NEWTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOL Annual Report 2015 7431
Introduction The Annual Report for 2015 is provided to the community of Newtown Public School as an account of the school s operations and achievements throughout the year. It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities for all students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self- assessment that reflect the impact of key school strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equity funding. Abbey Proud Principal School contact details: Newtown Public School Norfolk Street Newtown 2042 newtown- p.school@det.nsw.edu.au newtown- p.school@det.nsw.edu,au 9557 4862 Message from the Principal In 2015, our school community has continued to demonstrate its sense of collective purpose and drive in its work towards building the best school and the best futures possible for our young people. Newtown Public School enjoys tremendous support from our parent body and local community. Our P&C Association, headed by Jodie Nas Jones, Michelle Squires, Harry Roden, Jacinta Bunfield and Penny Austin, demonstrated great team leadership in 2015, not only raising an outstanding amount of money towards our school goals, but in developing a strategic framework alongside the School Plan 2015-2017, to support the work of teaching, learning, leadership and capacity building. I am proud of our achievements this year as we work together to achieve our collective goals to: Develop students as successful learners, leaders, and responsible and productive citizens Enhance quality leadership, organisational practices and policies Develop an effective system of collaboration, communication and leadership within and beyond the Newtown Network of Schools The P&C, staff and students have worked alongside me in creating the next round of development for our playground, which saw the expenditure of P&C funding for the new adventure play spaces in collaboration with the Department of Education. Alongside the P&C Association are the raft of volunteers who have worked with teachers and students with the MULTIIT program, reading and maths groups, as local experts; artists, photographers, bakers, cooks and food producers, scientists, musicians, engineers, designers and sports people. I take this opportunity to acknowledge your enormous volunteer efforts this year. Thank you on behalf of our students and staff, we appreciate all you do.
Our staff, as highly dedicated professionals continued their work towards our school s goals, each bringing individual strength and skill, and all committed to one goal: a safe and inclusive school, where students are given the best opportunities to reach their full potential in all areas of learning. They work collaboratively to provide teaching and learning programs that engage and challenge our students within an inclusive environment. Students are encouraged to set their own learning goals and to achieve their personal best. The guiding belief demonstrated daily at our school is the essential role of schools in building social capital among young people. A belief that in the rush to get things done in our busy lives, adults often take away the sense of responsibility so fundamental for children in developing their sense of belonging and contribution to their schools and families. Kids are capable of so much more than we sometimes give them time and credit for. Our students are amazing. They teach us more about collective spirit, shared fun and abundant energy each and every day than many people will learn in a lifetime. The students of our school share the leadership of their school everyday from the smallest of jobs from the weekly set up of assembly, management of Monday morning lines, handing out lunches, delivering messages, tidying their classrooms, watering the garden, reporting all things lost and found, writing for the newsletter, running the library at lunchtimes and trouble shooting the computer network and printers for teachers. The students of our school from Kindergarten through to year 6 lead their school with pride. They take it in turns to take the lead naturally and work collectively for common purpose and individual achievement. Their work alongside their teachers in establishing and achieving their learning goals each term means they have worked towards their individual learning pursuits while working collectively to make our school a wonderful community for children. Thank you to every member of our school community who in 2015 worked to make our school such a wonderful place for us all to learn and grow. Fathers Day breakfast Technology in the classroom project Election Day Cake Stall
P&C Association President It has been a BIG year for the P&C and I am grateful to have had this opportunity. I have watched as parents, carers, teachers, and community members have come together to build our NPS community tribe, and this warms my heart. We do this because we have one thing in common that means the world to all of us, our children. I want to share a passage from the Melbourne Declaration with you about schools. Schools play a vital role in promoting the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, moral, spiritual, and aesthetic development and wellbeing of young Australians, and in ensuring the nation s ongoing economic prosperity and social cohesion. Schools share this responsibility with students, parents, carers, families, the community, businesses, and other education and training providers. From the declaration there were 2 goals; Goal 1 Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence Goal 2 All young Australians become: - - - Successful learners Confident and creative individuals Active and informed citizens Achieving these educational goals is the collective responsibility of governments, school sectors and individual schools as well as parents and carers, young Australians, families, other education and training providers, business and the broader community. The children at Newtown Public School are lucky; they have teams of people backing them in every way possible so that they get the best out of their learning experience. These teams have worked collaboratively over the year to ensure that the teaching of reading, writing, English, maths, science, sport, music, library, art, drama, and dance, have enriched our children s learning in 2015. These same teams have ensured that our children have an innovative, motivating and inviting 21 st century learning environment that is encouraging of them becoming successful learners, confident and creative individuals, engaged, active and informed citizens within their community. There have been many opportunities for collaboration in our school community in 2015. Between teachers, both stage based and as a whole teaching team, and within the Newtown Network of schools. Teachers and students, teachers and parents, teachers, students and parents, as well as children and their parents on the home front have formed teams to help children realise and work towards their goals for 2015. The school s and P&C s executive teams have worked closely this year to ensure that ongoing as well as developing projects have either been completed or stayed on target in achieving set goals for the school community. It s a case of collaboration everywhere you turn. Although we function as different teams, our goals and objectives are the same, and we have a shared responsibility. Really we are all working as one bigger team, collaboratively and cohesively taking on our collective responsibilities. This big community team have worked together in different capacities across twelve fundraising events, which raised $45,000 this year. Outside of the annual events such as Mothers and Fathers Day, we held three family movie nights, an election day event, cake stalls, a Rainbow Run- a- thon, and the Comedy Night for parents. From the funds raised the P&C has been able to support the school by way of monetary contributions to school projects such as the playground upgrade, new lighting for the school hall, purchasing ipads for classrooms and new musical instruments for the music program.
