2016 Shellharbour Public School Annual Report · Shellharbour Public School Annual Report 2016 3060 Page 1 of 18 Shellharbour Public School 3060 (2016) Printed on: 22 March, 2017

Shellharbour Public SchoolAnnual Report

2016

3060

Printed on: 22 March, 2017Page 1 of 18 Shellharbour Public School 3060 (2016)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2016 is provided to the community of Shellharbour as an account of the school's operations andachievements 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.

School contact details

Shellharbour Public SchoolMary StShellharbour, 2529www.shellharb–p.schools.nsw.edu.aushellharb–[email protected] 1334

Message from the Principal

In 2016, Shellharbour Public School provided the Shellharbour community with its 157th year of quality, comprehensive,secular education. The history of Shellharbour Public School highlights the role played by the local community in the lifeof the school. From its establishment as a bark hut on Addison Street as a result of community agitation to the Board ofNational Education, through to its relocation to an acre of land donated by a local resident, and finally to the vibrant andenergetic support it still receives from its community, this school is one that the Shellharbour community has been proudto call its own.

At Shellharbour Public School we still view education as a shared responsibility between parents, the community and theschool. Relationships embodied by the contribution of these groups are fundamental to our success, so we continue towelcome their involvement in our school. The school has changed a great deal in the last 157 years, however, what hasnot changed, is the commitment of the people who work in, and with, this public school to providing local children with thebest primary education possible. The staff and student body were very proud to be the guardians of this responsibilityduring Shellharbour Public School’s 157 th year of service. It is a responsibility we hold dear, knowing that we are thetemporary custodians of a reputation that has been built by the generations of students and teachers that preceded us.

There were many highlights in 2016 and these will be detailed later in this report. Significant among these was acontinuation of our strong academic performance, reflected in our NAPLAN results. Other highlights were theperformances of our dance troupe and our Tournaments of Minds teams, with the Engineering and Technology teamrepresenting the South Coast at the State finals.

I certify that the information in this report is the result of a rigorous school self–evaluation process and is a balanced andgenuine account of the school’s achievements and areas for development.

Dr John MacDonald

Principal


School background

School vision statement

Our primary focus is the maximisation of student performance in the enabling curriculum areas of English, Mathematicsand Science. We consider these to be enabling because without a high degree of proficiency in these areas, lifelonglearning is not possible. Acting both independently and interdependently, a high level of proficiency in these threesubject areas are also guarantors of choice in later school experience and life. We aim to produce students who arehighly literate and numerate; who possess both the knowledge and skillset to be able to work both scientifically andtechnologically, to not only problem solve but satisfy their innate curiosity in the world around them.

Secondly, to ensure their relevance and utility, we believe it is important to provide opportunities to apply and integratethe skills learned in these enabling subject areas. The ultimate goal of schooling should be to help our students transferwhat they have learned in school to a wide variety of contexts outside school. Over contextualised learning can hinderan individual’s ability to transfer that learning. We therefore aim to provide opportunities for students to use this enablingknowledge in multiple contexts so they can appreciate the utility of this knowledge and skillset. Implicit in this is theindividual being able to recognise that they possess the knowledge and skills to be able to solve a problem or engagewith an activity. With this being the case we aim to create students who can use a metacognitive disposition and abilityto recognise situations where they can apply their knowledge and abilities.

Thirdly, we believe in providing a memorable primary education through opportunities for re–creating the human body,mind and spirit. The development of new skills in the Creative and Performing Arts and Sport, will provide a catalyst forfurther exploration of individual talents in these areas. Our structured values program, and an approach to studentwelfare based on restitution that promotes the centrality of human relationships and views misbehaviour asopportunitiesfor new learning will be central to this vision.

School context

Shellharbour Public School serves an aspirational community with high expectations of its school and students. Ourschool has been a feature of this community for 157 years. The association between our school and its community hasbeen characterised by high levels of community involvement in the life of the school.

