43846/2014


THEME 4: Senior secondary outcomes

RECORD OF SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENTIn 2014, the formal Record of School Achievement credential was awarded by BOSTES to one Pymble student.

2014 HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE In 2014, 249 students from Pymble Ladies’ College sat for and attained the NSW Higher School Certificate in 44 courses. A further 24 Year 11 students sat for the HSC examination in Mathematics. On average, 96% of candidates across all 2 Unit courses offered at the College achieved results in Band 4 and above. In the 1 Unit Extension courses, on average, 96% were placed in Band E3 or E4. These results are in keeping with results from previous years.

When compared to the State average, results in Bands 5 and 6 have remained consistently high, with student achievement above State level in all courses offered at the College. In 2014, the Band 5 and 6 results were 40% or more above the State percentages in the following subjects: Agriculture, Ancient History, Biology, Business Studies, English as a Second Language, Food Technology, Legal Studies, Mathematics General 2, Modern History, Physics, Senior Science, Textiles and Design, Visual Arts and Hospitality.

In the period from 2013 - 2014, the following are examples of percentage improvement in Band 5/6 results: Ancient History 11%, Chemistry 12%, Economics 16%, English as a Second Language 20%, Mathematics Extension 1 5%, Music 1 8%, Personal Development, Health and Physical Education 13%, Physics 6% and Studies of Religion 13%. In the same period there was a drop of 7% in Business Studies, 22% in Drama, 6% in Geography, 11% in Legal Studies, 5% in Modern History, 11% in Senior Science, 5% in Visual Arts and 17% in Italian Beginners.

Detailed results for all courses can be found in the tables on the next page.

BEST IN SUBJECT• Pymble students topped the State

in two subjects: – Italian Beginners – Japanese Extension

• Pymble students earned places in the Top Achievers in Course list in nine different courses: – Geography – French Continuers – Japanese Continuers – Japanese Extension (two mentions) – English as a Second Language

(two mentions) – Agriculture – Biology (two mentions) – Textiles and Design – Modern History

ALL-ROUND ACHIEVERS12% (29 students) of Pymble students were named in the All-round Achievers lists. We acknowledge the outstanding achievement of the girls who achieved Band 6 results (90 or better) or a Band E4 result (45 or better) in an Extension course in 10 or more units.

HONOUR ROLLThe Honour Roll acknowledges students who earn a Band 6 result (90 or better) in a 2 unit course or a Band E4 result (45 or better) in an Extension course in one or more subjects. In 2014, Pymble students earned 527 places on the Honour Roll. These places were achieved by 181 individual students.

HSC SHOWCASES AND EXHIBITIONSARTEXPRESS

Two students had their Bodies of Work selected for exhibition as part of ARTEXPRESS 2014. A further two students had their Bodies of Work nominated for ARTEXPRESS 2014.

ENCORE

Three Music students were nominated for inclusion in ENCORE 2014 for Performance.

OnSTAGE

One student was nominated for OnSTAGE 2014.

Note that Senior Secondary outcomes are documented on the My School website: www.myschool. edu.au



2014 HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE RESULTS BY COURSEPerformance Band Achievement by Percentage (rounded)

Course StudentsSchool Median

Bands 5-6

School %

Bands 5-6

State %

Bands 3-4

School %

Bands 3-4

State %

Bands 1-2

School %

Bands 1-2

State %

Agriculture 8 88 88 25 13 54 0 19

Ancient History 31 84 87 33 13 50 0 16

Biology 87 86 77 28 22 57 0 14

Business Studies 76 86 80 37 20 51 0 11

Chemistry 74 86 81 46 19 45 0 8

Dance 11 80 55 44 45 53 0 3

Drama 23 86 78 42 22 56 0 1

Earth and Environmental Science 10 80 50 40 50 51 0 8

Economics 34 87 76 45 24 47 0 9

English (Standard) 14 73 7 8 93 77 0 14

English (Advanced) 224 87 88 59 12 40 0 1

English as a Second Language 10 93 100 28 0 60 0 10

Food Technology 21 90 95 28 5 50 0 19

Geography 46 85 80 44 20 41 0 15

Legal Studies 42 86 81 40 19 44 0 15

Mathematics General 2 82 85 76 25 24 50 0 24

Mathematics 113 90 81 54 19 38 0 8

Modern History 76 86 88 42 12 47 0 10

Music 1 6 84 83 60 17 37 0 2

Music 2 5 95 100 87 0 13 0 0

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education

44 84 66 34 47 58 0 11

Physics 23 84 83 31 17 60 0 9

Senior Science 31 87 87 36 13 53 0 10

Studies of Religion 1unit 12 43/50 75 49 25 45 0 6

Textiles and Design 12 83 83 42 17 50 0 8

Visual Arts 55 88 96 49 4 48 0 3

Classical Greek Cont. 3 91 100 95 0 5 0 0




Bands 5-6

School %

Bands 5-6

State %

Bands 3-4

School %

Bands 3-4

State %

Bands 1-2

School %

Bands 1-2

State %

French Continuers 12 92 92 66 8 32 0 3

German Continuers 5 80 60 58 40 38 0 4

Italian Beginners 26 82 50 35 50 43 0 22

Japanese Continuers 8 84 75 58 25 38 0 4

Latin Continuers 11 89 73 75 27 20 0 5

Hospitality 18 87 94 31 6 52 0 4

2014 EXTENSION COURSES Performance Band Achievement by Percentage (rounded)


Bands E3-4

School %

Bands E3-4

State %

Bands E1-2

School %

Bands E1-2

State %

English Extension 1 65 46 100 93 0 7

English Extension 2 16 40 75 77 25 22

Mathematics Extension 1 65 44 100 84 0 15

Mathematics Extension 2 26 88/100 88 86 12 13

History Extension 35 43 89 78 11 22

Music Extension 5 50 100 99 0 1

Classical Greek Extension 3 47 100 100 0 0

French Extension 4 44 100 95 0 5

Japanese Extension 5 45 100 96 0 4

Latin Extension 10 43 100 97 0 3

VET

Pymble offers one VET course – Hospitality. In 2014, 18 students (7% of the cohort) completed this course and achieved Certificate II in Kitchen Operations. Four of the students also completed the 1 unit Hospitality Specialisation Study. All students sat for the 2 unit HSC Hospitality examination.

2014 HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE RESULTS BY COURSEPerformance Band Achievement by Percentage (rounded)


THEME 5: Teacher qualifications and professional learning

LEARNING AND TEACHING – OVERVIEW

The College set the following goals for professional learning in 2014:

• Build a professional learning community

• Develop collaborative planning and teaching strategies to improve student engagement and outcomes

• Identify and measure student growth

GOAL 1Building a professional learning community

In 2014 Pymble continued to refine and expand the range of embedded professional learning opportunities for teachers in order to build the notion of a professional learning community. The College is committed to providing a range of access points to the professional learning program to cater for teachers at all stages of their careers. A College wide focus on Assessment for Learning saw over 200 staff work in small teams to undertake a blended learning opportunity. This course involved accessing video material and research articles online, discussing the significance of these principles to teachers’ own classroom practice, trialling initiatives to advance assessment for learning, and the giving and receiving of feedback. This professional learning experience significantly advanced the understanding and use of assessment for learning practices across the College.

The core of the professional learning experiences offered within the school continues to be the range of professional learning teams available.

These groups are cross-divisional and consist of approximately ten teachers. The focus areas of the groups range from introductory groups that collaboratively explore how teachers can build cultures of thinking in their classroom based on Project Zero’s Making Thinking Visible literature to action inquiry groups that see individual teachers using the action research cycle to explore a puzzle of practice. Other groups focussed on achieving accreditation levels (Proficient and Experienced), using the ‘Looking at Student Thinking Protocol’ to refine teaching practice and Instructional Rounds processes to generate meaningful and context specific data about teaching practice across the College. During Term 4 opportunities to explore Project Based Learning (PBL) as a viable design for the College’s vision of personalised learning as well as opportunities to build PBL units was afforded to a range of teachers.

