St Margaret Mary's Primary School,Merrylands7 Chetwynd Road, Merrylands 2160Principal: Mr Kevin MillsPhone: 02 8633 8400 Fax: 02 8633 8499Email: StMargaretMarys@parra.catholic.edu.auhttp://www.stmmmerrylands.catholic.edu.au

Introduction

About the Annual School ReportSt Margaret Mary's Primary School is registered by the New South Wales Education StandardsAuthority, NESA, as a member of the Catholic system of schools in the Diocese of Parramatta.

The Annual School Report provides parents and the wider school community with fair, accurateand objective information about various aspects of school performance and development. TheReport describes achievement of school development priorities in 2018 and gives informationabout the 2019 priorities.

This Report is a legislative requirement under the Schools Assistance Act, 2008 and the EducationAmendment Act 2004.

The information in this Report is complemented by the school website where other schoolpublications and newsletters can be viewed or obtained from the school.

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Key Messages

PrincipalI am proud to present to you the 2018 Annual School Report for St Margaret Mary's PrimarySchool, Merrylands.

At the core of St Margaret Mary's Primary School's Mission Statement is the value placed onallowing each child to reach his or her potential. Over the last few years we have continued tocreate and develop learning spaces that provide for innovative learning and teaching. This hasallowed our teachers to work collaboratively and given us the opportunity to personalise thelearning for each of our students. It has provided different opportunities for children to learn ingroups, small learning teams or individually. All staff have been engaged in additionalprofessional learning so that we are able to fully utilise the benefits of teaching and learning inthese spaces. Our focus over the past year has been improving both the literacy and numeracylevels of our students.

The professional learning opportunities we engaged in during the past year have enabled us todevelop a whole-school approach and understanding of the components of an effective literacyblock, as well as numeracy learning within the classroom. This has also led to a deeper analysis ofstudent data that provides teachers with an understanding of the teaching cycle’s 'Where tonext?'. All staff have been involved in forming an annual professional learning plan in teams toprovide a framework for their professional learning that is linked to our School ImplementationPlan. Staff report back and receive feedback on their professional learning. We have undertakenlearning in Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU). All grades will be tested once a yearthrough Mathematics Assessment Interview (MAI) to ascertain growth points and these will befollowed through on a yearly level to judge growth.

ParentSt Margaret Mary’s Primary School recognises the central role parents play in their child’seducation. The school has a very active Parents and Friends (P&F) community. Thanks to thesupport of a generous parent body, the school is well resourced in many curriculum areas.Parents are very supportive in their attendance at all school functions and prayer services. Theysupport all our sporting events and are keen to be involved in their children’s education.

We have implemented a Parent Education program, focused on literacy and numeracy. Parentshave been supportive, attending information sessions provided by the school tounderstand better how to help their children with various curriculum learning activities, as wellas having a better understanding of how numeracy and literacy are taught.

The parents have been appreciative of the initiatives used by the school to improve their child’slearning, in particular the subscriptions to Manga High, Study Ladder and Mathletics, whereparents, using technology, are able to become involved at home.

StudentStudents at St Margaret Mary’s Primary School take pride in all aspects of their school communitythrough sharing faith and providing a safe environment where everyone is welcomed andrespected. They are very aware of social justice issues and attempt to be strong people of Christdisplayed by their actions. Student learning is paramount and enhanced by staff using strategies,resources and technologies that promote quality learning.

In 2018 all students, Kindergarten to Year 6 (K-6), joined in grade liturgies where the studentscreated a sacred space and listened to, and acted out, the Word of God. This supported units ofwork that they were studying in Religious Education. It also supported the important fact thatCatholic schooling played an important part in our lifelong relationship with Christ.

Our Year 6 senior students enjoyed the educational opportunity of going to Canberra on a three-day excursion. Year 5 students, in preparation for leadership expectations in Year 6, attended aleadership day at Narrabeen. All grades had the opportunity to experience incursions andexcursions to complement the units of work being covered.