Whilst the school had a reputation for strong academic achievement prior to the establishment of national testing, thetransparency offered through NAPLAN data has further increased the reputation of the school in the broader community. At the same time however, our community still expects a divergent and interesting total curriculum offering. We alsobelieve that schools should offer social as well as intellectual leadership. An acceptance of this role means we base ourday to day dealings with students and parents on a set of values characterised by integrity, excellence, respect,responsibility, cooperation and care.

We are fortunate to have a creative, imaginative and knowledgeable group of teachers committed to professionallearning. They have been responsible for the development of organic solutions to school identified issues. Vigilance inensuring that these policies and programs are meeting their original needs and being implemented consistent with theiroriginal intent is a priority. As such, major evaluations which value and therefore seek the contributions and opinions ofall our stakeholders are conducted regularly. Supporting our three focus areas described in our school’s VisionStatement are the values held by the staff, articulated in 2014 and enacted each day vis;

• the potential for quality teaching to make a significant difference to the lives of our students • the importance of professional learning to improve our practice • the reputation of our school and the professionalism of the people who work in it • an equitable public education system that provides each child with the opportunity to excel through a differentiated

and engaging curriculum.

Self–assessment and school achievement

Self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework

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


across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

Utilising a school developed proforma, our school undertook self–assessment using the elements of the SchoolExcellence Framework. We split into Management Plan groups and asked each group to identify

• our school’s place on each domain • the evidence for this • school generated evidence of our decisions including that evidence coming from the 2015 – 2017 Plan and finally • future directions.

In the Learning Domain, the School Excellence Framework data (Student Performance Measures element) provided tothe school on the measure of value added indicated the school was excelling between Kinder and Year 3. The schooloutperformed similar schools in each aspect measured by NAPLAN for both Years 3 and 5. In 2016, our value addedscore between Year 3 and Year 5 was 82.8 compared to 83.1 for similar schools. Our Aboriginal students in both Years3 and 5 also outperformed Aboriginal students in similar schools in every aspect measured by NAPLAN. These highlycommendable achievements are the result of a long established focus on learning in the enabling subjects of literacy andnumeracy, rigorous school based assessment processes, the effective analysis of school and NAPLAN data andprofessional learning in alignment with school aims. In spite of these ongoing achievements, our determination to providenot only an effective education but a memorable one meant we recognised the need to ensure a more equitableexposure to extra curricula learning opportunities and the development of a means of tracking student involvement inthese opportunities. We also identified the need to consolidate our Learning Support functions in Stage One andprovided extra support for students not at grade expectation in the area of comprehension. In 2016, our attendance rateof 93.9% was just below the State 94%.

The Teaching Domain is the focus of our Evidence Based Pedagogy strategic direction. Within this strategic direction,we identify teaching strategies proven most effective by research, and support teachers in the use of these strategies. In2016 this included learning intentions, success criteria and feedback. From a whole school focus, Stages are thenresponsible for reaching a consensus on what constitutes best practise for their stage. Stage based classroomobservations which have been a component of our professional learning program for a number of years have ensuredthat teacher professional learning translates to improved student learning. Staff are also encouraged to reflect on theirown and their collective (stage based) use of these strategies. The staff decided that process level feedback needed tobe our focus in 2017. In 2017 we will follow up process level feedback and also re–examine learning intentions andformative assessment, the latter featuring processes that will see consistency in the area of formative assessmentembedded across the school.

In the Leading Domain, regular planning meetings will be enhanced in 2017 to provide an opportunity for all staff to drivethe school plan. Whilst the utilisation of external expertise has been a feature of our plan this year, so has the leadershipprovided by classroom teachers who have engaged in professional learning outside the school or conducted their ownresearch and then led professional learning across the school. Regular surveys of our school community includingPartners in Learning from the Tell Them From Me suite have ensured our priorities and practices continue to reflect theneeds of our community. School developed surveys, in particular our Year 6 Parent Exit Survey have also added to thisinformation. Our usual high level of engagement with our community increased as one of our Year 4 classes formed arelationship with a local nursing home. Activities included writing and receiving letters and a visit involving musicalperformances. Letters shared by this group of students and parents formed a part of a display titled 'Generations' at theUniversity of Wollongong. School facilities utilised by the community included our hall, playground and cricket nets forlocal sporting teams. A before and after school care group operating five days a week and a play group operating onTuesday mornings also use our facilities. To bring parents along with us, parent workshops in the area of reading will berepeated for incoming Kinder parents and a new parent workshop developed for the Mathematics curriculum area. In2017 we will continue our presence in community activities including ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day, Clean UpAustralia Day and our annual art display at the Shellharbour Village Exhibition Space.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our School Plan, leading to furtherimprovements in the delivery of education to our students.

