final aghs-2012 - auburn girls high school · in 2012, the school had 66 permanent teaching staff...

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Our school at a glance

Students

Auburn Girls High School is a partially selective, multicultural and supportive environment for girls. The school serves students from the Auburn‐Granville area of Sydney. The culture of the school is one of cooperative learning involving a partnership between the student, the teacher and the family. Approximately 98% of students are from language backgrounds other than English. The school has a series of proactive programs that successfully develop our students’ English language skills. This support allows students to excel in the Higher School Certificate examinations. There is an extension program for academically talented girls, strong literacy and numeracy programs as well as individualised support for students who need more help with their studies. The school achieves excellent HSC results in a number of subjects.

Staff

In 2012, the school had 66 permanent teaching staff and 12 teaching staff employed under Federal and State Government Equity programs. All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.

The school also had 13 support staff (general assistant, clerical staff, science, library and kitchen assistants and teachers’ aides).

Significant programs and initiatives

National Partnerships In 2011, it was announced that Auburn Girls High School was to be part of the National Partnership for Low‐economic Status School Communities. This program will provide the school with a funding of $1,000 per student over the period 2012 ‐2015. This equates to approximately $800,000 of funding per year for a period of four years. The National Partnership aims to improve student engagement, educational outcomes and wellbeing. In achieving these aims the funding in 2012 was used for the following:

Improving and enhancing staff professional practice ‐ $315 000. As part of the program the English, History, Social Science, Art, Languages, English as a second Language and Learning Assistance faculties were provided Professional Learning opportunities each fortnight. During these sessions consultants were employed, teachers went on school visits to Selective High Schools and quality time was spent on designing, trialling and evaluating programs, assessment tasks and units of work to ensure they reflected best practice with the aim of achieving desirable teaching and learning

outcomes. The remaining faculties; Mathematics, Science, Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) , Personal Development Health and Physical Education (PDHPE), Support and Careers will be provided with a similar program of Professional Learning in 2013.

The establishment of Academic Coaches ‐ $315,000. Three teachers were appointed as Academic Coaches in 2012. There was one Academic Coach appointed for each of the years from Year 7 to Year 9. The Academic Coach team comprises of a total of five teachers and the librarian. The concept of the Academic

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Coach is to address the learning needs of individuals and groups of students within classrooms and across the curriculum. Professional Development opportunities undertaken by the Academic Coaches were shared with colleagues during program delivery.

Regional and Local Support –$45,000. Auburn Girls High is committed in assisting schools, such as Auburn North Public, who were not fortunate in receiving National Partnership funding. The establishment and maintenance of a collegial and collaborative practice within our school community is of high priority. Our community of schools share resources and support ongoing projects that provide a quality learning environment.

Learning Environment Enhancements –$70,000. The purchase of an additional ten Interactive White Boards (IWB) was made in 2012 resulting in every classroom being equipped with this resource.

Preparation for academically selective class

In 2010 it was announced by Ms Verity Firth, the Minister of Education at the time, that Auburn Girls High would become partially selective as of 2013. In preparation for the selective class in 2013, the staff at Auburn Girls High School has participated in Professional Development focusing on Gifted and Talented (G&T) education. This program provided all staff with the essential ingredients required in identifying and catering for Gifted and Talented students. Ongoing support was provided in 2012 in assisting all faculties in differentiating the curriculum and in embedding Gifted and Talented in all faculty programs. The Quality Teaching consultant,

Margaret Callaghan worked with individual faculties and with Head Teachers to program and devise units of work for Gifted and Talented students. Staff, during Wednesday Professional Learning sessions, visited selective and partially selective high schools. These visits provided opportunities to make comparisons between comprehensive and selective streams and enabled staff to partake in

Year 7 Enrichment class at the 2012 Robotics’ Challenge

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professional dialogue in relation to programming, catering for the educational requirements and wellbeing of Gifted and Talented students. In 2012, the G&T Committee wrote and presented the school’s Gifted and Talented policy to the Principal, Executive, staff and community representatives. The Learning Educational Aspiration Participation (LEAP) program, led by Sharon Smithies from Macquarie University, continued its success at Auburn Girls High with the introduction of Robotics.

Students in the Enrichment class were provided with educationally challenging modules, providing them high order thinking opportunities. Students were able to showcase their final product to local primary school students. This partnership with Macquarie University also provided students with further opportunities to partake in various pedagogical programs at the university.

In 2012, Auburn Girls High School enabled local Year 6 students to sit, free of charge, for the University of N.S.W. G&T test in preparation for the 2013 Enrichment class and/or Selective class. 64 students

sat for the test which was then marked and collated by the UNSW. Five members of staff attended the Northern Sydney Region Gifted and Talented Conference. This conference provided opportunities to engage in professional dialogue, attend G&T workshops and listen to keynote speakers such as Jason Clarke. As a result of this conference, Jason Clarke was invited to address the staff of Auburn Girls High and Granville Boys High during a Staff Development Day. His presentation, ‘Imagination First’, was highly commended and employed by many teachers in

their G&T programming. The Gifted and talented Committee will concentrate on programming and writing quality units and assessment tasks that cater for the 21st Century learner and promote high order thinking. The Selective and Enrichment classes will follow the same differentiated teaching and learning programs, which have been developed and integrated by all faculties to meet the learning needs of our Gifted and Talented students.

Students enjoying the

Leadership Camp

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The selective class will be involved in numerous

internal and external initiatives such as the Global

Education program, a cross curricula, integrated

learning challenge.

