2017 the sir henry parkes memorial public school annual report · 2018-04-13 · the school...

The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public SchoolAnnual Report

2017

3182

Printed on: 13 April, 2018 of 18 The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School 3182 (2017)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2017 is provided to the community of The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School as anaccount of the school's operations and achievements throughout the year.

It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities forall students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self–assessment that reflect the impact of keyschool strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equityfunding.

Anna Starcevic

Principal

School contact details

The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School75-79 Wood StreetTenterfield, 2372www.sirhparkes-p.schools.nsw.edu.ausirhparkes-p.School@det.nsw.edu.au6736 1401

Message from the school community

As P&C President for 2017 it is my job to give you a brief report on the activities of P&C throughout this year.

2017 began with a brief meeting to wrap up things from 2016.We then had our AGM listening to reports and declaring allexecutive positions vacant calling for nominations for these positions.

The executive for 2017 was as follows;

President: Hughie McCowen

Vice Presidents: Louise Holley & Jen Petrie

Secretary: Andrew Davidson

Treasurer: Tanya Larkin

We also had 12 other people who paid the $2.00 membership to join the P&C committee. We were very pleased to havea strong 17 member committee and much of this was attributed to the work of outgoing President Mrs Louise Holley. Iwould like to thank Lou for the massive amount of effort put in and the drive she has had for the SHPMPS P&C over themany many years she has been a member. With Will this year graduating Year 6 Lou will complete her final year on theSHPMPS P&C and we wish to publicly acknowledge her invaluable contributions.

The SHPMPS P&C exists to allow Parents and Community members the opportunity to support the staff and students ofour great little school in any way we are able. Over the years P&C has invested very significant amounts of money andresources into our school community, beautifying grounds, purchasing resources for numeracy and literacy, purchasingsports uniforms and equipment, supporting families, providing equipment forclass rooms and playgrounds and operatingthe school canteen.

It would be fantastic if we the P&C could support all ofthese things listed above every year however due to budgetconstraints this isnot possible but the list above gives you an idea of how money raised by P&C fundraisers is spent.

P&C is not just a fund raising machine it is also a great opportunity to participate in the day to day workings of our school.Our Principal Miss Anna Starcevic gives a report at every P&C meeting and also looks for feedback from the P&C whereappropriate. Anna also invites other staff members who generously give up their time to attend P&C and speak aboutnew programs and initiatives. As a parent of children who attend SHPMPS I really appreciate these reports andopportunities to be involved in the school my children attend. At this point of my report I would like to extend an invitationto all of you here today to consider coming along to a P&C meeting. We also understand there are many


reasons why people cannot attend meetings but if you would like to be involved there are many ways where you can helpout throughout the year with one of our fundraising activities. All the P&C info including meeting dates, fundraisers,amounts of money raised from fundraisers etc are included in our school newsletter.

As I have previously mentioned the SHPMPS P&C operates the school canteen. Mrs Jennifer Sutcliffe manages theschool canteen along with a core of hardy and faithful volunteers. We would like to thank Jen and her team who do anoutstanding job serving our students and staff through the school canteen. I am sure many of us can remember theexcitement of receiving “tuck shop” money as children and buying our lunch from the school canteen. I am also sure thatmany of us as parents have been excited when our mornings before school have not worked out as planned and wehave the blessing of being able to do a lunch order from our school canteen knowing that our kids will be looked afterwell.

As a P&C we believe the Canteen is a necessary and valuable contributor to our sense of school community. We try tokeep the prices as low as possible as we see the canteen as a service to the school community and not a fundraisingmachine. We are very thankful to all of you in the school community for generously donating foodstuffs and home bakeeach week which greatly assist with keeping canteen prices affordable.

In 2018 you will receive a new menu from our school canteen with a small increase in prices to continue to cover theoperating expenses of our school canteen. Due to increasing costs and our commitment to provide an affordable menuwe have had to contribute extra funds to canteen this year. As I have already said we do not seek to raise moneythrough our school canteen, but rather to just cover our costs. Can I ask you to please continue to support our schoolcanteen through volunteering time, donating food stuffs and allowing your children to also have those wonderful schoolmemories of “tuck shop”.

Finally we congratulate all of the students and staff of TSHPMPS for all their hard work and achievements throughout2017 and look forward to another great year in2018.

Hughie McCowen

2017 SHPMPS P&C President.

Message from the students

Being a school leader at Sir Henry Parkes this year has been a great opportunity because we have been able torepresent the school by attending lots of different functions such as Anzac Day ceremonies, the Grip LeadershipConference and street stalls down in the main street. We have also developed more confidence while speaking in publicat school assemblies andother school functions.