For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/about–the–department/our–reforms/school–excellence–framework


Strategic Direction 1

Evidence Based Pedagogy

Purpose

This strategic direction is underpinned by two beliefs.

1. Teacher quality is the single most important variable in an education system.

2. There is an evidence base articulating what highly effective teachers do, and our teaching should reflect this.

This strategic direction will ensure that our teachers continue to be exposed to best practice in primary education byidentifying specific behaviours of highly effective teachers and, through an established mentoring and growth coachingapproach, supporting them in implementing these in the classroom. It will be a dynamic and inclusive approach toimplementing contemporary and emerging best practice in pedagogy.

Overall summary of progress

We continued to develop our understanding of the Quality Teaching Model through utilising the lessons available forcritique in the original materials. This has been useful in ensuring a shared understanding of the model. We continuedto embed aspects of visible learning into our K–6 practice. Learning Intentions and Success Criteria were supported andBump It Up Walls as part of a whole school approach to formative assessment were trialled by a number of staff. Theirefforts were then shared with staff through a number of roving staff meetings. This year saw us look more deeply atformative assessment and feedback. Whilst teachers revisited these strategies through revisiting the literature, they alsotrialled a number of self nominated aspects of feedback. As usual, teacher observation, feedback and reflection weresignificant in moving teacher practice forward in this strategic direction.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Progress achieved this year Funds Expended(Resources)

• To exceed the replica schoolscore for students who selfnominate as 'high skills/highchallenge' in the Tell Them FromMe report.

In 2016 the Tell Them From Me survey revealedthat 51.5% of students in Years Four to Sixnominated themselves as utilising high level skills tocomplete challenging tasks successfully. Thisexceeds the replica schools score of 44% by 7.5%.

• Exceed the replica schoolscores for rigour, and effectivelearning time (Tell Them FromMe) and learning culture (FocusOn Learning).

In 2016 the Tell Them From Me survey revealedthat 8.2 out of 10 students in Year Four to Six foundthe classroom instruction to be well–organised, witha clear purpose and appropriate feedback. This was.2 above the replica school.

• Teaching practice incorporatesidentified drivers of improvedstudent learning, as evident inteacher observation reportsannotated by supervisors.

Aggregated observation notes and programfeedback reports demonstrate that teachers areembedding Learning Intentions and SuccessCriteria in their lessons to improve student learning.They are also trialling a variety of feedbackmethods in their classrooms. Open endedquestions asked in the Tell Them From Me surveyalso revealed that teachers are incorporatingidentified teaching practices into their lessons toimprove student’s understandings. Students madecomments such as ' our teacher tells us stories tohelp us to remember things that she taught us. Itmakes the lesson fun.' 'Our teacher comes up withstrategies that help me learn better and I can usethem when I don't know what to do.' Thisdemonstrates that narrative is being utilised inclassroom to support student learning. There werealso comments made about ‘Bump It Up Walls’ and‘Learning Intentions and Success Criteria’ being

$5336.00





• Teaching practice incorporatesidentified drivers of improvedstudent learning, as evident inteacher observation reportsannotated by supervisors.

used to facilitate learning, 'he tells us a successcriteria which helps us know what we're going tolearn during the week.' 'My teacher tells us whatwe are learning first and then gets us to do thetask.' 'They show us what our work should look likewhen we are finished so I can see what I amdoing.' 'My teacher has Bump It Up posters andshows how we can improve our work’. Thesecomments also show that teachers are creatingclassrooms in which explicit quality criteria,engagement, metalanguage, high expectations andconnectedness are present.