All students were able to participate in sporting activities to represent the school in diocesancarnivals and gala days.St Margaret Mary's Primary School, Merrylands Page 3

Extra-curricular activities that students were able to become involved in included: the StMargaret Mary’s Primary School band, 'Minnie Vinnies', student leadership, the StudentRepresentative Council and the school choir.

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Who we are

History of the schoolSt Margaret Mary’s Primary School is a well-established primary school situated at Merrylands,Sydney, within the Diocese of Parramatta. The school was founded in 1942 by the Sisters of StJoseph, and in 1950 the school came under the care of the Marist Sisters. By 1965 over 500students were enrolled at the school. As a result, the parish purchased cottages on the blockbounded by Merrylands Road, Davies Street, Henson Street and Chetwynd Road. These cottageswere used as classrooms until they were demolished to allow for new buildings. Theadministration building was completed in 1981 and the hall was completed in 1986. During 1987,the Marist Sisters informed the Catholic Education Office in the Parramatta Diocese that theywould no longer be able to allocate one of their sisters to hold the position of principal and as aresult the first lay principal of St Margaret Mary’s Primary School was appointed, effective fromJanuary 1988. Last year we celebrated 75 years of Catholic Education at St Margaret Mary'sPrimary School. We acknowledge those who have gone before us and draw on their strength tocontinue in the spirit with which St Margaret Mary's Primary School, Merrylands, was started.

The school caters for girls and boys from Kindergarten to Year 6 and is rich in cultural diversity.Approximately fifty different nationalities are represented in the school, along with twentydifferent languages. The school currently caters for approximately 560 students. A special featureof St Margaret Mary’s Primary School is the friendly atmosphere and rapport that exists amongstall members of our school community: students, parents, staff and priests.

Location/drawing areaSt Margaret Mary's Primary School, located at 7 Chetwynd Rd in Merrylands, is a Catholicsystemic school educating girls and boys from Kindergarten to Year 6 within the Diocese ofParramatta, Sydney. The school is rich in cultural diversity and is a growing community ofcooperative learners. The school is on a bus line and a train station is a 15 minute walk away.

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Workforce Composition

Category Numberof Staff

Number of teachers who hold teaching qualification from a higher educationinstitution within Australia or as recognised within the National Office of OverseasSkills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) guidelines

35

Number of teachers who have a bachelor degree from a higher education institutionwithin Australia or within AEI-NOOSR guidelines but lacking formal teacherqualifications

1

Number of teachers accreditated to teach Religious Education 34

Number of teachers currently undertaking accreditation to teach Religious Education 1

Number of non-teaching staff (includes teachers' aides) 11

Percentage of teachers who are indigenous 0

The average teacher attendance for 2018 95

Percentage of 2018 teaching staff who were retained from 2017 95

Catholic Identity and Religious Education

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Catholic Identity and Religious Education

Prayer, Liturgical Life and Faith ExperiencesLiturgy and prayer are central to the Catholic identity of St Margaret Mary's Primary School.

In 2018, every Monday morning, the school assembled for the singing of the National Anthemand the reciting of the school prayer led by the Student Leadership Team. Morning prayer washeld daily in the classroom where a sacred space was the focus of the students' attention. Thetraditional prayers of the Catholic Faith were taught throughout the school at an appropriateage. At midday, we joined with all Catholic schools in the Parramatta Diocese to pray theAngelus. Each grade prepared a prayer service that was attended by parents and held in thelearning space once a term. In 2018 we continued the tradition of sending home prayer bags.This linked prayer life in the home with prayer at the school.

The whole school joined together in our church at mass to celebrate important events such asthe beginning and ending of the school year along with feasts such as the Feast of St MargaretMary, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the Feast of the Assumption, All Saints Day and AshWednesday. We also celebrated a wide range of important and significant events during theschool year. These included: Fathers Day, Mothers Day, Mary MacKillop's Feast Day and theevents of Holy Week and Easter, Advent and Christmas. Our student leaders led the Stations ofthe Cross with each grade in the school.