Aside from the money contribution, the volunteer hours that have gone into school events and weekly programs hs been incredible and include, MULTILIT reading, reading, maths and art groups, presenting at Science week, attending excursions with classes, teaching ethics and scripture, taking on the role of class parent coordinators, coordinating the second hand uniform shop, volunteering in the garden and at working bees and those parents that help out with sport and extra curricular activities that happen throughout each term. During the year there were 4 parent workshops: a teacher led mathematics workshop a P&C led parent engagement workshop the Newtown Network of Schools CyberSafety evening the P&C led Gonski information night with guest speaker Chris Bonnor These were all opportunities for parents to get involved in some way with better understanding what happens at school and how they can help their children. Thank you to all those parents who were able to attend. We were successful in forming a new collaboration within the greater community and local business, with Shaun Stoker and Ercan Ersan of Ray White Erskineville becoming community supporters for 2015 to the value of $30,000. This money was split between purchasing new ipads and wifi infrastructure and the development of the schools flexible learning spaces. Some of this money went to supporting the hugely successful Family Movie Nights for this year. This a community partnership that we hope will continue into 2016. I would like to thank Shaun and Ercan for their generous support this year. The P&C members and its executive team all worked hard to better establish policy and procedure for good governance for the organisation. This consisted of becoming incorporated, and developing our own set of policies and procedures around the way in which we work. By becoming incorporated this has meant that the P&C is now able to apply for grants and funding. Our application for the NSW Government Community Building Partnerships Grant through local member of parliament, Jenny Leong office, was successful and we will receive $27,600 to kick start our school s Inside Out outdoor classroom project in 2016. To the whole school community for whichever way you were able to contribute to building community at our school. Thank you.
School background School vision statement At Newtown Public School we develop confident, creative and resilient students, within an innovative and collaborative learning community that encourages curiosity, optimism and mutual respect. Our students will be able to make sense of their world, think about why things are the way they are and imagine what they could become. School context Newtown Public School is a comprehensive primary school for 360 students from Kindergarten to Year 6. The school is located in the heart of Sydney s Inner West. Our school community is a diverse and vibrant mix of inner city families. The school provides a comprehensive curriculum with a focus on working closely with the school community, as well as other local primary and secondary schools as a community of shared practice. A strong foundation of school improvement in Literacy and Numeracy is balanced with an emphasis on specialist teaching in the arts and rich cross- curricular learning. Through school improvement initiatives in the 2012-2014 planning cycle, Newtown Public School has achieved steady academic growth as demonstrated in large value added measures in the school s NAPLAN results. Working to achieve excellence in Literacy and Numeracy, remain key focus areas for our 2015-2017 School Plan. Emphasis is placed on quality teaching and continuous improvement of learning outcomes for all students. Our school is committed to providing rich programs to develop skills in critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration and technology to enable all students to reach their full potential educationally, socially and emotionally. Our school is committed to community partnership as part of the Newtown Network of Schools (Newtown, Darlington, Camdenville, Newtown North Public Schools and Australia Street Infants School), where parents, students and staff work together in developing self and others as we strive for excellence and collectively inspire a culture of collaboration and innovation. 2015 Library Leaders School Leaders talk leadership in Director for a Day
Self- assessment and school achievements Self- assessment using the School Excellence Framework This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self- assessment using the School Excellence Framework, our school achievements and the next steps to be pursued. The Framework supports public schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practice across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading. This year, our school undertook self- assessment using the elements of the School Excellence Framework and its implications for informing, monitoring and validating our journey towards excellence in Learning, Teaching and Leading at Newtown Public School. In Term 3 and 4, school staff undertook professional learning that saw the unpacking of the School Excellence Framework and the school s 2015-2017 plan in order to collect evidence of our progress against the descriptors as a baseline evaluation upon which future directions for school planning will be established. In the domain of Learning, the school s efforts have focused on wellbeing, curriculum and learning and learning culture. There is demonstrated commitment within the school community to strengthen and deliver on school learning priorities. Our work on continuing to build active partnerships through active collaboration with students and families has led to student directed goals for learning in all classes and sees students using assessment and reporting processes to reflect on their learning. Students are connecting with teachers in establishing practices built on self- awareness and where to next assessment and reflection. Positive, respectful relationships are evident among students and staff, promoting student wellbeing and ensuring a positive learning environment to support student learning. As evidenced by TTFM data, extra