The Mathematics

Challenge and the

Enrichment Stage

Challenge in

Mathematics.

Messages

Principal’s message:

Auburn Girls High School is committed to making our motto, ‘Discover your Potential’, a reality for all girls. Diversity is our strength. Auburn Girls offers a comprehensive range of academic courses and special programs to suit the needs and interests of all our students.

Our strengths include:

Quality teaching and learning Excellent technology resources Student leadership programs Strong student welfare programs Career mentoring programs Ongoing quality business links, including

KPMG Links with local primary schools Excellent support for ESL students Homework centre with tutorial help After hours HSC coaching program

Our school actively shares examples of successful programs with other schools. The teachers at Auburn Girls are very experienced, energetic and committed to providing the best opportunities for all students. We also have an outstanding school executive team. The teachers at Auburn Girls work hard to provide learning experiences and programs that help all girls enjoy their learning and reach their full potential. There is an extension program

for academically talented girls, strong literacy and numeracy programs and individualised support for those girls who need more help with their work.

The school has a ‘Teams’ program designed to help students make an easier transition from primary to high school. Teachers and students work together in teams. The student teams help girls to build friendships and learn more about teamwork, compromise and cooperation. These skills help each girl to become an independent learner. The teacher teams provide time each week for teachers to meet together to plan for each girl individually and the class as a whole so that learning programs are personalised and suited to each girl’s needs.

The school is active in promoting student leadership. We have a very active Student Representative Council. The new school motto and uniform were designed by the SRC in consultation with staff, students and our community. We have excellent links with large businesses through the Australian Business and Community program to help students achieve their goals for further study and for employment. We also provide mentoring and careers programs through partnerships with the YWCA, the Smith Family, the University of Western Sydney and the University of NSW.

The school works hard to build strong relationships with the community consequently enjoying strong

Students challenging themselves at the Leadership Camp

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support from parents and the wider community. We have dedicated Community Liaison Officers and multilingual staff to support and assist parents.

I certify that the information in this report is the result of a rigorous school self‐evaluation process and is a balanced and genuine account of the school’s achievements and areas for development.

Chris Charles (Principal)

Parents and Citizens (P&C) message

Our Community Group meets on the third Wednesday of each month. The P&C meetings are conducted during our monthly community meetings. These community meetings have provided important information sessions for parents, an opportunity for parents to be involved in decision‐making and to choose their representatives for panels to select staff.

Our P&C organisation has been involved in various fund raising initiatives. In 2012 this group also ran visits for parents to UNSW and TAFE. Parents loved the opportunity to see what a university and TAFE look like and felt less anxious about sending their daughters for further tertiary education. Every year on Open Day for grade 6 students, the P&C group organises the morning tea and lunch for around 300 students. In May at the Australian Biggest Morning Tea, which is organized by the P&C, $320 was raised for the Cancer Council. This group also offers parents the opportunities to be involved in different training programs and the Wrap with Love program.

Fatma Yucel (P&C President)

Student representative’s message:

Student Leadership continues to be very strongly supported within the school. Student elections are in Term three in preparation for the handover in Term four. There are two elected representative bodies in the school: The Student Representative Council and the Prefect Team. Both groups are democratically elected by their peers. There are 38 elected Student Representative Council members, with one representative from each roll call

plus two special appointments from the Learning Support Unit.

The Prefect team has ten members: the School Captain supported by two Vice School Captains, the Sports Captain, Vice Captain and five prefects. Each prefect has a portfolio they are responsible for. One member of our prefect team was elected from the Support Unit. Every year the quality of the nominations is outstanding. 2012 was another successful year for our students. Once again the school had an elected member of the Interschool Group Executive. The major events hosted by the SRC include:

International Women’s Day with guest speakers from Football United.

The newly decorated garbage bins were introduced with great fanfare encouraging all to keep our school clean.

Our Leadership Camp was held at Outdoor Adventure Camp, Webbs Creek, Wisemans Ferry with 64 students attending.

The Leadership team in conjunction with the school uniform shop designed new track pants and sport shorts to be introduced in 2013.

The Prefects hosted an interschool afternoon tea and worked with 30 prefects from ten neighbouring schools.

The Leadership team organised both the Polyfest night and Iftar celebrations. Both events were well supported and wonderful evenings. Polyfest celebrated Polynesian culture and Iftar night celebrated the breaking of the fast during Ramadan.

Sonia Jamal (Leadership Coordinator)

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School context: Student information

It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all students must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Student enrolment profile

The school enrolment was 769 in 2012. The majority language groups are Arabic, Turkish and Dari. There has been a significant increase in the number of students who speak Mandarin over the last few years.

Student attendance profile:

The attendance rate for students in Years 7 to 12 has been stable for the last two years.

Management of non‐attendance

The positive impact of good school attendance on

academic achievement may be greater than

historically thought (Johnston, 2000, Lamdin, 1996).

Our school continually works with students and

their families to improve attendance. Attendance

monitoring is managed by three teams comprising:

a Deputy Principal, a Student Wellbeing Executive

teacher and the Year Advisers for two year groups.

This welfare team meets weekly to monitor, analyse

and develop intervention strategies to improve

attendance.

Following the successful trial of daily texts to a

targeted group of students with poor attendance,

text messaging parents about student absence was

phased in over terms two and three for the whole

school. The flow on effect was that truancies were

detected earlier in the day.