$5336.00

Next Steps

In 2017, the Evidence Based Pedagogy Strategic Direction will continue to identify the most effective teaching strategiesin contemporary pedagogy, support teachers in their learning and implementation of these and then ensure consistencyof implementation across the school. Bump It Up Walls, process level feedback and embedding formative assessmentpractices will be priorities. Differentiation in our streamed 3–6 Mathematics groups will also be a priority.



Enabling Lifelong Learning

Purpose

This strategic direction is underpinned by our belief that a high level of competence in the enabling subject areas ofEnglish, Mathematics and Science is essential. We consider these to be enabling because without a high degree ofproficiency in these areas, lifelong learning is not possible. Acting both independently and interdependently, a high levelof proficiency in these three subject areas are also guarantors of choice in later school experience and life. We willproduce students who are not only highly literate and numerate but who also possess both the knowledge and skillset tobe able to work scientifically and technologically to not only problem solve but satisfy their innate curiosity in the worldaround them.


An external consultant was employed to work with Stage 2 and Stage 3 teachers as a continuation from the 2015management plan. She assisted in planning and programming a series of lessons based on embedding grammar intothe writing process effectively focusing on direction and goals for the students. The teachers planned and implementedlessons whilst being observed by the consultant with feedback provided after the lesson. The external consultantdemonstrated a writing lesson for some of the teachers within these stages for additional support. In spite of our spellingresults being at or exceeding the state mean (NAPLAN) since 2012, we felt that the school could improve the schooldeveloped program for spelling and develop a continuum of spelling knowledge. The development of a broader spellingprogram which encompasses the spelling rules and generalisations has been developed and implemented across K–6.The use of a wide variety of research based evidence and school based quantitative data were used in putting togetherthe document. This has provided a streamlined approach to spelling and seen a scope and sequence of homophones,etymology, rules and phonics based generalisations established. Programs have been written including LearningIntentions and Success Criteria for the students as a focus from Strategic Direction 1. Changes were made after Term 3to incorporate teacher concerns regarding placement of content. Evaluation and full implementation will occur in 2017along with the standardised programing of components of a successful spelling lesson. In K–2, revisiting TEN strategiesthrough a series of Stage professional Development and lesson studies occurred. The teacher’s planned lessons basedon the number strand were taught, observed and the teaching discussed. These lessons were the modified andimprovements made. This process has resulted in an overall improvement in the teaching of the number strand fromKindergarten to Year 2. This was evident in the students’ knowledge and understanding of EAS and quantitative datafrom PLAN and grade based assessments and spreadsheets.

An audit of 3–6 non–focus group reading activities was completed and this will be used to form the basis of amoreuniformed and differentiated approach to students who are working independently.




• Year 3 and Year 5 studentsmaintain state mean performanceor above in Reading, Writing,Spelling and Numeracy.

Year 3 and Year 5 students exceeded the statemean score in every aspect measured by NAPLAN.

$800.00

• K–2 students meet the desiredoutcomes associated withreading strategies andcomprehension on thecontinuum, attaining Cluster 4 –Kindergarten, Cluster 6 – Year 1,Cluster 8 – Year 2. K–2 studentsmeet the grade requirementsfollowing EAS on themathematics continuum.

Kinder at or above Cluster 4: Reading 99% andComprehension 92%

Year One at or above Cluster 6: Reading 85% andComprehension 68%

Year Two at or above Cluster 8: Reading 81% andComprehension 73%

Kinder EAS – 100% at or above perceptual.

Year One EAS – 99% at or above figurative

Year Two EAS – 95% at or above counting on andback.

$4000.00





• School based summativeassessment shows increasingstudent knowledge of Sciencecontent and control of scientificprocesses.

Our school based criterion referenced testsrevealed the following number of students achievedat grade level or better across Grades 1 – 6 inScience.

