Wakefield School Annual School Report 2014 [school code] 5582
School context statement Wakefield School, a School for Specific Purposes, was established in 2002. It is located in a semirural environment in western Lake Macquarie. The maximum student population is 28 students in Years 5 to 10 identified as displaying Emotional Disturbances (ED) and/or Behavioural Difficulties (BD) in their mainstream school settings. Principal s Message Wakefield School had quite a significant change in staff. Mr Peter Lewis continued as relieving Principal until Term 2, where Shauna Gillett was appointed the position. This change filtered down and impacted on the staff in other relieving roles. In Term 4 the Assistant Principal role and a Classroom Teacher position was filled through merit selection with both successful candidates accepting the role to start in 2015. Although there were many changes, the school moved forward in improving student engagement and reduction in significant behavior outbursts from students. I would like to thank staff at Adamstown Office, our referring schools, parents and other valued members of our school community for their ongoing support throughout the year. I certify that the information in this report is the result of rigorous school self-evaluation process. It is a balanced and genuine account of the school s achievements and areas for development. Shauna Gillett (Principal) The annual Anzac Day commemoration ceremony went ahead and we would like to sincerely thank, once again, the Toronto RSL sub branch and the gentlemen from the ANZAC Re-enactment Heritage Unit for their continued support of the school. 1
Students Students State DEC School Student information Students attending Wakefield are from the Newcastle, East and West Lake Macquarie areas. Placement of students is completed through a referral process from their home school with parental consent. Wakefield has 4 classes, 2 primary BD classes with students maintaining partial enrolment at their home school, and 2 secondary ED classes with students generally enrolled at Wakefield. The BD students attend both their home school and Wakefield, whilst the ED students are offered a 5 day per week program. Student enrolment profile In 2014, our student body is made up from the following: 88% male, 12% female. 30% Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, 4% Non-English Speaking Background and 38% are in Out of Home Care. Student Enrolment Gender 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Male 25 19 18 22 19 9 5 Female 2 3 3 2 1 3 2 Table above: Primary Student Enrolment Data 30 20 10 0 Graph above: Primary Student Enrolment Data Student Enrolment Table above: Secondary Student Enrolment Data 40 20 Enrolments 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Year Male Female Gender 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Male 25 19 18 22 19 24 20 Female 2 3 3 2 1 3 3 Enrolments Graph above: Secondary Student Enrolment Data Student attendance profile Student attendance for 2014 was 88% for our primary students and 65% for our secondary students. Overall attendance for 2014 was 74%. Student Attendance Table Above: Student Attendance Data During 2014, students with 100% attendance was recognised and celebrated at Semester 1 and 2 Celebrations. Semester 1 data 3 students were awarded, and Semester 2 data had 8 students. All students are encouraged to attend school every day. Parents are kindly requested to notify the school if their child is absent. When a student is absent, there is a follow up courtesy call to parents to establish reasons. In instances where students have a significant amount of absences without a reasonable explanation, the Principal will initiate an application for the Home School Liaison Team, via the Learning and Engagement Team, to follow up. Post-school destinations Post-school Year 10 destinations % seeking employment employment TAFE entry university entry other 66.7% unknown 33.3% Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 K #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A 1 #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A 2 #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A 3 #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A 4 #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A 5 #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A 6 #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A Total #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A K 94.3 94.7 94.7 94.3 95.0 95.2 1 93.7 94.2 94.2 93.9 94.5 94.7 2 94 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.7 94.9 3 94.1 94.5 94.4 94.4 94.8 95.0 4 94 94.5 94.3 94.3 94.7 94.9 5 94 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.5 94.8 6 93.6 94.0 93.8 93.8 94.1 94.2 Total 92.1 94.4 94.3 94.2 94.7 94.8 Year 11 % Year 12 In 2014, Wakefield had 3 Year 10 students. Two students continued on with Year 11 studies at alternate settings and one student had an unknown destination. % 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Year Male Female 2