Post‐school destinations

Twenty six students were offered university tertiary

placements for 2013. Choices were quite varied

with students venturing into courses such as:

Property Economics; Media Public Relations and

Advertising; Asia Pacific Studies; Business/Law;

Social Science; Business/Science/Information

Technology and Economics. Nursing, Science,

Medical Science and Education continue to be

popular. Approximately half of these students

enrolled at The University of Western Sydney.

However, other students have accepted offers from

The University of Technology, The University of

NSW, The University of Sydney and Macquarie

University. There has been an increase in students

enrolling in colleges and TAFE. Approximately forty

percent of students in the 2012 cohort have

enrolled in diploma courses with an emphasis on

Business Administration and Child Care. Other

courses include; Accounting, Management, Beauty,

Pathology and Legal Studies.

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200

400

600

800

1000

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Students

Year

AGHS student enrolment history

Female

0

25

50

75

100

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Attendan

ce rate

Year

Student attendance rates

School Region State DEC

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Year 12 students undertaking vocational or trade training

Vocational Education and Training (VET) is increasing at Auburn Girls High School as these courses provide opportunities to develop skills and knowledge required by Industry for employment.

Auburn Girls High Schools offers four VET (Vocational Education and Training) frame works: Hospitality, Retail Services, Business Services and Information and Digital Technology.

In 2012, 72 students chose a VET subject for the HSC (Higher School Certificate) and of these, 15 students chose to study two frameworks. Overall 62% of year 12 students studied a VET subject in either Hospitality or Business Services

TAFE delivered T‐VET courses continue to increase. In 2012, 12 students completed Beauty at either Granville or Meadowbank TAFE.

Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalent vocational educational qualification

Vocational training courses count towards meeting

Higher School Certificate requirements. Students

choose VET subjects for the dual accreditation. They

can include one VET subject towards their ATAR

(Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) while gaining a

Certificate II in their chosen framework. In 2012 41

students studied Business Services and 31 studied

Hospitality.

The number of students receiving their Certificate II

increased in 2012. Hospitality (Food and Beverage)

81% compared to 48% in 2011, Business Services

59% compared to 57% in 2011.

School context: Staff information

It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all staff must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Auburn Girls High School has a combination of experienced and early career staff. All are knowledgeable and committed to improving student learning outcomes. The teaching staff continue to be supported by outstanding ancillary staff in providing quality education.

Staff establishment

The following table give a breakdown of the roles of staff in 2012.

Position Number

Principal 1

Deputy Principals 3

Head Teachers 12.5

Classroom Teachers 46

Teacher of Mild Intellectual Disabilities 2

Support Teacher Learning Assistance 3.7

Teacher Librarian 1

Teacher of ESL 2

Counsellor 1

School Administrative & Support Staff 16

Total 87.2

Students

involved in the

‘women in

trades’ program

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The National Education Agreement requires schools to report on Indigenous composition of their workforce. Unfortunately, the Auburn Girls High School does not currently have any indigenous staff.

Staff retention

The school traditionally has a very low turnover of staff. In 2012 one staff member gained a promotion position at another school, one gained a teaching position at another school and one retired.

All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.

Qualifications % of staff

Degree or Diploma 100

Postgraduate 57

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 30/11/2012

Income $

Balance brought forward 648,498Global funds 545,945Tied funds 704,634School & community sources 143,619Interest 32,687Trust receipts 56,374Canteen 0.00

Total income 2,131,757

Expenditure

Teaching & learning Key learning areas 98,365Excursions 48,367Extracurricular dissections 62,253

Library 15,122Training & development 51,731Tied funds 547,435Casual relief teachers 88,428Administration & office 158,341School‐operated canteen 0.00Utilities 96,562Maintenance 66,744Trust accounts 45,918Capital programs 137,756

Total expenditure 1,365,900

Balance carried forward 765,857

A full copy of the school’s 2012 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.

School performance 2012

Arts:

Congratulations to Hadia of Year 9 in winning the ABCN “Art for Art’s Sake” $500 major prize. Mr Andrew Venibles from ABCN awarded Hadia her $500 cheque at Auburn Girls during Term 4 this year. Hadia’s Year 8 self‐portrait was inspired by the work of Fauvist artist Henri Matisse, as well as, the Cubist style of Pablo Picasso. Hadia’s work will be displayed at ABCN’s annual end of year function and used to decorate the covers of ABCN publications. Miss Doyle’s Year 10 Visual Art class were selected to take part in the “Derivan Local Student Art Exhibition” which was held at their Art supplies and manufacturing warehouse in late October 2012. All students were given the opportunity to create an Aboriginal inspired animal design to be painted on canvas. All completed works were then displayed and voted for by members of the public. The winner of the “People’s Choice Award” was given to Zena for her painting “Gazing through the Eyes of the Cassowary”. Mrs Eliza McInnes, from Derivan, presented Zena with her art materials prize pack during Term 4.

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Year 8 visited the Aquarium this year to research their sea inspired ceramic monsters. The students had a great day and were able to transfer their experience into wonderful and creative sculptures. After making the works from clay, students then coloured their work with special under glazes ready to be fired in the kiln.

Sport:

Students at Auburn Girls High School take part in a whole school sports program on a weekly basis. Year 7 participate in an integrated sport program which takes place during class time. A wide variety of sports are offered to the students including Oz Tag, Soccer, Netball, Touch Football, Tee‐ball, Exercise Boxing, Zumba as well as grade sport competitions.

