2016 middle harbour public school annual report · 2017-05-05 · the annual report for 2016 is...

Middle Harbour Public SchoolAnnual Report

2016

2543

Printed on: 5 May, 2017 of 17 Middle Harbour Public School 2543 (2016)

Introduction

Schools are busy places and 2016 year will certainly be remembered as a year of change. The Local Schools, LocalDecisions government reform has seen significant reforms to financial, student and staff management systems in NSWPublic schools. This has been incredibly challenging at times but the professionalism, humour, resilience and good of theschool leadership team, staff and school administration team have enabled the school to make a successful transitionfrom the old to the new.

Events such as Grandfriend’s Day, Bold Archy, the School Show, our special Celebration Day, the Carnival and ourCommunity Forum have been other highlights throughout the year and serve to illustrate what our community canachieve when they work with common purpose towards common goals. The School Council and Parents and CitizensAssociation (P&C) have been very supportive and productive this year. They have provided invaluable feedback andinput as we reviewed and revised our Fair Discipline and Responding to Bullying Plan, Formation of Classes Policy andStudent Reporting system. They also held two very successful major events, the Centenary Anniversary Celebration andCentenary Carnival, something everyone will remember for a long time to come.

I’d like to thank the P&C President Belinda McGuiness and Chairperson of the School Council, Rowen Hookway. Boththese wonderful people have given much to the Middle Harbour Community for many years now and have decided it istime to move on. Their contribution to the school has been significant and I have enjoyed working with them immensely.

In our 100th year it seemed timely to imagine what our school might become in the future. To this end, students, staffand parents worked together using the process of ‘Design Thinking’ to explore the question: How can we createengaging and flexible learning spaces (indoor and outdoor) to enhance student learning? As a result of this process wecreated a ‘Blueprint for the Future’ which will we use to inform planning for 2017 and beyond. We have already startedtransforming the physical learning environment.

Students and teachers are redesigning their classrooms. Students are making decisions about how they learn best andthe learning spaces that best suit their purposes. It seems fitting that the Student Voice and Leadership Policy wasreleased and implemented in our centenary year, an achievement all year 6 students can be justly proud of. 2016 was anexciting year, filled with challenge, change and transformation. I thank each and every one of you for the part you haveplayed and continue to play in creating a school that will prepare our students for the future.

The Annual Report for 2016 is provided to the community of Middle Harbour Public School as an account of the school'soperations and achievements throughout the year. It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made toprovide high quality educational opportunities for all students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings fromself–assessment that reflect the impact of key school strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students fromthe expenditure of resources, including equity funding.

Sincerely,

Sally Hogan

Principal

School contact details

Middle Harbour Public School8 Hale RdMosman, 2088www.middleharb-p.schools.nsw.edu.aumiddleharb-p.School@det.nsw.edu.au9953 6232


School background

School vision statement

Middle Harbour Public School works in partnership with parents and the broader school community to provide qualityeducation that encourages students to reach their personal best in a respectful, safe and caring environment.

School context

Middle Harbour Public School is an innovative school located in Mosman on the lower North Shore of Sydneyestablished in 1916. Since 1982 the school has grown from 300 to over 650 students. The school is renowned for itshigh student achievement, its dedicated teaching staff and caring community. Students are challenged to strive for theirpersonal best using the NSW Syllabuses standards as the basis for setting high and explicit expectations for all students.

Middle Harbour Public School focuses on providing a rich and diverse curriculum building strong foundations in keydisciplinary areas along with developing the general capabilities, skills and dispositions that contribute to success inschool, in the workplace and in life.

The school provides specialist programs in creative arts, physical education, gymnastics and Mandarin. There is a widerange of extra curricula activities: training, junior and senior bands, string ensembles, choir, dance, public speaking,debating and chess.

The school works in partnership with parents and the broader school community to provide quality education thatencourages students to reach their personal best in a respectful, safe and caring environment. Our school is committedto the PBEL (Positive Behaviour Engaging Learners) program. Our core expectations and values are: Respect,Responsibility, and Personal Best.

Our school also uses the You Can Do It Program as the basis for explicitly teaching productive work habits and ways ofthinking that lead to students experiencing a greater sense of wellbeing, success and achievement.

Parents take an active interest in their child's education and the school. There is strong parent and communityparticipation that supports an enthusiastic and committed staff in providing a well–balanced education for each child in awell–resourced, caring environment.