Semester One 84%

Semester Two 84%

Next Steps

Due to staff changes, a parent information session in Science and Working Scientifically will be completed in 2017. Twostaff members will work alongside a member of the Science Faculty at Warilla High School to present this session to theparents. This session will be funded through Community Consultation funds.

Science units of work to be developed to cater for the cross stage composite classes to match the sub strands ofScience that are being completed by the stage.

Update the novel studies and units of work for students in Years 3–6 through a revised scope and sequence of thenovels that will becovered over the course of an odd and even cycle with the inclusion of across stage compositeclasses.

A common external series of writing samples linked to the clusters of development in the writing strand of the continuumwill better allow us to monitor student growth. This coupled with the ‘Analysing and Monitoring Student Progress’ fromStrategic Direction 1 will see a close and accurate monitoring of student written compositions.

Based on quantitative data and feedback provided by teachers, proofreading and editing are areas of greatest need forstudents in spelling. Revisiting the Shellharbour Public School Proofreading and Editing guide coupled with professionaldevelopment in the components and time dedicated to an effective spelling lesson and strategies to support eachstudent’s acquisition of the skill.

Utilising data gathered in relation to non–focus guided reading groups; develop a uniformed approach to these groupsthrough the acquisition and compilation of reading group activities and hardware.



Quality Curriculum and Support Structures

Purpose

This strategic direction is underpinned by the development of support structures, which facilitate two imperativesemanating from the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008). The first is the provisionof a world class national curriculum which the school will continue to translate and implement. The second is equity – thatall young Australians will become confident, creative learners and active and informed citizens. We will ensurestudents experience high levels of social, institutional and intellectual engagement, through the provision of timelywelfare and support initiatives, the extension of those students who are capable of higher levels of achievement and theintegration of emerging technologies. We will support all teachers in their engagement with the new curriculum througheffective localised implementation structures, professional learning, a supportive performance and developmentframework and support in accreditation.


Identified students were involved in a pilot student welfare program which focused on restitution, conflict resolution andthe improvement of victim/perpetrator relationships. This program was conducted by one teacher following significantresearch in this field. All teachers were trained in the identification of students at risk and implementation of this program.Parents were informed and invited to be part of a collaborative team approach. In total, 8 students were involved in thistrial program resulting in a significant increase in positive relationships between these targeted students. Due to thesuccess of this trial, “Restorative Rescue” will continue in 2017, targeting a greater number of students. Eleven teacherssuccessfully completed the Online Dyslexia course “Understanding Dyslexia and Significant Difficulties in Reading”,which focused on the following: Understanding dyslexia and reading difficulties; Identification of students with significantdifficulties in reading and surrounding issues; Development of SMART goals to provide systematic explicit instruction anddetermine future teaching and learning needs for the identified student; Assessment and monitoring progress ofindividual students in relation to set SMART goals. A range of strategies were used by the teachers to teach the criticalaspects of reading. Pre and post assessments were administered resulting in targeted student growth. Of the thirtystudents involved in this program, 87% showed growth in their identified areas as outlined in their SMART goals. A ‘Howto use the Connected Classroom’ booklet was produced, and is being utilised by staff. Evidence of class videoconferencing is recorded in an annual booking folder with all teachers having booked at least two virtual excursionsthroughout the year. Most teachers are now confident in using the equipment and sourcing topics which are linked torelevant units taught within their classroom. Teachers will continue to consolidate and promote this effective teachingpractice in 2017 to ensure the sustainability of usage within our school. New staff will be able to collaboratively work withother teachers to enable them to become efficient in using this resource. Student engagement and understanding of localand global topics has increased as evidenced by student comments and general knowledge.




• Increase in the number ofstudents who access support orextension opportunities providedby the school.

There is a slight decline in Year 3 studentsparticipation between 2015 and 2016 due to thecricket program not being offered in 2016. Year 4student participation has nearly doubled due tostudents being offered three new programs in 2016Year 5 students have more than doubled theirparticipation in programs and since three newprograms have been implemented they have nearlytripled in participation. There is no comparison datato indicate differences between 2015 to 2016 forYear 6 however since four new programs wereimplemented for Year 6 students participation hasincreased by approximately 35%. Twenty Stage 1and Stage 2 students were supported throughextension of the schools Learning Support program.