This year students were also offered the opportunity to travel to ‘Her Fitness’ gym to participate in circuit training, boxing and cardio sessions with a qualified instructor. As well as participating in a year 7, 8, 9 and 10 AFL Gala Day. Year 7 competed at our first annual Auburn versus Al Faisal Soccer gala day.

In addition, the school organises cross country, swimming and athletics carnivals. Overall, the standard of swimming has improved and the enthusiasm was fantastic.

The Auburn Girls High School athletics carnival was also a success. A number of students were invited to attend the Zone Athletics carnival. As in 2011 Auburn Girls High School organised the running of the Prospect Zone Cross Country Carnival. There were outstanding achievements at the carnival, 34 students competed with many of our girls placed in the top five positions. One of our students won the 15 years age group companionship enabling her to represent the Prospect Zone at the Regional Cross Country carnival.

Grade teams again performed very well this year with our Junior Basketball, Junior Oz Tag and Open Touch Football teams all winning their respective competitions. Importantly, all grade teams performed with outstanding sporting conduct, with many comments of praise about their behaviour this year from opposing schools.

Year 7 Swim School was held over four whole days in Term 4. It was very successful with students acquiring skills in water safety and awareness. In many cases students were exposed to swimming for the first time. It was exciting to see many students developing their confidence by the end of the program. This year Auburn Girls High School sold the Burqini swim suit to students at a subsidised cost, many students took up this offer.

2012 also gave Auburn Girls High School the opportunity to compete at the Greater Western Sydney AFL Gala Day. Year 7 and the Year 9 and 10 team combined both finished in second place, while our Year 8 team took out their division.

Finally the Year 7 Sports Soccer Gala day versus Al Faisal College was a great success. This is a great opportunity for Year 7 to compete in a healthy, friendly and competitive environment, whilst demonstrating their sporting talent. Year 12 students helped organise and run the day contributing to their Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation Assessment Task.

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The outlook for sport in 2013 is very positive with opportunities for students to show their talents and compete at higher levels in a wide variety of sporting settings.

Academic

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.

Yr 7: from Band 4 (lowest) to Band 9 (highest for Year 7)

Yr 9: from Band 5 (lowest) to Band 10 (highest for Year 9)

Students at the school continued to show above state average growth in all areas of NAPLAN; Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Numeracy.

The graphs on the following pages display the percentage of students in each of the bands of achievement, the upward trend in year 7 results over the last 4 years and the growth of students between year 7 and 9.

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Reading – NAPLAN Year 7

Numeracy – NAPLAN Year 7

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30

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45

4 5 6 7 8 9

Percentage

of students

Bands

Percentage in bands:Year 7 Reading

Percentage in Bands

School Average 2008‐2012

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

4 5 6 7 8 9

Percentage

of students

Bands

Percentage in bands:Year 7 Numeracy

Percentage in Bands


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Reading – NAPLAN Year 9

Progress in Reading, Spelling, Grammar and Numeracy

The graph below compares student’s growth in their NAPLAN results between Year 7 and Year 9 at Auburn Girls. The school is consistently above the state average in all areas of growth.

Numeracy – NAPLAN Year 9

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20

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45

5 6 7 8 9 10

Percentage

of students

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Percentage in bands:Year 9 Reading

Percentage in Bands


0

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10

15

20

25

30

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40

45

5 6 7 8 9 10

Percentage

of students

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Percentage in bands:Year 9 Numeracy

Percentage in Bands


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Record of School Achievement (RoSA).

The RoSA is a credential that shows your school achievement from Year 10 up to the HSC. 98 percent of students who undertook Year 10 completed their full RoSA. two percent received a record of attainment.

Higher School Certificate

In the Higher School Certificate the performance of students is reported in performance bands ranging from Performance Band 1 (lowest) to Performance Band 6 (highest). Statistically Similar Group (SSG) is the average of schools with similar student backgrounds to Auburn Girls.

The HSC class of 2012 achieved band six grades in Ancient History, Biology, Business Studies, English, Legal Studies, Modern History, Mathematics and Persian (language). Most courses showed an overall improvement with above state average results achieved in a range of subjects including Biology, Chemistry, 2 Unit Mathematics and Advanced English. These outstanding results were a continuation of a trend of consistent improvement in HSC results at Auburn Girls that has lasted for ten years. Auburn Girls High School would especially like to congratulate Zehra Al Sultany, Dux of 2012, for her outstanding HSC results. Zehra gained the top band six grade in five of her subjects and was recognised in the Board of Studies ‘All Rounders’ list – those students scoring above 90 in at least 10 units of study. Zehra’s results allowed her to receive an ATAR of over 98 and she is currently studying a combined Law/ Advance Science degree at the University of NSW.

The following table lists the schools’ HSC results in the 2012 HSC compared to the average results the school has achieved between 2008‐2012 and the results of schools that are statistically similar to Auburn Girls.