Pymble was fortunate to host a range of internationally renowned educational experts in 2014. Dr Ron Ritchhart from Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero continued to work with staff to advance an authentic thinking culture, building upon work initiated in 2013.

The College also hosted Frank Crawford who worked with school leaders on leadership strategy and development, again building upon work intitiated in 2013. Mathematics teachers across the school worked with Charles Lovitt in their endeavours to implement an investigative approach to the subject, while teachers K to 6 undertook professional upskilling in LIN and LIEN (Literacy in Numeracy and Literacy in Early Numeracy).


Preparatory School

Teachers also contributed to professional learning teams K to 12 to facilitate greater understanding of Teaching for Understanding and Making Thinking Visible. Four Preparatory staff were involved in additional opportunities to link with staff at SHORE to undertake instructional rounds across the two schools and to engage in reflective practice in both settings. These sessions were facilitated by the Director and Teaching and Learning and Ron Ritchhardt during his time at the College.

Many Preparatory staff also joined Strategic Intent working groups to support the vision of the College to towards achievement of our Towards 2020 vision. This included participation in the Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2014: The Reggio Emilia Approach to Education Conference in Italy in April.

Staff also worked with Professor Lyn Sharrett, exploring effective literacy programming and to establish Data Walls for tracking of reading and comprehension growth.

Junior School

Many Junior School staff participated and collaborated in the professional learning opportunities provided by the Director of Teaching and Learning in the areas of differentiation, assessment and the creation of literacy continuum, supported by the IT Department in developing our IT literacy skills.

Secondary School

Within the College, Upper School team members have been involved in the inquiry action project professional learning group. One member has gained accreditation to facilitate inquiry action projects with Professor Ron Ritchhart. In support, Lyn Sharratt, author of “Putting faces on the data” met with members of the Upper School team to challenge and extend thinking about use of data. As a result, a major focus for the Upper School wellbeing team has been participation in an inquiry action research project examining “the use of data to inform and improve student wellbeing”. This has involved every Upper School Pastoral Care teacher constructing their own data wall to know, guide and challenge their students.

In addition to whole of College professional learning opportunities, Upper School teachers have been involved in a range of internal professional learning experiences including:

• Growth coaching

• 1:1 mentoring with Frank Crawford

• Educational Leadership

• Anxiety intervention program led by Dr Danielle Einstein from the Centre for Emotional Health Macquarie University

In 2014 the Pastoral Care team in the Senior School undertook a range of Professional Learning experiences as a result of targeting specific issues and concerns experienced by Senior School students. In this targeted way, Senior School Pastoral Care teachers built a sense of community around their professional learning

GOAL 2Develop collaborative planning and teaching strategies to improve student engagement and outcomes

This goal was pursued in 2014 by developing capacity of selected staff by working with external experts and providers, and then returning to share learning and / or lead collaborative teams in implementing that learning.

The College provided scholarships for staff to research particular pedagogies and programs internationally. In 2014, two of our librarians visited PBL World and Presentations of Learning at High Tech High in the United States and gained valuable insight into project based learning. Co-planning and co-teaching of project based learning was initiated and will continue to be a focus of future professional learning structures.

English staff secured Eileen Chong and Will Kostakis as visiting writers in residence, and one of the Mathematics staff attended the National Council of Mathematics Exposition, gleaning valuable professional leaning that was shared extensively with the Mathematics faculty. Each of these experiences contributed to the emerging emphasis upon collaborative planning and sharing of professional learning.

Staff across the five Schools continue to attend a range of high quality external professional learning courses. These staff then shared their learning and lead others in the collaborative implementation of new initiatives.

Preparatory School

A continued focus for Preparatory School teachers was active involvement in professional networks through IPSHA Umbrella Groups. Through this affiliation, staff were provided opportunity to participate in professional development related to pedagogy and curriculum in their particular areas of responsibility.

Preparatory staff prepared for the implementation of the Australian Curriculum NSW in Science and Mathematics through involvement in AIS courses on the implementation of these syllabi, preparing scope and sequences to reflect the intent of these documents.

A member of Preparatory staff attended Building Emotionally Literate Schools conference, to explore the RULER program and the possibilities afforded by this program in a Pymble context. This program was subsequently trialled in Year 2 during 2014.




Selected staff also participated in the following courses:

• Introduction to Making Thinking Visible

• Visible Thinking Conference

• Middle Leaders Workshop with Frank Crawford

• Implementing the NSW English Syllabus for Australian Curriculum K to 12

• Growing Teachers, Transforming Schools

• PEETA Improving Students Writing

• IPads in Action Languages K to 6

• SPELD Conference

• IPSHA Biennial Conference

• AIS Programming and Planning for Science

• Robotics Workshop

• Science and Technology Familiarisation K to 6

• PreLit and MiniLit Training

Junior School

Within the Junior School, staff had the opportunity to partake in IPSHA umbrella groups such as Gifted and Talented, Learning Support, Music, Art, Languages and many areas of the curriculum. This is a form of professional learning that provides the Junior School with networking with those in similar positions to bring about best practice in each field.

We trained staff members in the Peer Support School Implementation and are quite proud to announce the successful implementation of Peer Support this year across Year 2 to 6 in 2016 as part of our wellbeing program. Junior School continued to train new staff to the College in the ‘Words their Way’ spelling program increasing their capability in the teaching of Spelling. We also supported the training of new staff in the Making Thinking Visible training.

Middle School

Middle School Staff attended pastoral care conferences, workshops and network visits including but not limited to:

CONFERENCES:

– Annual AIS Wellbeing Conference – 3 staff

– RULER Training in Bendigo

WORKSHOPS AND NETWORKS

– Regional ‘Adolescent Success’ meetings and workshops 3 per year

– Dr P Tan, Gaming and Social Media at Knox Grammar School

– Mind Matters Workshop

– Managing Difficult and Crucial Conversations – Konnect Learning

– AIS Student Well Being Committee Meetings – twice yearly

– Executive Growth Coaching

Upper School

Attendance at external opportunities has been significant with Upper School teachers presenting a workshop about adolescent anxiety at the annual AIS Pastoral Care conference. Other experiences include:

• RULER training with Professor Marc Brackett at Girton Grammar Bendigo. This has resulted in representation in the RULER roll-out strategic group.

• Adaptive Leadership Master Class

• Alliance of Girls’ Schools network staff forum

• Mental Health First Aid

• Renaissance women in leadership –Keynote from Julia Gillard

• Renaissance women in leadership – forum

• Peer Support Teacher accreditation

• HSC marking

Senior School

Senior School sent delegates to various wellbeing conferences in order to build the collective knowledge of the team, including:

• Mental Health and Wellbeing

• ACER – Making a Difference

• AIS – Wellbeing conference

• Mindmatters conference

• Leading, Learning and Caring (AHISA)

• RULER: Building Emotionally Literate Schools

• Study Without Stress

GOAL 3Identify and measure student growth

One of the external experts working with Pymble staff in 2014 was Dr. Lyn Sharatt who worked across the K to 12 landscape to develop robust practices around the use of data to identify student need and measure student growth. ‘Putting faces to the data’ program initiated a range of data walls while follow up professional learning ensured these initiatives continued towards sustainable and embedded school wide practice.

Within the Preparatory School a major focus for the year was building capacity and knowledge of numeracy development through extensive professional development in the administering and interpretation of Learning in Early Numeracy (LIEN) framework. Sessions were conducted over Terms 3 and 4 by an AIS Mathematics Consultant, data gathered forming a component of Data Walls established for tracking numeracy growth.

A key focus for professional development in the Junior School was Learning in Early Numeracy (LIEN) throughout the year. This was delivered by the AIS to all staff on several afternoons with a focus on utilising an



assessment tool to inform more personalised learning in Mathematics for our learners by identifying learning points and tracking student growth in Mathematics.

As in the past, the internal professional learning program continues to run parallel to the external professional learning opportunities also supported by the College.