$30449

• Maintain above state meanlevels of student social,institutional and intellectualengagement as measured by the

Our students were above the state mean inParticipation and Positive Relationships (SocialEngagement), Valuing outcomes from school andpositive behaviour (Institutional Engagement) and





‘Tell Them From Me’ survey tool. Effort and Quality Instruction (IntellectualEngagement) gained from the Tell Them From Mesurvey administered twice over 2016.

• All teaching programs willreflect emerging curriculumexpectations and detailappropriate support andextension opportunities whererequired.

Teaching programs are collected each term andsupervisors feedback is provided. Feedbackidentified a range of new strategies that had beenintroduced to the teachers through StrategicDirection One were in place, in particular learningintentions and success criteria. The decision of theschool to attach learning intentions and successcriteria to lessons in the newly developed Spellingprogram and the Mathematics program haveensured that teachers are utilising these strategiesconsistently.

Next Steps

Our established music tuition program will be complemented by our Stage 3 students receiving instruction in Africandrumming. We will expand our use of the connected Classroom to better engage our students through virtual excursionsoffered through the DART website. A dedicated budget will ensure students do not miss out on appropriateexperiences. Our staff will be further trained in autism training through a Sue Larkey workshop. Through a train thetrainer model a number of interested staff will attend one of Sue Larkeys presentations. Her online materials will also beaccessed.


Key Initiatives Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

Aboriginal background loading Our Aboriginal students outperformedAboriginal students in similar schools in everyaspect measured by NAPLAN.

$11792

English language proficiency Throughout the year eleven studentsparticipated in an EALD Program. In EarlyStage One there Two students have movedfrom the Beginning Level to the EmergingLevel. In Stage One there were threestudents who participated in the EALDProgram. One student has progressed fromthe Beginning Level to the Emerging Level.Two students have moved from the EmergingLevel to the Developing Level.In Stage Twothere were three students who participated inthe EALD Program. One student moved fromthe Emerging Level to the Developing Level.Two students have progressed from theDeveloping Level to the Consolidation Level.In Stage Three there were two students whoparticipated in the EALD Program. Onestudent has been working at the BeginningLevel. The other student has progressed fromthe Beginning Level to the Emerging Level.

$9181

Low level adjustment for disability Students deemed with low support needswere all provided with a Learning SupportOfficer at their greatest point of need. OneLearning Support Officer was trained in thework of the Learning Support teacher andimplemented her program on one morning ofthe week to make it a five day program. Eleven teachers completed an onlineDyslexia course title 'Understanding Dyslexiaand Significant Difficulties in Reading. Release was provided to allow teachers tobetter engage with the prescribed readingsand attend the face to face sessions. A rangeof strategies were used by the teachers toteach the critical aspects of reading. Pre andpost assessments were administeredresulting in targeted student growth. Of thethirty students involved in this program, 87%showed growth in their identified areas asoutlined in their SMART goals.

$29177

Quality Teaching, SuccessfulStudents (QTSS)

Observations and notes taken by consultantrevealed increased teacher understanding ofQuality Teaching Model.

0.26 across calendar yearin two different instalments.

Socio–economic background Two Stage One teachers were trained in L3. These funds were also used to release theschool based L3 facilitator to work with theseteachers. Release was provided to allowteachers to debrief with the QTSS consultantafter their lesson was delivered.