curricula learning opportunities are significant with high levels of participation, they support students development, and are strongly aligned with the school s vision, values and priorities Well- developed and current policies, programs and processes identify, address and monitor student learning needs. The successful work of the school s Learning and Support Team has seen excellent value- added results for students receiving additional learning support. The improved transition to high school program was a highlight of this success. We implemented systematic polices for curriculum programming, attendance, child protection and bullying prevention. The school was a trial school for the BOSTES Accreditation process and achieved excellent results in all areas of policy and procedure. Student leadership and wellbeing initiatives are embedded in all school plans and programs and focus on all students K- 6. The TTFM survey and school based evaluation of Leadership Teams and Peer Support, identify these programs as being of high value to students and effective in build positive relationships and enabling students to actively contribute to the school, the community and the society in which they live. In the domain of Teaching, Teachers regularly review and revise teaching and learning programs. Teachers routinely review previous content and preview the learning planned for students in class. Classrooms are well managed, with well- planned teaching taking place, so that students can engage in learning productively, with minimal disruption. Teachers incorporate data analysis in their planning for learning. School leadership continues their work in demonstrating instructional leadership, promoting and modelling effective, evidence- based practice through our rigorous professional learning program. Assessment instruments are used regularly to help monitor student learning progress and to identify skill gaps for improvement. Teachers work together to improve teaching and learning in their stage teams. Teachers provide and receive planned constructive feedback from peers, school leaders and students to improve teaching practice. The school s increasing focus is on building embedded and explicit systems for collaboration, classroom observation, the modelling of effective practice and the provision of professional feedback in line with the AITSL Professional Standards for Teachers and Principals. In the domain of Leadership, the school solicits and addresses feedback on school performance through survey and community forums via the P&C Association. Leadership development is central to school capacity building as
evidenced by the school s investment in the Newtown Network s Mentoring Project in 2015. Streamlined, flexible processes exist to deliver services and information to strengthen parental engagement and our practices and processes are responsive to school community feedback often refined in collaboration with P&C representatives with specific expertise for example the work on improving channels of effective communication in collaboration with a communications expert from within the parent community and improved data indicating improvement through TTFM. The school is strongly committed to the development of leadership skills in staff and students as evidenced by the strength of our highly valued student leadership teams and wellbeing programs. Our work as part of the Newtown Network of schools on collaborating for success in teaching, learning and leadership further builds on successful links within the community of schools, other educational providers and other organisations to support the schools programs and to build the capacity of all members of the community. Our self- assessment process will further assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our School plan leading to further improvements in the delivery of education to our students. L to R: Band conductor Harri Harding with Training band members at the Inner West Band Festival; Teachers and students got into the spirit at the P&C Rainbow Run- a- thon; Costa and his chook Penny,joined members of the Environment Leaders team for Tree Day creating a new garden space; Bands united for the Inner West Band Festival
Strategic Direction 1: STUDENT LEARNING Develop students as successful learners, leaders, and responsible and productive citizens Purpose To provide students with rich learning opportunities where they can think critically and creatively in co- created learning environments. To develop students skills in communicating their ideas through collaborative learning opportunities. To develop students with high- level literacy and numeracy skills that they apply across all curriculum areas. To develop in each student a sense of self- efficacy as learners, by co- creating a strategic approach to the learning and assessment cycle. Overall summary of progress Our continued school- wide program of Stage based programming, planning and assessment has seen a continued focus on consistency in all key learning areas (KLAs). Improved practices in data collection and analysis have provided the school with more effective tracking data ensuring targeted learning for students. Goal setting incorporated into termly planning structure in all classrooms indicating collaborative practice and engagement between teachers and students in individualising learning pathways. Progress towards achieving improvement measures Resources (annual) Improvement measure 3 years Progress achieved this year <$> Baseline 2015 NAPLAN data indicates Year 3 and Year 5 students average scores are at or above proficiency and moving towards SSG on all measures. Growth measures - Year 3 to 5 & Year 5 to 7 maintained relative to effect size (ES) of one year growth for one year learning for all measures 2013-2015 1 year ES=0.4 2 year ES=0.8 Minimum average ES Between 93-98% of students achieved at or above minimum standards in all aspects of NAPLAN In reading, our Year 3 students achieved good results with 76% performing in the top three bands, compared with 71% of the state 81.5% of Year 5 students performing in the top three bands in reading compared to 59% of the state. In numeracy, Year 3 students performed well with percentage of students in the top three bands at 72.4% compared to 61% of the state. Year 5 results were above state averages with 59% of students performing in the top 3 bands compared to 56% across the state. Growth measures for Year 3-5 for 2013-2015 are above State and SSG on all literacy measures. Growth measures for Year 5-7 for 2013-2015 equal one year s growth for one year s learning but remain below State and SSG groups and indicate the need for ongoing support for members of this cohort Year 3 (2013) - Year 5 (2015) Year 5 (2013) - Year 7 (2015) Reading ES= 1.20 Mathematics ES = 1.37 Reading ES = 0.89 Mathematics ES= 0.92 $15,740 casual teacher salary for Stage planning and assessment days TEN Training program for Early Stage 1 & Stage 1 staff $3000 As above - planning days
