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The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School Annual Report

Safety Respect Learning

3182

2015

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2015 is provided to the

community of The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public

School as an account 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 for all students, as set out in the school

plan. It outlines the findings from self‐assessment that

reflect the impact of key school strategies for improved

learning and the benefit to all students from the

expenditure of resources, including equity funding.

Lorelle O’Brien

Acting Principal

School contact details:

The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School

75‐79 Wood Street

Tenterfield, NSW 2372

Phone 02 6736 1401

Fax 02 6736 2898

Email: sirhparkes‐[email protected]

Webpage: www.sirhparkes‐schools.nsw.edu.au

Message from the Principal

I am very proud of the efforts of our students, staff, parents and the wider community who work together to ensure our school is successful. Our staff are dedicated and motivated to ensure all students are progressing in their learning and have many opportunities offered to them.

2015 has seen changes to staff in our school. Our Principal, Sue Charles retired at the end of term two. She was here for 18 months and in that time she worked hard to create strong links with families, worked closely with staff, students and parents to create the new school plan and shared her enthusiasm for learning, among many other things.

I have had the honour of taking on the role as Acting Principal since the beginning of Term 3. I have enjoyed working with everyone in this capacity again. I would like to warmly welcome Anna Starcevic to the Principal position for 2016.

Stephen Manser was successful in becoming the principal at The Channon, Derek Gator resigned to work in a full time position at the hospital, our counsellor Christine Vause has been successful in receiving a position on the coast and Vicki Petrie our canteen manager retired, after over 26 years working in our canteen.

This year we have introduced many things such as; a new SHP award which is supported by the local police, strengthening our ties within the community, the reintroduction of the Aboriginal cultural group who were lucky to be able to learn with Rod McIntosh teaching the different symbols and how to use them in painting, a wood work group, technology group and we have started our journey to become a Positive Behaviour for Learning School.

We have purchased new books for the K‐2 and 3‐6 home and guided reading sets, we updated all of the computers in the computer lab and purchased new technological resources for use throughout the school.

Our school takes pride in the support, opportunities and individualised learning we offer our students. This year we saw, our choir attended performances, our leaders participating in local events, students representing our school at the regional spelling bee, students representing our school at state and regional level for sport, students running a science fair that everyone could participate in, our boys and girls group learnt a variety of new skills and also got involved within the community, students attended the grip leadership course at Toowoomba, we had numerous fundraisers throughout the year to support our school and different charities throughout Australia, students went to camp and there were many excursions offered throughout the year. Students also had the opportunity to learn musical instruments, join extension groups, join technological groups participate in the Infants or Primary Choir and participate in Drumbeat.

Lorelle O’Brien Acting Principal

Message from the Parents and Community (P&C)

2015 has again been another busy year for the P&C, as we have continued to support our students and school as a whole. Firstly I would like to thank our small but very passionate P&C committee who this year consisted of Michelle Wilcox, Hughie McCowen, Mark Thomas, Dennis Hillery , Lorelle O’Brien, Robyn Hillier, Tanya Larkin and Jen Petrie These 9 people play an important role in our P&C and I am very thankful for their help and support. I would like to especially thank Deanne Eaton who has been on the Sir Henry Parkes P&C for 8 years and has been instrumental in raising a lot of money for this school. She organised the revamp of the student toilets, trivia nights, wood raffles, street stalls , the Calcutta and various other fundraisers for our students. She has been the president of the P&C and has held other various positions on the executive. We wish the Eaton’s well in their new adventure and thank them for their service to Sir Henry Parkes. I would also like to sincerely thank Mark Thomas for all his work on the P&C. He has been our treasurer for several years and has also been a strong supporter of all fundraising that has happened here and we wish Mark and his family all the best for their stay in Czechoslovakia and will look forward to seeing them again in 2017.

The year started with the Welcome BBQ which saw many new faces to our school. It was nice to welcome these families to our school community. Our fundraising events this year saw us hold two street stalls and wood raffles, a Mother’s Day stall, a Father’s Day stall, a Market Day, assisting the Oracles of the Bush in their celebrations and serving supper at the Tenterfield Cinema. Our fundraising this year has been used to purchase frames for the “Wall of Fame”, financial support to the North West Sporting Representative, we have donated money to buy books and book stands, school banners and we are saving up to buy a cooktop to go into the canteen .

As always our canteen provides beautiful and healthy meals for our students every day. Our canteen Manager, Mrs Vicki Petrie has again done a fabulous job and we sincerely thank her for all the work that she does. We would also like to thank Kim Cox for all her help over her time at Sir Henry Parkes and in particular her work in the canteen this year, it has been greatly appreciated. It is with much sadness that Vicki has decided to retire after 26 years of service to our school. Many a meal she has made for our children. She will be sadly missed but we would like to wish Vicki well for her retirement. More time for those grandchildren she loves so much.