A noteworthy addition to the prayer life at St Margaret Mary’s Primary School was thestudent prayer sessions. These were planned and run by our Mini Vinnies group anddemonstrated a greater commitment by the children to living out their faith. We ensured thatour Catholic identity was present everywhere within our community — playground, church andclassrooms. Meaningful prayer, liturgy and Sacramental practices gave expression to the religiousdimension of our school life.

Social JusticeIn keeping with the ideals of St Margaret Mary's Primary School, social justice takes a priority inthe school.

One of our focuses for 2018 was around the Year of Youth especially on the role of youth in thechurch. We have introduced a Faith in Action Team (FIAT) consisting of three teachers. In termthree fifty Years 5 and 6 students attended a FIAT day with other students.

In 2018 we continued to promote social justice. This was led by our social justice leader. Thechildren were actively encouraged to support appeals such as Project Compassion CatholicMission, Drought Appeal and they donated very generously to them. Many students in Years 5and 6 were part of the Mini Vinnies group. In 2018 we held a Winter Sleep Out for our MiniVinnies group with over fifty students attending and a Pyjama Day throughout the school tosupport the St Vincent De Paul Winter appeal. The students were encouraged to express theirsocial justice insights through actions and they were given opportunities to reflect and respondat appropriate levels.

The students and community of St Margaret Mary’s Primary School are very proud of theirdemonstration of their faith in action, following the call to Listen to the Word of God, Share theword of God and Act on the Word of God.

Our school works hard to have a strong relationship between teacher and student that is basedon the gospel values of respect, empathy and genuine reciprocity. From the moment ourstudents enter our school we involve them, their families and the parish community in theprocess of evangelising and catechising our students.

School home and parish partnershipsStrong school/ home /parish partnerships are necessary in the building of a strong Catholiccommunity. At St Margaret Mary’s Primary School, we try to link the three areas in a variety ofways.

In 2018 we continued to enjoy a strong partnership with our parish priest and assistant priestwho belong to the Pauline Fathers Religious Order. Classes prepared prayer services once a term

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who belong to the Pauline Fathers Religious Order. Classes prepared prayer services once a termwhere the priests and parents were invited to join in. Parents and clergy were encouraged andwelcomed to attend celebrations of our Catholic faith as well as learning achievements in theschool environment. When possible our parish priest attended our Monday morning assembly.

The school cooperated and assisted in the parish-based Sacramental program. The ReligiousEducation coordinator, as well as class teachers, worked with the Sacramental leader to ensurethe success of the program. The school choir continued to sing at each of the First Eucharist andthe Sacrament of Confirmation as well as other parish masses and liturgies. In term 4 our schoolchoir sang the World Youth Day hymn in Spanish at the launch of the World Youth Day at StPatrick’s Cathedral.

Religious EducationAs a Catholic school, we are committed to our Catholic Identity and one way that we achieve thisis through the teaching of Religious Education (RE). Our students are shown and taught that theWord of God and the Sacraments will support them in their Catholic journey.

In 2018 Religious Education at St Margaret Mary’s Primary School followed the CatholicEducation Diocese of Parramatta curriculum Sharing our Story. Teachers were encouraged toadapt the teaching/learning strategies for Sharing our Story to the needs of the students. Wecontinued to use the three levels of understanding to assist the students to a deeperunderstanding of the Scriptures and to put that understanding into action. Our curriculum wassound and professionally taught by teachers with appropriate RE qualifications. Resources wereupdated and teachers received professional development to ensure best practice.

The Religious Education program at St Margaret Mary’s Primary school values the children’s lifeexperiences and encourages them to discuss, question and make judgments and decisions.

All grades from Kindergarten to Year 6 demonstrated their Catholic religious literacy throughappropriate assessments and religious activities. The students who were old enough participatedin the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist regularly. Our classroom based Religiouseducation used the most effective pedagogical methods including group work, research, criticalthinking, display and dramatic presentation. Our teachers supported our students to developspecific skills, to gain deeper knowledge and to respect the values and attitudes of the Catholicfaith, and the Understanding Faith website assisted the teachers to provide opportunities towitness Christ through the gospel.