Next steps Ø Engage all teaching staff in continued and ongoing data collection and achievement tracking to ensure evidence based classroom practice continues to demonstrate positive impacts to build baseline achievement in NAPLAN in Year 3 so that expected growth between Year 3 and 5 and 5 and 7, are at higher levels ie; Bands 5 & 6 and 7 & 8. Ø Embed the Quality Teaching Framework and Australian Teaching Standards in rigorous classroom observation schedule and continue mentoring and supervision programs to foster excellence in classroom practice. Ø Professional learning program that focuses on formative assessment strategies in order that teachers accurately and incrementally measure growth and progress of student outcomes through specific learning intentions and success criteria. Ø Develop bank of school- based assessments that enable school based data to be analysed alongside NAPLAN data. Ø Evaluate current mathematics program at end of 2016 to determine effectiveness and to examine other options. Ø Continue to close the gap between NPS results and those of SSG schools. Ø Plan for writing program intervention in 2016 for full implementation in 2017 to address results in this area. National Tree Day preparing seedlings National Ride to School Day green your machine Inner West Debating Challenge K- 2 tunnel ball at the Athletics Carnival
Strategic Direction 2: ORGANISATIONAL INNOVATION Quality leadership and organisational practices and policies Purpose To develop and enhance administrative practices that promote organisational innovation. To develop practices that build staff capacity and promote leadership sustainability. Overall summary of progress 100% of teachers evaluated positive achievement of their Performance and Development Framework goals in December. The Mentoring project matched current and aspiring school leaders mentors and early career & beginning teachers across schools, staff were trained in the GROW model of mentoring. Mentors practised their skills in guiding the development of and achievement of PDP goals. Ongoing monitoring and feedback processes are in place to discuss progress, support and to plan for growth. Learning and Support structures and procedures to support students with disability and additional learning needs were further refined and incorporated into Staff Handbook for 2016 Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measure (to be achieved over 3 years) 100% of students have a learner profile developed by their teacher, and where indicated an ILP, LSP, PLP 100% of teachers evaluate positive achievement of Performance and Development Framework goals. Progress achieved this year <$> Personalised learning plans were developed and regularly reviewed for student equity groups (Aboriginal & Torres Straight Island students, students with disabilities and those requiring learning support. Individual targets and learning goals were met for most students. 100% of teaching staff evaluated and re adjusted their PDP goals for 2015. Staff incorporated PDP goals into Mentoring project and stage based collaboration resulting in high levels of success. Resources (annual) Additional Learning and Support Teacher hours $4,500 nil School- wide, collective responsibility for student learning and success, with high levels of student, staff and community engagement as measured by Tell Them From Me (TTFM) and school based data indicates above 80% positive engagement from all facets of community TTFM survey successfully completed by all Year 4-6 students, staff and 76 parents in 2015 Baseline measures collected and indicate a need to focus on: Ø increased challenge versus skill for all students Ø increased understanding of relevance of learning programs through PBL High levels of parental engagement indicated in TTFM survey (low number of respondents considered) nil
Streamlined, flexible processes exist to deliver services and information, strengthening parental engagement Learning and Support structures and procedures to support students with disability and additional learning needs were further refined. All teachers completed regular reviews of individual plans in collaboration with learning and Support Team and families Transition to high school plan was devised and used for all students with ILPS, PLPs and LSPs during transition process in conjunction with local high schools Teacher release time LLAD $3000 Next steps Ø Learning and Support structures and timeframes will be incorporated into annual assessment calendar and incorporated into all stage based processes. Ø Build on number of community members completing TTFM survey in 2016 in order to be able to analyse community data with increased validity. Ø Teaching staff to use TTFM data to inform milestones in relation to teaching, learning and wellbeing milestones for 2016 School Plan. Ø Communications Strategy to be finalized and rolled out in 2016 to further build community participation and inclusivity. Ø TTFM baseline measures used to inform professional learning plan for 2016 particularly in response to challenge versus skill measures. Ø Use of Project Based Learning, Thinking Frameworks to increase understanding of relevance among students. Ø Full implementation of SAP and SALM under the Learning Management and Business Reform in 2016 involving a well planned community education and strategic change management plan. To support successful implementation.