Workforce information Wakefield staff is made up of 1 Non-Teaching Principal (P5), 1 teaching Assistant Principal and 3.876 classroom teachers, 0.2 School Counsellor, 4 School Learning Support Officers, 0.2 General Assistant and 1 School Administrative Manager. All teaching staff at Wakefield have experience or are trained in the area of Special Education. All of our permanent SLSO s have achieved their Certificate III: Education Support Teacher s Aide Special. Workforce composition Position Number Principal 1.0 Deputy Principal(s) Assistant Principal(s) 1.0 Head Teachers Classroom Teacher(s) 3.704 Teacher of Reading Recovery Learning and Support Teacher(s) Teacher Librarian 0.168 Teacher of ESL School Counsellor 0.2 School Administrative & Support Staff 5.176 Total 11.048 Professional Learning was undertaken by the finance team around financial literacy and budgeting. The executive team attended National Consistency collection of data for students requiring adjustments at school and this was presented to all teaching staff for trial implementation. All staff participated in virtual conferences around Mental Health and Youth Suicide supports. Beginning Teachers Wakefield didn t have any beginning teachers in 2014. Of the staff listed above, Wakefield has one Aboriginal staff member. Teacher qualifications All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools. Qualifications % of staff Degree or Diploma 60% Postgraduate 40% Professional learning and teacher accreditation All staff attended relevant Professional Learning throughout 2014. All staff completed Professional learning on the Online Disability Standards for Education (DSE) and Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) training, the Online Autism Course and Whole School Positive Behaviour for Learning introduction day training. All SASS staff attended full day Network training. Other courses attended were first aid, ICT skills. Some staff attended the annual SASS conference. Teaching staff were provided with many hours of training around the new curriculum and new whole school programming template. 3
Financial summary This summary covers funds for operating costs and does not involve expenditure areas such as permanent salaries, building and major maintenance. Date of financial summary 11/12/2014 Income $ Balance brought forward 161054.28 Global funds 78559.60 Tied funds 64545.34 School & community sources 1990.01 Interest 4026.27 Trust receipts 8985.00 Canteen 0.00 Total income 319160.50 Expenditure Teaching & learning Key learning areas 2689.21 Excursions 50.00 Extracurricular dissections 9277.20 Library 190.07 Training & development 2045.73 Tied funds 55211.79 Casual relief teachers 756.28 Administration & office 17383.38 School-operated canteen 0.00 Utilities 10082.74 Maintenance 16302.08 Trust accounts 1457.18 Capital programs 51982.89 Total expenditure 167428.55 Balance carried forward 151731.95 A full copy of the school s 2014 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the School Council and/or the parent body. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school. reading, spelling and numeracy levels. This data is used to inform planning for programming and Individualized Education Plans (IEP s). Significant programs and initiatives Policy and equity funding Food and Friendship Every Thursday, selected high school students at Wakefield School were involved in the Food and Friendship program. Students were supported through Job Quest to gain basic retail skills through the Warners Bay Baptist Church Food and Friendship facility. 70% of students in Year 8 10 accessed this program. 25% of these students continued on with work experience programs in other industries. Students attained skills such as building rapport and responsibility with staff, stocktaking, rotation of stock, customer service and display/packaging skills. School performance 2014 Academic achievements NAPLAN For 2014, Wakefield students accessed NAPLAN testing through their mainstream setting when applicable. Other achievements Every student that attends Wakefield School undertakes an assessment of their current 4
Active After School Sport Wakefield continued to participate in the Active After School Sports Program and students took part in a variety of sports including surfing, skateboarding, rock climbing, cycling, athletics, gymnastics and indoor sports. NAIDOC Celebrations During NAIDOC Week, we proudly highlighted and recognized the role Indigenous Soldiers played in shaping our identity and we paused to reflect on their sacrifices. We celebrated and honored their priceless contribution to our nation. A bush tukka sampling lunch was provided for all students. Students researched and presented CARES Road Safety Education Gymnastics During Term 2, students participated in a gymnastics program run through Glendale Sports Centre. The focus was around trampolining and tumbling skills. Students improved self-esteem and personal fitness / strength during these weekly sessions. A group of Wakefield students visited the C.A.R.E.S facility at Palmdale. C.A.R.E.S (Community and Road Education Scheme) is a NSW police initiative that educates students about bicycle road safety. 5
PCYC A small group of students participated in a Youth program with Windale PCYC (Police and Community Youth Club). Senior Constable Darren Martin ran a graffiti youth program for Wakefield Students. Students created a personalized graffiti artwork and also created a group artwork which was presented to the school. Aboriginal education Students were exposed to many opportunities for learning about cultural awareness and Aboriginal perspectives throughout the year. Wakefield focused on engagement for Aboriginal students and particularly some of the goals or activities identified by students. Many students identified the passion to learn more around ICT and robotics. A class set of Ipads were purchased and students provided with multiple robotics kits to design and create. This student identified learning was successful in improving attendance for our Aboriginal students and their engagement throughout the day. Work Experience Senior students at Wakefield completed various Vocational Educational learning activities to provide work readiness skills. Some students continued these skills at various businesses through work experience. Some businesses accessed were Dog Overboard, Charlestown Toyota and Fishermans Warehouse. This provided excellent Vocational Education opportunities for students while forging communication partnerships. Multicultural education and anti-racism Throughout the year, students engaged in inclusive social skill activities around multi cultural education. The role of the ARCO officer was utilised for support when necessary. 6
