School plan 2018-2020Hurstville Public School 2197

Printed on: 10 April, 2018Page 1 of 6 Hurstville Public School 2197 (2018-2020)

School background 2018–2020

School vision statement School context School planning process

Our school is a place where:

•    all people are treated with respect, understanding andcompassion;

•    the wellbeing of students is a priority for all;

•    success as a learner is broadly defined, valued andcelebrated; 

•    personal best and aspiring to excellence areencouraged and supported;

•    students develop the 21st Century knowledge, skillsand attributes to become successful learners, resilient,confident and creative individuals and active and informedcitizens.

Hurstville Public School is located in a highly urbanisedarea of southern Sydney. The area is undergoing rapidredevelopment with large, multi–storey apartment blocksincreasing the number of families residing within theschool’s enrolment boundaries.The school is one of thelargest primary schools in the state with over 1270students supported by a staff of more than 100. As well aslocal enrolments, the school hosts four Opportunity Classesfor academically gifted and talented students and a SupportUnit of four classes for students with mild and moderatedisabilities and autism. 96% of our students come fromlanguage backgrounds other than English. More than 47different nationalities are represented. The largest group isof Chinese background, representing 65% of students.Thenext highest backgrounds are Arabic (11%), English(4%), Indonesian (2%), Nepali (2%), Greek (2%) and Hindi(2%). The community holds high expectations for theacademic achievement of their children. The schoolimplements the Positive Behaviour for Learning Program(PBL) and actively incorporates the values of Respect,Responsibility and Learning into all aspects of school life.The school holds significant links with academic partners atSydney University and locally through our Community ofSchools programs. These partnerships develop andsupport Teacher Professional Learning, ensuring deliveryof high quality curriculum which meets student needs.Students are offered a wide range of academic, sportingand artistic extra–curricular activities to develop skills andnurture their talents.  

In 2017, a comprehensive process of research,consultation, data collection and analysis was undertakento determine our current needs and future directions. Allteaching staff completed the Focus on Learning onlinesurvey. Professional reading and discussion exploredrecent research into 21st Century learning, underpinned bythe Melbourne Declaration. Working in small groups, staffidentified the pedagogy that was needed to equip ourstudents for success in a rapidly changing world. Parentand community members completed surveys and attendeda forum to share their views on what is important in theirchildren’s education at school and what they believe theirchildren need for success in the future. As a schoolcommunity, we thus identified the major aspirations weshare for our students and the challenges they face as 21stCentury learners in a time of complex global issues and aconstantly evolving educational and technologicallandscape. As a result of these planning processes, weidentified the need to maintain our focus on ensuring achallenging academic curriculum, appropriate to the needsof our diverse students, but also to ensure that theadditional skills of 21st Century learning – collaboration,creativity, critical reflection and communication – are afeature of our programs K–6, in order to createwell–rounded, confident, resilient young people equipped,to take their place in the world.

We would like to recognise the input and work from ourstudents, parents, staff and leadership team for theircontribution to creating and shaping the vision behind ourstrategic directions for this school plan.

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School strategic directions 2018–2020

STRATEGICDIRECTION 1

Contemporary Learning

STRATEGICDIRECTION 2

Visibility

STRATEGICDIRECTION 3

Wellbeing and Belonging

Purpose:

The purpose of contemporary learning is to respond to arapidly changing society by enhancing deepercollaborative, transformational practices across thewhole school and wider community.  Successful learnerswill be able to demonstrate adaptability, effectivecommunication and a growth mindset that supportscreativity, critical reflection and lifelong learning.

Purpose:

The purpose of visibility is to enhance staff, community andstudent understanding of learning progress, reflection andVisible Learning  practices. Through visibility, staff,students and parents will have a clear understanding ofstudent achievement and what each individual needs tolearn next. Through instructional leadership, differentiationand collaboration, there will be increasing value addedgrowth in both internal and external measures. Throughthis, parents will better understand their child's individualprogress and contemporary classroom practice via the useof technologies for learning.

Purpose:

The purpose of wellbeing and belonging is to enhancestudent engagement and motivation through a proactivewellbeing toolkit, extended opportunities for studentleadership, active citizenship and authentic localconnection. This will also include a systematic communityconnection around equitable opportunities for all. There willbe an evidence–based change to whole school practicesresulting in improvements in wellbeing to support learningso that every student is able to connect, succeed andthrive.

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Strategic Direction 1: Contemporary Learning

Purpose

The purpose of contemporary learning is torespond to a rapidly changing societyby enhancing deeper collaborative,transformational practices across thewhole school and wider community. Successful learners will be able todemonstrate adaptability, effectivecommunication and a growth mindset thatsupports creativity, critical reflection andlifelong learning.