Self-assessment and school achievement

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework,school achievements and the next steps to be pursued. This year, our school undertook self–assessment using theSchool Excellence Framework: http://www.middleharb–p.schools.nsw.edu.au/our–school/school–evaluation

The framework supports public schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description ofhigh quality practice across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

Self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework

Learning

In the domain of Learning, our school has primarily focused on the domains of Curriculum and Learning, Assessmentand Reporting and Wellbeing. In curriculum, teachers focused on building a deeper understanding of the concepts, skillsand processes unique to each Key Learning Area in order to plan authentic programs of learning and assessment. Insemester 2 we changed our report template to better reflect the learning (knowledge, understandings, skills and generalcapabilities) students need for success in school, in work and in life. The school report has been revised to addresscognitive, social, emotional and physical development. Our revised report format is provided online via a parentalportal. It provides a richer picture of student learning incorporating factors that impact on student learning andwell–being.

Wellbeing has also been a key focus. Middle Harbour’s shared values of respect, responsibility and personal bestunderpin all school policies, programs and practices. In 2016, these values were embedded in the revised Anti BullyingPlan, Anti Bullying Parent Pamphlet and enacted through processes and procedures to ensure the school maintains apositive and respective learning environment for all students. Expectations of behaviour are explicitly taught to studentsand relate to the variety of school settings such as classroom, playground, hallways, canteen and assemblies. This yearwe also reviewed the process for recognizing student achievement on Presentation Day introducing clear criteria fordetermining outstanding achievement in Key Learning Areas and awards for the outstanding demonstration of Values inPractice (V.I.P).

Our focus in 2017 includes the introduction of “You Can Do It”. This program will provide a common language anddevelopmental progression for teaching specific social and emotional skills (work confidence, resilience, persistence,getting along with others and organisational skills). We will also focus on the use of learning progression, appropriate tothe relevant domain of learning to direct teaching and inform student progress in learning.

Teaching

Teachers at Middle Harbour Public School are committed to identifying, understanding and implementing effectiveteaching methods. Our major focus in the domain of Teaching has been on collaborative practice for staff members. Animportant opportunity has been provided to staff members in relation to planning, teaching and growing as a team ineach of our stages. Teachers regularly use student performance data and other student feedback to evaluate theeffectiveness of their own teaching practices. Changes in teacher practice, including the use of technology, dataanalysis, classroom observations, feedback and syllabus knowledge, has resulted in increased levels of student learningand engagement. Importantly, staff members are developing evidence based practice through their reflections andevaluations of collective work. All staff members are actively engaged in formulating their own Performance andDevelopment Plans to strengthen their practice.

Professional learning is carefully aligned with the strategic directions outlined in the school plan. Teachers workedcollaboratively to design integrated learning programs ‘backwards mapped’ to History and Geography outcomes andresponsive to the interests, strengths, capabilities and learning needs of their students. Teachers clarified the inquiryprocesses central to each Key Learning Area and designed authentic assessment tasks echoing ‘real world’ practices.Data from TTFM shows the percentage of students interested and motivated to learn has increased from 66% (2015) to82% (2016).

Our focus in 2017 will be the use and interpretation of student performance data and feedback to evaluate impact onstudent learning through collaborative practice.

Leading

With a change in principalship in Term 2, staff and parents worked together to create a shared vision of student learningand the school plan updated to align with government reforms designed to improve student learning outcomes. Ourmajor focus in leading has been on consultative and responsive decision making. Student leadership opportunities were


revised in consultation with students, staff and parents and a revised Student Voice and Leadership Policy published. Anumber of policies were revised during the year to clarify school processes and expectations. These included theStudent Discipline and Responding to Bullying Policy and Formation of Classes Policy.

The whole school community works together actively to ensure that we provide the very best for all students. There isbroad understanding. The school has strong bonds with the parents and wider community as evidenced by feedback,support and participation by the community in a wide range of academic and social activities. In term 4, students, staffand parents participated in a community forum using the process of “Design Thinking” to create a “Blueprint to theFuture”. The outcomes from this forum will inform future planning and provide clear guidelines for strategic managementand resourcing.

Our focus in 2017 will be actioning many of the recommendations from our community forum, implementingrecommendations from the student leadership review and embedding monitoring, evaluation and review processesas part of the school’s routine calendar.

Our selfassessment process will further assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our school plan leading tofurther improvements in the delivery of education to our students.