Professional Learning of staff in Religious EducationWe acknowledge that we have a commitment to quality learning and teaching in all areas of thecurriculum and this is most important in the teaching of Religious Education. We understandthat we must offer the most effective means of learning and teaching to support our students intheir knowledge of the Catholic faith. We are therefore committed to ongoing professionaldevelopment that will offer students a wide range a teaching approaches, whilst catering for allneeds and abilities of our students.

In 2018 teachers worked through deepening knowledge of the three levels of understanding andintroduced pre and post tests to monitor the students' understanding.

We, as teachers, are authentic witnesses to our faith and all our staff is committed to themission of the school and to teach in accordance with the teachings of the church.

In 2018 teachers were nurtured in the deeper development of personal faith through staff prayerheld once a fortnight. The teachers participated in a Staff Reflection Day where we explored ourCatholic traditions by visiting St Patrick’s Cathedral and St Mary’s Cathedral, spending the dayexploring the questions of the Plenary Council: 'What is God asking us to do?' The ReligiousEducation coordinator and the principal ran professional learning for teachers. Resources wereupdated in accordance with needs within the school and the staff was encouraged to incorporateScripture in all prayers and liturgies. The whole school used Listen, Share, Act to make theteachings of religious education relevant and purposeful for all students, parents and staff.

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Learning and Teaching

National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)Students in Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9 across Australia participated in National AssessmentProgram – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in May 2018. The purpose of this test is to provideinformation to parents and teachers about the achievements of students in aspects of Literacyand Numeracy. The test provides a measure of the student’s performance against establishedstandards and against other students in Australia. Each year the results are analysed by theschool to inform teaching and learning with a view to improving student performance.

The Commonwealth Government sets minimum acceptable standards for literacy, numeracy,reading, writing, grammar, punctuation and spelling at particular ages. These are referred to asnational minimum standards. Student performance in NAPLAN in our school is compared tothese standards. The percentages of students achieving at or above these national minimumstandards, and the percentages of students in the top three bands are reported in the tablebelow.

NAPLAN RESULTS 2018

% of students at or abovenational minimum

standard

% of students in top threebands

School Australia School Australia

Year3

Grammar and Punctuation 96 94 77 73

Literacy 98 95 76 73

Reading 99 96 64 76

Writing 99 94 86 72

Spelling 95 94 78 70

Numeracy 99 96 69 67

NAPLAN RESULTS 2018

% of students at or abovenational minimum

standard

% of students in top threebands

School Australia School Australia

Year5

Grammar and Punctuation 89 94 67 64

Literacy 93 93 54 58

Reading 92 95 53 66

Writing 94 90 40 44

Spelling 99 94 70 64

Numeracy 100 96 51 58

NAPLAN is one of the data collections that helped us link learning across all teaching within ourschool and supported us in all curriculum areas in terms of assessing our students. This year'sdata supported our Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan goals. Our priority was to improve ourteaching and have student growth improve. As a whole staff we worked closely in our analysis ofSt Margaret Mary's Primary School, Merrylands Page 9

teaching and have student growth improve. As a whole staff we worked closely in our analysis ofNAPLAN and our key question from our data was: What will need to be done to push morestudents in Year 5 writing into top bands?

School curriculumAll curriculum is from NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), except our Religious Educationcurriculum which is from our Parramatta Diocesan office, and we are compliant in every area ofour schooling.

All classroom teachers have had the responsibility to ensure that all appropriate adjustmentswere made to an individual's program to support the child's progress. The teachers, in doing this,completed personalised plans for a number of students in their care. Children were supported ina variety of ways including one-on-one basis, small groups, targeted skills lessons, home/schoolprograms, gifted and talented programs and creative expression. Our learning support programwas in line with the Catholic Education, Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) guidelines of Diversity isthe Norm. It highlighted the individual needs and interests of all students and catered for a rangeof different learning strategies for the children. Our learning support team provided support formany students, particularly in the areas of literacy and numeracy. A new arrivals teacherprovided support for children new to the country, as the need arose. All special needs studentswere provided for in all school educational and co-curricular activities and, where needed, aidesprovided the support for children on an extra basis. Children have been extended through extra-curricula activities, for example, Robotics.