Types of Professional Learning

Attendance at conferences, workshops, forums, courses and online training modules.

Teaching and operational staff

In house training including onsite development with external experts.


Professional reading, observations, research, preparation of articles published in professional journals, and reflection activities.

Teaching staff

Delivery of professional development sessions to colleagues and mentoring.


Post-graduate study.


Supervision and mentoring of student teachers and new teachers.

Teaching staff

Participation in teacher accreditation programs through Independent Schools Teacher Accreditation Authority (ISTAA).

Teaching staff

Higher School Certificate and NAPLAN marking.

Teaching staff

COMPLIANCE TRAINING

Staff training sessions are conducted using a variety of face to face and online training for:

• Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation

• Chemical Safety in Schools Update

• Obligations in Identifying and Responding to Children and Young People at Risk

• Reportable Conduct and Duty of Care

• Emergency Response Awareness that includes evacuation, lockdown, bomb threat, bushfire etc. and regular drills

In addition, specific training is conducted in:

• Emergency Response for Wardens, Reception staff and the Emergency Control Group

• Provide First Aid for those taking groups on camps, international tours or who volunteer

TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING1 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER 2014

DescriptionAmount

( $ )

Salaries – Co-ordination of Professional Development

31,599

Salaries – Permanent relief 11,222

Library – Teacher resource texts 19,038

Library – Periodicals 1,337

Library – Teaching and Learning software

12,123

Salaries – Casual staff relief for PD absences

37,269

Staff development and Training 360,247

Travel Allowance – Staff Development 105,794

Professional Development meals 1,155

Total 579,783

Teaching Staff – Full time equivalents 200.9

Average Expenditure per Teacher 2,886


THEME 6: Workforce Composition

College Staff Total

Teaching Staff 216

Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander Teaching Staff 1

FTE Teaching Staff 199.054

Non-teaching Staff 117

Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander Non-teaching Staff

0

FTE Non-teaching Staff 100.055

Total Staff 334

Operational Staff consists of the following:

• Administration• I.T.• Property• Finance• Human Resources• Risk and Compliance• Development• Marketing, Communications and Enrolments• Co-curricular (Sport Related)• Student Support Services• Boarding• Health Care• After School Care• Theatre Staff• Technicians (Library, Science, TAS and Visual Arts)

Positions held by Indigenous staff:

• PDHPE Teacher (employed full-time since November 2006)

CROSS REFERENCE TO MY SCHOOLS WEBSITE

www.myschool.edu.au/SchoolProfile/Index/75030/PymbleLadiesCollege/43846/2014

TEACHER STANDARDS 2014

Category Number

Teachers who have teacher education qualifications from a higher education institution within Australia or as recognised within the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) guidelines

217

Teachers who have a bachelor degree from a higher education institution within Australia or as recognised within the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) guidelines but lack formal teacher qualifications

0

Total 217


THEME 7: Student attendance, and retention rates and post-school destinations in secondary schools

ANNUAL ATTENDANCE REPORT 2014

Class Percentage

Preparatory

Kindergarten 98.29

Year 1 99.07

Year 2 99.19

Junior

Year 3 99.58

Year 4 99.14

Year 5 99.05

Year 6 99.17

Middle

Year 7 99.64

Year 8 99.34

Upper

Year 9 99.23

Year 10 99.04

Senior

Year 11 99.12

Year 12 99.11

ATTENDANCE SUMMARY CALCULATION ASSUMPTIONSSecondary School• Students are calculated as present even if they are

present for a single period in a day

• Students are calculated as present if they have notified their absence to the school

• Students are calculated as present if they are in school related leave

• Year 12 Students attendance is calculated only for Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3

• Attendance is calculated only for school days

Preparatory and Junior Schools• Students are calculated as present even if they are

present for a single period in a day

• Students are calculated as present if they have notified their absence to the school

• Attendance is calculated only for school days

STUDENT RETENTION RATE FROM YEARS 10 TO 1296.7% of the 2012 Year 10 cohort completed Year 12 in 2014. The retention rate is higher than that for 2013.

Please follow the link to the MySchool website for further information on student attendance:

www.myschool.edu.au/SchoolProfile/Index/66604/PymbleLadiesCollege/43846/2014

POST SCHOOL DESTINATIONSIn 2014, 253 students over the age of 17 years left the College at the conclusion of Year 12.

All but four of these students matriculated as the Year 12 Class of 2014. 97% of these students received an offer of place at a university that is managed by UAC.

Of the students over the age of 17 years who left the College before matriculation three changed schools, the destination of the fourth student is unknown.

This information shows that very few students leave the College before matriculation to pursue employment or vocational training.

Student Absence Procedures

• Each School has an absentee line and parents are required to use the absentee line before 9.00am to notify the College if their daughter is to be absent

• The relevant Administrative Assistants enter this information and the reason for the absence into the system

• In the event of an absence or late arrival of a student, the parent/guardian of the student will be notified via an automated SMS to their mobile telephone contact and provided with the reason given by the student

• Partial absences or anomalies in attendance will be followed up on the day or the following day if it occurs late in the day, by the: – Student Co-ordinator in the Secondary School – Head of School in the Junior or Preparatory Schools

• Extended or unexplained absences will be notified to the Heads of Schools. The College will endeavour to make contact with the parents or emergency contacts to ascertain the reason


• If contact cannot be made with the parent or emergency contact, the Deputy Principal/Dean of Students is notified to determine the appropriate course of action

• Parents/Guardians are requested to seek leave of absence in writing from the Head of School prior to any known leave, including appointments, holidays, funerals etc. If the student is a boarder, the Head of School will consult with the Director of Boarding before final approval is granted. The School Administrative Assistant will enter this information and it is recorded as an absence. Notes should be retained in the student’s file

• The College requests parents/guardians to make appointments such as medical or dental etc. outside of normal College hours and to avoid taking extended leave outside of scheduled College holidays. The College recognises that at times circumstances are such that this is not possible; parents/guardians should consult with the Heads of School as early as possible on these occasions so the appropriate process will be followed

Absence for school-related reasons not organised by the College

Students requesting leave from the College for events such as elite sporting competitions, must do so through the Head of School. The person responsible for approving the leave is responsible for ensuring it is entered into the system and recorded as “College-related leave”.

Responsibilities

The Student Co-ordinator (Secondary School) and Class Teacher (Preparatory and Junior Schools) are responsible for tracking attendance and should:

• check the roll daily and discuss any discrepancies with the appropriate Head of School

• advise of any patterns of attendance which are of concern. For example a pattern of certain days repeated, absences of more than three days for which there is no personal communication from the parents

• collect completed late slips from the students and indicate the details of the lateness on the rolls

• having received an absent note, record the absence if this is not possible the note should be passed on to the Head of School as appropriate

• keep a record of unacceptable late arrivals

The Student Co-ordinators (Secondary School) and the Administrative Assistants (Preparatory and Junior Schools) are responsible for:

• telephoning the parent/guardian of any student who is absent without notification, as soon as possible after Period 1 or by the end of the day

• following up concerns about individual student absences

• discussing with the Pastoral Care Teacher/Class Teacher and following up with the parent/guardian any situations where they suspect absences may not be legitimate, for instance if friends are absent together and the College has not been notified

The Heads of Department (Secondary School) and the Administrative Assistant (Preparatory and Junior Schools) are responsible for:

• following up teachers who have not marked their rolls

• advising the Deputy Principal/Dean of Students or Heads of School of those staff who regularly forget to mark rolls

The Heads of School are responsible for:

• reporting students with over 30 days absence to the Deputy Principal/Dean of Students

• referring a request for under 100 days of attendance in a year or a request from the parents or guardians for a student of compulsory school age to leave school to undertake an apprenticeship or traineeship, to the Deputy Principal/Dean of Students

The Deputy Principal/Dean of Students is responsible for:

• overseeing the process and implementing corrective action as required

• advising the Principal of the name of any student who has been absent for more than 30 days so that the Mandatory Reporters Guide can be accessed to determine whether a report is required to Community Services

• co-ordinating applications for an exemption from school attendance of compulsory school aged students in line with the guidelines from the NSW Department of Education and Communities, and making recommendations to the Principal

THEME 7: Student attendance, and retention rates and post-school destinations in secondary schools


The purpose of this policy is to establish a framework for the College to meet its statutory and regulatory obligations.