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


Strategic Direction 1

Engaged, successful, reflective learners

Purpose

To maximise student learning so that all students are engaged, successful and reflective learners that are movingforward in their learning.

Learning progressions form the basis for setting high and explicit expectations, planning, programming, assessing andreporting student achievement and progress. A focus on effective assessment practice, using common learningprogressions will lift student achievement by providing information that students, teachers and parents can use to betterdetermine where a student is now, where they next and how to move them forward in their learning.

Overall summary of progress

Using relevant learning progressions has been a key strategy in setting high and explicit expectations so that everystudent understands where they are now, how they are going and where to next in their learning. They have exploreddifferent ways to make 'next steps' in learning more visible to students using 'bump it up' walls, annotated examples,photos, rubrics, photos etc. This has enabled students to reflect on their progress and take more responsibility for theirown learning.

Teachers have particularly focused on deepening their knowledge of the key concepts, skills and processes unique toeach KLA to plan more authentic assessment tasks for students. We revised student reports to align with new syllabusesand provide an overview for each key learning area describing what students were expected to know, understand beable to do at the relevant stage of learning. We continue to focus on using students assessment data and information toinform planning so that every student is moving forward in their learning.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Progress achieved this year Funds Expended(Resources)

• School reports link to NSWSyllabus outcomes/stagestatements and content • ES1 and S1 reach expectedprogress benchmarks in literacyand numeracy National Literacy andNumeracy Assessment • performance for year 3students is equivalent to SSG orabove like school group inNAPLAN • performance for year 5students is equivalent to SSG orabove • Growth for year 5 is equivalentto SSG or above

• School reports were updated and linked to NSWSyllabus outcomes/stage statements. • Student reports now include measurable data inrelation to personal and social development. • Student assessment tasks are collaborativelyplanned to assess understanding, skills andprocesses using explicit, quality criteria.

National Literacy and Numeracy Assessment • see School Performance

Teacher professionallearning funds – teachersreleased for collaborativeplanning: $5,200

Literacy & Numeracy funds:$14,500

QTSS funds – release ofInstructional Leader: 0.464FTE

Next Steps

• Focus on deepening understanding of progression in English and Mathematics using literacy and numeracyprogressions to differentiate learning and ensure all students are appropriately challenged in their learning.

• A focus on effective assessment practice, using common learning progressions to better determine where astudent is now, where they next and how to move them forward in their learning.

• Continue to use literacy and numeracy learning progressions to monitor student progress and direct teaching.



Confident, knowledgeable, professional teachers

Purpose

To change teaching practices in ways that evidence shows maximises student learning by supporting our teachers to beconfident and knowledgeable professionals.

If we want our students to become successful, reflective learners we need our teachers to model and adopt the samekind of learning behaviours. Our teachers need regular opportunities to reflect on their practice and learn with and fromeach other. Analysing student work together gives teachers opportunities to develop a common understanding of whatgood work is and what instructional strategies are working. To be most effective, collaborative learning should be drivenby analysis of student data and focused upon the development of teachers’ knowledge, skills and understanding. (Harrisand Jones, 2012)


Structuring and prioritising time for teacher to work collaboratively has been an achievement in 2016. During theyear all stage groups worked with an instructional leader each fortnight to build shared understandings of the History andGeography syllabuses. Stage teams worked together to 'backwards map' units of work informed by the NSW QualityTeaching Model and completed a professional learning module on Integrated Learning. This has resulted in theintegration of 21st century pedagogies in meaningful contexts that address BOSTES syllabuses and principles ofconceptual programming.

All staff members have been actively engaged in formulating their own professional learning goals aligned with theschool plan and Australian Professional Teaching Standards. This has resulted in staff working collectively andindividually towards key priorities and targets.




• Teaching programs reflectteacher knowledge and skills inthe consistent delivery of 21stcentury pedagogy addressingBOSTES syllabuses andprinciples of conceptualprogramming. • TTFM data shows studentsrating for relevance and rigourare equivalent to or above theNSW government norm of 7.9 • PDPs reflect knowledge andunderstanding of APTS andschool plan.

• Teaching programs reflect teacher knowledgeand skills in the consistent delivery of 21st centurypedagogy addressing BOSTES syllabuses andprinciples of conceptual programming. • Students rating for relevance and rigour areequivalent to or above the NSW government normof 7.9 • PDPs reflect knowledge and understanding ofAPTS and school plan.