Improvement Measures

Teacher programs, observations andreflections show increasing opportunitiesfor deeper collaboration throughout theschool (shared units, shared assessment,shared planning, student presentations,samples of quality practice).

Staff developed rubrics andassessments show increasing opportunitiesfor students to engage with the 4Cs ofcontemporary learning.

Student voice, work samples andreflections show increased studentunderstanding of learning dispositions,adaptability and mindsets to be asuccessful learner.

People

Staff

Will demonstrate and share their expertisewithin the school and beyond. All teachershave expert contemporary content anddeploy contemporary teaching practice.

Students

Will engage in diverse and transformativelearning opportunities, fostering thedevelopment of explicit learningdispositions and skills. They will adapttheir mindset to promote new learningconnections and critical self reflection.Students will develop a deepunderstanding of effective collaboration.

Parents/Carers

Will collaborate with the school to fosterand develop a shared understanding of theimpact of current research, transformationalpractice and technological shift on theprovision of a contemporary and relevanteducation.

Community Partners

Will form deep connections across aCommunity of Practice, including anacademic partner, and local schools, basedon a shared endeavour of transformationthrough 4C learning, pedagogy and Giftedand Talented best practice.

Leaders

School leaders possess a deepunderstanding of research implications andthe skills to build capacity and bring abouteffective and sustained change.

Processes

Transforming Schools Project:

• Contemporary Teaching and Learning

• Contemporary Learning Community ofPractice

• Effective Integration of Technology forContemporary learning

Future Skills Project:

All learners engage with the most effectiveevidence–based teaching methods, furtherembedding the 4Cs of contemporarylearning into real world, inquiry basedcurriculum experiences.

Gifted and Talented Project:

Contemporary Learning for Gifted andTalented students.

Evaluation Plan

Student work samples, video evidence,staff developed rubrics, observations,assessment information, programs, reports,qualitative data. 

Practices and Products

Practices

Teachers using inquiry based learning(Project Based Learning, STEAM) aroundreal world curriculum experiences thatreflect the 4Cs and students are engagedthrough the use of learner dispositions

Student voice is valued. Students are selfdirected learners and risk takers, andteachers are responsive to individualstudent needs through the use ofcontemporary learning practices.

Teachers work collaboratively to learn, planand assess both internally and externally. 

Gifted and Talented learners are able toarticulate and demonstrate flexibility,adaptability, creativity and critical reflectionwithin their learning. Students are able toself identify and respond to opportunitiesfor growth.

Products

Rubrics demonstrate embedded 4Cpractice and underpin all aspects ofcurriculum design.

Student voice and reflections show use ofand confidence with learner dispositionsand a growth mindset.

Internal and external collaborative practicedrives ongoing school wide improvement inteaching practice and student results.

Student work samples show increasingopportunity to utilise technology forlearning, including robotics, codingand Artificial Intelligence.

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Strategic Direction 2: Visibility

Purpose

The purpose of visibility is to enhance staff,community and student understanding oflearning progress, reflection and VisibleLearning  practices. Through visibility, staff,students and parents will have a clearunderstanding of student achievement andwhat each individual needs to learn next.Through instructional leadership,differentiation and collaboration, there willbe increasing value added growth in bothinternal and external measures. Throughthis, parents will better understand theirchild's individual progress andcontemporary classroom practice via theuse of technologies for learning.

Improvement Measures

Increasing value added growth usinginternal and external evidence sources inliteracy and numeracy.

An increasing proportion of students in thetop two bands in literacy and numeracy,with specific focus on moving anddeveloping EAL/D learners.

Parents' surveys show increasedunderstanding of and positive affirmation ofindividual learning goals and contemporaryclassroom practices.

A range of internal and external studentassessment data is increasingly usedschool wide to identify student achievementand inform future directions.

Quality valid and reliable data iscollaboratively used to increasingly informplanning, identify interventions and modifyteaching practice.

People

Students

Will work with teachers and parents todevelop personal learning goals andpractical pathways for successfulachievement.

Staff

Will understand, value, use and clearlycommunicate how data and assessmentpractices underpin quality planning anddelivery.

Parents/Carers

Actively engage, understand and respondto contemporary teaching and learning andshared examples of classroom practice.

Community Partners

Staff and community will valuecollaboration to share expertise andstrengthen professional learning.Established links with local schools andacademic partners will transform practice.

Leaders

Tiered leadership will grow success inothers through collaboration,role–modelling, data analysis and capacitybuilding across the whole schoolcommunity.

Processes

Collaborative Practices:

Develop, implement & embed explicit andvisible systems for collaboration, feedback& sharing effective practice, driving ongoingimprovement in literacy and numeracy. 