With Vicki retiring we will be appointing a new canteen manager so we are sure that things will be similar but different next year. The canteen only makes enough to cover its costs and without parental help we are considering cutting down on days. If you are able to help out once or twice a term for a couple of hours it would be greatly appreciated. So think about that for next year and come and meet the new canteen manager.

This year saw Mrs Sue Charles also retire and we were very fortunate to have the fabulous Mrs Lorelle O’Brien who took her place. Lorelle is wonderful to work with and is passionate about our students, her staff and the school. The P&C would like to thank you Lorelle for steering the ship this year into safe waters and for all that you have done. We would like to wish Ms Anna Starcevic all the best for 2016 and we hope to have a great relationship with you as well.

The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School is run fabulously and we are very thankful for the excellent educational opportunities that our children receive whilst they are at this school. We are very fortunate to have so many good teachers who provide different and diverse learning activities for our children and who teach with such high expectations. Thank you teachers for all the hard work you put into your lessons and the extra‐curricular opportunities you provide as well.

The P&C provides you with the opportunity to be informed and to contribute to educational matters relating to the school including fundraising, school policies, canteen, uniform, special projects and more. We meet about once a month and it is a really good opportunity to be involved on a school level with your child and school community. I fully understand that people have busy lives and the last thing most people want to do is go out at night to a meeting but without the few people who are willing to do this then our children wouldn’t get these extra opportunities that we can offer via our fundraising efforts and have input

into decisions that are made on a school level. I know that people don’t like to take on executive type positions, but just being a general member on the P&C and getting your input would be fantastic.

Once again I sincerely thank all the P& C members for their hard work in 2015 and encourage anyone to join the P&C and help have a say in your child’s educational experience.

Louise Holley P&C President

Message from the Student Leaders

We have had a wonderful experience at this amazing school. This school has allowed us to have many opportunities. We have been involved in sporting events such as netball, soccer, touch, hockey, swimming, athletics, cross country, cricket, football, the girls’ league tag and many more. There has also been a diverse selection of academic opportunities including, but not limited to, debating, extension groups, University of NSW testing, choir, guitar and school leadership.

Our leadership roles have included attending the GRIP Leadership Conference, wreath laying at ANZAC Day ceremonies, hosting special assemblies, celebrating 100 years of Red Cross in Tenterfield with an afternoon tea, writing and presenting speeches of our own and numerous other events and responsibilities.

This year our classroom teachers have been Miss Hayley Coats and Miss Julie Slobin, who have helped us get to where we are today. We have also been helped by all the staff here at our glorious school. Unfortunately, this year we have seen the departure of Mr Manser and Mrs Charles, but we hope they succeed and are happy. Mrs Charles made the decision to retire and Mr Manser was appointed as the new Principal at The Channon Public School.

This year as school leaders, we have realised how much responsibility school leaders have and how important it is to work together as a team. We have also realised how much we appreciate all the things that the teachers and staff do for us. Being a leader is much more than what it looks like you have to set up assemblies, chairs, awards and do on going jobs for teachers. We also have to lead by example and be role models to all the students of our school.

We would like to thank all the teachers who have taught or supported us throughout the time we have been here, knowing we must have been hard to teach sometimes. We’ve been proud to represent our school at every stage. When we think of the assemblies we’ve organised and all of the extra‐curricular activities we have been involved in – it makes us proud to have come to this school and to have been elected as school leaders.

Jara Duroux, Tyran Petrie, Roshan Caldwell, Jamie Benstead, Abbey Holley, and Kori Eaton.

School background

School vision statement

At The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School our students will:

• grow into confident, responsible and respectful community members who know their own self‐worth, have a strong sense of 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 lifelong and 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. Our school is proud of its history in providing education for all.

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

Planning and 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 (the range falls between 0 and 300). Approximately 36% of our students fall into the lowest socio‐economic status quartile compared with 15% in the highest quartile.

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

At our school students enjoy a range of well‐supported extra‐curricular offerings, a proud history of participation and achievement and highly welcomed community support. We work with other service providers, community organisations and local businesses to provide students with a range of opportunities to learn and develop academically, socially and emotionally.