We would like to thank all of the teachers and staff who have helped us all throughout primary school. It will be sad toleave this school, but we are excited for high school, where we are sure to meet more great and talented people. Wewould also like to wish all the other year sixes luck in their journeys throughout high school.

Throughout our primary school years we have participated in the Year 2 Coffs Harbour excursion, the Year 3 Thalgarrahexcursion, zone swimming and athletics, the variety bash visit, the Easter hat parades, the wonderful Year 5 & 6 campsto Brisbane and Lake Ainsworth, and many more excursions and trips.

We’ve all had a fantastic 7 years in primary school and we will always remember everyone and everything. We’re excitedfor high school, with all the highs and challenges that come with it.

Year 6 Leaders 2017:

Bonnie Zappa, Amelia Wishart, Brea McIntosh, Fletcher Koch, Malik Wightman and Will Holley


School background

School vision statement

At The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial PublicSchool our students will: • grow into confident, responsible and respectful community members who know their own self–worth, have a strong

senseof identity and value the process of learning • be equipped with a broad range of personal resources for future success, and know how to work both

independently and collaboratively.Our staff will hold high expectations, providing appropriate and challenging learning experiences that promote lifelongand sustained learning, within a safe and nurturing school environment.

School context

Our school is named after Sir Henry Parkes, who had a deep and abiding belief in the power of public education. Ourschool is proud of its history in providing education for all.

The school is located inthe small town of Tenterfield which also hosts a high school and one non–government primaryschool. The student population of approximately 260 is diverse with around 20 per cent of the students identifying asAboriginal. We have a strong staff cohort inclusive of a range of experiences, backgrounds and skills, blending togetherto provide quality educational opportunities for our students.

Planning & Demography projections indicate that enrolments at the school are likely to remain steady until at least 2019.The school Family Occupation and Education Index Value for 2014 is 118, compared with the state average of 100 (therange falls between 0and 300). Approximately 36% of our students fall into the lowest socio–economic status quartilecompared with 15% in the highest quartile.

Australian Early Development Index figures from 2012 show that 17.5% of students beginning school in the Tenterfieldarea were developmentally vulnerable in school–based language and cognitive skills, compared with 4.8% in NSW. Thisreflects a significant proportion at lower than average in literacy and numeracy understandings upon entry to school. Weprovide a range of quality experiences and resources to address this need and promote ongoing learning.

Here the students enjoy a range of well–supported extra–curricular offerings, a proud history of participation andachievement and highly welcomed community support. We work with other service providers, community organisationsand local businesses to provide students with a range of opportunities to learn and develop academically, socially andemotionally.

Self-assessment and school achievement

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework,school achievements and the next steps to be pursued.

This year, our school undertook self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework. The framework supportspublic schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practiceacross the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

In the domain of Learning our teachers have a strong focus on high expectations of all students, collating and analysinginformation to inform teaching and working collaboratively with parents and other stake holders to ensure success for allstudents. This year the wellbeing of our students has been a priority for all members of the Sir Henry Parkes MemorialPublic School community. positive, respectful relationships are increasingly evident amongst our students and staff,ensuring productive conditions for learning. Strong student wellbeing guidelines and processes have been explicitlydeveloped to support our students so they can connect, succeed, thrive and learn. The Restorative Practice philosophyunderpins our wellbeing framework. Behaviour expectations are explicitly taught and co–developed with students, staffand community. They are applied consistently across our school through our Positive Behaviour for Learning. TheStronger Smarter values and processes continue to also be an integral part of our wellbeing guidelines. MIndfulness andcircle time happen in our classrooms, working towards improving emotional health and wellbeing.Another priority for ourschool this year, was to ensure our attendance procedures were consistent and systematic. Our data is regularlyanalysed by our attendance officers, and these processes inform planning across the whole school. personalised


attendance approaches are embedded and improved attendance rates and engagement are evident. our school providesequitable academic opportunities for all students and teaching and learning programs describe what all students areexpected to know, understand and do. Differentiation of curriculum delivery within every classroom continues to be acontinual area of learning and improvement with our teachers. Communication with parents is regular and informedabout adjustments made for students with identified needs. Reporting to our parents provides detailed information on the learning progress of their children, and our doors are always open for both formal and informal interviews and meetingsthrough out the school year. Our school is working towards putting a whole school assessment strategy in place toensure that the learning needs of all students is systematically monitored.

