St Andrews Public School2015 Annual Report

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IntroductionTheAnnualReportfor2015isprovidedtothecommunityofStAndrewsPublicSchoolasanaccountoftheschool’soperationsandachievementsthroughouttheyear.

It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educationalopportunitiesforallstudents,assetoutintheschoolplan.Itoutlinesthefindingsfromself-assessmentthatreflecttheimpactofkeyschoolstrategiesfor improvedlearningandthebenefittoallstudentsfromtheexpenditureofresources,includingequityfunding.

MrRichardBattyPrincipal

Schoolcontactdetails:

StAndrewsPublicSchool

89BallantraeDrive

StAndrews,NSW2566

Web:www.standrews-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Email:standrews-p-school@det.nsw.edu.au

Phone:0296031333

Fax:0298203127

MessagefromthePrincipalThe2015schoolyearprovedtobeanothersuccessfulyearatStAndrewsPublicSchool.

Throughoutthisyear’sAnnualSchoolReportyouwillreadjustasnapshotoftheamazingthingsthatareoccurringinourschoolcommunityandsomeoftheacademicresultsourstudentshaveachieved.Welldonestudents,schoolstaff and thewider community forworking sohard.Our reputation in the community continues tobe thatof aschoolwhoachievesexcellentacademicresults,focusesonstudentwell-beingandprovidesawiderangeofextra-curricularactivities.

I certify that the information in this report is the result of a rigorous school self-evaluation process and is abalancedandgenuineaccountoftheschool’sachievementsandareasfordevelopment.

MrRichardBatty

Principal

Schoolbackground

Schoolvisionstatement

Children, First and Foremost

Schoolcontext

StAndrewsPublicSchool is situated inasuburbnamedStAndrews inSouthWesternSydney,NSW,Australia. There are currently 790 students (6% Aboriginal, 46% English as an AdditionalLanguage/Dialect)Kto6enrolledinourschool,comprising34classes,includinganOpportunityClass(OC)andfivesupportclasses.St Andrews Public School prides itself on being a supportive educational setting which continuallyprovides authentic learning experiences for all children, including gifted and talented students andstudentsrequiringadditionalsupportforautismandmoderateandmildintellectualdisabilities.Weareaninclusiveschoolcommunitythatfocusesontheneedtobesafe,berespectfulandbealearner.Our staff and community have high expectations and aspirations for their children and these arerealised through theskillanddedicationofourhighlyqualifiedstaffandare reflected in thequalitylearningoutcomesachievedbyourstudents.StudentsatStAndrewsPublicSchoolcontinuetoachieveexcellence inStateandNational testing inliteracyandnumeracyandalsointheUniversityofNSWcompetitions.Theschoolcurriculumprovidesprogramsthatcaterforawiderangeofstudentabilities.Theperformingartsplayanimportantroleintheeducationofourstudents,withopportunitiestoparticipateindance,drama,schoolinstrumentalgroups and choirs. Sport also plays an important role, with students given the opportunity toparticipateinPSSAinter-schoolsportandarangeofothersportingevents.StAndrewsPublicSchoolprovides many other experiences such as debating, chess club, drama club and Korean languageteaching.Our studentsareenvironmentallyawareandweareveryproudofourvegetablegardens,watertanks,wormfarmsandcompostbins.Our supportive and active parent body works in partnership with staff to provide programs andresources of the highest quality for our students. Proceeds from our annual fete and Parent Bodyfundraisersarecontributingtothepurchaseofairconditioningunitsineveryclassroom.