Self‐assessment and school achievements

Self‐assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self‐assessment using the School Excellence Framework, our school achievements and the next steps to be pursued. The Framework supports public schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practice across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

This year, our school undertook self‐assessment using the elements of the School Excellence Framework. Staff looked at and discussed the School Excellence Framework and how it can support our school plan. Time was allocated to become familiar with the 14 elements across the three domains. Executive staff looked closely at the school plan and the framework to determine which elements could be closely evaluated during the year. A staff meeting was then held where all staff could have input into discussing where our starting point would be. The process of involving all staff is important and beneficial because then everyone knows and has ownership over the direction the school is taking.

In the domain of Learning, our focus has been Wellbeing. Staff spent time becoming familiar with the new Wellbeing Framework and the Student Behaviour Code. We were reflective on current practices throughout the school and after a survey of teaching staff we found 88% of staff were not implementing ‘You Can Do It’ (YCDI) on a regular basis. There were a few reasons for this; new staff who had not received training and staff who felt the lessons were not what we needed for our school. A team was formed to investigate alternative options. After PBL was presented a majority of staff agreed it was what we needed. Our school began our shift from being a ‘You Can Do It’ (YCDI) school to a ‘Positive Behaviour for Learning’(PBL) school. A PBL team was formed and attended two days training. An Action Plan was put into place and processes within the school began to be evaluated. A competition was held between students to design our new school mascot “Henry”. A consultative process between students, staff and parents saw our new motto Respect, Safety and Learning developed. PBL is a cultural change for the school and is a journey for everyone. Our team is representative of all stages throughout the school and are very dedicated, driven and productive. This year we also introduced woodwork group. The aim of the group was to support the wellbeing of targeted students by giving them the opportunity to learn new skills, problem solve, work collaboratively in a small, supportive and encouraging environment.

In the domain of Teaching, our focus has been Data Skills and Use. Class teachers from Kindergarten to Year Two are able to support student progress along the Literacy and Numeracy continuums. They update their PLAN data every five weeks which is then evaluated by the Instructional Leader and the Intervention Teachers. This year we have had a large focus on class teachers from Year Three to Year Six also using the Literacy and Numeracy Continuums to plot student progress on PLAN. All teachers in 3‐6 were given a buddy teacher from the K‐2 classes for support using the software. A large part of the Staff Development Day was spent looking at the importance of Assessment for/of/as Learning and how to differentiate class lessons. Teachers in 3‐6 participated in learning about how to differentiate their teaching, planning and assessing to cater for all levels of Aspect One and Two of the Numeracy Continuum. Assistant Principals had a day to plan together ways to support their stages in the use of the Literacy Continuum.

In the domain of Leading, our focus has been School Planning, Implementation and Reporting. Executive staff discussed ways in which we could get high participation in the creation of our three year school plan. We held parent forums at school and at the Moombahlene Land Council where the Melbourne Declaration was reflected on and questions asked, such as‐ What do you want for your children? How can we support their growth? Classroom teachers undertook an online survey ‘Focus on Learning’, which identified areas of confidence and strength as well as areas for further development. The school Executive utilised the components of the National School Improvement Tool to reflect on current strengths and areas for improvement. Parent and student surveys were conducted and an analysis of in‐school and external assessment data reflected improvements in some aspects of both literacy and numeracy while also highlighting areas for further development. To ensure everyone is working towards the same goals, the school strategic directions were displayed in the school foyer, staffroom, Principal’s office and in the newsletter.

After the creation of the school plan we looked at the implementation. The 2015 School Milestones were devised and money allocated accordingly. Executive Staff were allocated sections of the milestones to ensure their implementation. All staff were aware of the Milestones and how we were working together to achieve our strategic directions.

The new approach for school planning, evaluating, informing, monitoring and evaluating is transparent and inclusive for all and makes expectations and goals clear for everyone to strive towards. It enables us to celebrate our successes, reflect on what could be done better and strive for excellence. Our self‐assessment process will further assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our School plan leading to further improvements in the delivery of education to our students.

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 our learners with the skills, knowledge and understandings to make informed decisions in their learning.

Overall summary of progress

Our commitment to Assessment for/as/of Learning has seen teachers becoming more reflective of their teaching. Teachers are plotting or beginning to plot student data on PLAN and the majority are using this data alongside the Literacy and Numeracy Continuum to inform their planning and teaching.

91% of teachers completed training in Focus on Reading, both Kindergarten teachers completed their first year of Language, Learning and Literacy (L3), 100% of K‐2 classes updated PLAN data for Literacy and Numeracy every 5 weeks and 100% of 3‐6 classes had entered Numeracy and Literacy PLAN data by the end of the year.

With ongoing use of the Literacy and Numeracy Continuums and PLAN data analysis, teachers should become more familiarised with the language and how to support student progression using the clusters and markers.