$31744


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2013 2014 2015 2016

Boys 266 258 262 254

Girls 196 193 201 225

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

K 95.1 96.5 94.5 95.5

1 93.4 95.7 95.1 94.1

2 94.6 94.7 94.9 94.1

3 94 95.5 93.8 94.1

4 94.2 95.5 95.1 92.4

5 93.9 94 94.3 94.2

6 93.7 93 92.9 92.9

All Years 94.1 95 94.4 93.9

State DoE

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

K 95 95.2 94.4 94.4

1 94.5 94.7 93.8 93.9

2 94.7 94.9 94 94.1

3 94.8 95 94.1 94.2

4 94.7 94.9 94 93.9

5 94.5 94.8 94 93.9

6 94.1 94.2 93.5 93.4

All Years 94.7 94.8 94 94

The implementation of the Phone Intervention Programin 2016 has assisted us in following up nonattendance. The value of this program is enhancedthrough the contextual information that thesediscussions often provide to the school which can affectstudent attendance.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 1

Assistant Principal(s) 4

Classroom Teacher(s) 16.6

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0.5

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.7

Teacher Librarian 1

School Counsellor 1

School Administration & SupportStaff

3.43

Other Positions 0.17

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 96

Postgraduate degree 4

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Our professional learning priorities were a reflection ofthe second year of our 2015 – 2017 school plan. Quality teaching Successful Students funds were usedto employ an external consultant who worked with ourStage 2 and Stage 3 teachers on the Quality TeachingModel. Teachers had the opportunity to reflect oneach session and trial particular strategies. Eleventeachers completed specialist training in dyslexia. Thistraining included face to face and online models ofdelivery and included between session tasks. SchoolDevelopment Days included training staff in the use ofthe Connected Classroom and the Schools ExcellenceFramework.

A total of $52 427.00 was spent on professionallearning over the course of the year. An average of$2497.00 was spent on each teacher for professionallearning over the course of the year. These amountsinclude some RAM Literacy/Numeracy and Low SocioEconomic funding. They do not include BeginningTeacher funding.

Particular support was provided to a group of three teachers seeking accreditation at Highly Accomplishedand Lead levels. Two of these teachers have gainedprovisional approval through the BOSTES site topursue accreditation at Highly Accomplished and one atLead level.


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

Financial information

The three financial summary tables cover 13 months(from 1 December 2015 to 31 December 2016).

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

2016 Actual($)

Opening Balance 0

Revenue 394 734

(2a) Appropriation 352 187

(2b) Sale of Goods and Services 12 240

(2c) Grants and Contributions 30 002

(2e) Gain and Loss 0

(2f) Other Revenue 0

(2d) Investment Income 303

Expenses –199 740

Recurrent Expenses –199 740

(3a) Employee Related –114 607

(3b) Operating Expenses –85 133

Capital Expenses 0

(3c) Employee Related 0

(3d) Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

194 994

Balance Carried Forward 194 994

2016 Actual($)

Base Total 2 963 733

Base Per Capita 24 900

Base Location 0

Other Base 2 938 833

Equity Total 147 221

Equity Aboriginal 11 791

Equity Socio economic 31 744

Equity Language 9 181

Equity Disability 94 503

Targeted Total 144 220

Other Total 173 135

Grand Total 3 428 310

School performance

NAPLAN

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

The My School website provides detailed informationand data for national literacy and numeracy testing.Click on the link My School and insert ShellharbourPublic School in the Find a school and select GO toaccess the school data.

Our school performed above the Similar School Groupfor every aspect of Literacy and Numeracy measuredby NAPLAN. Our NAPLAN results were presented anddiscussed at the Parents and Citizens meeting held onWednesday 8th March, 2017.




Our school outperformed the State average in numberof students placing in the top two NAPLAN bands inboth reading and numeracy for both Year 3 and Year5. • Year 3 – 59.4% of our students placed in the top

two bands in reading against a state average of

51.8%. • Year 3 – 46.7% of our students placed in the top

two bands in numeracy against the state averageof 38.7%.

• Year 5 – 37.7% of our students placed in the toptwo bands in reading against a state average of32.3%.

• Year 5 – 34.6% of our students placed in the toptwo bands in numeracy against a state average of30.5%.


Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Parents are surveyed twice per year through the TellThem From Me 'Partners in Learning ' survey tool. Thefollowing perspectives of parents are measured • Parents feel welcome • Parents are informed • Parents support learning at home • School supports learning • School supports positive behaviour • Safety at school • Inclusive school

Shellharbour Public School outperformed the NSWCESE Project school on each of these measures. Please see the diagram below.