Course School

2012

School

Average

2008‐

2012

SSG

2012

Biology 72.5 72.6 64.4

Business Studies 65.3 68.2 66.6

Community and

Family Studies 61.7 63.7 65.6

Chemistry 75.44 70.7 62.2

English

(Standard) 61.9 58.6 59.6

English as a

Second

Language 69.4 67.1 68.4

English (

Advanced) 82.04 78.8 69.3

Mathematics 80.83 71.65 66.5

General

Mathematics 58.7 59.1 58.4

Hospitality

Examination 62.5 63.7 70.6

Legal Studies 65.4 66.8 66.1

Modern History 62.9 66.3 65.7

Ancient History 45.2 53.3 59.8

PDHPE 69.4 63.6 62.0

Senior Science 65.2 62.0 66.4

Visual Arts 74.5 70.6 74.3

HSC: Relative performance from Year 10 (value‐added)

Performance Band Low Middle High

School 2012 2.4 ‐0.2 ‐5.6

School Average 2008‐2012 2.6 4.6 5.5

SSG Average 2012 ‐1.3 ‐3.3 ‐3.4

Note: By definition, the State average relative performance is zero

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Significant programs and initiatives

Aboriginal education

In 2012 two students identified themselves as Aboriginal. An Aboriginal perspective is integrated into programs across all subjects. This has meant that our students are taught to value and understand our indigenous heritage. This systematic approach has enabled both staff and students to appreciate, respect and learn about the history, knowledge and culture of the first Australians. During NAIDOC week we had a wonderful Aboriginal guest speaker. Our junior students participated in a dance and cultural afternoon.

Multicultural education

Auburn Girls High School is a culturally diverse school wlith 98% of our students from LBOTE (Language Backgrounds Other Than English). This statistic is further broken down into 33 language groups. More than 33 different countries are represented in our student cohort. Our teaching staff also represents this microcosm of multiculturalism. As a whole school we are united in our commitment to celebrating our differences and sharing our cultural experiences. Our shared vision is to ensure that the issue of equity is addressed in the classroom and across the school.

Our students are able to study five different languages. These include Turkish, Arabic, Italian, French and Chinese (Mandarin). In 2012 we introduced ‘Studies of Religion’ as an HSC subject. This led to many opportunities for our students to teach students from other schools and to learn

from them about their different religions and cultures. A very successful day involved Islamic background students from our school visiting Shalom College on the UNSW campus to meet with students from other schools. The aim of the day was to create and sustain enduring relationships with people through inter‐cultural and inter‐faith dialogue. Further opportunities to share cultural understanding has occurred with students from Asquith Girls High School and Abbotsleigh, an independent Anglican school for girls. This particular initiative has led to ongoing inter‐school visits and shared perspectives. During 2012 our students also attended the Holroyd High Multicultural festival where they were able to share experiences and exchange ideas with the wider community of schools.

Every year the school celebrates Refugee week, this year the theme was Restoring Hope. In 2012 our students participated in a variety of activities designed to develop awareness of issues for refugees and celebrate their achievements. These activities included creative writing and art works. A guest speaker from Auburn Diversity Services spoke at our assembly about her experiences as a refugee. She also reminded our students to take up the challenge and work towards their goals.

Iftar Night was an opportunity to share the significance of Ramadan with our students and their families. The school community came together to break their fast. Students led the celebration with

Polynesia dancers at the school’s Polynesian Evening

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reflections on the need to support each other. The school also hosted a Polynesian Evening of entertainment. Students from our school were supported by their peers from other schools. It was an evening that showcased the talents of our girls. A strong feature of the evening was the support from our Islander community.

Our Afghani students were involved in a cultural club. The activities were organised by our CLO and included cooking and henna designs. All students were encouraged to participate. This group are now mentoring others and it is planned that they will run a henna workshop at our Multicultural Day in 2013.

Beyond the school our students are encouraged to celebrate their ethnicity. The international accounting firm, KPMG, not only provides

mentoring for our students but also actively promotes their artistic endeavours. During 2012 our students were given the opportunity to display their art work on the 15th floor of the KPMG building in Sydney. The themes for these works ranged from self portraits to representations of their own and other cultures. The Derivan Art Company also provided support and encouragement for our students. Our Year 10 students participated in the

Community Art Exhibition and student works were displayed for public viewing at the company’s Rhodes site. Students were given the opportunity to research and develop an Aboriginal inspired design. The winner of the People’s Choice award for the region was one of our Year 10 students. The art works are now on display in the school. Furthermore, ABCN (Australian Business Community Network) ran a state‐wide competition ‘Art for Art’s Sake’. One of our Year 9 students won the major prize and her artwork is on permanent display with the organisation. Her work is also featured on the cover of ABCN publications.

The school provided many opportunities for our

students to promote their talent and their cultural

heritage. 2012 saw our students perform at the

Opera House, at other schools within and beyond

our region as well as at a number of school events.

These performances ranged from sporting

exhibitions (Tae Kwon Do), African, Afghani, Arabic,

Islander and Turkish dances, piano recitals and

singing. Our students were able to express their

creativity, their cultural and school pride. Our

students love to share their traditions and talents.

2011‐12 Prefect team

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Our HSC performance evening showcased our

students’ cultural identities as well as their

extraordinary dramatic skills.

Our three Community Liaison Offers (CLOs) worked

together for benefit of both parents and students.

One of their initiatives was to take parents to TAFE

and various university campuses to showcase for

our families the possibility of further study for their

daughters. Auburn Girls High School is proud of the

spirit of multiculturalism that is embedded in the

curriculum. Our school actively promotes tolerance

and inclusion.

National partnership programs

A range of strategies were implemented through

the Federal Government’s Low Socio Economic

National Partnership to achieve improved outcomes

and engagement in the learning process. This

included the introduction of new technologies,

teaching and learning programs such as Quality

Teaching, the development of professional learning

communities, partnerships between schools and

universities and the intervention of Academic

Coaches.