Initiatives to promote respect and responsibilityWe used the initiatives of the four pillars across our school to promote respect andresponsibility. The Faith Community pillar encouraged us to live our Catholic faith. We practisedour faith by participating in liturgies, prayers and lessons. We followed our school motto, Lovethe Truth, by listening, sharing and acting on the Word of God. Our Teaching and Learning pillarallowed our students to work to the best of their ability in all Key Learning Areas. We workedwith other students, teachers and staff to ensure quality work and our best efforts. We wantedto work together, listening, sharing and helping others at all times. Our Personal Growth pillarallowed us to set our individual goals and strive to achieve them. We used our gifts and talentswhen working towards our goals in the areas of learning and attitude. We wanted to showrespect and be more like Jesus. Under our Partnership pillar we believed that partnership wascommunicating, interacting and co-operating with others. Partnership was having a connectionwith others inside and outside of school. It involved allowing others to have a go; it was agreeingon an idea and completing it together.

Professional LearningThe following are the range of professional learning activities that were engaged in:

effective pedagogy and teaching practice, particularly in writing and readingcomprehensionpersonalised plans for special learning needs of studentspersonalised learning plans for all students at riskrevisiting reflection, empowerment and learning in Mathematics Multiplicative Thinking - Mathematics Kindergarten to Year 6 (K-6) literacy and pedagogical content knowledgelooking at new NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Geography and History, andScience curriculums and undertaking workshops in how best to program and include allelements of the new curriculum effective writing activitiesguided reading, comprehension and writing running records and miscue analysisputting faces on the data Work, Health and Safety (WHS), anaphylaxis, cystic fibrosis, asthma, first aid,Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and fire information and training

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Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and fire information and trainingEarly Years Assessment (EYA) training and data analysisBest Start Training (Kindergarten)Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading (PAT-R) comprehension data analysis andwhere to from hereprofessional development also included guided reading, analysis of running records,teams formed to look at a consistent approach in Key Learning Areas (KLAs), and revisitingthe inquiry approach (Timperley cycle) to concentrate on ‘what knowledge and skills dowe as teachers need?' tracking of reading recovery students in writingNAPLAN marking and preparationExtending Mathematical Understanding (EMU)staff reflection dayindividual personal development through Annual Professional Learning Plansprofessional readings on staff weekly sheet

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School Improvement

Annual school prioritiesPriority 1 That students would deepen their knowledge of the Sacraments and

prayer through using the three senses to explore our living Catholicfaith

Reason for priority 1 These were:consolidating 2017 learningsintroduction in late 2017 of a Prayer policy and resource ofprayers maintained as a focuscontinued focus on Sacramental living

Steps taken to achievepriority 1

These included:whole staff professional learning on religion warm-ups based onunits to be taughtdoctrine and traditions to be discussed with grade teachersbefore units beginReligious Education coordinator (REC) monitoring throughinstructional walks, program evaluations and student workpre and post tests to track student growth

Status of priority 1 Ongoing

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Priority 2 That students would develop their comprehension skills to makemeaning of texts as measured by the sub elements of interacting andunderstanding texts

Reason for priority 2 Item analysis showed that students were not able to analyse textseffectively to build meaning.

NAPLAN data 2017 showed reading score growth below diocesan andnational level in Year 5.

The percentage of students in Year 3, in the top two bands was 16.8%lower than the state.

The percentage of students in Year 5, in the top two bands was 15.4%lower than the state.