In the domain of Teaching, our major focus continues to be working towards ensuring that all teachers regularly reviseand review lesson sequences to ensure that teaching practices are effective. All planning for lessons is informed bystudent progress and achievement data. The Early Action for Success program continued in our school this year.Regular lesson observations, both as part of L3, TEN and the Performance and Development Framework, provideconstructive feedback from peers and school leaders. Analysing NAPLAN data assists in determining areas ofimprovement across all stages in literacy and numeracy. Our teachers and school learning support officers participate inregular, targeted, quality professional learning. The school executive team was provided with executive release time toco ordinate and design individualised professional learning for teachers. All teachers use professional standards andPDPs to identify and monitor specific areas for development or continual improvement. The accreditation status of allstaff is monitored and our teachers are all encouraged if they wish to pursue higher levels of accreditation.

In the domain of Leading our focus has been to build and grow a strong leadership team of instructional leaders in ourschool. Modelling instructional leadership and supporting a culture of high expectations and community engagement willassist our continual striving for whole school improvement. Our parents and community members always have theopportunity to engage in a range of school related activities. Their feedback on our school's performance is regularlysought. Learning and wellbeing data is collected and analysed to monitor the achievement of our milestones. Our staffand students are well resourced with technology in our school. Every classroom has access to interactive technologyincluding comm boxes, laptops, desktops and iPads. These devices are all used to assist and enhance learning deliveryin our classrooms.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine our school plan, leading to further improvements in thedelivery of education to our students.

For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching–and–learning/school–excellence–and–accountability/sef–evidence–guide


Strategic Direction 1

Highly engaged and reflective learners

Purpose

Creation of a positive environment focused on continuous and reflective evidence–based practice that equips all ourlearners with the skills, knowledge and understandings to make informed decisions in their learning.

Overall summary of progress

All of the targeted strategies below were implemented in 2017, resulting in progress towards improvement measures asidentified in the 2015–2017 School Plan.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

NAPLAN results – Increase theproportion of students in the toptwo NAPLAN bands by 8% inliteracy and numeracy by 2019(As per Premiers priorities)

Nil NAPLAN Growth

Year 5 Reading 2016 16% 2017 31%

Year 5 Numeracy 2016 6% 2017 9%

Year 3 Writing Indigenous Students:

2016 0 students Band 4 2017 16.7% Band 4

Year 3 Spelling Indigenous students:

2016 0% band 4 2017 16.7% Band 4

100% of teachers K–6 usingevidence (observations,anecdotal, work samples) to plotdata on PLAN every 5 weeks

$34800 All teaching staff were supported by executive staff,Instructional Leader, L&ST an our L&S AP to writeSMART goals in student IEPs and PLPs.

K–2 staff attend regular professional learning in L3and K–6 staff participated in TEN professionallearning. K–2 staff are observed by InstructionalLeader, Literacy & Numeracy Leader and workcollaboratively to identify effective evidence forassessment. K–6 staff are observed by InstructionalLeader in TEN and work collaboratively to identifyeffective evidence for assessment.

100% of teachers using PLAN toinform teaching and learningprograms

$500 100% of teachers K–2 utilise PLAN effectively toinform teaching every 5 weeks.

3–6 class teachers are utilising PLAN every 10weeks to inform teaching.

In Term 4 all teachers began professional learningaround the literacy and numeracy LearningProgressions in preparation for 2018implementation.

In–school assessment andsurvey / interview / work samplingdata.

Nil All teachers participated in differentiated learningwhich was informed by student evidence and data.professional learning was underpinned by the 'WhatWorks Best' document and the 'Literacy andNumeracy 2017–2020 strategy.

Student progress is tracked against the literacy and






In–school assessment andsurvey / interview / work samplingdata.

numeracy continuums and PLAN reports areprovided to parents. K–2 staff continued with L3professional learning. Instructional Leader workedclosely with the K–2 staff to develop 'bump it upwalls' for writing using the PLAN data and thewriting tool.

Next Steps

Aspiring to employ an Instructional Leader 3–6, working collaboratively with K–2 Instructional Leader supporting literacyand numeracy.

Executive release to support and mentor the teachers K–6 and working in alignment with the K–2 Instructional Leaderwith increased focus on literacy and numeracy consolidation.

Continue professional learning and implementation of the literacy and numeracy Learning Progressions.



High quality educators delivering excellent teaching in every classroom

Purpose

To ensure high quality instruction in every classroom that meets the individual learning needs of every student. Centralto this goal is a commitment by all staff to an environment that fosters high quality teaching and commitment toexcellence.