Scope

This policy applies to all prospective and current students of the College, their Parent/Guardian and to all staff involved in the enrolment process.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the Enrolment Procedure.

Definitions

Enrolment means a contract between the Parent/Guardian of a student and the College to provide a course of education over a period of years.

Policy

The College is a single gender school catering to female students from Kindergarten to Year 12. Full-time boarding is offered to students from Years 7 to 12.

Applications from all religious denominations or non-religious backgrounds will be considered. All students, however, are to act in accordance with the College values and participate in the education programs including religious and chapel services of the College.

The College is non-selective and students will be offered places or waitlisted according to the date of receipt of the enrolment application. Preference may be given to the following categories:

• siblings of currently enrolled students

• daughters and granddaughters of past students

• daughters of clergy members and staff

• daughters of families on international or interstate transfer from similar schools

• re-entering students

The College does not provide a Special Education Unit. Students with special needs or a disability will be considered for enrolment in line with the Students with Special Needs and Disabilities Policy and Procedure.

Applicants for whom English is not their first language, will be required to demonstrate their proficiency in English and meet the determined proficiency levels.

Recipients of scholarships are not waitlisted and are provided direct entry.

Students entering the College must meet the following age requirements by 1 June:

• five years for Kindergarten

• eight years for Year 3

• ten years for Year 5

The responsibilities of all parties and the terms and conditions of enrolment are set out on the Enrolment Application Form which is signed by the Parent/Guardian at the time of enrolment interview.

An offer of a place may be revoked or enrolment cancelled if correspondence is returned unclaimed or if full and accurate disclosure of all relevant information about the student (including special needs) is not made at all times, including once the student is in attendance at the College.

The College will meet all relevant State and Federal legislative requirements.

This policy is not intended to extend the responsibilities of the College beyond the law.

The College reserves the right to change or modify this policy at any time by notice on the College website.

THEME 8: Enrolment policies

Pymble Ladies’ College (the College) is a school of the Uniting Church in Australia. The College aims to provide the best possible educational outcomes for all students regardless of their religious or cultural backgrounds.


PROCEDURE

This procedure should be read in conjunction with the Enrolment Policy. The Enrolment process for the College is managed by the two Enrolment Managers.

Applications for Enrolment

1. Enrolment and information packages are forwarded to families on request.

2. Years of entry are Kindergarten, Years 3, 5, 7 and 11. If vacancies occur in other year levels, applicants who are waitlisted for later years, or who were not offered a place earlier because classes were filled, may be invited to express an interest in entering the College.

3. The Parent/Guardian must return the completed Application for Enrolment Form, with the requested relevant documentation (eg copy of Birth Certificate, copy of passport with evidence of resident status, recent school report if applicable, information regarding special needs, family court orders etc) and the non-refundable Application Fee according to the current Schedule of Fees detailed in the accompanying letter.

4. Applicant details are recorded on the Futures Database upon receipt of the Application form, supporting documents, and payment of the required fee.

5. If Parent/Guardian has indicated that their daughter has special needs but have not provided relevant information, the Enrolment Manager will contact them to do so. On receipt of that information, it is forwarded to the Head of Student Support Services for consideration prior to processing.

6. Applications for student with special needs or disabilities will be processed in accordance with the Special Needs and Disabilities Policy.

7. For an applicant whose first language is not English:

• If the student is entering the Preparatory School (Kindergarten to Year 2), a specific English as an Additional Language – Dialect (EAL – (D)) program is provided

• It is a requirement for students entering Year 3 that the Junior School EAL (D) teacher is present during the interview and conducts any testing deemed necessary to ascertain the students level of English

• It is a requirement of application that students entering Junior (Years 4 to 6), Middle (Years 7 and 8), Upper (Years 9 and 10) or Senior (Years 11 and 12) Schools provide a certificate of the English Language Ability from the Australian Education assessment Service (AEAS). The results must fall between Stanine 7 – 9 in each category before an application will be processed. If the results are not to this standard the student must undertake further external language tuition before sitting the AEAS test again to obtain the required level. It is only at this stage that the application will be processed and the interview appointment made

8. A photocopy of a current Australian passport or visa and the relevant passport page documenting the student’s date of permanent arrival in Australia will be supplied by the Parent/Guardian on the date of commencement at the College. These copies are forwarded to the Head of Student Support Services if the student’s date of arrival into Australia is within the previous six months to enable application for Government funding.

9. If there are any concerns regarding an individual enrolment the Head of School will liaise with the Learning Support Co-ordinators. If a prospective EAL (D) student is being interviewed by the Head of School, the Learning Support Co-ordinator will be present. All EAL (D) enrolments are flagged by Enrolments following interview.



1. If there is a place available for the requested year, the Enrolment Manager will prepare a letter offering a provisionally confirmed place for the Principal to sign. The letter is forwarded with payment details and a reply paid envelope. Payment of the non- refundable Acceptance Fee within 30 days of receipt of the letter of offer or by the date advised. If the offer is not accepted the enrolment lapses.

2. If a place is not available, the Parent/Guardian is advised in writing that their daughter has been waitlisted.

3. If the offer is accepted, the Acceptance Fee payment is forwarded to the Finance Department for processing, the Futures Database is updated, and a receipt with an acknowledgement is sent back to the Parent/Guardian. The student is then provisionally confirmed pending an interview.

4. Once the provisionally confirmed place is accepted, the Parent/guardian may apply in writing to transfer their daughter’s year of entry. If there is a place available in the requested year the enrolment and all fees paid are transferred. If there are no places available in the preferred year, the enrolment is placed on a waitlist. The date of the original application will be deemed expired and the date of transfer will be applied to the application in reference to the waitlist. A place in a different year of entry cannot be guaranteed.

5. If the Parent/Guardian requests an early entry (accelerated learning) the College will request that the Parent/Guardian provide a Psychometric Assessment Report. This report will then be forwarded to the Head of Student Support Services for consideration. The Parent/Guardian and the applicant will be invited to an interview with the Head of Student Support Services prior to an offer of enrolment.

Final Enrolment Offer

1. Approximately two years from the date of anticipated entry, the Parent/Guardian is asked to advise whether they intend to proceed with the enrolment, cancel or transfer.

2. If the Parent/Guardian confirm their intention to proceed, an interview is scheduled for the Parent/Guardian and student with the Principal or nominee and the respective Head of School. If the student is to enter the Boarding School, the Director of Boarding will also be included in the interview process.

3. During the interview, the responsibilities of all parties, expectations of the College and the terms and conditions of enrolment are outlined.

4. Following a satisfactory interview, a letter of offer is sent to Parent/Guardian with payment details of the non-refundable Entry Fee.

5. If the Parent/Guardian decides not to accept the offer within the designated time period, the student next on the waitlist will be invited to an interview.

Enrolment Confirmation

The Parent/Guardian must sign the Conditions of Entry and Continuing Enrolment Form prior to the student commencing.

Enrolment Cancellation

If the Parent/Guardian cancels the enrolment, the Enrolment Fees are non-refundable.



Conditions of Attendance

1. The student must abide by the Student Code of Behaviour and the rules of the College. The Parent/Guardian is expected to support the College in matters relating to discipline, attendance, the completion of prescribed work and the wearing of full uniform.

2. The prompt payment of fees and charges due in respect of the student are made within the period stated on the invoice.

3. An overdue account fee may be added to any account which falls into arrears at such amount as the College Council may from time to time determine.

4. At least one school term’s notice must be given to change the status of a boarder in Years 7 to 11. Boarders are expected to remain boarders until the end of their studies in the respective year. Requests to change from a boarder to a day student must be made in writing to the Principal. A change from boarding to day may be granted subject to vacancies.