Next Step Strategic Direction 3: COMMUNITY BUILDING Collaboration, innovation and leadership within and beyond the Newtown Network of Schools Purpose To build stronger positive relationships as an educational community, empowering leadership and inspiring a culture of collaboration and innovation. Through collegial support staff members develop self and others in the pursuit of excellence Overall summary of progress The Early career teacher network commenced, needs were identified and professional learning was planned. Cross school classroom observations were supported by the network. The Mentoring project matched mentors and early career & beginning teachers across schools, staff were trained in the GROW model of mentoring. These teachers established goals with their mentors as part of their PDPs. Ongoing monitoring and feedback processes are in place to discuss progress, support and to plan for growth. The Curriculum and Learning project involved a shared SDD in Term 2, the HUB in Term 3 and 2 executive planning sessions enabling stronger positive relationships and a strategic approach to the progress of the Newtown Network educational community. The student leadership project was successful for our students and they were involved in addressing the project ideas. The gathering of our students and Stage 3 teachers across the network supported the ongoing practise of students and teachers sharing ideas. Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measure (to be achieved over 3 years) Student engagement as indicated through Tell It From Me surveys increased by 20% 100 % PDPs across the network reflect a culture of professionalised collaboration Next steps Progress achieved this year <$ Student engagement has increased by 7% from baseline data over three measures from within the Tell it from me survey. Staff are developing a deeper understanding of effective student engagement and are actively seeking opportunities to improve their practice across the network At the end of 2015 all staff have collaboratively developed performance and development plans. To further this we will work on ensuring all staff have elements of the Newtown Network plan reflected in their PDPs for 2016. To further this all staff across the Network have a common language and shared practice around professionalised collaboration Refine strategic planning for professional learning opportunities across the Network for 2016 Resources (annual) Student leadership project $1500 casual salary Mentoring project $3000
Key initiatives and other school focus areas Key initiatives (annual) Aboriginal background funding English language proficiency funding Targeted students support for refugees and new arrivals Impact achieved this year Personalised Learning Plans were developed and reviewed for all Aboriginal students in collaboration with their families. Aboriginal students requiring learning support were supported by School Learning Support Officers who implemented individual learning programs, ensuring learning growth in literacy and numeracy. Aboriginal cultural awareness was enhanced across the school through the installation of 8 Ways of Knowing symbols in outdoor learning spaces. EALD students identified through survey of enrolment data and individual needs assessed by the Learning and Support Teacher (LaST) to ensure the adequate provision of SLSO resource to cater for additional English language needs in the classroom to the extent of the funding Newtown Public School did not enroll any students with new arrival or refugee status in 2015. The school did not receive targeted funding for these equity groups in 2015. Resources (annual) School Learning Support Officer $7,090 MULTILIT resources $200 School Learning Support Officer $3,680 No funding allocated Socio- economic funding Funding was used to employ an additional part time teacher to support learning through targeted reading intervention using the MULTILIT program $4,896 LaSTeacher Salary & MULTILIT resources Low level adjustment for disability funding Support for beginning teachers Other school focus areas Quality teaching: Stage curriculum implementation, programming, assessment Funding used to employ additional time for the Learning and Support Teacher to assist class teachers in the updating of ILP & LSPs and employment of School Learning Support Officer to support implementation of ILPs and LSPs with targeted students 3 beginning teachers supported by program. Professional Development needs identified, planned and funded. Beginning Teachers provided with ongoing support and monitoring for accreditation by supervisors & the implementation of NNoS Mentoring Project training. Performance and Development Plan (PDP) goals set and monitored in consultation with supervisors Impact achieved this year Additional funds were allocated from global funding to support planning days in terms 1-4 for each stage team. Releasing staff for full day programming, planning and assessment writing. This continues to enhance the consistent nature of curriculum delivery to students in each class and builds on the collective expertise of teachers in each team. $4,500 LaSTeacher salary $10,764 SLSO salary $21,658 casual teacher salary $24,900 carried forward 2016 Resources (annual) $15,740 casual teacher salary
Student information It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all students be consistent with privacy and personal information policies. Student enrolment profile Gender 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Male 127 142 134 150 171 158 165 Female 117 138 145 148 162 183 201 School State DoE Students 400 300 200 100 0 Enrolments 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Year Male Female Student attendance profile Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 K 95.5 95.9 95.7 97.0 97.6 96.7 1 96.2 95.4 94.6 96.4 97.2 93.6 2 94.4 94.7 95.4 95.5 96.4 95.7 3 95.2 95.0 95.0 96.1 97.0 95.0 4 95.4 93.5 94.7 94.8 96.8 95.2 5 96.4 94.9 93.9 96.1 95.8 95.4 6 95.4 93.2 94.6 94.5 94.6 92.9 Total 95.5 94.7 94.8 95.8 96.5 95.0 K 94.7 94.7 94.3 95.0 95.2 94.4 1 94.2 94.2 93.9 94.5 94.7 93.8 2 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.7 94.9 94.0 3 94.5 94.4 94.4 94.8 95.0 94.1 4 94.5 94.3 94.3 94.7 94.9 94.0 5 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.5 94.8 94.0 6 94 93.8 93.8 94.1 94.2 93.5 Total 94.4 94.3 94.2 94.7 94.8 94.0 2015 student attendance figures were above state averages. This area of focus is