Teacher professionallearning funds – teacherrelease for observation andcollaborative planning:$18,350


Beginning teacher funds –teacher release forobservation and mentoring:$28,000

Next Steps

• Continue with collaborative timetable, shift focus to CTJ discussion on student progress using available data. • Deepen professional knowledge and practice in relation to formative feedback for students to improve student

learning. • Provide opportunities for teachers to work cross stage and within stage group to use and interpret student

performance data. • Embed opportunities for instructional leaders to model evidence–based practice and learn from other teachers

through observation of practice. • Develop a leadership pathway that brings together existing programs to support Beginning Teachers, New

Teacher Induction and Aspiring Leaders within and beyond our school.



Proactive Partnerships

Purpose

To build proactive partnerships that support the individual and collective wellbeing of all students.

Student wellbeing encompasses the needs of the whole child, in terms of their cognitive, social, emotional, physical andspiritual development. When students see purpose and meaning in their learning, have a sense of voice and choice,experience positive relationships and connectedness to others, self regulate their emotions and use positive learningbehaviours, feel safe and are physically active. Student wellbeing is enhanced when schools connect with and draw onthe expertise, contribution and support of their communities. https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/about


With a change in principalship in Term 2, staff and parents worked together to create a shared vision of student learningand the school plan updated to align with government reforms designed to improve student learning outcomes. Ourmajor focus in leading has been on consultative and responsive decision making. Student leadership opportunities wererevised in consultation with students, staff and parents and a revised “Student Voice and Leadership” Policy published. Anumber of policies were revised during the year to clarify school processes and expectations. These included theStudent Discipline and Responding to Bullying Policy and Formation of Classes Policy. In term 4, students, staff andparents participated in a community forum using the process of “Design Thinking” to create a “Blueprint to the Future”.This resulted in students and teachers across the school transforming their classroom into more dynamic and flexiblelearning environments. The outcomes from this forum will continue to inform future planning and provide clear guidelinesfor strategic management and resourcing.




• Students with PLPs showsignificant progress towardlearning goals and literacy andnumeracy continuums. • Tell Them From Me data isequivalent or above the NSWgovernment norm for studentswho feel accepted, valued bytheir peers and experience a highsense of belonging and whodemonstrate positive behaviourand try hard to succeed. • Tell Them From Me dataindicates a decreasing trend inbullying behaviours. The norm forgovernment schools is 36%. Thenorm for our school is 18%.

• A common PLP template was developed enablingstudents progress in literacy and numeracy to beassessed, monitored and reported. • Student reports were revised to includemeasurable data addressing the general capabilityof personal and social development. • We reviewed the process for recognizing studentachievement on Presentation Day introducing clearcriteria for determining outstanding achievement inKey Learning Areas and awards for the outstandingdemonstration of Values in Practice (V.I.P). • The whole school community worked together toidentify key priorities and directions to guideplanning for 21st century learning environments.

Teacher professionallearning funds – teacherrelease for collaborativeplanning and assessment:$5,200


Literacy & Numeracy funds:$5,200

Next Steps

• Build a shared understanding of The Wellbeing Framework for Schools and embed practices within policies,programs and practices.

• Introduce the social and emotional development program, You Can Do It (YCDI). • Use the criteria from YCDI to provide measurable data in relation to personal and social capabilities. • Work with the broader community to build shared understanding of the behaviours, attitudes and expectations that

enhance wellbeing and lead to improved student outcomes. • Actioning and implementing recommendations from our community forum "Blueprint to the Future".


Key Initiatives Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

English language proficiency Funding was used to engage a teacher withexpertise and experience in supportingstudents with English as a second language 3days per week.

The teacher supported students working withsmall groups and working within classrooms.

RAM Equity loading forEnglish Proficiency $47,000

Low level adjustment for disability The funding is used to support students withadditional learning needs who are not eligiblefor individual funding.

Stage teams meet regularly to reviewprogress in consultation with the Learning andSupport Teacher, parents and colleagues.The funding is used to engage appropriatesupport staff to coordinate the Learning andSupport Team.

• Employment of fourSchool Learning andSupport Officer $230,000 • Learning and SupportTeacher $55,000

Quality Teaching, SuccessfulStudents (QTSS)

Funding for QTSS was used along with otherstaffing entitlements to create an InstructionalLeader position. Professional learning fundsalong with additional school funds were usedto provide additional time for teachers to workcollaboratively to build shared understandingsof learning in History and other syllabusdocuments. Funding was also used to supportobservation of teacher practice within andacross schools.