A NAPLAN team was formed to evaluate school progress. The information found was then organised and will be presented at the first Staff Development Day 2016.

Our school was involved in the Instructional Rounds process, which was held within our Community of Schools, both hosting and sending a team to participate in the rounds process at another school. 100% of teachers involved in the evaluation found it useful and were able to constructively reflect on the schools focal point.

Parent forums based on how to support students Literacy and Numeracy skills in K‐2, Technology and Transition to High School were held and attended by approximately 30 parents. 100% of the parents surveyed appreciated the opportunity and wanted more information sessions to be held.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures Resources (annual)

Improvement measure (to be achieved over 3 years)

Progress achieved this year <$>

All teachers to use PLAN data to implement differentiated English and Mathematics teaching and learning programs.

100% of class teachers entering PLAN data for all aspects of the Literacy and Numeracy Continuum.

71% of class teachers use PLAN data to differentiate Mathematics lessons.

NA

NAPLAN data is used to The establishment of a NAPLAN team with

determine areas for improvement and inform future school‐wide targets. Identified targets and teaching strategies will be evident in all teaching and learning programs.

representatives from various stages, learning support and Executive.

The NAPLAN team has identified school‐wide targets and developed an action plan based on data analysis.

The NAPLAN team has developed a writing scope and sequence for implementation in 2016.

The NAPLAN team also identified key areas of Mathematics for teachers to explicitly focus on.

NA

Instructional Rounds are used within the Community of Schools to build the capacity of colleagues.

Meetings with the Community of Schools were held to identify school based targets.

Professional learning provided to all teachers based on the school’s identified target – differentiation.

Rounds conducted involving Community of Schools. Analysis of data is ongoing.

$ 1354.51

More parents are actively involved in their child’s education and the wider school community.

Parent information sessions held based on technology, transition, literacy and arithmetical strategies.

Introduced parent interviews in Terms 1 and 3.

30 parent helpers across the school where 11 of them supported more than one class.

Twitter introduced to promote positive school opportunities.

NA

L3 is being implemented in the Kindergarten classrooms.

64% of Kindergarten students achieved at or above the expected level for Reading.

$ 9405.45

Next steps

All class teachers are entering PLAN data every 5 weeks. This data is analysed by class teachers and student progress is monitored. PLAN data is then used to support student growth through the Literacy and Numeracy Continuum. Evidence of this is supplied in programs when looking at Assessment for/of/ as learning.

Continue to invest in our teachers by building their understanding and implementation of differentiation and less reliance on programs.

Students who are not progressing at an expected level have an Individualised Learning Program targeting specific goals which is monitored 5 weekly and communicated to parents/carers.

Students are active participants in their learning by being able to articulate what their goals are and how they are going to achieve them.

Early Stage One teachers complete their second year of L3 professional learning and Stage One teachers begin their first year of L3 Stage One professional learning.

Investigate TOWN‐ Taking off with Numeracy to support students in upper Primary.

Learning walks are explored as a way to support professional growth throughout the school.


Productive thinkers, communicators and problem‐solvers

Purpose

Proactively prepare students and meaningfully engage the school community in effectively managing and capitalising upon a constantly evolving range of opportunities, including ICTs, to inform the development of systems and strategies that promote productive habits.


Assistant Principals worked collaboratively to devise a way to support their stages in their understanding of the Literacy Continuum. They developed a draft resource to support teachers in making consistent judgments on the Comprehension aspect of the Literacy Continuum. Some staff meetings and stage meetings were dedicated to enhance consistency of judgements when using the Literacy continuum.

A large amount of the Term 3 Staff Development Day was allocated to differentiation. Staff participated in learning about differentiation and were rotated through practical examples of how this would look like in different subjects. Assistant Principals then worked with their stages to go into more detail of how student needs can be met through differentiated learning opportunities.




Annual surveys of student and teacher engagement and confidence in effective utilisation of flexible delivery options that promote productive work habits.

All staff were surveyed on their understanding of differentiation, programming differentiation and teaching differentiated lessons. Professional learning was held and teachers were given opportunities to share how they differentiate learning in their classrooms. Programs checklist was modified to reflect differentiation being documented.

‐ Evidence of planned differentiated spelling, reading, writing and number lessons were evident in some programs across the school.

NA

Executive were released to collaboratively analyse the Literacy Continuum to further support their stages.

$ 885.34

Teachers were involved in a one on one conversation to discuss their strengths and areas of development. This information was used to drive Personal Development Plans in alignment with the school plan. Teachers’ strengths were drawn upon to support other staff within the school.

Next steps

Have stage meetings every fortnight to support professional learning of staff.