seeing results. Student absences are required to be explained by parents. Where the school is concerned about the attendance of a student, parents are contacted and strategies are put in place to improve the situation. This can include a referral to the Home School Liaison Officer. In 2015 the school began using electronic roll marking to assist with accurate collection and analysis of data. Monitoring students applying for Exemption from School Attendance to attend family commitments and holidays during term time will continue to be a focus for 2016. Workforce composition (mandatory) Position Number Principal 1 Deputy Principal(s) 0 Assistant Principal(s) 3 Classroom Teacher(s) 11 Teacher of Reading Recovery 0.42 Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.6 Teacher Librarian 0.8 Teacher of ESL 0 School Counsellor 0.2 School Administrative & Support Staff 2.872 General Assistant 0.45 Total 20.342 The Australian Education Regulation, 2014 requires schools to report on Aboriginal composition of their workforce. Two staff members indicate that they are Aboriginal. Teacher qualifications All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools. Qualifications % of staff Undergraduate degree or diploma 100% Postgraduate degree 50% Professional learning and teacher accreditation Professional learning opportunities were provided to all staff throughout the year to address individual, team and whole school priorities. The school receives funds from the Department of Education to provide teacher release from class and pay for course fees. The 2015 staff professional learning program comprised team meetings, stage planning days, school development days, external workshops, professional learning meetings and conferences. A total of $23,348 was invested in professional learning in 2015, funded through DoE allocated professional learning funds and additional school
funds were invested in staff learning and development. Staff participated in professional learning initiatives focused on literacy, numeracy, technology, positive education and strengths based approaches, child protection, emergency care, mentoring early career teachers and leadership development. Significant professional learning occurred in relation to the 2015 implementation of the Science K- 10 syllabus and the development of team based approaches to curriculum and student wellbeing. A series of joint professional learning workshop were held in collaboration with our Newtown Network of Schools focusing on developing mentoring strategies among current and aspiring school leaders, and further establishing mentor protocols between mentors and early career teachers. Funds were expended in the following areas: Quality Teaching $ 3274.47 Literacy and Numeracy $ 3779.62 Syllabus Implementation $ 826.00 Career Development $ 4143.41 Welfare and Equity $ 2314.16 Use of ICT $ 4110.52 Beginning Teachers $ 21,658.19 Early Career Teacher Network meeting Financial information Financial summary This summary covers funds for operating costs and does not involve expenditure areas such as permanent salaries, building and major maintenance. A full copy of the school s 2015 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the parent and/or community groups. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school. Date of financial summary 30/11/2015 Income $ Balance brought forward 131,459.90 Global funds 270,657.96 Tied funds 139,217.80 School & community sources 242,586.30 Interest 4,406.70 Trust receipts 7,500.70 Canteen 0.00 Total income 795,829.36 Expenditure Teaching & learning Key learning areas 65,804.67 Excursions 41,263.94 Extracurricular dissections 94,926.29 Library 3,248.63 Training & development 23,348.05 Tied funds 138,615.15 Casual relief teachers 42,366.79 Administration & office 77,611.64 School- operated canteen 0.00 Utilities 37,322.71 Maintenance 37,719.12 Trust accounts 6,626.66 Capital programs 78,856.25 Total expenditure 647,709.90 Balance carried forward 148,119.46
School performance School- based assessment - Kindergarten to Year 2 Performance in literacy and numeracy Kindergarten to Year 2 is measured using Best Start data, reading benchmark data, the Schedule of Early Numeracy Assessment and assessment against the literacy and numeracy continuums. Teachers track student progress through regular and ongoing assessment using these tools to inform programming. NAPLAN In the National Assessment Program, the results across the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy assessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 to Band 10. The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments. The My School website provides detailed information and data for national literacy and numeracy testing. Click on the link My School and insert the school name in the Find a school and select GO to access the school data. Our Growth: Progress in Literacy and Numeracy One of the key measures of school improvement is the growth in student achievement between Year 3 and Year 5 and between Year 5 and Year 7. These measures provide the school with information about how much progress students have made over the two years between assessments. The average two year growth of Newtown Public School students in Year 5 was above state averages and also averages for statistically similar schools in all aspects of literacy; reading, spelling, grammar, punctuation and writing. The two- year growth for our students who had progressed to Year 7 was not as strong as previous years with students overall performing below state growth norms in numeracy and literacy. Growth data for students between Year 3 and 5 (2013 2015) Grammar & Spelling Writing Numeracy Reading Punctuation School Average 84.6 92.7 88.9 65.7 90.4 State Average 76.4 83.9 71.2 61.3 94.1 Similar Schools Group 81.6 86.7 80.3 63.3 100.9 Growth data for students between Year 5 and 7 (2013 2015) Reading Spelling Grammar & Punctuation Writing School Average 39.6 47.7 39.6 14.9 47.9 State Average 42.5 50.7 38.4 27.7 53.1 Numeracy Minimum Standards The Commonwealth Government sets minimum standards for reading, writing, grammar and punctuation, spelling and numeracy for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The performance of the students in our school in the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy is compared to these minimum standards. The percentages of our students achieving at or above these standards are reported below.