Auburn Girls High recognises the importance of

ongoing Professional Learning in facilitating the best

teaching practice. A significant portion of National

Partnership resources were used to fund this

initiative.

The program in 2012 included:

Prioritising Grammar ‐ a series of modules produced and presented by the Literacy Consultant, Sue Celky

Effective Feedback – focusing on the research of Steve Dinham and John Hattie

Accelerated Literacy

GATS – Differentiating the Curriculum

GATS ‐ School Visits to Selective and partially Selective High Schools

Programming for the Selective class

Focus on Technology

Assessment and Reporting

Student Centred Learning

Behaviour Management

The Academic Coach Project is a National Partnership project with a focus on students in Years 7, 8 and 9. The role of the Academic Coach is to address the learning needs of individuals and groups of students within classrooms across the curriculum.

One of the essential ingredients of this project is ‘Getting to Know Our Students’. Attaining

Student Leadership planning day

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background knowledge of individual students prior to the implementation of plans and strategies in the classroom is a prerequisite in providing targeted assistance for individual and groups of students. Academic Coaches can assist staff in knowing their students better and how they learn best. They can improve relationships between students and teachers and identify and address obstacles that students may be facing. Academic Coaches achieve this through individual interviews, group surveys and the analysis and sharing of data.

The Academic Coach Project has provided assistance for individuals and groups through referrals and interventions arising from one‐to‐one interviews, group and class interventions arising from data analysis and the creation of Individual Learning Plans for G&T students and students with particular needs. It has also assisted in investigating new mainstream learning approaches through action research. These new approaches include, Reciprocal reading to improve reading comprehension and ‘Four Operations’ of Basic Numeracy Intervention for Years 7 and 8.

The Academic Coach Project has assisted in implementing alternative non‐mainstream learning programs. Such initiatives include promoting student learning through maximising and optimising academic engaged time, promoting learning outside class time, improving motivation through engaging student ‘cultural capital’, experimenting with alternative roles for the teacher (eg, mentor, tutor) and negotiated Individual Learning Plans.

The role of the Academic Coach is also to improve the effectiveness of Professional Development of target strategies, such as Reciprocal Reading, by demonstrating its implementation in the classroom. This allows teachers to work collaboratively and collegially with Academic Coaches and attain a greater understanding of the target strategy.

Progress on 2012 targets

Target 1

Strengthened the Literacy and Numeracy standards of all students

Our achievements include:

A reduction in the number of students below national minimum standard in Year 9 NAPLAN Grammar & Punctuation to 30% (2012).

The analysis of results of placement tests at enrolment and 2010 NAPLAN results allowed academic coaches to effectively identify individual students’ literacy and numeracy needs. These needs were then acted on via teacher professional development, team teaching and withdrawal strategies.

The school used expertise from other schools in the Granville district and South Western Sydney region to develop a reciprocal reading program.

The Year 7 ‘Grammar and Punctuation’ and Spelling results were the best in the last five years of the NAPLAN test.

Target 2

Student engagement through the provision of a diverse, inclusive curriculum


The development and regular review of individual learning plans with students and their teachers.

Individualised learning plans developed and regularly reviewed for identified Gifted & Talented, Learning Difficulties and ESL students.

Development of new Stage 4 programs (differentiated to embed GAT activities, ESL and Life Skills.

Development of rich tasks for Stage 4 learning.

All teachers in English, History, ESL, STLA, Music, Art, LOTE and Social Science engaged in professional dialogue and sharing of strategies and resources within faculties and cross faculties.

In 2012, 160 students were involved in leadership, peer support or environmental overnight camps.

SWS Regional G&T consultant, Margaret Callaghan’s post program survey of staff’s understanding of models of differentiation showed an increased range of teacher skills.

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Target 3

Quality teaching and quality leadership


More teachers indicate through survey instruments and faculty focus groups that they are integrating ICT into their lessons.

An increased number of teachers showcasing and sharing resources at staff meetings.

ICT skills integrated into faculty programs and the development of new ICT assessments.

Increased use of Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) reported by students.

Students trained in IWB use.

The number of IWB has increased by 30%.

School evaluation

1: Community and Family Studies

Background

Community and Family Studies is a Higher School

Certificate course taught in Year 11 and 12 by the

Physical Education, Health and Personal

Development faculty. The course has rapidly and

consistently increased in popularity from 11

students completing the Higher School Certificate in

2001 to 52 in 2012. This increase is expected to

continue with over 80 students selecting the course

for Year 11 in 2013. Community and Family Studies

has become the second most popular senior course

after Mathematics General.

Community and Family Studies Higher School Certificate results are below state average, and a significant dip in results in is of concern.

While students can draw upon their personal experiences to a limited extent in one Year 11 topic, there is a widely held but false belief among students that Community and Family Studies is an easy option. This perception and the popularity of the teachers involved mean students of diverse abilities choose the course. However the course is quite academic with considerable general knowledge and literacy demands. It is also conceptually rigorous and requires understanding

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of social research processes.

As a result it was determined that the review of the Physical Education, Health and Personal Development faculty should focus upon Community and Family Studies. Moreover a whole school curriculum review has been initiated to investigate the appropriateness of course offerings in the light of the 17 year old leaving age, senior subject selections and Higher Certificate results.

Findings and conclusions.

The course review has involved surveying all current students and teachers as well as parents and previous students to determine perceptions against best practice statements.