100% of teachers using PLAN toinform teaching and learningprograms in Numeracy

Nil In 100% of teachers K–2 utilise PLAN effectively toinform teaching every 5 weeks.

3–6 class teachers are utilising PLAN every 10weeks to inform teaching.

In Term 4 all teachers began professional learningaround the literacy and numeracy LearningProgressions in preparation for 2018implementation.

All teachers work towardsachieving their PDP goals, reflectand plan for future professionallearning to improve on currentpractice

Nil 100% of teachers reflected on their professionallearning goals over the course of the year, inline with the Australian Professional Standards forTeachers.

2 observations of teacher practice were completedfor each teacher, and teachers and theirsupervisors reflected on the progress made thisyear against the APST.

SaSS staff also implemented PDPs as part of theirprofessional learning this year.

Next Steps

All teachers will collaboratively plan together regularly, embedding explicit open, supportive systems to facilitate qualityprofessional dialogue and collaboration.

Professional learning to build teacher capacity differentiating teaching programs, K–6.

Learning intentions, success criteria and effective feedback used in every classroom.



Confident, responsible and resilient citizens

Purpose

Collaboratively and collectively develop school leader, teacher and student capacity through the implementation ofinnovative, quality learning opportunities in and beyond the school.







Positive Behaviour for Learningand RestorativePractice frameworks are fullyintegrated into student wellbeingpractices across the wholeschool.

$2400 100% of teachers implementing weekly PBLlessons and Restorative Practice framework.

All staff following updated Student Wellbeing andEngagement guidelines and consistentlyapplying behaviour flowcharts.

Marked decrease in behaviour referrals andincidents both during class and during breaks.

Mindfulness happening in K–6 classrooms.

Circle time happening at least once per week inclassrooms.

Teachers check in with students daily to monitoremotional wellbeing.

Increased parent participation atparent meetings, informationsessions, PLP creations

Nil 13 parents attended Parent Helper induction tosupport teachers in the classroom.

Our numbers are still low for parental attendance atPLP creations and celebrations.

Increased student participation inplanned programs fosteringpositive personal and socialoutcomes, and cultural programs

Nil Decreased number of behavioural incidents reflectsincreased student participation and fostering ofimproved personal and social interactions

Next Steps

Restorative practice philosophy to continue to underpin whole school wellbeing guidelines. Updated professional learningto continue in 2018, inducting new staff members.

Stronger Smarter leadership program to be undertaken by 2 staff members to embed Stronger Smarter processes in ourschool.

PBL to continue in 2018

Implementation of Bounce Back –resilience building philosophy K–6, to build emotional intelligence.

Continue working towards building parent engagement.


To increase parent participation as partners in our children's learning.


Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

Aboriginal background loading $20728 All students have a Personalised LearningPlan prepared and implemented. Studentsmade progress across the literacy andnumeracy continuums with targeted support.

Aboriginal SLSO supporting literacy andnumeracy.

AEO in classrooms daily supporting literacyand numeracy.

Culture groups happening weekly

Working closely with Armajun supportingVision, Hearing for Aboriginal students.

Low level adjustment for disability $34262 All students who were identified as havingadditional learning needs were discussed atlearning support team meetings.

Additional SLSO supported funded by school

Purchase of learning resources for studentswith identified needs.

Quality Teaching, SuccessfulStudents (QTSS)

$19299 All supervisors had QTSS time scheduled aspart of the weekly RFF timetable. Supervisorsworked with each of their team membersusing their PDPs as a basis for mentoring,lesson observations and feedback, monitoringand evaluating student performance data andthe provision of support around curriculumdifferentiation.

Socio–economic background $196605 Student Learning Support Officers wereemployed to support literacy, numeracy andstudent wellbeing K–6.

Chaplaincy Program, Seasons for Growth,Resilient Kids Initiative, Centre Careimplemented to support student wellbeing.

2 staff trained in Seasons for Growth.

Early Action for Success $0 Fourth year of EAfS. Instructional Leader rolesuccessfully supported staff K–2 withintensive focus on the writing process. Thesupport was individualised and in the form oflesson observations and lessondemonstrations. Reflective discussionssupported lesson delivery and data analysis.

New staff were trained in L3K and L3S1.Trained staff attended OPL.

New staff trained in TEN

A new Instructional Leader was employed inTerm 4.