Steps taken to achievepriority 2

These included:identification of students at risk from NAPLAN data -intervention to occurmonitoring of the differentiation of the curriculum, throughsupporting teachers at the beginning of their career, in literacyprofessional learning of whole staff, small groups, individuals onexplicit teaching strategies

Status of priority 2 Ongoing

Priority 3 To improve student skills in selecting efficient multiplicative strategiesto interpret and solve mathematical problems

Reason for priority 3 NAPLAN individual item analysis showed Year 3 students performedbelow national benchmarks in four out of five multiplication anddivision problems.

Year 5 pattern of growth was not strong in the above areas.

Steps taken to achievepriority 3

We focused on:data walls to track multiplicative processes of all students inYears 3 to 6instructional walks to determine what professionaldevelopment was needed for staffteachers being supported in differentiating tasksteacher development through professional development ofmultiplicative strategies

Status of priority 3 Ongoing

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Projected school prioritiesPriority 1 Students will deepen their knowledge of the Sacraments and prayer

through using the three senses to explore our living Catholic Faith.

Reason for Priority 1 In 2019 the focus will continue to be on classroom practice, focusing onprayer and knowledge of traditions and doctrine.

Steps to be taken toachieve Priority 1

These will be:planning with Learning Teams using the template assisting withidentifying warm ups and identifying prayer and Sacramentsregular classroom visits to complete learning walks andobservations, then giving feed backby the end of term 1 to add new prayer journals to the prayerbags around identifying types of prayers eg prayers of petition,praise, sorrow and thanks

Priority 2 Students will be immersed in oral language to improve their speaking,listening, interpreting and understanding in order to create andcommunicate meaning.

Reason for Priority 2 Students struggle with the basic oral language demands that schoolrepresents. In 2019 we will support speaking and listening to increasestudent interactions via peer and group activities so that oral languagewill be a more visible and enjoyable component of every classroom,every subject K-6.

Steps to be taken toachieve Priority 2

We will focus on:a committee to determine school prioritiesteachers engaging in professional development, research,readingsstudent monitoring

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Priority 3 To improve student skills in selecting efficient multiplicative strategiesto interpret and solve mathematical problems

Reason for Priority 3 This will reinforce work begun in 2018 to deepen multiplicativethinking, K-6.

Steps to be taken toachieve Priority 3

We will focus on:discussions with teachers about the Mathematics data wallprofessional learning around progressions and growth pointstrackingteam teaching with staff during the numeracy blockidentifying individual professional learning needs of teachersand responding to these needs accordingly eg professionalreading, coaching during release day

Community Satisfaction

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Community Satisfaction

Parent satisfactionDuring 2018 the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) engaged in a Focus onLearning survey called Tell Them From Me (TTFM), to provide feedback from parents, studentsand staff about our schools. A random selection of parents were issued with the survey by theCEDP.

The data collected and reported showed that our parent community, along with the teacher andstudent community, valued the Catholicity of our school. Our parent data also told us that thebehaviour at our school was managed effectively and parents stated that their children enjoyedcoming to school. The parents felt that their children were well-connected to their peers and thatadded to the students' school experience. Parent satisfaction was strong in regard to theirchildren being engaged learners.

Student satisfactionA selection of students from primary completed the survey online. All students were keen tocomplete the survey.

The results indicated that students:liked, and felt connected to, the schoolfelt that what they were learning was interesting and enjoyableon the whole, were motivated to do well, but at times may have lacked the confidence intheir ability to learnindicated strong relationships with their teachers and in their engagement in learningvalued their involvement in the St Margaret Mary's parish and believed they had a role toplay in the area of social justicearticulated respect for their teachersshowed that they appreciated the opportunities they were given at St Margaret Mary'sPrimary School to fulfil their potential

Teacher satisfactionThe data showed that staff:

were highly motivated and positive about their workwere personally enthusiastic and passionate about their workwere intrinsically on board with goals and objectives of the schoolfelt the level of ownership was self-motivatedbelieved results also showed that teamwork and ownership were closely aligned, whichindicated that staff appreciated the opportunities to work together collegially andsupport one anotherthat staff goals and their approach to work were aligned with the whole-school goalsbelieved there was growth in student behaviour, engagement and empowerment as wellas school morale

On reflecting as a staff we found that in the area, Intellectually Engagement, students weremotivated, interested, putting in effort and receiving quality instruction.