5. If a student is to be withdrawn from the College, at least one full term’s notice must be given, in writing, to the Principal or 25% of the annual tuition fee in lieu of notice will be charged. If the withdrawal is to take place at any other time, notice of the change must be given before the beginning of the school term preceding the term in which the change is to occur. New South Wales Board of Studies’ requires the Parent/Guardian to provide the name of the school to which the student is being transferred.

6. When a student withdraws from the College the Parent/Guardian may note in their withdrawal letter to the Principal that they would like their daughter to re-enter the College at a later date. The Parent/Guardian is advised in writing from the Principal that a place is not guaranteed at the College. Re-enrolment is dependent on interview and place availability. All students who re-enter the College are required to pay a re-entry fee. This fee is the difference in the Entry Fee which the Parent/Guardian paid on the student’s original commencement and the applicable Entry Fee at the year of the student’s return to the College. A confirmed re-entry to the College is at the Principal’s discretion.

7. If more than one Parent/Guardian has signed this agreement as Parent/Guardian, the College may act upon the instruction of either or both Parent/Guardian; or

a If more than one Parent/Guardian has signed this agreement as Parent/Guardian, the College may act upon the instruction of either or both Parent/Guardian; or

b If at any time there is in force a Parenting Order or Registered Parenting Plan from the Family Court of Australia relating to the care, welfare or development of the student, or more specifically to her education, the College will act only upon the instruction of the person on whom the Order or the Plan confers duties, powers, responsibilities or authority in relation to the particular matter upon which the College seeks instruction, regardless of who executed this Agreement as Parent/Guardian.

c In the case of boarders, the Principal or her nominee, has the authority to give permission on behalf of Parent/Guardian for students to participate in excursions and activities if the Parent/Guardian cannot be contacted within a reasonable period.

8. At the time of enrolment and/or at any time during the period of a student’s enrolment at the College, the Parent/Guardian must advise of any medical problems or special medication required by the student and/or any learning difficulties or other disabilities she might have or acquire.



9. The Parent/Guardian must regularly complete, update and return a medical disclosure form as required by the College.

10. In the event of any medical or other emergency concerning the student, where the College is unable to contact the Parent/Guardian, the Parent/Guardian authorises the College to give authority for treatment. The Parent/Guardian indemnifies the College, its employees and agents in respect of all costs and expenses arising directly or indirectly out of such treatment.

11. These conditions may be changed from time to time by giving not less than one term’s notice.

12. (It is recommended that Parent/Guardian retain a copy of the conditions for their records)

13. Any breach of the terms and conditions will entitle the College Council, a t its discretion, to suspend or terminate the attendance of the student at the College; in a matter of discipline or conduct the Principal (or her nominee) reserves the right to discipline, suspend or expel any student whose attitude or behaviour is not in keeping with the expectations of the College, with the proviso that the Principal must confer with the Chair of Council or his/her nominee before expelling a student.

Revocation of an Enrolment

An offer of a place may be revoked or enrolment cancelled if correspondence is returned unclaimed or if full and accurate disclosure of all relevant information about the student (including special needs) is not made at all times, including once the student is in attendance at the College.

It is the responsibility of the Parent/Guardian to ensure that the College is advised of any changes of address or circumstances related to the student. No fees paid will be refundable.

STUDENT POPULATION

Pymble Ladies’ College has an approximate total of 2,129 students comprising of 179 in the Preparatory School, 445 in the Junior School and 1,505 in the Secondary School. There are approximately 121 boarders in the Secondary School (Years 7 to 12).

The College is a non-selective school and caters for students with a wide range of abilities in all areas. The student population encompasses a wide range of backgrounds and abilities.

The College accepts students with Australian Residency or Citizenship and full-fee paying overseas students.



THEME 9: Other school policies

POLICIES FOR STUDENT WELFARE

Student Wellbeing

Pastoral Care

Policy Summary

The College seeks to provide a safe, caring, supportive, environment to support the holistic development of students academically, physically, socially, emotionally, spiritually and culturally through the Pastoral Care Policy. The College has developed programs that provide opportunities for students to become independent thinkers and learners, caring, compassionate, confident young women with a strong sense of social responsibility.

Changes in 2014In 2013, the Pastoral Care Policy was reviewed, in preparation for implementation and publishing 2014 in conjunction with the Student Code of Behaviour and the Behaviour Management Policy. It provides a concise overview of the structures and support systems provided by the College.

Access Full Text The full text can be accessed on the College portal, or on request to the Principal.

Anti-bullying

Policy SummaryThe policy includes processes based on the principles of procedural fairness and restorative justice for responding to and managing allegations of bullying.

Changes in 2014In 2013, the policy was reviewed for publishing and implementation in 2014. The policy and procedure that were subsequently developed were more concise and better structured.

Access Full Text The full text of the documents is available on the portal and on request from the Principal.

Student Behaviour Management

Policy SummaryThe College prohibits the use of corporal punishment and does not explicitly or implicitly sanction the administering of corporal punishment by non-school persons, including parents, to enforce discipline at the College.

Changes in 2014In 2013, it was reviewed, the name changed and a guideline developed to support the policy for implementation and publication in 2014.

Access Full Text The full text of the policy is available on the portal and is available on request from the Principal.

Complaints Policy

Policy Summary

The Complaints Policy (Students and Parents) recognises the importance of having a process based on procedural fairness which allows people to voice their concerns and have them dealt with in a supportive and co-operative manner, quickly, fairly with confidentiality and sensitivity. It provides a concise framework of how complaints can be raised and how they will be managed.

Changes in 2014 It was reviewed in 2013 for publication and implementation in 2014.

Access Full Text The full text of the policy is available on the portal or on request from the Principal.


PRIORITIES/INTENTS FOR 2014

Personalised Education

Priorities/Intents Identified for 2014 Achievements

Nurture unique qualities in every girl so she achieves her best

• Commence implementation of student management and tracking system

• Implement consistent expectations to assessment and feedback to personalise the learning and improvements for the individual learner

• Research student learning portfolios

• Planned implementation process in operational and academic aspects of the College

• Reviewed Assessment for and of Learning K to 12

• Facilitated a gap analysis to inform assessment needs

• Trialled the use of learning portfolios and reviewed benefits

Recognise and know each student’s needs and interests

• Research and commence implementation of K to 12 Wellbeing Framework to support the individual student

• Implement and monitor individual student goal setting

• Introduce coaching and mentoring approaches to support learning

• Aligned the Head of Student Wellbeing to the five schools of the College to support program development

• Renamed student mentor to Connect teacher

• Researched the RULER approach

• SMART goals known and understood by students and staff

• Professional Learning commenced in the area of Leadership Coaching

Work together as a community to help girls become independent thinkers

• Implement Australian Curriculum in NSW within the Towards 2020 framework and the Pymble Learning Framework

• Carry out feasibility study on optimal timetabling

• Align all departmental and K to 6 goals to the Learning Framework and Towards 2020

• Developed Teaching and Learning programs and scoped out implementation K to 12

• Implemented new timetable for the start of 2015 to maximise time for one-to-one conversations with students, consistent K to 12 lunchtime and learning time

Make learning dynamic and flexible to challenge every student

• Align the College approaches to open technology and learning to include a virtual learning environment, personalised tools, student access and responsible use

• Create learning experiences that challenge students to question existing information and structures and creatively apply their knowledge in novel contexts

• Investigate learning pathways and partnerships including offsite local opportunities

• Planned implementation of BYOT

• Implemented a digital citizenship program across the K to 12 continuum

• Implemented virtual learning spaces K to 12

• Innovative project days and involvement in Professional Learning teams informed planning and development of K to 12 units

• Pathways investigated

People and Culture


Live our values within our community

• Embrace and demonstrate values within Pymble community through daily actions and interaction