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2014 2015 2016 2017

Boys 121 121 107 105

Girls 156 155 137 121

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017

K 93 93.5 91.5 92

1 93.4 88.8 92.1 91.2

2 92.9 92.2 90.2 92.3

3 93.2 92.1 89 90

4 93.8 90.2 93.4 90.2

5 94.4 91.7 91.5 91.7

6 90.9 90 87.8 90.8

All Years 93.1 91.2 90.8 91.1

State DoE

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017

K 95.2 94.4 94.4 94.4

1 94.7 93.8 93.9 93.8

2 94.9 94 94.1 94

3 95 94.1 94.2 94.1

4 94.9 94 93.9 93.9

5 94.8 94 93.9 93.8

6 94.2 93.5 93.4 93.3

All Years 94.8 94 94 93.9

Management of non-attendance

Our school employs 2 attendance officers, who monitorattendance daily. This year we reviewed and revisedour attendance procedures.

Our school follows up absences and lateness, and allattendance is recorded and tracked on SENTRAL..

Our attendance officer attend learning support teammeetings fortnightly to discuss students of concern. Theattendance team liaises with the Home School LiaisonOfficer (HSLO) and Aboriginal Community LiaisonOfficer (ACLO) fortnightly.

Parents and carers who withdraw their students forfamily holidays are required to lodge an application for

extended leave.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 1

Deputy Principal(s) 0

Assistant Principal(s) 3

Head Teacher(s) 0

Classroom Teacher(s) 8.35

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0.42

Learning & Support Teacher(s) 1.2

Teacher Librarian 0.6

Teacher of ESL 0

School Counsellor 0

School Administration & SupportStaff

4.52

Other Positions 0

*Full Time Equivalent

One permanent member of our staff and one temporarystaff member are both of Aboriginal descent.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools.

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma

Postgraduate degree

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Total expenditure on professional learning was$36697.99. Our focus this year was consistent teacherquality.

TSHPMPS currently has no teachers in the process ofgaining their accreditation at the Proficient stage of theAustralian Professional Standards for Teachers. Allteaching staff pre 2004 are preparing for maintenanceof accreditation at the proficient stage of the APST. Wehave one staff member currently working towards Leadaccreditation.


All staff participated in mandatory school developmentdays in 2017, including anaphylaxis training, CPRupdate, Code of Conduct and Child Protection.

Other professional learning for this year included:

DoE Anti Bullying Strategy, technology update, giftedand talented procedures, L3 Stage 1/ES1, TEN andTOWN, Edutech, Restorative Practices, Austswim,Seasons for Growth, Athletics coaching procedures.

Financial information (for schoolsusing both OASIS and SAP/SALM)

Financial information

The three financial summary tables cover 13 months(from 1 December 2016 to 31 December 2017).

The financial summary consists of school incomebroken down by funding source and is derived from theschool Annual Financial Statement.

Receipts $

Balance brought forward 365,141

Global funds 185,311

Tied funds 486,450

School & community sources 79,148

Interest 6,278

Trust receipts 9,603

Canteen 0

Total Receipts 766,790

Payments

Teaching & learning

Key Learning Areas 6,690

Excursions 27,404

Extracurricular dissections 38,572

Library 2,328

Training & Development 8,506

Tied Funds Payments 352,438

Short Term Relief 25,434

Administration & Office 50,760

Canteen Payments 0

Utilities 39,509

Maintenance 23,929

Trust Payments 10,088

Capital Programs 23,427

Total Payments 609,086

Balance carried forward 522,846

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding.

The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 1 January 2017 to 31December 2017.


2017 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 0

Revenue 548,248

Appropriation 522,846

Sale of Goods and Services 286

Grants and Contributions 25,116

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 0

Investment Income 0

Expenses -158,856

Recurrent Expenses -158,856

Employee Related -99,032

Operating Expenses -59,824

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

389,392

Balance Carried Forward 389,392

The Opening balance for the 2017 school financial yearis displayed in the OASIS table as Balance broughtforward. The financial summary table for the yearended 31 December 2017 shows the Opening balanceas $0.00 because the Opening balance for the 2017school financial year is reported in the OASIS table (asBalance brought forward).

The amount displayed in the Appropriation category ofthe financial summary table is drawn from the Balancecarried forward shown in the OASIS table and includesany financial transactions in SAP the school hasundertaken since migration from OASIS to SAP/SALM.For this reason the amount shown for Appropriation willnot equal the OASIS Balance carried forward amount.

Financial summary equity funding

The equity funding data is the main component of the'Appropriation' section of the financial summary above.