Aboriginal background Wakefield School continued to build the relationship with the Aboriginal school community through inclusive practices. Parents were involved in review of current educational practices to improve the outcomes for their child. Engagement and Retention was identified as an area to improve. Aboriginal students identified a desire to improve ICT skills, computers and Ipads were purchased to support this initiative. Student identified outcomes were established and many achieved throughout 2014. Socio-economic background We have a high number of students from LSES backgrounds. Strengthening school partnerships within the community, eg. Review meetings with families with Ability Links and Non-Government Organisations eg., Job Quest. Raising expectations for students and parent involvement by providing transport for students and families to attend work experience, review meetings, transition meetings. Access to all school activities providing financial support for families through uniform, food and inclusivity for all school activities Engagement and learning updated computers for all classrooms, science kits, smart board update in classroom, 21 st Century learning, engaging resources and lessons. Learning and Support Wakefield staff strengthened their knowledge and understanding around providing personalized learning and support for students. Wakefield was involved in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on school students with a disability (NCCD) in 2014. School planning and evaluation 2012 2014 School evaluation processes NSW public schools conduct evaluations to support the effective implementation of the school plan. The evaluation process in 2014 was led by the school principal with participation of and consultation with key stakeholders. Key stakeholders included 100% of Wakefield staff, students, 100% parents/carers, 2 outside agencies, Executive from Mainstream Primary and Secondary Settings, Corporate Staff from Adamstown Office. External critical friends provided support and feedback. The processes used include: situational analysis evaluating student enrolment and attendance, student wellbeing incident reports, student performance data from external and inschool assessments Positive Behaviour for Learning whole school (staff, student and parent) surveys analysis of policies and programs, plans, budgets, meeting minutes, assessment information and program evaluations School planning 2012-2014: School priority 1 Primary school reintegration to mainstream settings will increase from 38% to over 50%. Outcomes from 2012 2014 Progress made in this area. Evidence of achievement of outcomes in 2014: At the end of 2014, 84% of primary students in years 5 and 6 reintegrated back full time into mainstream settings. The 16% remaining at Wakefield were new students in year 5 starting term 4. Strategies to achieve these outcomes in 2014: Wakefield continued to use the outreach model for all primary students. The intensive program supported many local mainstream settings to improve 7
management and support for these students identified with significant behavioural needs. Wakefield executive staff worked closely with mainstream settings to ensure a clear and supportive Year 6 to 7 transition occurred for those students. Outreach model was reviewed upon consultation with local mainstream settings. The model changed focus from a 3:2 day model to a 4:1 model for new students. This model will continue into 2015 with a strong focus on building staff capacity at mainstream settings to provide supportive programs and management strategies for students with identified behaviour concerns. School priority 2 Increase the attendance of senior students from 75% to 90%. Outcomes from 2012 2014 Some progress was made towards this priority. Evidence of achievement of outcomes in 2014: In 2014 senior student attendance was 75%. 47% of students attended over 90% of the time 20% of students attended over 80% of the time 20% of students attended under 30% of the time Primary data 75% of all primary students attended 90% or more of the time Strategies to achieve these outcomes in 2014: Wakefield continues to adopt the 5 day attendance model for senior students. This has seen an increase in overall student attendance as many were refusing to attend the home school at all within the 4:1 model. Students were acknowledged and rewarded for achieving 100% attendance at School Community Day and End of Year Presentation Day. School priority 3 75% of students demonstrate growth in literacy and numeracy outcomes which is equal to, or greater than, change in their chronological age. Outcomes from 2012 2014 Progress made in this area. Evidence of achievement of outcomes in 2014: Of students retested every semester during 2014, students demonstrated a growth indicative of the target as below: 36% of students showed increase in literacy skills above the change in their chronological age 46% of students showed an increase in numeracy skills above the change in their chronological age 14% showed an increase close to the change in chronological age for literacy and 4% for numeracy 36% of students were only tested once over the year for both literacy and numeracy 14% of students and 7% of students remained the same for literacy and respectively. Strategies to achieve these outcomes in 2014: Assessments used were PM benchmark for reading, SA spelling test, Holborne Reading and Schnoell for numeracy. Data collected was used to inform staff in the creation of students IEP s Baseline plotting for senior students on literacy and numeracy continuums for future tracking Staff programming to accommodate learning needs for all students, ensuring differentiation is evident. Further investigation of current assessment packages was established to review assessment processes for 2015 data. Parent/caregiver, student, and teacher satisfaction In 2014, the school sought the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school. 8