• Utilised the development of a values based Learning Framework

• Learning Framework used to inform goals, professional learning and next steps

• Communication and awards are linked to College values

THEME 10: School determined priority areas for improvement


People and Culture


Fulfil the Pymble mission and vision

• Develop an engagement program to engender a commitment to, and shared understanding of, Towards 2020

• Develop a learning toolkit to support teachers in providing transformative learning experiences

• Review the quality, equity, efficiency and effectiveness of organisational structures and revise them to achieve Towards 2020 vision and mission

• Towards 2020 strategic intents and progress known and shared to all stakeholders

• Aligned Middle Leadership and Executive goals to Towards 2020

• Portal space developed to support learning experiences for students and staff

• Pymble Planning Cycle developed and used to plan for the future

• Explored and implemented Stage 1 of the organisational structures that will drive our 2020 vision

Achieve global recognition for educational best practice

• Build a culture of research, reflection and publication that informs next practice

• Develop active links for students and staff with satellite campuses and international universities

• Utilised external expertise to inform our next practice

• Continued a culture of action research linked to key initiatives

• Engaged with university partners to conduct research within the school

• Partnerships established with a university to strengthen the Pymble Intern Teacher Program through an AISNSW grant – Professional Experience Funding

Build a culture of reflection to promote learning

• Build a culture of reflective practice and continual improvement through Pymble frameworks, structures and processes

• Facilitated surveys and focus groups to identify key strengths and areas for improvement

• Worked through a gap analysis process

• Developed data walls to strengthen putting faces to the data

• Developed a cycle of accountability to recognise progress and next steps

Foster a culture that attracts and develops dynamic professionals

• Continue to recruit and retain outstanding staff who reflect contemporary best practice in their fields of expertise

• Reviewed processes for recruitment

• Identified benefits and opportunities available to staff

Community Priorities/Intents Identified for 2014 Achievements

Embed a culture of loyalty, pride and lasting connection

• Develop careers network to engage former students in mentoring, work experience and career advice

• Establish and maintain consistent communication pathways with ex-students

• Identify and join key global networks under the Pymble corporate name while encouraging staff to do the same including using social networking sites for professional learning purposes

• Launched Pymble Connects to enable ex-students to mentor and network with each other

• Developed strategy to maintain the links with Alumni and past parents, especially the global network possibilities

• Communicated and sustained the link with Alumni and past parents and utilising social media



Community Priorities/Intents Identified for 2014 Achievements

Support the Pymble community in their engagement with the College

• Use Pymble’s facilities and resources to strengthen community participation and engagement

• Engage all members of the community to actively participate in academic, spiritual and social programs

• Launched the PPA Cook with Dads

• Utilised the review of the Parent Support Groups Charter

• Established a Pymble Indigenous Parent Group

• Align the Ex-students, Alumni and Student Representative Council events to utilise the expertise and generosity of ex-students

Support stakeholder groups understanding of the College vision, mission, values and strategic direction

• Embed the mission, vision, values and strategic direction of the College across all communication channels

• Establish a process to review all communications with regard to cultural appropriateness

• Ensured all online and print collateral consistently communicate College mission, vision, values and strategic direction

• Established a Cultural Community Network

Investigate and implement new technology, systems and strategies that strengthen communications

• Review internal and external communications annually to ensure best practice

• Implemented the new College website

• Refined the College handbooks

Sustainability Priorities/Intents Identified for 2014 Achievements

Provide excellence in financial stewardship

• Introduce a program of short seminars to foster financial stewardship across managerial staff

• Develop a Risk Management Framework

• Complete a feasibility study for an Early Learning Pre-school Centre

• Introduced the Pymble Planning Cycle to align goals, resources and future planning

• Risk Management Framework developed

• Feasibility completed for the ELC

Embed environmentally sustainable practices within the fabric of the College

• Map all current and future sustainability activities within the College

• Engage our community in our sustainability vision, intents and actions

• Invest in infrastructure and behavioural initiatives to reduce carbon footprint

• Gap analysis established on all sustainability practices across the College

• Mapped and identified future possibilities with regards to future sustainability activities within the College

• Determined a carbon footprint baseline through an audit

Build upon the culture of social responsibility

• Develop, implement and strengthen social responsibility programs and partnership

• Strengthened Service Learning, Community Service and Social Responsibility activities at Pymble through Pastoral Care and events

Strengthen and expand connections to broaden our social awareness and responsibility

• Partner with community service organisations to enhance student engagement

• Establish and secure partnerships with disadvantaged communities locally, nationally and globally

• Identified UCA partnerships and utilised reciprocal opportunities

• Celebrated and shared Pymble’s engagement with community service organisations

Foster diversity within our student body

• Introduce new scholarships and bursaries for disadvantaged students

• Explored and refined opportunities for bursaries and scholarships



PRIORITIES/INTENTS IDENTIFIED FOR 2015

Personalised Education Priorities/Intents Identified for 2015

Nurture unique qualities in every girl so she achieves her best

• Implement Edumate Stage 2

• Develop an embedded, consistent approach to assessment

• Investigate and trial online assessment and reports

Recognise and know each student’s needs and interests

• Embed K to 12 Wellbeing Framework to support the individual student and monitor progress

• Commence a planned professional learning program to support all teaching staff to be confident and competent in their role as student mentors.

Make learning dynamic and flexible to challenge every student

• Ensure the Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) encourages students to engage in application, breadth, challenge and depth learning experiences

• Develop capacity of teachers to design, differentiate and assess personalised, learning experiences

People and Culture Priorities/Intents Identified for 2015

Live our values within our community

• Continue to embrace and demonstrate values within Pymble community through daily actions and interaction

Fulfil the Pymble mission and vision

• Develop a Pymble leadership and learning framework to contextualise and build leadership and skills capacity across our workforce

• Celebrate creativity, engagement and critical thinking of our teachers

Achieve global recognition for educational best practice

• Extend opportunities to build local and global connections to lead best educational practice

• Utilise the connections with local and international universities

• Explore the possibility of global satellite campuses

Build a culture of reflection to promote learning

• Ensure the National Teaching standards are known and understood in a meaningful way

• Develop a sustainable approach to supporting teachers through accreditation, classroom observations and reflective practice

• Implement a coaching professional learning program to foster a culture of professional practice

• Commence a professional learning program for staff to understand experience and utilise coaching strategies.

• Establish opportunities for Executive and Middle Leaders to work in quads to develop their coaching strategies

Foster a culture that attracts and develops dynamic professionals

• Develop and implement an online professional learning system to manage professional learning applications, approvals, accountabilities and outcomes

Community Priorities/Intents Identified for 2015

Embed a culture of loyalty, pride and lasting connection

• Implement K to 12 careers framework utilising community and ex-student networks and expertise.

• Utilise the Potentiality tool as a way for establishing mentoring and networking possibilities for ex-students

• Establish opportunities for students to be guided and supported by ex-students and parents within the community



Community Priorities/Intents Identified for 2015

Support the Pymble community in their engagement with the College

• Maximise College facilities and resources to enhance community interest and engagement

• Maintain and strengthen the parent groups across the College

• Engage parents into the spiritual, academic and social programs of the College

• Utilise the facilities for community engagement

Support stakeholder groups understanding of the Pymble vision, mission, values and strategic direction

• Continue to embed the mission, vision, values and strategic direction of the College across all communication channels

Sustainability Priorities/Intents Identified for 2015

Provide excellence in financial stewardship

• Develop and implement a sustainability plan to strengthen College wide environmental sustainability and financial stewardship

• Align the gap analysis with the carbon footprint audit to identify three keys areas per year

• Strengthen financial stewardship and build capacity with executive and middle leaders

• Involve students, teachers and parents into the decision making aspects of sustainability

Embed environmentally sustainable practices within the fabric of the College

• Develop and expand connections to broaden our cultural understandings, social awareness and responsibility

• Provide students opportunities to reflect upon their service learning and consider the greater impact

• Strengthen partnerships with local, national and global organisations

Build upon the culture of social responsibility

• Develop, implement and strengthen social responsibility programs and partnership

Strengthen and expand connections to broaden our social awareness and responsibility

• Partner with community service organisations to enhance student engagement

• Establish and secure partnerships with disadvantaged communities locally, nationally and globally

Foster diversity within our student body

• Introduce new scholarships and bursaries for disadvantaged students



THEME 11: Initiatives promoting respect and responsibility

Students, staff and community members united to increase awareness and raise funds to address inequities for girls. Pymble continued to fund the education of two students at the School of St Jude in Tanzania and a dormitory for six students in the boarding house. The support of girls education is further realised through our connections with remote and rural schools in NSW and Thursday Island. Pymble’s Indigenous Scholarship Program in partnership with the AIEF continued to provide an education for 14 girls from across Australia to be educated alongside non-Indigenous girls. The College culture is enriched by these students; through ceremony, celebration and story telling, providing an authentic opportunity for students to learn and share culture.