0.464 staffing allocation of$47000 combined withother staffing entitlementsto fund instructional leaderposition and supportteacher collaborativepractice.

Socio–economic background These funds were used to support thelearning needs of students and familiesrequiring support.

$2936

Support for beginning teachers These funds have been used very effectivelyto support our beginning teachers in the areasof professional learning, mentoring,programming, class management andmemberships into beginning teachernetworks.

$35,000


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2013 2014 2015 2016

Boys 275 288 289 303

Girls 268 275 304 321

The school shows steadily increasing enrolments andincreased to 25 classes in 2016. It is expected that thistrend continue in 2017.

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

K 97.2 97.5 96.7 97.4

1 95.7 96.8 96.6 94.7

2 96.6 96.8 96.6 96.1

3 96.5 96.5 96.1 96.3

4 96.5 96.6 95.8 95.8

5 95.5 96.4 94.1 95.7

6 96.3 95.8 95.4 94

All Years 96.4 96.7 96.1 95.8

State DoE

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

K 95 95.2 94.4 94.4

1 94.5 94.7 93.8 93.9

2 94.7 94.9 94 94.1

3 94.8 95 94.1 94.2

4 94.7 94.9 94 93.9

5 94.5 94.8 94 93.9

6 94.1 94.2 93.5 93.4

All Years 94.7 94.8 94 94

Management of non-attendance

Student attendance is monitored regularly and is aboveState DoE average. Middle Harbour Public Schoolcontinues to work with parents to raise awareness ofschool processes including Applications for ExtendedLeave and the importance of school attendance.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 1

Deputy Principal(s) 1

Assistant Principal(s) 4

Classroom Teacher(s) 23.23

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.5

Teacher Librarian 1.2

School Administration & SupportStaff

4.06

Other Positions 1

*Full Time Equivalent

0% of teaching staff identify as Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools.

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100

Postgraduate degree 31

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Professional learning meetings are scheduled everyWednesday to address mandatory trainingrequirements and teacher learning aligned with theschool directions, goals and priorities outlined in theschool plan.

In term 2, our focus was on building a shared vision forstudent learning informed by evidenced basedpractices that improve student learning outcomes andperformance. Teachers deepened their professionalknowledge and understanding of NSW syllabuses,focusing on the key concepts, skills and processesrelevant to each discipline. Relevant readings and keymessages were taken from the DoE online learningcourse 'Integrating Learning' to provide teachers withthe opportunity to explore ways in which the NSWsyllabuses can be integrated through quality teaching.

In term 3, the timetable was re–organised to provideteachers with additional time to work collaboratively to


review their assessment, teaching and reportingpractice. Teachers worked as collegiate teams tobackwards map conceptual teaching and learningprograms in History and Geography, supported by aninstructional leader and the expertise of a guestpresenter, Michael Genner.

In term 4, teachers worked together to align theirclassroom programs, assessment and reportingpractices. The revised timetable enabled teacher toobserve colleagues, visit classrooms within our ownschool and across schools. In addition, timetabledcollaborative time allowed teachers to engage in deepprofessional dialogue about student assessment datato ensure consistent teacher judgement across thegrade, stage and school. In the latter part of the year,teachers researched 21st century learning, includingvisits to the Futures Learning Unit and other localschools.

In 2016, two staff were successfully accredited asProficient Teachers as described in the AustralianProfessional Teaching Standards.

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

Financial information

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

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

In 2016 the school moved from Oasis to SAP. As partof the change over the Annual Financial Reportwas completed as of the 30/11/2016. This summarycovers funds for operating costs to 30/11/2016 anddoes not involve expenditure areas such as permanentsalaries, building and major maintenance.

Income $

Balance brought forward 740 022.98

Global funds 357 393.79

Tied funds 271 963.36

School & community sources 527 352.77

Interest 8 678.50

Trust receipts 80 948.02

Canteen 0.00

Total income 1 986 359.42

Expenditure

Teaching & learning

Key learning areas 47 077.76

Excursions 49 648.65

Extracurricular dissections 200 221.96

Library 15 547.12

Training & development 8 526.05

Tied funds 127 694.03

Short term relief 61 282.24

Administration & office 105 558.19

School-operated canteen 0.00

Utilities 48 281.88

Maintenance 36 107.65

Trust accounts 365 999.73

Capital programs 35 893.00

Total expenditure 1 101 838.26

Balance carried forward 884 521.16


The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 31 November to 31 December2016.