Building Partnerships:

The school is recognised as a keycollaborator in leading, sharing and buildingupon relationships to create a learning hubfocused on providing ongoing developmentof staff, students and community throughquality research–informed TPL, mentoringand coaching networks.

Evaluative Practices:

Use of data informs teachers and leaderson effective program delivery to improvestudent performance and drive wholeschool strategic improvement measures.

Evaluation Plan

Data meetings, meeting minutes, studentgrowth data (including NAPLAN), learningprogressions, PAT Vocabulary, EAL/Ddata, EAL/D School Evaluation Framework,SEF data, Tell Them From Me survey data,Community surveys, focus groups.

Practices and Products

Practices

All lessons are systematically planned aspart of a relevant program that has beencollaboratively designed.

Teachers routinely review student learningand collaboratively develop learning goalswith each individual student, ensuring theyhave a clear understanding of how toimprove.

The learning goals for students areinformed by analysis of internal andexternal student progress and achievementdata. Progress towards learning goals ismonitored through collection of quality,valid and reliable data.

Students and teachers provide regularopportunities for communitymembers to engage with and develop acomprehensive understandingof transformational practice and studentachievement via the use of technologies forlearning.

Products

Learning progression data demonstratesschool wide consistency in teaching,learning, assessment and reporting.

Learning progression data indicates deeperunderstanding of student self–assessment,individual goal setting and value addedgrowth in literacy and numeracy.

Parents' surveys show increasedunderstanding of and positive affirmation ofindividual learning goals and contemporaryclassroom practices.

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Strategic Direction 3: Wellbeing and Belonging

Purpose

The purpose of wellbeing and belonging isto enhance student engagement andmotivation through a proactive wellbeingtoolkit, extended opportunities for studentleadership, active citizenship and authenticlocal connection. This will also include asystematic community connection aroundequitable opportunities for all. There will bean evidence–based change to wholeschool practices resulting in improvementsin wellbeing to support learning so thatevery student is able to connect, succeedand thrive.

Improvement Measures

Tell Them From Me survey showsincreasing levels of student and staffwellbeing and community connection.Increased proportion of students reportinga sense of belonging, expectations forsuccess and advocacy at school.

PBL data and fidelity surveys showincreasing positive behaviours andcompliance with expectations.

Student surveys, voice and focus groupsshow increasing positivity about schoolprograms, resilience and use of learningdispositions.

There are increasing opportunities forstudent leadership within and beyond theschool.

School equity teams show increasingcollaboration and opportunities to engageand celebrate diverse community groups;promoting connections andunderstandings.

People

Students

Will self–regulate, demonstrate resiliencethrough a willingness to undertakeleadership opportunities and access theWellbeing Toolkit.

Staff

Will value the Wellbeing Toolkit andconsistently use the PBL expectations tofacilitate student mindfulness, advocacyand resilience.

Staff will provide student leadershipopportunities and strengthen equitystrategies.

Leaders

Will demonstrate a positive mindset,respectful relationships and role–modelWellbeing strategies. Leaders will supportthe staff to implement the Wellbeing Toolkitand will lead equity and student leadershipopportunities.

Parents/Carers

will value and support the use of theWellbeing Toolkit and embrace inclusivitymeasures.

Community Partners

Will provide opportunities for students toconnect and demonstrate leadershipbeyond the school setting.

Processes

Wellbeing Projects

to develop a wellbeing toolkit across theschool community

• embedding PBL throughout the school

• PERMAH Model (including Mindfulness)

• Emotion Coaching

• Targeted needs–based projects (eg 3Bridges Own It Program)

• Learning Dispositions

Student Leadership

Increasing opportunities for studentleadership including active citizenshipwithin the local community

Equity Strategy

Identifying and supporting students fromdiverse backgrounds to build culturalcapital and promote inclusivity.

Evaluation Plan

Student surveys, student voice, TTFM, PBLdata, EAL/D surveys, focus groups, events,leadership opportunities.

Practices and Products

Practices

PBL is embedded in practice and is usedconsistently across the school andsupported by the community.

Students are proactive and demonstrateactive citizenship and leadership in theschool and wider community.

Students value the diversity of the schoolcommunity and demonstrate inclusivity.

Students draw upon a range of wellbeingstrategies to self–regulate, enhanceengagement and demonstrate resilience.

Products

Positive, respectful relationships areevident amongst students and staffensuring optimal learning conditions,including equitable outcomes for studentsfrom diverse backgrounds.

Every student is known, valued and caredfor in the school. Every student is engagedand challenged to learn.

Increased distributive leadershipopportunities for students across a range ofsettings.

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