Clear staff and stage meetings of messages and have an agenda that is based on professional learning of

staff.

Differentiation is programmed and implemented in classes to engage students in purposeful learning.

Assistant Principals work with their stages to ensure programs and planning reflects the needs of the

students in their classes.

Assessment for learning and ensuring students

Staff build their knowledge of the research behind the importance of feedback on all levels (student,

teacher and family) and implement different strategies.

Learning support teacher analyses PLAN data to identify students requiring tiered interventions. Class

teachers to show how they are supporting identified students through their differentiated programming

and ILP’s.

Students who need extension are provided with differentiated learning opportunities that are reflective of

their abilities.

Create a professional staff library of quality text reflecting recent research.


Confident, responsible and resilient citizens

Purpose

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


The effectiveness of ‘You Can Do It’ (YCDI) was evaluated and results showed 88% of staff felt they were not implementing YCDI on a regular basis. A group of teachers explored different initiatives, ‘Positive Behaviour for Learning’ (PBL) being one of them. A staff meeting was held where PBL was explored and together the decision was made to start our PBL journey. A team of 5 participated in two days of professional learning and began the implementation of PBL. Our school values‐ Safety, Respect, Learning was voted on my students, staff and parents. Students were asked to participate in the development of our new mascot ‘Henry’. A staff meeting was held to inform staff of the new Wellbeing Framework and how this linked closely with PBL, our school plan and the School Excellence Framework. The school behaviour policy started to be rewritten to reflect the Wellbeing Framework and the Behaviour Code for Students. This was taken to the P&C and the AECG for consideration. The changes were well supported. As a way to support record keeping and data collection throughout the school, SENTRAL (computer software) was explored. Staff meetings were held to show staff what SENTRAL was and how it would support our school. It was purchased and introduced slowly in Term 4.

In Semester Two, we introduced the Cultural Room to the school. Aboriginal students are given the opportunity to participate in learning about their culture and identity. A local Aboriginal artist, Rod McIntosh, was employed to support students to learn different cultural symbols and how to paint a story using them. Students then worked together to produce two large canvas artworks which are now displayed in the foyer.

Due to the class restructure we were able to utilize the technological skills of an off class Assistant Principal (AP) to conduct a school technology audit and purchase updated resources. The off class AP worked with several teachers on specific learning to enhance their use of ICTs within units of work, including creating and running demonstration lessons and collaborating with teachers to identify appropriate ICTs for their teaching and learning purposes. Staff Professional Learning sessions were held to support the use of different technologies (staff meetings, some interest‐based after school sessions and individual sessions) and applications that can be applied to support and enhance teaching and learning – Kahoot, Refelctor, Google Docs, Office 365, OneNote.

Further invest in capacity development of existing staff through mentoring sessions, demonstration

lessons and professional learning opportunities to support the use of ICT throughout the school.

Target individual teachers and/or small groups of teachers that are willing to lead innovative ICT

practices throughout the school.

QTSS funding is used to allow for greater mentoring of teachers by stage Assistant Principals.

Fortnightly stage meetings to work with Stage Assistant Principals to further develop the teachers on their stages.

PBL continues to be implemented, the award system and time out system is evaluated against PBL and the Wellbeing Framework. Changes to be added to the current School Wellbeing and Discipline Procedures so all information is central. The wider community to be informed of the changes.




More connections that support student wellbeing within and across the school communities.

Staff meeting to introduce the Wellbeing Framework and Student Behaviour Code.

PBL Professional Learning

SENTRAL was purchased and introduced to staff.

Cultural Group was established and an Aboriginal Artist was employed.

NA

$ 3077.05

$ 5245

$ 600

Teaching programs reflect the developing teaching practice that effectively and purposely uses ICTs

Different technological resources were purchased and updated to support ICT throughout the school:

‐ upgrade of 20 student desktop computers.

‐ acquisition of bank of 14 student laptops

‐ more iPads purchased

‐ set up of infrastructure for better use of ICT in teaching and learning, and better management of existing technology – green screen, reflector, management of iPads using Configurator (also includes purchase of MacBook).

$ 17204.78

Next steps

Key initiatives and other school focus areas

Key initiatives (annual) Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

Aboriginal background funding

All students have a personalised learning plan (PLP) and are celebrating their successes.

The Aboriginal Education Officer (AEO) spends time each day working to strengthen our relationship with parents/carers.

A cultural education group has been established, “Gayaa”. All Aboriginal students within the school have had the opportunity to work with a local Aboriginal artist to create two large paintings which are now displayed in our foyer. Students learnt the significance of different symbols and how to use them in a painting that depicts a story they want to tell.