2016 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 0.00

Revenue 1 012 938.63

(2a) Appropriation 920 156.69

(2b) Sale of Goods andServices

6 417.09

(2c) Grants and Contributions 84 030.57

(2e) Gain and Loss 0.00

(2f) Other Revenue 0.00

(2d) Investment Income 2 334.28

Expenses -402 188.65

Recurrent Expenses -402 188.65

(3a) Employee Related -197 368.35

(3b) Operating Expenses -204 820.30

Capital Expenses 0.00

(3c) Employee Related 0.00

(3d) Operating Expenses 0.00

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

610 749.98

Balance Carried Forward 610 749.98

There is no opening balance recorded in the SAPfinance table. The opening balance for the school forthis reporting period is recorded as the BalanceBrought Forward in the OASIS table.

The OASIS Balance carried forward amount (ie, fundson date of migration) is included in the (2a)Appropriation amount in the SAP table.

Any differences between the OASIS Balance carriedforward and (2a) Appropriation amount is the result ofother accounts and transactions being included in the(2a) Appropriation amount.

Staff related expenses were significant in 2016.

Financial summary equity funding

The equity funding data is the main component of the'Appropriation' section of the financial summary above.

2016 Actual ($)

Base Total 3 973 678.75

Base Per Capita 32 351.17

Base Location 0.00

Other Base 3 941 327.58

Equity Total 124 624.03

Equity Aboriginal 0.00

Equity Socio economic 2 366.05

Equity Language 47 241.54

Equity Disability 75 016.44

Targeted Total 84 510.01

Other Total 132 143.13

Grand Total 4 314 955.92

A full copy of the school’s financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.


School performance

NAPLAN

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

• 70% of year 5 students achieved the expectedgrowth for literacy. Performance in writing,spelling and grammar and punctuation wereabove our Similar School Group with anoutstanding 70% of students performing in theupper tow bands for reading.

• 72% of year 3 students achieved in the upper twobands for literacy, compared to our SSG of 78%.

• Performance in grammar and punctuation, andspelling was particularly strong. Writing is an areafor future focus.


• 52% of year 3 students performed in the uppertwo bands for numeracy which was well abovethe state average of 38% but below our SimilarSchool Group average of 66%

• 60.2% of year 5 students performed in the uppertwo bands for numeracy which was well abovethe state average of 30.5% and within theexpected range for our Similar School Groupaverage of 63%

The My School website provides detailedinformation and data for national literacy and numeracytesting. Click on the link http://www.myschool.edu.auand insert the school name in the Find a school andselect GO to access the school data.


Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Each year schools are required to seek the opinions ofparents, students and teachers about the school. Theirresponses are presented below.

Parents

In 2016 parents were asked to complete a survey viaThe Learning Bar on Parents as Partners in Learningbetween 21 September and 21 October. There were 56respondents representing approximately 14% of MiddleHarbour families. 75% of these respondents indicatedthey had children in years K – 2. While the size of thesample is relatively small, the data offers valuableinsights in relation to the way parents perceive

• how welcome they feel at the school

• how informed they feel about school relatedmatters

• how the school supports the learning of the child

• how the school supports positive behaviour andpromotes a safe and inclusivelearning environment

Areas of strength

Respondents generally agreed that they felt welcome atthe school and were able to talk to their child’s teacher.There was some uncertainty around information abouttheir child’s social and emotional development andareas for future development. These two areas wereaddressed in revisions to our student reports in term 4,2016.

Parents were satisfied with the amount of time theirchild was expected to do homework and norespondents indicated that they wanted their child to domore homework. All respondents agreed that theschool supported their child's learning. There wasstrong agreement that the school supported positivebehavior and fostered a safe, inclusive environment.There was some uncertainty around how the schoolprevented bullying. This was addressed during 2016 asthe school reviewed and refined its Fair Discipline andResponding to Bullying Plan, in consultation with theSchool Council, P&C, SRC, staff and community http://www.middleharb–p.schools.nsw.edu.au/our–school/rules–policies/school–policies/student–welfare–policy

Over 95% of parents indicated they found the schoolnewsletter and P&C a primary means of communicationalong with formal and informal meetings, and theirchild’s report.

