Croppa Creek Public SchoolAnnual Report

2018

3717

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Introduction

The Annual Report for 2018 is provided to the community of Croppa Creek Public School as an account of the school'soperations 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.

Michael Sky

Principal

School contact details

Croppa Creek Public SchoolApsley CresCroppa Creek, 2411www.croppacrk-p.schools.nsw.edu.aucroppacrk-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au6754 5215

Message from the Principal

The Strategic Directions for 2018 – 2022 for the NSW Department of Education set out a number of goals for schoolswithin the public system to be striving towards. There are a number of goals that are particularly worthy of consideration.First is the goal that 'Every student is known, valued and cared for in our schools.' Small schools have a naturaladvantage in that our numbers are small, so the relationships between students and staff, which develop over a numberof years, are intimate and deep.

Another goal is that 'Every student is engaged and challenged to continue to learn.' This is an important aspect of anyperson's education and this year the school has begun a path in Project Based Learning using STEM education as abasis for engaging our students and considering the future learning needs of our community.

A further goal that presents a specific challenge for small schools in rural areas is the goal that public schools will work toreduce the impact of disadvantage for our students. Working in conjunction with our other small schools in our region aspart of a community of schools is crucial in this regard and again our projects this year have had a focus on collaborationbetween teachers and students.

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School background

School vision statement

At Croppa Creek Public School we are committed to providing students with experiences and opportunities thatencourage them to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active, informed members of theircommunity. 

We will achieve this through the provision of high quality learning experiences and opportunities delivered by highlyproficient staff in a collaborative and caring learning environment.

School context

Croppa Creek Public School is a small, rural, isolated school situated 65km north east of Moree. Our students stronglyidentify with  living in a rural and farming community and the school enjoys strong links with the local community andother small schools within the district. 

Our small school fosters a sense of belonging for all in a supportive and inclusive community by nuturing each individualstudent and maintaining a positive and caring learning environment. Croppa Creek Public School encourages parent andcommunity involvement to maximise student engagement and achievement. 

The school staff is comprised of experienced teachers whose student focused teaching ensures that differentiatedlearning programs are delivered that allow our students to achieve their best.

Key programs at the school include a focus on student well–being, through Positive Behaviour for Learning. Our corevalues, 'Respect, Responsiblity and Resilience', underpins and supports student development in Literacy and Numeracy.Learning in all KLAs is supported through the strategic access to technology, thereby linking students to real worldlearning opportunities.

The Gwydir Mobile Children’s Service also provides quality early childhood education for children 2–5 years of age at theschool each Thursday and in conjunction with our weekly transition to school program in term 4, ensures our incomingKindergarten students are well prepared for starting school.

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 and participated in an externalvalidation. The framework supports public schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a cleardescription of high quality practice across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading. During the externalvalidation process, an independent panel of peer principals considered our evidence and assessment of the school'sprogress, aligned with the standards articulated in the School Excellence Framework.

In the domain of Learning the school's self–assessment is consistent with the evidence presented in 5 element/s and isvalidated using the School Excellence Framework. In the element of Assessment the evidence presented indicates theschool is working towards the Delivering stage.

In the domain of Teaching the school's self–assessment is consistent with the evidence presented in 2 element/s and isvalidated using the School Excellence Framework. In the element of Effective classroom practice the evidence presentedindicates the school is working towards the Delivering stage. In the element of Data skills and use the evidencepresented indicates the school is working towards the Delivering stage.

In the domain of Leading the school's self–assessment is consistent with the evidence presented and is validated usingthe School Excellence Framework.

Our self–assessment and the external validation process will assist the school to refine our school plan, leading to furtherimprovements in the delivery of education to our students.

For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

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Strategic Direction 1

Building a positive culture, supporting high quality teaching and learning.

Purpose

To improve student achievement through setting high expectations and providing best quality teaching and learningaligned with NSW Department of Education priorities. Proactive strategies to promote high levels of student engagementin meaningful, future focused learning that will inspire students to achieve and thrive as learners and responsible,productive citizens.

Overall summary of progress

Facilitated Project Based Learning with authentic learning challenges for students through the Young EntrepreneursMarket Day Project and the Archibull Prize entry.

Collaborative programming across small schools as part of the Rural and Remote STEM action project.