$ 54 448.50

English language proficiency funding

No funding received in 2015.

Socio‐economic funding

SLSO’s were employed to support students within the classrooms. A teacher was employed one day a week to support the Drum Beat program.

$ 64 484.00

Low level adjustment for disability funding

A SLSO was employed to support students within the classroom.

$ 35 613.00

Support for beginning teachers

There was one beginning teacher in Stage One who was mentored by another teacher in Stage Two. Release time was given for them to work together and class observations took place.

$ 13 127.38

Other school focus areas Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

Early Action for Success

Under Early Action for Success we have one Instructional Leader and two part time Intervention Teachers.

All Kindergarten teachers were trained in L3K and all teachers K‐2 successfully completed their Targeted Early Numeracy training. K‐2 teachers use assessments and data to drive their teaching.

Professional Learning days have been provided for the class teacher to work with

$ 46 249.36

Next Steps

the Instructional Leader.

Norta Norta Funding An Aboriginal SLSO was employed to give targeted Literacy and Numeracy support to students.

$ 5 535.57

Mandatory and Optional reporting requirements

Student Information

It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all students be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Student enrolment profile

While there is some shift in enrolment numbers on an annual basis, overall figures remain generally steady within a range of around 250 – 276 students. The average annual enrolment from 2009 – 2015 is 260 students.

Student attendance profile

Telephone calls and written contact with parents occurs for students who miss multiple

unexplained days and provides support as necessary to assist with improving attendance.

Workforce Information

Reporting of information for all staff must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Workforce composition

Position Number

Principal 1

Assistant Principal(s) 3

Classroom Teacher(s) 8

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0.395

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 1.2

Teacher Librarian 0.6

School Counsellor 0.3

School Administrative & Support Staff 3.122

Aboriginal Education Officer 1

Total 18.617

The Australian Education Regulation, 2014 requires schools to report on Aboriginal composition of their workforce.

The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School has a permanent Aboriginal Education Officer who works with staff, students, parents and the greater community to build on relationships.

Two Aboriginal SLSO’s were employed to support targeted students in areas of Numeracy, Literacy and Wellbeing.

All Aboriginal employees have the opportunity to attend and contribute to the Aboriginal Educational Consultative Group.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100%

Postgraduate degree 27%

Gender 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Male 101 113 115 111 119 121 121

Female 136 134 140 145 153 156 155

Student Enrolment

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Students

Year

Enrolments

Male Female

Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

K 93.1 91.9 90.1 94.8 93.0 93.5

1 93.1 91.3 91.4 91.7 93.4 88.8

2 93.7 91.1 90.8 93.5 92.9 92.2

3 92.1 92.8 92.4 93.1 93.2 92.1

4 93.1 90.7 92.2 92.9 93.8 90.2

5 91.8 92.4 94.1 93.0 94.4 91.7

6 91.6 93.9 93.4 91.1 90.9 90.0

Total 92.7 92.0 92.0 92.9 93.1 91.2

K 94.7 94.7 94.3 95.0 95.2 94.4

1 94.2 94.2 93.9 94.5 94.7 93.8

2 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.7 94.9 94.0

3 94.5 94.4 94.4 94.8 95.0 94.1

4 94.5 94.3 94.3 94.7 94.9 94.0

5 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.5 94.8 94.0

6 94 93.8 93.8 94.1 94.2 93.5

Total 94.4 94.3 94.2 94.7 94.8 94.0

State DoE

School

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

We had one temporary teacher complete the accreditation process.

Significant amounts of Professional Learning were undertaken by staff in 2015.

As we are an Early Action for Success School, K‐2 staff were involved in regular Professional Learning opportunities where they worked collaboratively, shared and discussed writing samples for consistent teacher judgement, continued their learning of Targeted Early Numeracy and Kindergarten teachers began their L3 journey.

All staff participated in a PBL session where we learnt the basics. Following this session a team of teachers had the initial PBL training.

Mandatory training such as‐ Emergency Care, Anaphylaxis, CPR and Child Protection.

Staff finished their 18 months Focus on Reading journey.

Kindergarten teachers were trained in L3K.

Our Instructional Leader became a trainer of L3K and Targeted Early Numeracy and so can support the implementation within the school.

3‐6 teachers participated in a two day workshop to support students who were not yet at the Arithmetical Level of Facile and Flexible.

Wellbeing Framework, School Excellence Framework, Australian Professional Standards for teachers, School Plan, Personal Development Plans and how to give and receive feedback during teacher observations were also areas of Professional Learning for staff.

Financial Information

Financial summary

This summary covers funds for operating costs and does not involve expenditure areas such as permanent salaries, building and major maintenance.

