School Plan 2015 2017
School background 2015-2017 School vision statement School context School planning process Our Vision Shell Cove Public School aspires to educational excellence, providing quality teaching and learning that meets the needs of all our students. Embedded in everything we do is our commitment to our Top Ten Values, enabling students to be confident and resilient citizens striving for their personal best in a changing world. Our commitment Our commitment to all stakeholders is underpinned by the Department of Education and Communities (DEC) values including fairness, respect, integrity and responsibility. We aim to design and deliver flexible, innovative and reliable services which meet and exceed our communities expectations. The DEC has a vision for a vibrant and dynamic NSW, where highly skilled and educated people achieve their potential, build social and economic prosperity, participate in activities that contribute to their wellbeing, and contribute as informed citizens. In working towards this vision, all staff in our school have a role to play. This may be through providing experiences that inspire and facilitate teaching and learning, or working to engage and support our community. The values that underpin our work include fairness, respect, integrity and responsibility. In providing excellent customer service we also aim to be flexible, innovative and reliable. Shell Cove Public School was established in 2005 and is located to the south of Shellharbour Village in the developing residential area of Shell Cove. Our school is one of twenty Public Private Partnership schools in NSW. The school has an enrolment of 580 students (February 2015) and the school is organised into 23 classes K-6. The school's motto is "Sailing the Sea of Excellence". The school s Top Ten Values underpin the way we relate to our school community and what we do. Extension opportunities for talented students include Yrs 3-6 programs in the areas of English, Mathematics and Technology. Students also have opportunities for sporting participation and representation across a range of sports, debating and public speaking competitions, academic competition participation and other opportunities made possible by a committed staff. Our school has forged strong links with our local community including local businesses. We have ongoing partnerships with local companies Australand and Hanson Constructions that provide additional resources to support teaching and learning and provide additional opportunities for our students. Over 70 of our parents and carers regularly help out in the school in some capacity. They assist in classrooms across a number of curriculum areas including Engish and Mathematics. They help in our library and also help out in our school canteen. The school has a Parents and Citizens Association and a Parents and Citizens Association-operated canteen that is open three days each week. The school P&C has a very active road safety committee and our P&C Fundraising Committee work tirelessly to provide funds to purchase resources for our students. During 2014 our school undertook extensive evaluation processes including use of the external Tell Them From Me survey tool to review current practice and identify areas for future change. Our school community were actively involved in this process to formulate our school vision; "Shell Cove Public School educates our students through our Top Ten Values to be confident and resilient citizens striving for excellence in a changing world". In combination with feedback from staff, parents/carers and students our school as identified three key strategic directions as a basis for a shared commitment to future development. They are: Quality Learning Quality Teaching Quality Relationships. These three strategic directions are detailed in terms of purpose (why), people and processes (how) and products and practices (what). Page 2
School strategic directions 2015-2017 Strategic Direction 1 Quality Teaching Strategic Direction 2 Quality Learning Strategic Direction 3 Quality Relationships A strong training and development focus of quality teaching will ensure learning opportunities for students are engaging and evidence based. Teachers evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching and use on-going assessment practices to inform their instruction. Pedagogy that makes strong connections between students and data leads to the ultimate goal of improving student achievement and creating a positive school learning culture. Quality teaching and assessment practices are essential for the development of personalised learning. Teachers who know each student s achievement capabilities intimately and plan learning goals, success criteria and assessment feedback for students and act on student feedback to improve their teaching practice, create a purposeful learning environment. Students who know what they can do, and set and achieve their learning goals become responsible for their own learning, and equipped with critical thinking skills essential for their future success in a dynamically changing world. A consistent whole school approach to wellbeing that clearly defines behavioral expectations creates a positive school culture. Quality education takes place when staff, parents and students have a shared understanding and commitment to learning and wellbeing. Building these quality relationships among all stakeholders, ensure students are self-aware, and actively contribute to their school and community. Page 3