Introduction of the iMaths investigation/problem solving program to broaden the mathematical skills and knowledge ofour students.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

• Growth in student outcomesusing criteria based assessmentsand process driven rubrics. • Students engagement inlearning measured throughsurveys. • Students can articulate theirlearning goals, self and peerevaluate and reflect on theirlearning. • Students demonstrate 21stCentury Fluencies.

$10000 Funds expended in support of the CoS YoungEntrepreneurs STEM Project, including for staffing,travel costs and project resources. Progress wasmade in student learning through the project iandassessment was measured through the use ofrubrics.

NAPLAN data indicates thatmajority of students achieve at orabove state level growth inliteracy and numeracy

$2000 Online NAPLAN used to access the annual nationalassessment. Staff training and equipment upgradesaccounted for allocation of funding. NAPLAN resultsimproved year on year. Reults for Year 5 were wellabove state level growth in both Literacy andNumeracy.

Next Steps

Revise Community of Schools Scope and Sequence in HSIE and Science and Technology to incorporate use of theProject Based Learning Framework.

Involve more schools in the use of Project Based Learning to increase collaboration in planning and enhance authenticlearning opportunities for students.

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Strategic Direction 2

Student wellbeing, belonging and connections

Purpose

To encourage and support students to respect the importance of care for self and others while developing a sense oftheir individual identity and belonging to their school and their extended community.

Overall summary of progress

Increased use of school garden as a focal point for encouraging student well–being in regards to healthy eating.

Encouragement for increased participation in sport through regular weekly sport with members of our community ofschools to promote a positive approach to sport with age appropriate activities.

Encouragement of student responsibility as a driver of well being and sense of belonging through Project Based Learningand participation in Community of School activities.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

Wellbeing data and awardrecords reflect a higher frequencyof positive behavioural incidentswith students demonstratingresilience, cooperation, care,fairness and responsibility.

$2000 Resources purchased to support PBL Valuesprogram.

All students participate in regularphysical activities in school(Premier's Sporting Challenge).

$0 Weekly sporting sessions as part of a Community ofSchools ensured students had access to ageappropriate physical activities with peers.

All staff collaborate withCommunity of Schools indeveloping units of work targetingquality teaching, high studentengagement and increasedteacher capacity.

$2000 PDHPE Units of Work developed for use by theBarwon CoS Small Schools. Units were designedfor multi–stage classrooms with a focus on studentengagement.

Next Steps

Increase school community awareness of the importance of resilience and well–being in enhancing student engagement.

Monitor student satisfaction as part of a Community of Schools for increased data and a collaborative approach tostudent well–being .

Enable students to have the skills to demonstrate understanding of PBL core values and emotional learningcompetencies.

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Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

Low level adjustment for disability $12608 SLSO staffing provided students withadditional support for literacy and numeracylearning

Quality Teaching, SuccessfulStudents (QTSS)

$2082

Socio–economic background $3097 SLSO staffing provided students withadditional support for literacy and numeracylearning

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Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2015 2016 2017 2018

Boys 8 7 6 6

Girls 7 5 6 5

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2015 2016 2017 2018

K 95.9 94.3 95.6

1 94.8 94.3 90.5

2 96.5 93.7 96

3 94.2 93.7 96.6 84

4 94.8 94.3 93.8 93.6

5 94.2 93.7 90.8

6 95.9 92.5 91.5

All Years 95.4 93.7 94.4 91.3

State DoE

Year 2015 2016 2017 2018

K 94.4 94.4 93.8

1 93.8 93.9 93.4

2 94 94.1 94

3 94.1 94.2 94.1 93.6

4 94 93.9 93.9 93.4

5 94 93.9 93.2

6 93.5 93.4 93.3

All Years 94 93.9 94 93.5

Management of non-attendance

Attendance for the majority of our students issatisfactory. Overall attendance rates are influenced bya range of factors including parental need to travel longdistances to access specialist services and thepossibility of road closures due to wet weather. For thestudents with lower than desired attendance, the schoolhas implemented strategies to address this. Studentattendance requirements are reported in the School'snewsletter. Parents contact the school when studentsare not at school for a valid reasons and all absencesare recorded on an absence slip.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal(s) 1

Classroom Teacher(s) 0.15

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.1

Teacher Librarian 0.08

School Administration and SupportStaff

0.9

*Full Time Equivalent

The Australian Education Regulation, 2014, requiresschools to report on the Aboriginal composition of theirworkforce.

There are currently no Aboriginal staff members.