Percentage of Year 3 students achieving at or above minimum standards Percentage of Year 5 students achieving at or above minimum standards Reading 95% Reading 98% Writing 97% Writing 95% Spelling 95% Spelling 96% Punctuation & Grammar 93% Punctuation & Grammar 96% Numeracy 97% Numeracy 96% Ø In reading, our Year 3 students achieved good results with 76% performing in the top three bands, compared with 71% of the state. Our Year 5 students achieved results at or above national minimum standards with 81.5% of students performing in the top three bands in reading compared to 59% of the state. Ø In writing, 55% of our Year 3 students performed in the top three bands, compared with 77% of the state. Results for our Year 5 students were also below state averages with 47.2% of students being placed in the top three bands. These results highlight a need for increased focus in writing for this cohort. Ø In spelling, 70.8% of our Year 3 students scored in the top three bands compared with the state at 68%. 61.8% of Year 5 students performed in the top three bands of reading compared to 64% of the state. Ø In grammar and punctuation, 67.6% of our Year 3 students achieved in the top three bands compared with 75% of students across the state. Our Year 5 students performed above state averages with 65.5% of students performing in the top three bands compared to 60% of the state. Ø In numeracy, our Year 3 students performed well. The percentage of our students in the top three bands was 72.4% compared to 61% of the state. Our year 5 results were above state averages with 59% of students performing in the top 3 bands compared to 56% across the state. Year 3 Wrifng Year 5 Wrifng 50 50 Percentage of students 40 30 20 10 Percentage of students 40 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bands Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2015 SSG % in Bands 2015 State DoE % in Bands 2015 0 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bands Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2015 SSG % in Bands 2015 State DoE % in Bands 2015
Year 3 Reading Year 5 Reading 60 40 Percentage of students 50 40 30 20 10 Percentage of students 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bands Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2015 SSG % in Bands 2015 State DoE % in Bands 2015 0 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bands Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2015 SSG % in Bands 2015 State DoE % in Bands 2015 Year 3 Numeracy Year 5 Numeracy 40 40 Percentage of students 30 20 10 Percentage of students 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bands Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2015 SSG % in Bands 2015 State DoE % in Bands 2015 0 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bands Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2015 SSG % in Bands 2015 State DoE % in Bands 2015
Parent/caregiver, student, teacher satisfaction Each year schools are required to seek the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school. Their responses are presented below. Each year schools are required to seek the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school. Their responses are presented below. Feedback and the opinions of all members of the school community was sought throughout 2015 through P&C meetings, community workshops, written feedback and surveys. Tell Them from Me Surveys (TTFM) The TTFM Student Survey was implemented in semester one 2015 and provided data from 162 students in Years 4, 5 and 6. The survey used indicators based on the most recent research on school and classroom effectiveness and focused on levels of student engagement. In each aspect of engagement, students were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with a number of statements, such as I get along well with others at school. These were scaled on a 10 point score with scores above 6.0 considered engaged. Social Engagement Students who are socially engaged are actively involved in the life of the school; their friends are there and they are involved in sports or other extra- curricular activities. This involvement can give them a sense of belonging at school and increase academic motivation. Institutional Engagement Students who value schooling outcomes and meet the formal rules of schooling are considered institutionally engaged. These students feel that what they are learning at school is directly related to their long- term success, and this view is reflected in their classroom and school behaviour and their effort in doing homework. Intellectual Engagement Some students meet the institutional demands of school, but they are not truly engaged in their learning. Intellectual engagement entails a serious emotional and cognitive investment in learning, using higher- order thinking skills to increase understanding, solve complex problems, and construct new knowledge. It is closely tied to the quality of instruction offered at school, as there is an interaction between a teacher's approach to instruction and student motivation. The results for Newtown Public School for most indicators were higher compared to the NSW Department of Education school norms. In line with our school goals, results demonstrated the importance the school has placed on establishing a positive learning culture encompassing respectful relationships, positive behavior for learning and genuine engagement between teachers, parents and students with goal setting and educational outcomes.