Strategic Direction 1: Quality Teaching Purpose People Processes Products and Practices Students: Quality teaching will plan and support students to be assessment capable Products learners who are able to identify learning goals and success criteria of each lesson, and monitor their individual learning goals. Teaching that displays professionalism and uses evidence based strategies ensure that quality learning occurs in every classroom. Ongoing evaluation of teaching and assessment practice in accordance with teachers professional learning plan, leads to a strong commitment of continuous selfimprovement. Professional learning, high performance expectations for student achievement and a strong understanding of the teaching and assessment cycle enable students to excel. The initial focus on quality teaching will be in the area of writing due to student need. Improvement Measures 100% of teachers are embedding evidence based teaching practices such as using learning goals, success criteria, teacher to student feedback. Anecdotal evidence will include professional conversations, observation, data analysis. Each stage will plan, monitor and evaluate yearly targets in writing based on student growth and clusters on the literacy continuum. 100% of teachers aspire to improve their professional practice. Greater numbers of teachers will aspire or commit to higher levels of accreditation and/or leadership positions. Evidence will include PDPs, conversations, professional development meetings and surveys. Students will be provided explicit instruction and examples of how to provide valuable feedback to teachers for the purpose of planning differentiated lessons. Staff: Provide opportunities and quality resources to support each other s understanding of the Australian Standards for teachers and effective teacher professional learning plans. Focused professional learning for teachers in assessment, for, of and as learning and making the learning visible to students. Provision of quality examples, mentoring, strategies and resources to support implementation and achievement of targets. Parent/Carers: Create a greater awareness of quality teaching programs and practical teaching strategies. Community Partnerships: School community input is investigated, sought and promoted to support quality teaching practices and provide additional resources. Leaders: Planned targeted professional development in quality teaching and learning and leadership. Jointly design an enabling leadership structure to distribute teacher knowledge and skills across the school. Professional Learning Focus Develop individualised teacher professional learning through the implementation of the Performance and Development Framework. Teachers collaboratively evaluate their teaching practice and set goals in accordance with the Australian standards for teachers, and the school s strategic plan. Investment in growth coaching to build professional learning capacity for beginning teachers, experienced teachers, teachers aspiring to higher levels of accreditation and aspiring leaders. Teachers with identified expertise will act as coaches to provide feedback on professional development plans, teaching, data analysis and future planning. Teaching and Learning Assessment cycle. Teachers will jointly use consistent teacher judgement to accurately track student learning in Writing and know the impact their teaching is making through regular analysis. Formative assessment strategies will be used to plan modelled, guided and independent teaching and assessment feedback will be planned and delivered regularly to students. Targeted teaching strategies will be shared to support students not making expected growth. Clear and high student expectations Planned teacher professional learning in making the learning visible to students. Practical strategies include: collaboratively developing learning goals/success criteria, displaying quality student examples, Bump it Up Walls, teacher to student feedback and student to teacher feedback. 100% of teachers are embedding evidence based teaching practices such as using learning goals, success criteria, teacher to student feedback. Anecdotal evidence will include professional conversations, observation, data analysis and professional learning plans. Each stage will plan, monitor and evaluate yearly targets in writing based on student growth and clusters on the literacy continuum. Practices Teaching programs, lessons are using assessment for, of and as learning to provide differentiated learning Teachers ensure that students have a shared understanding of why, how and what learning is occurring. Teachers set individual learning goals for students. Teachers are being responsible for their professional learning by being actively involved in their professional learning plans and having a strong understanding of Performance and Development Framework. Page 4
Strategic Direction 2: Quality Learning Purpose People Processes Products and Practices Students: Support students to become selfreflective learners who know the learning Assessment & differentiated Learning Identifying the knowledge and skills of students is critical in developing personalised intention and success criteria of each lesson. Planned professional learning in learning. Student learning and engagement They will also be provided assistance in assessment for, of and as learning will be are enhanced by having high expectations for identifying and achieving their individual implemented with an initial emphasis on student achievement, and making the learning goals and providing formative Writing. Teachers will further develop their learning visible and meaningful for all assessment feedback to teachers. knowledge of literacy and numeracy students. Improvement Measures Each stage will plan, monitor and evaluate yearly targets in writing based on student growth and clusters on the literacy continuum. 