A full copy of the school’s 2015 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the parent and/or community

groups. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school.

Date of financial summary 30/11/2015

Income $

Balance brought forward 282242.86

Global funds 160312.11

Tied funds 389839.16

School & community sources 79790.28

Interest 8423.05

Trust receipts 8238.35

Canteen 0.00

Total income 646602.95

Expenditure

Teaching & learning

Key learning areas 15022.12

Excursions 6766.59

Extracurricular dissections 32787.02

Library 2341.72

Training & development 3009.58

Tied funds 335876.91

Casual relief teachers 72741.75

Administration & office 43454.68

School‐operated canteen 0.00

Utilities 46022.99

Maintenance 14156.39

Trust accounts 7144.33

Capital programs 0.00

Total expenditure 579329.08

Balance carried forward 349521.73

School Performance

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results across the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy assessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 to Band 10. The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments. Year 3: from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6 (highest for Year 3) Year 5: from Band 3 (lowest) to Band 8 (highest for Year 5) Year 7: from Band 4 (lowest) to Band 9 (highest for Year 7)

Year 9: from Band 5 (lowest) to Band 10 (highest for Year 9)

The My School website provides detailed information and data for national literacy and

numeracy testing. Click on the link My School and insert the school name in the Find a school and select GO to access the school data.

Parent/Caregiver, student, teacher satisfaction

Each year schools are required to seek the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school. In 2015, the school sought the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school. 121 students responded (94 in 2014), 36 parents (35 in 2014) and 23 staff (18 in 2014).

Their responses are represented below, and provide a comparison with responses from 2014. The variation in response rates from one year to the next needs to be taken into account when considering overall percentage differences.

86% of parents believe their child feels safe at school (compared with 71% in 2014).

81% of parents believe there has been an improvement in behaviour management (compared to 51% of parents in 2014 who thought behaviour was well managed). 76% of students surveyed believe if students are misbehaving that teacher’s act quickly and fairly (compared to 58% of students in 2014 believing that student behaviour was well managed).

86% of students said they know what behaviour is expected of them at school while 83% of students felt they behaved appropriately at school.

58% of parents and 50% of staff felt teachers communicate effectively with parents.

86% of parents (compared with 89% in 2014) and 87% of staff felt the school is always looking for ways to improve. In 2013, almost 30% of parents surveyed indicated ‘don’t know’ in response to whether the school looks for ways to improve. This has reduced to 8%.

69% of parents felt that teachers provided their child with useful feedback on their work while, 80% of students felt teachers told them where and how they can improve on their work while 56% of staff felt teachers provided students with useful feedback on their work.

72% of students felt that teachers gave them work that was not too hard or too easy while 52% of staff felt that teachers were providing class activities that were appropriate to the needs, interests and abilities of all children.

82% of students felt teachers at the school treated students fairly compared to 78% in 2014.

Throughout 2016 the school will capitalize upon the positive work done in 2015 regarding giving positive ways of managing student behaviour and continuing to have high expectations of all. Communication, differentiation and feedback will continue to be areas of focus.

Policy Requirements

Aboriginal education

Through our school’s Resource Allocation Model (RAM), funding was received proportionally to our Aboriginal student population.

Our funding contributed to the running of Aboriginal Cultural groups twice a week from Semester 2 in 2015 plus employment of additional support staff to work alongside students to assist with literacy, numeracy, behaviour or positive social support as required. This assistance extended beyond the classroom into the playground and at sporting events and on school excursions.

All Aboriginal students have a PLP and if they successfully achieve their set goal they are able to participate in the end of term celebrations. Parents/carers are invited to attend the afternoon tea and participate in the activities with their children. Activities consisted of making and cooking Johnny Cakes, participating in art and craft activities and traditional Aboriginal games.

We celebrated NAIDOC week over two days. The first day we invited the local preschool and day care centres to join our Kindergarten students and the second day we hosted Mingoola and Jennings Public Schools. We had many parent helpers and students participated in many cultural activities. A great day was had by all.

Multicultural Education and Anti‐racism

Our school also regularly celebrates and learns about multicultural Australia. In 2015 a number of classrooms featured quality learning about other cultures and their place within our community. Harmony Day was also recognized and celebrated throughout the school.

Our school also has two trained Anti‐Racism Contact Officers (ARCO).

Message from the Sport Coordinator

The school was once again involved in the NSW PSSA trials and knockout competitions. The school entered teams into soccer, netball, rugby league, touch football, hockey and cricket. Bonnie Zappa and Abbey Holley progressed to State representing the North West Region for touch football and soccer consecutively.