The TTFM Parent Survey was implemented in semester two 2015 and provided data from 76 parent respondents. The survey covered parents perceptions of their children s experiences at home and at school. The results demonstrate the positive, engaging climate the school provides to all members of the school community. The survey results aligned with the School Excellence Framework elements of Learning Culture, Curriculum and Learning, Effective Classroom Practice and Leadership and informed our school self- assessment against the framework. Both parents and students felt teachers foster positive, respectful relationships and place high importance on student engagement and positive school climate and culture. They indicated that the classrooms are well managed with clear expectations for rules and behaviour that allow for student engagement with minimal disruption. There was also a strong link between engagement and involvement in extra- curricular activities at school. Parents felt that Demonstrating Impact and Growth Using TTFM Survey Data The TTFM Surveys portray a very positive image of parent and student experiences at Newtown Public School with most indicators showing higher results than Department of Education norms. The results are indicative of the school s significant efforts to improve communication, involvement and engagement at a number of levels. Students and parents are feeling welcome and included through their valued involvement in school processes and activities. Student inclusion in the development of learning and behavioural goals has led to higher student engagement in social, intellectual and institutional domains and with minimal signs of disengagement. Students and parents have clear expectations for student behaviour and learning which further improves levels of engagement. This evidence demonstrates a positive shift in school culture and climate. Teachers, students and parents are feeling valued and included and understand the importance of a positive learning environment with high levels of involvement and engagement by all members of the school community. Positive, respectful relationships have been, and continue to be fostered and high expectations for learning and behaviour are well communicated. These factors impact upon school culture at all levels and work toward resulting in more productive learning environments with an improvement in student learning outcomes for all students. Policy requirements Aboriginal education During 2015, we continued our holistic and consistent approach to teaching Aboriginal Education to our students. with a variety of learning initiatives and experiences with an aim to supporting Aboriginal students to establish strong learning goals and to strengthen their community connections. The programs and initiatives undertaken targeted all students to build a greater understanding of Aboriginal Australia. T These initiatives included; Engaging with this year s NAIDOC theme through quality teaching and learning opportunities that incorporated a range of multimodal resources and
connecting with our local community. The 2015 theme We all stand on sacred ground was brought to life with all students creating an individually painted rock to be combined into a whole school artwork for the playground. The theme was explored through dance lessons and a whole school assembly presented student s work. Personalised Learning Pathways (PLP s) for all indigenous students to support specific educational goals and met with all families to collaborate in building these plans and to track progress against shared goals. This took place in Term 2 and Term 4. The Culture Club worked with teachers and community members including staff from the City of Sydney Council, Botanic Gardens to design a bush tucker grade to be installed in 2016. Students collaborated with experts in floral and fauna to choose correct plants for the local area for later planting. A successful community grant application will fund the project in 2016. As part of the project, Stage 1 students participated in workshops that brought dreaming stories and an understanding of totemic belief to life while they interacted with native animals in the playground. Stage 2 students attended excursions linked to units of work with a string focus on Aboriginal perspectives including, a trip to Botanical Gardens looking at bush tucker gardens and uses of plants by local Aboriginal groups and a Koori Kinnection incursion incorporating a rotation of four activities including dance, food, games and examination of artefacts. The Stage 2 project based learning history unit Invasion or Colonisation saw student focus on an area of interest specifically focused on the colonial era and the many cultural and societal issues that resulted from European arrival in Australia. Students presented their understandings and opinions at a showcase to students from Australia Street infants School. In Stage 3, students engaged in multiple curriculum opportunities that included Aboriginal perspectives. In the Science unit, Essential Energy students looked at traditional Aboriginal cultures and how they lived of the land and used natural sources of energy. In HSIE, the unit, If the world were a village based on the book of the same name, students explored the experiences of children all over the world and compared statistics of education, health and life expectancy, including indigenous Australians. Footage made by an NPS student from her trip to Arnhem Land in 2014 was used as a real- life multimodal resource to compliment student learning. The school nominated one student who was awarded the annual 2015 Deadly Kids Doing Well award. Multicultural Education and Anti- racism Newtown Street Public School has maintained a strong focus on multicultural education. Our school has an inclusive culture that celebrates difference and ensures continuous learning for all. Stage 3 student engaged in an in depth English unit exploring the notion of diversity through the novel Wonder. This was linked to a Personal Development unit on bullying prevention and anti- discrimination. The unit examined the definition of discrimination and the anti- discrimination act and made class and stage 'pacts' to be open and accepting of diversity, including cultural diversity. In Science, the study of Global Habitats. Looked at the traditional cultural groups in the Amazon rainforest and the Gobi Desert. Quality literature studies for all Stages of learning focused on diversity and difference. Our whole school music unit incorporating the work of Musica Viva, explored the cultural identity of Indonesian cultural groups through music, song and dance. All students engaged in this unit of cultural awareness creating percussive music and learning song culminating in participation in the accompanying performance Makukuhan, Satu, Dua, Indonesia! The school s Anti- Racism Contact Officer continued to work closely with the principal and Learning Support Team to ensure that all DEC protocols were followed.