100% of students being able to articulate the learning intentions, success criteria and individual learning goals. Staff: Develop skills in ongoing collection, analysis and personalisation of assessment data to provide engaging and differentiated learning. Professional development in formative assessment strategies to guide future instruction and the provision of teacher to student feedback. Parents/Carers: Plan and promote regular educational workshops about teaching and learning programs. Practical resources and strategies are distributed at meetings to support learning at home. Provide professional learning opportunities for parents in teacher to student assessment feedback. Promote and encourage participation and the importance of parent teacher interviews that discuss student learning. Leaders: Provide targeted professional learning in assessment practices, differentiated learning and teacher to student feedback to ensure a collaborative learning culture occurs across the school. continuums, NSW syllabus for the Australian Curriculum and 21 st century learning, data walls and bump it up walls. They will collaboratively analyse student achievement data and jointly plan differentiated learning experiences. Intervention for students not making improvement will be provided through targeted learning experiences. Visible Learning for Students Professional development in making learning visible and purposeful for students with a preliminary focus on Writing. The provision of: learning intentions, success criteria in child friendly terminology, exemplar student work and assessment feedback: teacher to student feedback, student to student feedback and student to teacher feedback. Student surveys, student focus group data, and formative assessment strategies such as bump it up walls will be used to plan innovative teaching strategies in writing that are engaging. Products Each stage will plan, monitor and evaluate yearly targets in writing based on student growth and clusters on the literacy continuum. Over 100% of students being able to articulate the learning intentions, success criteria and individual learning goals. Practice Teachers will collaboratively assess, analyse data and use formative assessment strategies to plan according to student s learning needs and interest. Teachers will make the learning transparent for students by collaboratively planning lessons that use student exemplar work, learning intentions, success criteria, bump it up walls and provide feedback on student achievement. Students will be engaged in their learning and be able to identify why, how and what they are learning and become responsible for monitoring and achieving their learning goals. Teachers will actively seek feedback from students to inform their practice Budget allocation and teacher professional learning will support the school s strategic direction Parents, students and teachers will have a shared understanding of what students are achieving, where they need to go next to progress, and how they will know when their learning goal is achieved. Page 5
Strategic Direction 3: Quality Relationships Purpose People Processes Products and Practices Further enhancement of a positive school culture where staff, students and teachers create a shared vision to improve student learning and wellbeing. Students: Develop student resilience, empathy and leadership skills. Student Welfare Policy and Practices Products: Improvement Measures Parents, students and teachers indicate a high level (over 75%) of understanding and satisfaction with the implementation of the student welfare policy. Parents indicate a high level (over 75%) of understanding of their child s learning needs as a result of parent workshops, interviews and reporting. Strengthen student capacity to reflect upon their learning and demonstrate high expectations for their achievement. Staff: Demonstrate a consistent approach when reinforcing school values Develop a positive, supportive and collaborative learning culture among staff and the wider community. Parents/Carers Provide valuable learning experiences to develop a shared understanding and commitment to educational programs and increased opportunities for parents to discuss and support their child s learning. Community partnerships: Seek and build positive community relationships to further enhance teaching and learning programs and a positive school culture. Leaders: Model, communicate and promote student welfare policy to the school community. Build leadership capacity among staff to promote a positive and collaborative learning culture across the community. Complete a review of student welfare policy based on the input from the whole school community and embed strategies that develop student resilience and leadership skills. Positive Wellbeing of our people and our places Develop jointly constructed positive wellbeing strategies for students, teachers and parents to support a positive and collaborative school culture. Parent Education Workshops Plan and implement parent education workshops and other strategies such as three way interviews to inform and empower all stakeholders in providing individualised learning. Evaluate, modify and trial strategies that inform parents in regards to their child s learning Parents, students and teachers indicate a high level (over 75%) of understanding and satisfaction with the implementation of the student welfare policy Parents indicate a high level (over 75%) of understanding of their child s learning needs as a result of parent workshops, interviews and reporting. Practices: School Leaders and teachers will act on student surveyed needs to promote engagement and wellbeing. Students will be actively involved in the achievement of their own learning goals. Student leadership will be developed across the school. Parents/carers will be actively involved in their child s learning goals and have an enhanced understanding of teaching and learning programs. Teachers, students and parents will have a shared understanding and commitment to student welfare practices and school values. Page 6