Teacher qualifications

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

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100

Postgraduate degree 1

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Teacher quality remains the single greatest factorimpacting learning outcomes for students. As a result,professional learning for staff is of the highest priority.All professional learning is designed to align with theStrategic Directions of the School Plan, whilst alsomeeting mandatory requirements of the Department ofEducation and the Australian Teaching Standards. Inaddition, staff identify individual learning goals withinthe Performance & Development Framework.

Teaching staff at Croppa Creek Public School havebeen deemed Proficient or are working towardsproficiency in relation to the Australian TeachingStandards. All staff have the opportunity to undertakeProfessional Learning linked to their PersonalDevelopment Plans.

All Croppa Creek Public School staff have participatedin mandatory Professional Learning in:

* Child Protection

* E–anaphylaxis and Asthma Updates

* Work Health and Safety Workshops

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* Professional Development Plans and

* Code of Conduct.

There were also opportunities for staff to participate in avariety of network days within the Barwon region with aparticular focus on the needs of small schools

Financial information

Financial summary

The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 1 January 2018 to 31December 2018. 

2018 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 93,896

Revenue 342,194

Appropriation 337,028

Sale of Goods and Services -1,280

Grants and Contributions 5,111

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 0

Investment Income 1,335

Expenses -347,946

Recurrent Expenses -347,946

Employee Related -301,252

Operating Expenses -46,694

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

-5,752

Balance Carried Forward 88,144

The full financial resources of the school are aligned tothe Strategic Directions of the School Plan, prioritisingthe areas of: * Learning * Teaching * Well–being.

Financial summary equity funding

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

2018 Actual ($)

Base Total 286,682

Base Per Capita 2,320

Base Location 15,278

Other Base 269,084

Equity Total 15,705

Equity Aboriginal 0

Equity Socio economic 3,097

Equity Language 0

Equity Disability 12,608

Targeted Total 0

Other Total 16,132

Grand Total 318,519

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 and numeracyassessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 toBand 10. The achievement scale represents increasinglevels of skills and understandings demonstrated inthese assessments.

From 2018 to 2020 NAPLAN is moving from a papertest to an online test. Individual schools are migrating tothe online test, with some schools attempting NAPLANon paper and others online.

Results for both online and paper formats are reportedon the same NAPLAN assessment scale. Anycomparison of NAPLAN results – such as comparisonsto previous NAPLAN results or to results for studentswho did the assessment in a different format – shouldtake into consideration the different test formats andare discouraged during these transition years.

The school population of Croppa Creek Public Schoolis below the minimum cohort size for publishable datain relation to NAPLAN Literacy results.

The school population of Croppa Creek Public Schoolis below the minimum cohort size for publishable datain relation to NAPLAN Numeracy results.

The My School website provides detailed information

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and data for national literacy and numeracy testing. Goto http://www.myschool.edu.au to access the schooldata. As schools transition to NAPLAN online, the banddistribution of results is not directly comparable to bandaverages from previous years. While the 10 banddistribution available to schools who completedNAPLAN online is a more accurate reflection of studentperformance, caution should be taken whenconsidering results relative to what was formerly a sixband distribution. As the full transition of NAPLANonline continues, the most appropriate way tocommunicate results for NAPLAN online is by scaledscores and scaled growth. This is the reporting formatagreed by state and territory education ministers, and isreflected on the myschool website.

The school population of Croppa Creek Public Schoolis below the minimum cohort size for publishable data.

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Each year schools seek the opinion of parents,students and teachers about the school.

Parents agreed or strongly agreed that they feelwelcomed when they visit the school and that they arewell informed about school acitivites.

Parents agreed or strongly agreed that they are wellinformed about their child's progress and that reportsare written in clear, plain language.

Students agreed or strongly agreed that their teacherhelps them to improve their work and encourages themto do well at school.

Students agreed or strongly agreed that what theylearnt at school was meaningful and important.

All students reported a sense of belonging.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

Aboriginal perspectives are embedded throughoutteaching and learning programs, including content thatteaches students about Aboriginal history and culture.Our school participates each year in Naidoc Daycelebrations, this year joining Tooomelah Public Schoolfor a range of activities celebrating Aboriginal culture.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

The school includes multicultural and anti–racismeducation across all key learning areas. There is anactive promotion of a culture of inclusiveness acrossthe school with all our students.

Anti–racism policies are reviewed by staff anddiscussed in relation to student well–being. Staff haveundertaken training in anti–racism and are recognised

as Anti–Racism Officers (ARCO).

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