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Students in the Preparatory School were introduced to the concept of responsible and respectful relationships and actions through initiatives across a variety of activities and programs.

• Year 2 students acted as buddies throughout the year for Kindergarten students developing leadership skills and a capacity to respond to the needs of our younger students

• A Big Sister Language Program was implemented where students studying elective Mandarin mentored Kindergarten students from non-English speaking backgrounds. The program involved exploring language in different environments to foster relationships and understanding through dialogue in English

• Preparatory School students engaged in physical activities and games planned and implemented by Year 7 students as a component of Service Learning. Students were grouped vertically to enhance relationships and collaboration

• Students from Years 2 and 4 participated in a Peer Support Program to assist the transition of Year 2 students to the Junior School

• The Easter Raffle raised funds for the Preparatory School charity, BEAR Cottage

• Three Year 2 students conducted a Baby Guessing competition to raise additional funds for BEAR Cottage

• A group of students, Groovy Gardeners, worked together during lunchtimes to establish and care for a vegetable garden

• College values were articulated through acknowledgement of observed behaviours in weekly assemblies

• Senior students worked with Year 2 students to produce short film animations. The students developed their collaboration skills as they identified a story line, created characters and scenery, and produced their films for the annual Pymble Billboard showcase

The biennial Kindergarten through to Year 12 service project continued into 2014 with student and staff striving to support girls’ education within Australia and across the globe in conjunction with The Girl Effect.


JUNIOR SCHOOL

• The following initiatives were supported by the students in the Junior School; Bush Care, Starlight Foundation, Cerebral Palsy Alliance and the RSPCA

• Funds were raised for the Room to Read Program - an award-winning non-profit organisation for improving literacy and gender equality in education in the developing world

• During a local Senior Citizen week morning tea at Turramurra Uniting Church senior citizens were entertained by individual musical performances

• Students participated in St Lucy’s Week Without Words, held a morning tea using only sign language and attended the St Lucy’s morning tea to raise awareness about auditory impairment

• Students from Preparatory and Junior School participated in a Peer Support Program

• Student Representative Council through regular meetings supported a range of school based projects

• Enviro Club was well attended throughout the year and the Sustainability Captains held wrapper free lunch Wednesdays and started a worm farm

• Gardening Club was enjoyed by girls from Years 3 to 6 and they grew a range of vegetables and herbs that grew in abundance

• Duke of Edinburgh Year 9 girl supported our EAL (D) girls through a reading program

• The College values were articulated during each assembly and posters around the school highlight and promote their importance

• The Outdoor Education program from Years 3 to 6 promotes initiative, responsibility and challenge by choice

In order to promote responsibility, the Junior School has a leadership program for all students in Years 3 to 6 where the girls take responsibility in areas such as the SRC, Music Captain, Sustainability Captain and Chapel Leaders. Our House Leaders also take responsibility for a number of activities to increase House spirit throughout the year.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Middle School at Pymble Ladies’ College includes Years 7 and 8. The challenging Middle School curriculum, wellbeing programs, extensive co-curricular program, outdoor education programs and community service opportunities all foster a sense of respect and responsibility.




RESPECT (ATTITUDE)

Domains Activity

Self Promotion of growth mindset, Mindfulness practices, Camp, Motivational Media (Year 8)

School Caring for school environment, wearing uniform with pride, attendance at school assemblies, chapel services, relationship survey

Teachers and parents Greeting and fare-welling teachers with respect, assisting as guides on Pymble Mornings for prospective parents

Beyond school ANZAC Day celebrations, International Women’s Day, Harmony Day

RESPONSIBILITY (ACTION)

Domains Activity

Decisions Online bulletin (7/8 Elevate), camp, survey, cybersafety focus, punctuality, study skills seminar (Year 7)

Resources Recycling practices, lockers, caring for personal belongings eg. laptops

Roles Leadership positions, mentoring (peer support Year 7) PC Captains (over 120 students involved)

Environment Kids Teaching Kids talks on sustainable practices, camp, earth hour, World Environment Day, Clean up Australia Day

UPPER SCHOOL

Year 9 students visit local community organisations several times throughout the year. Their experiences and reflections are documented as part of the English study program. Some of the groups Year 9 students have engaged with in 2014 include: institutional aged care and home based aged care with gardening support and Meals on Wheels, children with disabilities, socio-economically disadvantaged groups, indirect support for victims of domestic violence , refugee advocacy and assembling birthing kits for developing countries.

All students in Year 10 participate in a Service Learning project. Students develop a relationship with an organisation and seek to provide practical support and serve as an advocate for the organisation. In developing their project the students investigate core issues, conduct a needs analysis, liaise with the organisation, develop and perform their project and participate in reflection exercises. In addition, students are able to consolidate aspects of their learning with authentic application through their projects. Skills such as budgeting, integrating IT, persuasive writing and communication are vital to the learning in these programs. Opportunities exist to perform service within the local community and beyond including the following disadvantage groups; aged care, socio-economically disadvantaged, homeless groups, disabled both children adults, rural and isolated schools, community centres, refugees, schools and families in developing countries, refugee support groups, EAL(D) communities, animal support groups and environmental support groups.

Within the curriculum, Upper School students participated in an interfaith conference exploring respect, understanding and acceptance. Schools from a range of religious backgrounds gathered together to participate in workshop



activities and listen to speakers. Through the English and PDHPE curriculum students learn skills in advocacy for groups facing disadvantage and create a personal interest project in the “Right here Write Now” unit of work.

Upper School leaders attended Alliance of Girls’ schools network meetings to discuss issues affecting young women. An opportunity to lead a discussion was held at Pymble with the theme of abolition of violence against women across the globe.

SENIOR SCHOOL

2014 saw the ongoing review and redesign of the College’s Pastoral Care Program, to ensure a developmentally appropriate Scope and Sequence for Wellbeing would be ready for implementation in 2015. Working with the newly appointed Head of Student Wellbeing, the Senior School Wellbeing Program had the five College values, Care, Courage, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility as its foundations and its core aims are to facilitate the growth of student self-efficacy, empowerment and balance. As they prepare to leave school, the concept of interdependence, building on their understanding of independence, is also a key focus.

The Senior School students work in a flexible and independent environment at school, and as a result, grow in their self respect and respect for others. The girls in Years 11 and 12 model independent, responsible work habits, and as a result, students gain more autonomy as they prepare to leave school for tertiary study, travel or the workplace.

In 2014 the Pastoral Care Program included directed sessions on the importance of goals and allowed the girls to adopt a goals-focused approach to their learning, based on the SMART goals framework. The Pastoral Care Program also provided for individual reflective conversations with teachers, where students were able to reflect upon their progress and discuss strategies for improvement. Senior School students continued to enjoy a range of presentations from visiting speakers who encouraged them to be aware of their community and their responsibilities. These included Paul Dillon from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Professor Gin Malhi from the Cade Clinic, Major Rowena Smith from the Salvation Army, Brett Lee from INESS (Cyber etiquette and online safety), Prue Salter, Matt Kershaw (YLead), Brent Williams (Tomorrow’s Youth) and Brent Saunders (Winning Edge).