Their responses are presented below. Parents: 100% of parents provided feedback to the school in relation to communication, support and connections with wider community. Example of comments include: Principal and staff are excellent. The communication at the school is fantastic, first class. Support is outstanding. Level of opportunities for activities exceed my expectations for a school that size, My child has only been at Wakefield for a short time and his self-pride, self-esteem has improved. He wants to go to school more and is learning. He is very happy, Very happy with the school and would like us to keep students until Year 11/12, The school provides a positive structure for behavioural students, not only to learn educational values but also boundaries and structures Involvement and inclusion to their skills and capacity for all students, less suspensions for my son, he has grown in to a young gentleman, and One parents future suggestion was Welfare of teachers, making sure they are looked after. Students: Most students who were questioned about their experience at Wakefield had a positive response. They found the smaller setting provided greater opportunities for success and a sense of belonging. Primary students particularly found the process of returning to mainstream daunting and often requested a permanent placement at Wakefield. Staff: Across the board staff identified the need for Wakefield to have a consistent approach to manage and redirect behaviour. PBL was identified as a system to support all staff, students and parents in addressing negative behaviour and rewarding positive behaviour. Parents and carers are contacted regularly and are invited to attend all major events. Transport is provided for any family with difficulties accessing the school. Parents and carers have provided positive feedback and a high level of satisfaction with our programs, support and activities offered for their child. As part of the Annual School Review, all parents were contacted via the telephone and asked a few simple survey questions as well as being given the opportunity to provide additional lengthy feedback for the school. Future Directions 2015-2017 School Plan NSW DEC is implementing a new school planning process for 2015-17. The new plan will be published on the school s website from the beginning of Term 2 2015. At Wakefield School we believe in Respect for All within a safe, healing, educational environment so that students can maximise their learning potential and become confidant, creative individuals. We aim for students to become positive, contributing community members in the future, with appropriate problem solving and conflict resolution skills to enable them to embrace 21st Century learning. Our school plays a vital role in providing every student the opportunity to experience success and to optimise their social, emotional, academic development and vocational competencies. Wakefield School shares this responsibility with the students, parents / carers / families, the community and other educational or specialist providers. Our School vision is further underpinned by our core Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) values of being Respectful, Responsible Learners The three strategic directions for 2015-2017 are as follows: STRATEGIC DIRECTION 1 Developing consistent high quality educational practices To improve student learning and outcomes through the development of curriculum that is sufficiently flexible to meet the diverse needs of our students. Students will develop the necessary skills to be successful 21st Century learners. 9
To promote, build and sustain the professional learning of all staff members, by creating systems for all teachers and leaders to learn from each other which allows for the alignment of policies and practices. To actively engage students in meaningful and challenging learning experiences through personalised and differentiated learning opportunities. STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2 Enhancing student wellbeing To develop whole school practices which enable all students to be highly engaged in schooling and emotionally aware. To embed a positive culture and set of values based on the PBL expectations of respect, responsibility and learning where success is valued and a strong social conscience and resilience is developed. STRATEGIC DIRECTION 3 Fostering community engagement and partnerships To build stronger relationships and effective partnerships with families and the wider school community by leading and inspiring a culture of shared learning, communication, leadership and organisational practices. analysed other information about the school's practices and student learning outcomes. The self-evaluation committee and school planning committee have determined targets for the school's future development. Shauna Gillett (Principal) Renay Wilkinson (Assistant Principal) Peter Lewis (Assistant Principal) Ross Loy (Classroom Teacher) Deb Stone (School Learning Support Officer) School contact information Wakefield School 37 School Road Wakefield 2278 Ph: 4953 4072 Fax: 4953 4082 Email: wakefield-s.school@det.nsw.edu.au Web: www.wakefield-s.schools.nsw.edu.au School Code: 5582 Parents can find more information about Annual School Reports, how to interpret information in the report and have the opportunity to provide feedback about the report at: http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/emsad/ asr/index.php Enhancing community engagement and participation through the development of community trust and strategic support to ensure our students become successful learners, confident, creative individuals and active and informed citizens. About this report In preparing this report, the self-evaluation committee has gathered information from evaluations conducted during the year and 10