The captains elected for each sporting house were, Alex Butler and Alex McCowen from Bruxner, Ralph Thomson and Zoe Jenkins (Donaldson), Macca Cox and Hannah Phelps (Goudy), and Braith Clark and Crystal Soper (Mackenzie).

The school’s annual swimming carnival was held early in term one. Twenty six students were selected to attend the zone trials in Glen Innes. Our school walked away with excellent results, records and were the overall champion school. Many of our students attended the regional trials in Armidale. Fletcher Koch went on to represent the North West at State Level for the 50m Butterfly.

We had a successful cross country carnival with 54 students progressing to zone. This year our school held the zone cross country with 8 schools trying out for regional trials. Eighteen of our students were selected to represent at regional level in Coolah.

The Athletics carnival was a great success this year, with every student able to compete on the day. This year our school organised and held the zone Athletics carnival at Federation Park. Twenty eight of our students were selected to the regional carnival in Tamworth. We had five students progress to the State Carnival in Sydney. The Junior Boys relay team was represented by

Braith Clark, Will Holley, Fletcher Koch and Jakeb Gibbons. Mikayla Cox was selected for shot put.

This year we continued our Golf Program. Fourteen students attended the program every afternoon during Term 3. Golfing professional Colin Edwards again helped the students improve their skills and knowledge of the game. Several students then continued to master their skills in afterschool programs run for the Tenterfield Golf Club.

The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School has again provided its students with a variety of sporting opportunities within the PSSA competition, as well as vising programs such as the NSW Cricket Development Clinic and the Rugby League Development Day to name a few. We saw success from our teams and individuals on the field, court and in the pool. Our school prides itself on the providing its students with opportunities in a variety of sports and competition levels. Our students have worked well together as team players and individuals. They have represented our school well across all areas of sport.

Julie Slobin

Sport Coordinator

Drumbeat

Drumbeat is a psycho‐educational program that is based on the core principles of social and emotional learning as developed by the Collaborative to Advance Social and Emotional Learning.

The Drumbeat Program is a structured, but flexible course delivered across 10 sessions. Each session focuses on different relationship themes such as identity and social responsibility, values, dealing with emotions, peer pressure, harmony, communication and teamwork. Importantly, the program concludes with a performance, giving participants the opportunity to showcase their new‐found skills and confidence and share their progress with family, friends and other respected people in their lives.

The program is designed to target young people who are alienated or socially withdrawn, however any young person can benefit from participation in Drumbeat.

We have been successfully teaching Drumbeat at our school for 18 months across all grades from 2 to 6. Students are engaged and appreciate the opportunity to participate. All students have enjoyed the learning.

Melissa Bridge and Geoffrey Swan

‘Gayaa’ (Happy) Cultural Group

We have begun an Aboriginal Cultural group called ‘Gayaa’ meaning happy. Aboriginal students attend each week. The school employed a member of the community who is a well‐known artist, to teach the Aboriginal students the traditional symbols to use when painting. The aim was for each group of students to design and

paint a canvas using traditional symbols and showcase their artwork to the remaining school community. Next year, the Aboriginal students will teach their fellow classmates about the symbols and each student will create their own painting. During these lessons, students have created their family trees and shared knowledge with each other in regards to family relationships. We have also begun teaching the Kamilaroi language.

Hayley Coats and Geoffrey Swan

Primary Extension

Various projects have been undertaken this year. The group entered writing competitions. They presented a project called ‘My Future Life’ where they had to talk about what they hoped to achieve in the future. They planned and presented a Science Fair which was attended by the whole school. They participated in ‘Teach the Teacher’ involving the students presenting a lesson on a topic they have chosen to the group. Students also completed a personal interest project. 8 out of 8 nominated students were selected for the e‐GATS program. All 8

successfully completed the program. What an achievement!

Tracy Caldwell

Woodwork Program

The Woodwork Program builds students’ confidence and sense of self‐worth, as well as developing mathematical and manual skills by guiding students through the creation of simple woodwork projects. This year, students created pencil boxes as well as some more ambitious projects including book shelves and money boxes. An emphasis on safety, responsibility and trust helps to support students experiencing difficulty in meeting the school’s behavioural expectations. Stronger and more productive relationships have been built between participating students and staff.

Cam Pryce

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)

The new STEM Club has challenged and extended students' interested in developing their skills in problem solving and coding. Students used Raspberry Pi devices to collaboratively code basic animations and compose music using interactive. They also began investigating how to program the devices to interact with the physical world. Many students expressed enthusiasm to begin more challenging projects that create solutions to real‐world problems, as the group built its expertise and capacity to take on more exciting challenges in 2016.

Cam Pryce

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