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Student Profile

Enrolment PolicySt Margaret Mary's Primary School follows the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP)Enrolment Policy and Procedures. The full text or a link to the full text of the school’s enrolmentpolicies, including all prerequisites for continuing enrolment can be obtained from the schooloffice or can be accessed on the CEDP website showing the CEDP Enrolment Policy, Procedures and Guidelines.

Current and previous years' student enrolmentYear Boys Girls Total

2016 255 280 535

2017 263 289 552

2018 270 294 564

Student enrolments have been very positive over the past few years due the school's goodstanding in the community.

Student attendance ratesThe table below shows the percentage of student attendance by Year level and school average.

Kindergarten 80

Year 1 76

Year 2 87

Year 3 87

Year 4 87

Year 5 85

Year 6 84

School Average 84

Characteristics of the student bodyThe table below shows the number of students in each of the categories listed.

Language background other than English (LBOTE) 490

Students with disablities (SWD) 26

Indigenous 4

Managing Student Non-attendanceRegular attendance at school is essential if students are to maximise their potential. Schools inpartnership with parents and guardians, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance ofstudents. The compulsory schooling age is 6-17. Parents and guardians are legally responsible forthe regular attendance of their children, explaining the absences of their children in writingwithin several days to the school, and taking measures to resolve attendance issues involvingSt Margaret Mary's Primary School, Merrylands Page 17

within several days to the school, and taking measures to resolve attendance issues involvingtheir children. School staff as part of their duty of care, monitor part or whole day absences.

They maintain accurate records of students' attendance, follow up unexplained absencesthrough written and verbal communication, implement programs and practices to addressattendance issues when they arise, and provide clear information to students and parentsregarding attendance requirements and the consequences of unsatisfactory attendance. Theprincipal or their delegate, may grant permission for late arrival or early departure from school,leave or exemption from attendance only in individual cases, on written request from parentsand guardians.

The principal/delegate will undertake all reasonable measures to contact parents promptly if anunexplained absence occurs. If truancy is suspected, the principal will contact theparents/guardians to ascertain the reason for the absence. If a satisfactory response is notreceived, the matter will be referred to the relevant staff at the Catholic Education Office,Diocese of Parramatta who will follow up unexplained absences as per legislative requirements.

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Student wellbeing

Student welfare, discipline and anti-bullying policies and pastoral careThe Catholic education system in the Diocese of Parramatta is committed to developing aneducational and organisational culture based on mutual trust and respect that assists people torecognise and develop their personal capabilities.

Any type of bullying in Catholic schools is contrary to gospel values and the system’s VisionStatement: Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Parramatta (1999). These values and principles areoutlined in the following statements:

To be inviting, inclusive and just is to ensure that we work to promote the common good in ourschools, the system as a whole, and the wider society.

We will be inviting, inclusive and just by:embracing the diversity of people and culturespromoting collaborative practiceencouraging staff to strive for growthproviding staff with access to appropriate, growth-promoting development opportunities

All children and young people have a right to an education that is free from discrimination,harassment and bullying. Students who are the targets of persistent bullying can suffer long-termpsychological, social and developmental damage that can continue into their adult years.

Violence, bullying and harassment affect everyone, not just the targets of bullies and theperpetrators themselves. It also affects those who witness the violence and aggression that isoften associated with bullying and the distress and powerlessness of the victim or victims.Bullying behaviours can have a profound long-term effect on the culture of a school.

Staff in the Catholic education system in the Diocese of Parramatta are committed to developingand implementing policies, procedures and practices that protect students from bullyingbehaviours and creating educational communities that are proactive in the promotion of positivebehaviours by all students.

This policy document is linked to the system’s Maintaining Right Relations (2003) policy and theschool’s Student Management Policy (2005).