The Senior School continued to take up the challenge of service displaying a growth in awareness of and commitment to community support. The students initiated a number of programs and involved themselves in a range of activities including International Women’s Day, Harmony Day, the Senior School Knit-in, blood donations, Anzac Day and Remembrance Day. The girls in the Senior School supported the College service project ‘The Girl Effect’, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, SAIL and individual house projects such as Red Kite, the Cancer Council and Jeans for Genes Day. Many of these projects are led and run by student leaders, and our active Student Representative Council.

Leaders from the student body are appointed to positions designed specifically to promote respect and responsibility, and all student leaders have designated portfolios and work towards achieving their personal goals. Many students are also committed to working in the Sony Camp Firefly program, which aims to provide respite and care to families with children with a disability. In many of these activities, older students work with the younger students of the College promoting the importance of modelling behaviour and positive peer mentoring, building a respectful and responsible community.

Actions often speak louder than words. Through well designed Service Learning opportunities, Upper School students learn how to take care of their communities and their world.


THEME 12: Parent, student and teacher satisfaction

As part of the College’s continual improvement program, an annual parent and student satisfaction and feedback review covering a wide range of the College’s value proposition is commissioned. Annually the students and teachers are surveyed about key aspects of the learning and teaching with a gap analysis facilitated to inform our practice, professional learning and improvement plans.

Pymble is committed to listening to the views and expectations from key stakeholders and to use this important feedback for performance monitoring and as important input to the College’s operational and strategic plans.

The feedback from these surveys greatly assists the College with its aim for continued improvement of student learning experiences.

In 2014, 250 parents and 567 students across Years 6, 7, 8 and 12 completed the surveys and provided feedback on such areas as overall satisfaction, academic performance, pastoral care, co-curricular, boarding, publications and communications, community engagement, management and leadership and parent advocacy.

The charts below show the percentage of Pymble Year 7 and Year 12 parents and students who noted their expectations of the school had been met or exceeded across key aspects of the College’s value proposition.

For example 85% of the parents noted their expectations were met or exceeded on the rated most important area ‘Quality of teaching’.

Pymble Year 7 and Year 12 Parent’s Views

85% 90% 95% 93% 93% 95% 88% 90% 96% 97%

Quality ofteaching

Focus onstudentwelfare,

providing asafe andcaring

environment

Balancedchallengingeducation

Academicstandards

The College’s

values

Facilitiesand

resources

Range ofdifferentsubjects

Goodeducation atreasonable

expense

College’s direction

Tradition &Reputation

P ercent E xpectations Met/E xceeded

2014 P ymble L adies ' C ollege Y r 7 & 12 P arents - E xpec tations Met/E xc eeded - T op 10 (n=250)

PLC Parents 12/14


2014 P ymble Ye a r 6 S tude nts 2014 P ymble Ye a r 7 P a re nts

My friends A very high quality, well balanced, holistic educationSport/Co curricular activities Success in encouraging each student to do her bestThe facilities Strong focus on & effectiveness of student wellbeing Opportunities Students' access to a wide range of challenging Learning environment Students' enjoyment of attending & happiness at school

2014 P ymble Ye a r 8 S tude nts 2014 P ymble Ye a r 12 P a re nts

A very good learning environment & education Excellent staffFriendships with other students Excellent educationA wide range of opportunities The experiences and opportunities my daughter has hadA wide range of sporting activities Daughter is proud to attend and be associated with P ymbleA welcoming, caring & supportive community A safe and caring environment

2014 P ymble Ye a r 12 S tude nts

Friendships madeExcellent educationMy teachersOpportunities and experiencesThe reputation of the College

91% 98% 94% 98% 89% 97% 97% 95% 97% 97%

Quality ofteaching

Facilities andresources

Range ofsubjectchoices

Academicstandards

Focus onstudentwelfare,

providing asafe andcaring

environment

Balancedchallengingeducation

Activities (Co-curricularprogram)

Sportsprogram

A leadingindependentschool in the

area

Location -availability ofreliable and

safetransportation

P ercent E xpectations Met/E xceeded

2014 P ymble L adies ' C ollege Y r 12 S tudents - E xpec tations Met/E xc eeded - T op 10 (n=239)

PLC Students 12/14


Pymble Year 12 Student Views

Parents and students were asked to provide open responses to the most valued aspects of Pymble. The most frequently nominated aspects are:

Year 12 Parents Quotes on what they value about Pymble

“ Awesome experience for my daughters, excellent foundation and very good long-term friendships.”

“ Leadership in terms of Principal and various heads of school and teachers are absolutely amazing.”

“ As you can see from the answers I am an extremely satisfied parent-my daughters have loved going to school each and every day and are brilliant well rounded girls. Kudos to the school and most importantly the teachers.”

“ I think Pymble has provided opportunities for my daughter and has been a safe environment. I think it is up to the students to decide on what they actually value from their education.”

“ My daughter has been supported, encouraged and has grown through the consistent efforts and commitment of the teaching staff throughout the years.”

“ The school has remained a safe and happy place for my daughter to learn, grow and thrive.”

Year 6 Students Quotes on what they value about Pymble

“ All the friends I have made and all the cool facilities.”

“ Friends and the enjoyment towards learning.”

“ How I love learning here and how we have so much opportunity for learning. I love how we have so much opportunity for sports and co-curricular activities.”

“ I love all of it, but mainly the facilities and my friends.”

“ I love all of the Pymble grounds and facilities and I also love the support and great education at Pymble.”

“ I really enjoy going to school at Pymble, and I value the relationships I have made with friends and teachers.”

“ I value my learning experiences with my teachers.”


Year 7 Parents Quotes on what they value about Pymble

“ A sense that my daughter is in ‘good hands‘”

“ Friendships and the knowledge that I am providing the best possible balanced education for my daughters in terms of academics, sport and spirituality.

“ How happy my daughter is at the school. How every day is fun, involved and pushes her to learn and develop each and every day. The teachers are friendly, passionate and caring.”

“ Its great reputation, Uniting Church which seems very welcoming of all backgrounds, approachable PC and student co-ordinators. Reasonable pressure on students to achieve high academic scores, a good balanced teaching.”

“ My daughter loves being at a school with a long tradition and history of excellence.”

“ We value the upholding of strong ideals, excellence in academic education, discipline, respect and responsibility, and we feel that Pymble upholds these values too.”


“ Friends and the opportunities that the school provides.”

“ I feel very lucky to go to school where there are so many opportunities and where I have so many friends. I love the learning environment and the high level at which everything is run.”

“ I like the sport activities and how you can make new friends from it or become closer with your friends.”

“ I love that the teachers know who you are and your personality even though Pymble is such a large school. I value the system of the different schools and how we are broken up so we only need to focus on us in Middle School.”

“ I love the fact that I know I will be successful here at Pymble. I can strive to achieve my best at my exceptional levels of sport and exceptionally high academics”

“ I value going to a school that extends my understanding both in work and in social situations. I value the fact that to be recognised you have to work hard, and it is the type of school that gives awards for hard work, and for not sitting up straight.”


“ I think that the teachers and friends that I have made in my time here are the most valuable aspects of my education.”

“ The school’s ability to support me through my academic studies and co-curricular activities.”

“ The caring/fun environment between students and teachers.”

“ The friends I have made which I hope to keep for life. The opportunities I have been given which have assisted me in developing a portfolio for tertiary studies. The amazing reputation of the school which has really helped with university exposure.”

“ The friendships I have formed have been incredible. Also, many of the teachers have been amazing role models and very supportive, especially during my HSC year.”



LEARNING AND TEACHING SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS THE GAP ANALYSIS AND OUR NEXT STEPS

Key Focus Area: Feedback

Key Focus Area: Thinking for understanding



THEME 13: Summary financial information


Pymble Ladies’ CollegeAvon Road, PO Box 136North Ryde BC NSW 1670

Phone + 61 2 9855 7799Fax + 61 2 9855 7766www.pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

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