Staff were also surveyed through the Focus onLearning Teacher Survey administered in SemesterTwo.

100% of teachers either agreed or strongly agreed thatschool leaders are leading improvement and change. 82% of teachers either agreed or strongly agreed thatschool leaders clearly communicate their strategicvision and values for our school. When asked 'Tell ussome of the things you really like about theschool', responses included • Our schools ability to introduce new concepts and

teaching strategies into the classroom should alsobe commended. The teachers have taken onboard Learning Intentions and Success Criteriawith great enthusiasm and results in studentslearning are evident.

• Shellharbour Public School also have awonderful, friendly staff who are helpful andsupportive. Being a part of this community is apleasure. We have an excellent staff at SPS andI always feel valued for the contributions I make.

• We always focus on student learning and havehigh expectations of what students can achieve. Ilove the way that our staff are always willing tooffer or share their ideas and the office staff arealways willing to do anything for you. We alsohave great students here who are eager to learnand I enjoy coming to work.

• This is the only school I have worked at where theprincipal and leaders have had a direct impact onthe quality of my teaching. I am a better teacherbecause of them. I could not be happier with theteam that I work with, with the supervisor whosupports us and the principal who leads us.

• The staff at our school are very supportive ofeach other. We work collegially across the yeargroup and across the stages.

• The teaching/learning programs in place at ourschool have proven to be very effective for moststudents. We are very supportive of students withspecial learning needs and work hard with thosestudents and their families to help them accessthe curriculum.

Students were asked a number of open endedquestions as part of the second Tell Them From Mesurvey administered in October, 2016. Specifically

students were asked 'Please tell us some of the thingsyou really like about your school or things that wouldmake it even better.' Responses included • I really like how environmentally orientated our

school is giving it life! Plenty of fun activities havebeen introduced to make the school day differentand much more exciting than just the same old,same old.

• The thing that I really like about my school is thatthe teachers always do things for the children atthe school like the spring fete, swimming,excursions and many more things. I also like myschool because all of the teachers are very niceto all of the students.

• I like that the people won't judge you andeveryone helps you. And that the teachers helpyou and talk you through things you don'tunderstand.

• I really love the teachers that go out of their wayfor us. I mean, sometimes they take away timefrom their own lives to help us. I love all the extraextension groups we have to ensure that we arebeing challenged and how lucky I am to go tosuch a great school.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

Shellharbour Public School received $11792.00Aboriginal funding in 2016 and supplemented this to$13543.00. We employed an experienced classroomteacher to design differentiated teaching programs inliteracy and numeracy for each Aboriginal student. Thesame teacher utilised the information she gained fromworking in this way, with information obtained from bothstudents themselves and their parents to develop eachchild's Personal Learning Program. The consistentlyhigh performance of our Aboriginal students relative toAboriginal students in our Similar Schools group(SMART data) confirms the utility of this approach. Thewhole school also engaged in a week of culturallyappropriate learning activities recognising Aboriginalculture during NAIDOC Week.

Multicultural and anti–racism education

The school lost its 0.2 FTE English as A SecondLanguage funding in 2013. However, several studentswith specific needs in English acquisition were placedon Individual Learning Plansto support main stream


programs. The program operated in various modesincluding withdrawal groups, team teaching and theprovision of resources for teachers. In deliveringprograms, a whole language approach was adopted asclassroom teachers in ES1 to S1 continue to implementan explicit phonics program. In the delivery of theseprograms an emphasis was placed on students in theKindergarten to Year 4 range. One Year 5 student wassupported through 0.2 New Arrivals funding. Ourschool has a dedicated and trained Anti RacismContact Officer. Our ARCO successfully intervened ontwo occasions.


Documents

2016 Shellharbour Public School Annual Report · Shellharbour Public School Annual Report 2016 3060 Page 1 of 18 Shellharbour Public School 3060 (2016) Printed on: 22 March, 2017