Areas for future focus

Providing further opportunities for

• parents to provide input into school policies andplanning

• parents to talk to their child about where theyare now, how they are going and where to next in theirlearning

• student learning to respond to individual needs,interests and abilities

Students

Students in Years 4, 5 and 6 were asked to complete asurvey addressing key aspects of their cognitive, social,emotional and physical development. The sample sizeincluded: 83 students from year 4, 71students fromyear 5 and 47 students from year 6.

Areas of strength

Students indicated a high degree of participation inschool sports and extra curricular activities.Respondents generally agreed they felt a positivesense of belonging and experienced positiverelationships at school. Nearly every student indicatedthey believed that education will benefit thempersonally and in the future. 94% of students indicatedthey behaved appropriately at school which is wellabove the NSW government norm of 74%.

Students generally agreed that they found their learninginteresting and motivating and 95% of studentsindicated they tried hard to success in their learning.Students generally agreed that learning time wasrigorous, relevant and focused on important conceptscentral to learning. The number of students subjectedto bullying behavior reported was half the state averageof 32%


• Increasing the level of challenge for highperforming students in English and Maths.

• Continue to adopt proactive approaches toaddressing bullying behaviours and clarify processesand procedures on a regular basis.

Teachers

The staff used The Focus on Learning Survey to self–evaluate classroom and school effectiveness againsteight of the most important drivers of student learningand engagement.

Areas of strength

Respondents generally agreed that school leaderssupported quality teaching and learning environment forstaff. There was a high level of agreement that teacherswere supported to work collaboratively to plan,program, learn with and from each other. Allrespondents believed the school that a learning culturefounded on high and explicit expectations for allstudents. Respondents agreed that they usedappropriate teaching strategies to direct student


learning. Respondents felt they provided an inclusivelearning environment and encouraged parentinvolvement. Respondents generally agreed that datawas used to inform their practice though this is also anarea teachers indicated they wished to learn moreabout.


• Feedback to inform teaching practice andprofessional learning.

• Time to observe colleagues and to be observedmy instructional leaders.

• Analysing, interpreting and using data to informteaching and direct student learning.

• Students use computer or other interactivetechnology to track progress towards their learninggoals.

• Integrating technology to support teaching andlearning.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

Knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander histories and cultures is embedded incurriculum. For example, in English, the crosscurriculum priority area of ‘Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander histories and cultures’ has been integrated byselecting a range of texts that represent subject matterthrough a different lens or from a different point of view.In History, the same cross curriculum priority isexplored by selecting different primary or secondarysources, which may include texts to explore theconcept of ‘perspective’.

The “Acknowledgement of Country” which recognisesthe original owners of the land, the Guringai people, isalways an integral part of our introduction and welcomeat school assemblies and other formal schoolgatherings.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

Our school is committed to providing a supportive andsafe environment, characterised by our sharedvalues respect, responsibility and personal best. Thesekey values are embedded in our school vision and areintegral part of all policies, programs and practices.

The message of mutual respect and responsibility forone’s actions and behaviour is constantly reinforced bymodelling appropriate behaviour and by the explicitteaching of social skills within classes.

Our school promotes cultural diversity, tolerance andanti–racism through a strong focus on the share valueseducation or respect, responsibility and personal best.Strategies to promote inclusivity, counter racism andbullying behaviours are taught explicitly through the

classroom program, our Fair Discipline and AntiBullying processes, special assemblies such asHarmony Day.

79% of the students at Middle Harbour Public Schoolwere born in Australia. However, the school has ansignificant number of students who speak English astheir second language and increasing number ofstudents come from language backgrounds other thanEnglish. Multicultural education is embedded in thepolicies, programs and practices of the school. Allstudents learn a second language, Mandarin as part ofthe school program. Intercultural understanding is oneof the general capabilities included in the AustralianCurriculum and students have opportunities to learnabout other cultures in many key learning areas. Forexample, in History, increase their cultural awarenessand cross–cultural understanding by exploring an issuefrom different perspectives.

Students investigate the cultural backgrounds offamilies, customs and practices important to students,the diversity of groups within a community and thetraditions and belief systems of other cultures. Allstudents participated in Harmony Day activities whichassisted their understanding of the contributions madeto our national identity by people from culturally diversebackgrounds.


2016 middle harbour public school annual report · 2017-05-05 · the annual report for 2016 is...

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