2017 Actual ($)

Base Total 1,786,632

Base Per Capita 37,815

Base Location 89,393

Other Base 1,659,424

Equity Total 438,993

Equity Aboriginal 86,237

Equity Socio economic 196,605

Equity Language 0

Equity Disability 156,151

Targeted Total 205,513

Other Total 186,844

Grand Total 2,617,981

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding.

A full copy of the school’s financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.

School performance

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results acrossthe Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy andnumeracy assessments are reported on a scale fromBand 1 to Band 10. The achievement scalerepresents increasing levels of skillsand understandings demonstrated in theseassessments.

In 2017 31 students in Year 3 and 36 students in Year5 sat the NAPLAN assessments in literacy.

In Year 3 52% of students were achieving at proficientin writing.

In Year 53% of students were achieving at proficient inreading.

80% of Year 5 students showed growth in writing.

98% of students in Year 5 showed growth in reading.


In 2017 31 students in Year 3 and 36 students in Year5 sat the NAPLAN assessments in numeracy

100% of students demonstrated growth in numeracy..

50% of Year 5 students showed above the expectedamount.


The My School website provides detailedinformation and data for national literacy and numeracytesting. Go to http://www.myschool.edu.au to accessthe school data.

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Each year schools are required to seek the opinions ofparents, students and teachers about the school. Theirresponses are presented below.

In 2017, The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public Schoolsurveyed parents and gathered information about theschools strengths and areas for improvement. Theinformation gathered through these surveys indicated ahigh degree of satisfaction throughout the school andan appreciation for the role staff play in supporting theirchildren’s learning.

Parents and care givers of students were invited toprovide feedback to the school. Approximately 12% offamilies in the school community provided responses tothe survey.

The key findings from the survey include: • 100% of parents who responded believe that the

school communicates effectively about what theirchildren are learning and provides regularinformation to support progression to the nextlevel.

• 40%of families participated in parent teacherinterviews each semester to discuss studentlearning achievement and growth.

• 66%of families believe the school newsletter

plays an important role and would like to see apaper copy printed for families each week.

• 67%of parents agreed that the school is meeting

the social and emotional needs of their children.

• 53%of parents would like to see clearer

communication concerning student wellbeingguidelines.

• 67%of parents think The Sir Henry Parkes

Memorial Public School has been committed tocreating future focused, positive learningenvironments .

• 100%of families feel that staff are committed to

providing high quality education to their childrenand would recommend the school to otherfamilies.

• 80%of parents believe the P&C support the

school and their students across a range of areas.

• 47%of parents believe the school needs to invest

further into the overall appearance of the school,in particular more shaded areas for students toplay outside.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School receivedfunding to support students who identify as Aboriginalor Torres Strait Islander. This funding formed anintegral part of the providing programs and initiativesincluding the following: • All students who identified as Aboriginal or Torres

Strait Islander had a strengths based, aspirationalPersonalised Learning Plan (PLP), which wascollaboratively developed and shared withfamilies once per term. At the end of each termthe students celebrated their PLP successes at acelebration afternoon with their families.

• The school celebrated NAIDOC Day withinvolvement from members of the local Aboriginalcommunity. The day included bead working, craftand art work. We had the local radio stationpresent from our school for the day. Various staff,students and community members wereinterviewed about their connections to the dayand the importance of the day.

• All staff participated in a 'Connecting to Country'afternoon session, learning about...

• Aboriginal equity funding , as part of the school'sResource Allocation Model (RAM), was utilised tosupport students in literacy, numeracy andcultural awareness.

• Staff members attended monthly AECG meetingsto provide directions for Aboriginal Education.These meetings were held at both our school andat Tenterfield High School.

• Students in Years 3–6 participated in AboriginalCultural group this year.

• Future directions include: • Staff professional learning in 8 Ways pedagogy • Increased number of staff attending Stronger

Smarter leadership program professionallearning.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

Multicultural Education is explored through all KeyLearning Areas at The Sir Henry Parkes MemorialPublic School. All staff have access to multiculturalresources, which support teaching and learningprograms in our classrooms.

In 2017 we: • Celebrated Harmony Day and Bullying No Way

Day. • Continued to promote the role of the Anti Racism

Contact Officer (ARCO), working with staff and


students to maintain inclusive classrooms. • Participated in professional learning for staff to

support both the Geography Syllabus and HistorySyllabus, embedding both and highlighting theimportance of multiculturalism in the developmentof Australia as a nation.


2017 the sir henry parkes memorial public school annual report · 2018-04-13 · the school...

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