Bullying is repeated psychological or physical oppression of a less powerful person or group ofpersons by a more powerful person or group of persons (Rigby, 1996) that creates a risk tomental and physical health and safety. Bullying is ongoing in nature and the bully is encouragedby another’s pain, distress, fear and humiliation. Bullying may manifest itself in the form ofemotional, social, verbal and/or physical incidents, all of which will cause distress.

At St Margaret Mary's Primary School our Student Management policy is based on threeprinciples:

everyone has a right to teach and learneveryone has a right to be valued and respectedeveryone has a right to feel safe

The policy also affirms the principles of procedural fairness and natural justice. Corporalpunishment is expressly forbidden at the school.

The school's anti-bullying policy is based on our three codes of conduct. Any complaints areinvestigated by a member of the leadership team and followed up accordingly. Parents of theoffenders are called up for an interview and the appropriate consequences are put into place.This, of course, depends on the severity of the breach. In the case of cyber-bullying parents areencouraged to report this to the police because, as a primary school, we deem students tooyoung to be using social media and it is the parents' responsibility to monitor their children's useof this.

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The full text of student management, welfare, anti-bullying, and discipline policies can beobtained through the school.

There have been no changes to the policy in 2018.

Complaints and grievances policyThe Catholic education system in the Diocese of Parramatta is committed to developing aneducational and organisational culture based on mutual trust and respect. We are committed toproviding a safe and supportive work and learning environment for all employees and students.

We acknowledge that employees, students and parents may sometimes have a complaint abouta decision, behaviour, act or omission that they feel is unacceptable. Whilst most issues can beresolved through direct discussion with the parties, there may be instances in which this is notpossible.

Complaints may relate to any practice or policy of a school or Catholic Education Office (CEDP)related to the treatment or education of students. The Parramatta Catholic education system hassome specific complaints processes. The Child Protection Kit has specific policies and proceduresto address complaints of child abuse and reportable conduct. The Maintaining RightRelations policy and procedures addresses complaints of harassment, bullying anddiscrimination.

The school has formal written protocols in place to address complaints and grievances. Theseprotocols are in line with the CEDP Complaint Handling policy and procedures. A copy of theschool policy is available from the school office or is available on the CEDP websitehttp://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/policy-central.

There have been no changes to these polices in 2018.

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Section Eleven: Financial Statement

Income Expenditure

Commonwealth (64.5%)Capital (0%)State (21.4%)Fees (12.8%)Other (1.3%)

Capital (2.1%)Salary (76%)Non-Salary (21.9%)

RECURRENT and CAPITAL INCOME

Commonwealth Recurrent Grants1 $4,472,691

Government Capital Grants 2 $0

State Recurrent Grants 3 $1,486,751

Fees and Private Income 4 $887,881

Other Capital Income 5 $91,586

Total Income $6,938,909

RECURRENT and CAPITAL EXPENDITURE

Capital Expenditure 6 $138,813

Salaries and Related Expenses 7 $5,038,197

Non-Salary Expenses 8 $1,449,932

Total Expenditure $6,626,942

1. Commonwealth relates to Commonwealth Recurrent Grants including per capita fundingand special purpose grants.

2. Capital relates to Government Capital Grants.3. State relates to State Recurrent Grants including per capita funding, interest subsidy and

special purpose grants.4. Fees relates to diocesan and school based fees, excursions and other private income from

parents.5. Other refers to Other Capital Income including drawdowns from the Diocesan School

Building Fund to fund Capital Expenditure.6. Capital refers to Capital Expenditure including School Buildings, Furniture and Equipment.7. Salaries refers to the total of all Salaries, allowances and related expenses such as

superannuation, workers compensation and leave.8. Non-Salary refers to all other Non-Salary Recurrent Expenses.

12.8%

21.4%

64.5%

■■■■■

21.9%

76%

■■■

St Margaret Mary's Primary School, Merrylands Page 21

St Margaret Mary's Primary School, Merrylands Page 22