The Year 11 course was identified as most in need of reinvigoration with a student perception that it was not as interesting as other subjects. An insufficient number of appropriate textbooks, the need for more excursions and an absence of ‘real life’ case studies were identified by all groups as priorities for improvement. In terms of programming, the utilisation of student’s prior knowledge, ‘cultural knowledge’ and the inadequate utilisation of a range of strategies to cater for different learning styles were identified as areas for improvement. The complexities of effectively catering for the full range of abilities, from English as a Second Language students to potential Band 6 candidates was identified by teachers as an issue.

In terms of teaching practice it was thought that students did not have sufficient input into their learning. Collaborative learning and responding to course content through a range of processes, forms

and technologies were identified as ways of improving the delivery of the course. As well a need for critical reflection upon effective practice and current research and program evaluation meetings were identified by teachers as being particularly desirable.

Future directions and recommendations for 2013

The whole school curriculum review has made a number of recommendations with implications for Community and Family Studies and other similar courses. A significant broadening of the vocational course offering will better cater for many of the non‐academic students. Secondly the introduction of new Stage 5 courses, Child Studies and Work Studies, will provide much needed background knowledge for students who subsequently choose Community and Family Studies.

Future directions identified by the review of Community and Family Studies include:

Planning of more excursions, particularly for Year 11, to engage students with community organisations. Ideally these excursions should be local so that students can identify the relevance of learning to their personal and family circumstances.

Purchasing more textbooks that provide access to quality source material. The development of parallel topic and case study booklets would better cater for students of different English language competence and ability.

Utilisation of student centred teaching practices. This will enable students to work at their own level using the booklets

(above), to use technology and a range of processes and to become more independent learners.

Development of a sustained family scenario in Year 11 as a strategy for adding coherence and interest to otherwise divergent topics.

Teachers visiting other schools with successful Community and Family Studies courses to engage with different approaches.

Staff involved in Professional

Development

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2: Professional Development

Background

Professional Development has played a significant role at Auburn Girls High School in building leadership and teaching capacity, with clear indications that professional development strategies have had a positive effect on student learning outcomes and have facilitated best teaching practice.

Findings and Conclusions

The strengths of this initiative have developed a more collaborative and collegial culture amongst staff, where they feel confident to partake in professional dialogue, showcase work and share experiences and expertise. Through the ‘Prioritising Grammar’ modules teachers have collaboratively designed grammar lessons that have successfully integrated the use of ICT, increasing student engagement.

The focus on Gifted and Talented education has successfully enabled staff to gain a greater understanding in catering for this specific group of students. The development of a differentiated curriculum, quality assessments that require high order thinking and rich tasks have successfully been embedded in all faculty programs. School visits to partially Selective and Selective schools enabled staff to make comparisons between selective and non‐selective schools. This experience provided staff with a clear insight of the differences and similarities that exist in various facets of pedagogical programs, faculties and in the overall school environment.

Through ongoing evaluation and reflection of Professional Learning via ‘Plus, Minus and Interesting’ surveys, it is clearly evident that the majority of staff believe that teaching and learning is the core business of schools. Through Professional Development the staff have gained greater confidence in catering for all students including the Gifted and Talented. Teacher confidence and competence in creating rich tasks, quality assessments and in increasing student engagement has greatly improved. Teachers are more likely to take risks and employ various teaching practices to make their lessons more engaging and applicable for 21st Century learners.

Continual collaboration and the ability to work closely with members of other faculties, has enabled staff to recognise the relevance of a cross curriculum education and the importance of students making connections in their learning. This in turn has enhanced student learning outcomes.

Future Directions and Recommendations for 2013

In 2013, the Mathematics, Science, TAS, PDHPE and Support faculties along with the Careers teachers and the teacher librarian will partake in Professional Development. A similar model of Planning, Creating and Evaluating will be used in each of the sessions. Similarly, each faculty will devote one Wednesday per fortnight on Professional Development.

Future directions and recommendations based on teacher feedback and evaluation of programs include:

Providing teachers opportunities to ‘voice’ the direction and preference of their Professional Development. This allows a sense of ownership and gratification of personal growth and achievement. The encouragement of professional dialogue and the sharing of resources and ideas will be highlighted.

Use of ‘in‐house’ expertise, as well as, external consultants in the facilitation of Professional Development. Our STLA and ESL teachers, Head Teacher Mentor and the school counsellor have the background knowledge and expertise to provide explicit training and development in their key areas.

Increased cross‐curriculum integration. Teachers working within other faculties in the development and sharing of ideas, programs and assessments. Emphasis in promoting the connections that exist in various key learning areas that will provide students with a better understanding of the concepts being taught.

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The provision of Professional Development that is more relevant and applicable to the needs of all teachers. This includes modules from the Classroom Teacher Program such as ‘Supporting Refugee Students’ and Catering for 21st Century Learners. Most sessions will be limited to one Wednesday in order to allow a broader scope of learning.

Parent, student, and teacher satisfaction

Auburn Girls High School is committed to continuous improvement. In 2012 the school sought the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school.

Their responses are presented below.

Parents:

The majority of parents surveyed perceive that the school was serving their daughters educational needs. Concerns, however, were raised about students’ access to excursions with a perception that students in the academically streamed classes have greater access to excursions. Parents were positive with the increase of documents translated into community languages by the school and wished this program to be extended.

There was general concern that the school’s hall was not large enough to accommodate the large formal presentation days, thus the school moved its 2012 presentation night to the Auburn RSL to allow a greater number of families to attend.

Students:

Student feedback was a priority of the school during 2012. As part of this process students’

opinions were collected on issues concerning facilities, organisational and educational matters. The students were very positive about the recent increase playground area and the new outdoor furniture and equipment that had been supplied. As part of the academic coach program each student in years 7, 8 and 9 underwent an interview with a coach on their attitudes to learning, the school and their future aspirations. This information was collected by the Head Teacher Secondary Studies directed staff professional development activities in Terms 3 and 4.

Staff:

The staff involved in the National Partnership program responded positively to the opportunity to expand their teaching practice. Staff responded strongly to the opportunity to visit other partially and fully selective high schools to share their teaching practices.

Professional learning

In 2012 improved literacy and numeracy achievement was a whole school priority. At a Year 7 level team teachers regularly shared new ideas and best teaching practice in literacy and numeracy. Staff from every faculty elected to participate in regular workshops after school such as the ‘Prioritising Grammar’ course.

Year 8 Ceramics

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Our Early Career teachers were provided with ongoing professional support from their Head Teacher Mentor. This group has demonstrated a strong commitment to learning new skills and they are well on their way to completing a minimum 100 hours of professional learning.

Throughout 2012 staff attended courses during school time, after school, on weekends and during the holidays to improve their understanding and their teaching practice.

All staff are required to formally evaluate their learning experiences. These evaluations demonstrate our commitment to being a true learning community.

School planning 2012—2014

The school planning policy provides direction for the preparation and implementation of school plans including the identification of priority areas, intended outcomes and targets that are consistent with the NSW State Plan and the Department’s planning documents.

School priority 1

Outcome for 2012–2014: Literacy and Numeracy

2013 Targets to achieve this outcome include:

Decrease the number of Year 9 students below the national minimum standard in NAPLAN Reading from 30% to 25% or less

Increase the number of Year 9 students with ‘at’ or ‘above’ expected growth rates in NAPLAN Reading from 54% to at least 60%

Increase the number of Year 9 students achieving band 8 or above in NAPLAN Writing from 15% to at least 20%

Strategies to achieve these targets include:

More sustained collaboration with primary schools in order to identify the skills and knowledge acquired, so that teachers in Stage 4 are able to build on these skills and knowledge

Investigate and implement strategies that support underperforming students (eg

Multilit and Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R) programs)

Deliver school‐based courses (eg: Teaching English to Language Learners ‐ TELL), engage in collaborative projects (eg: ESL pedagogy) and share expertise through professional learning.

School priority 2

Outcome for 2012–2014 Student engagement through the provision of a diverse, inclusive curriculum


Increase average Yr 7 to 9 NAPLAN growth from 8 to 10 points above state average for students targeted for assistance through individualised learning plans.

All students in Years 9 ‐12 demonstrate an increased awareness of their responsibilities as digital citizens

At least 70% of students in Gifted and Talented stream achieve Band 8 or above in Year 9 NAPLAN in Grammar & Punctuation

Increased number of students participating in academic and/ or welfare overnight camps


Individualised learning plans developed and regularly reviewed for identified Gifted and Talented, Learning Difficulties ESL and refugee students

Improve student engagement by increasing student and teacher access to appropriate technology in the classroom through the purchase of an additional 5 Interactive Whiteboards, to provide a more diverse and inclusive curriculum

Academic Coach positions created to

provide guidelines for teachers and

students in regards to further

enrichment/support

School priority 3

Outcome for 2012–2014: Quality Teaching and Quality Leadership


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All assessments in Years 7‐10 are coded higher in the ‘Significance’ domain by students and staff

Reduced number of students arriving late to school from 6% to below 4%

Increase the average valued added score across all HSC subjects from 2 points in 2012 to 4 points in 2013


Increase the percentages of school documents translated into community languages

Increase number of community activities such as multicultural days

School priority 4

Outcome for 2012–2014: Expanded citizenship and career horizons


Increased participation in TVET/VET courses for Stage 6 students from 20% to at least 30%

Improved citizenship through an understanding of the importance of mutual respect

Improvement in students public speaking skills


Strengthen the mentoring committee consultation to include post school intentions

Increase access to TAFE delivered vocational education and training (TVET) courses

Strengthen home room groups – investigation of Pastoral Care type roll call

About this report

In preparing this report, the self‐evaluation committee has gathered information from evaluations conducted during the year and 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.

Rod Fisher Deputy Principal Noel Brackenbury Head Teacher Secondary Studies Suada Bilali Deputy Principal Barbara Fuller Deputy Principal Jennie Dalamagas Head Teacher Mathematics Fatma Yucel CLO; P&C President Rita Evangelista Careers Adviser Gail Conder Head Teacher Welfare Leanne Jackman Head Teacher PD/H/PE & VET Chris Charles Principal Walaa Jassim Al‐Hamran Year 11 student Navjoyt Chattha Year 11 student

School contact information

AUBURN GIRLS HS, Hunter Street

AUBURN NSW 2144

Ph: (02) 9649 6949, Fax: (02) 9749 1035

Email: auburng‐[email protected]

Web: www.auburng‐h.schools.nsw.edu.au/

School Code: 8532

Parents can find out more information about Annual School Reports, how to interpret information in the reports and have the opportunity to provide feedback about these reports at:

http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/asr

final aghs-2012 - auburn girls high school · in 2012, the school had 66 permanent teaching staff...

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