Self-assessmentandschoolachievements

Self-assessmentusingtheSchoolExcellenceFrameworkThissectionof theAnnualReportoutlines the findings fromself-assessmentusing theSchoolExcellenceFramework,ourschoolachievementsandthenextstepstobepursued.TheFrameworksupportspublicschoolsthroughoutNSWinthepursuitofexcellencebyprovidingacleardescriptionofhighqualitypracticeacrossthethreedomainsofLearning,TeachingandLeading.Thisyear,ourschoolundertookself-assessmentusing theelementsof theSchoolExcellenceFrameworkand its implications for informing,monitoringandvalidatingour journeyofexcellence. In thedomainofLearning,ourfocusareashavebeenCurriculumandLearningandLearningCulture.Thedevelopmentandimplementationofevidence-basedlearningandinnovativedeliveryhasbeenfundamentaltoourprogress.TheschoolaimstocontinuedevelopingaculturewithastrongfocusonWell-Beingin2016.Our major focus areas in the domain of Teaching have been Professional Standards and Learning andDevelopment.Teachersdemonstratedtheircommitmentto theirongoingdevelopmentandactivelyplannedtheirownprofessional development to improve their performance. The excellence of teaching practice throughclassrooms observations, reflection and feedback highlight a teaching culture focused on improvedindividualperformance.Staff areworking towards the development of expertise in 21st Century learning skills in linewith newsyllabiandaimtofurtherimprovepractice.In the domain of Leading, our priority has been on Leadership as we recognise that leadershipdevelopment is central to building school capacity and the achievement of school excellence. Aspiringleadersengaged incoachingandmentoringsessionsensuringeffective implementationofkey initiativesacrosstheschool.The leadership team has been successful in leading initiatives outlined in this report and building thecapacitiesofallstafftocreateadynamicschoollearningculture.Leaders facilitatedand connectedwithothernetworks tobuildupon leadership skillswithin the school.Ourself-assessmentprocesswillfurtherassisttheschooltorefinethestrategicprioritiesinourschoolplanleadingtofurtherimprovementsinthedeliveryofeducationtoourstudents.

StrategicDirection1

Wellbeing

Purpose

Todevelopaholisticapproachforthewellbeingofstudents,staffandthecommunity,regardlessof cultural background, experiences and abilities. In addition, to support the development ofunderstandings, skills andattitudesneeded tobehappy, resilient, self-confident, caringand co-operativeindividualswhomakemeaningfulcontributionstotheschoollearningcommunity.

Overallsummaryofprogress

StrategicDirection1hashelped staffdevelop classroompracticesand schoolwideprograms toenhance student resilience and engagement. The new DoE Wellbeing for schools policy is astrengths-basedapproachensuringeverystudentinNSWpublicschoolscanconnect,succeedandthrive at school and beyond. As part of its implementation, St Andrews Public School hascommencedaprocessofconsultationwithstaffandthewiderschoolcommunitytoreviewandmodifycurrentpoliciestoalignwiththenewWellbeingFramework.Theschoolconsistentlyimplementsawhole-schoolapproachtowellbeingthathasclearlydefinedbehavioural expectations and creates a positive teaching and learning environment. Qualityteachingandprofessionalpracticearebeingdevelopedineverylearningenvironment,providingstudentswithopportunitiestosucceedattheirleveloflearninganddevelopment.Studentscareforself,andcontributetothewellbeingofothersandthewidercommunity.

Progresstowardsachievingimprovementmeasures Resources(annual)

Improvementmeasure(tobeachievedover3years)

•100%ofstudentsidentifyasbeingsafe,respectfulandengagedlearners

Progressachievedthisyear

• The Tell them fromme survey identified 92% offemalestudentsand85%ofmalestudentsashavingpositive student behaviour at school and areinterestedandmotivatedtolearn.

•98%offemalestudentsand96%ofmalestudentsvaluedschooloutcomes.

• 8 out of 10 females and 7 out of 10 malesidentified they had someone at school whoconsistently provides encouragement and can beturnedtoforadvice.

•9outof10femalestudentsand8.7outof10malestudentsfeelteachersareresponsivetotheirneedsand encourage independence with a democraticapproach.

$7500

•100%ofstafffeeltheirwellbeingis

• 100% of staff were consulted during the schoolplanning process and communicated that they felt

$12000

StrategicDirection1

supportedandembeddedintotheimplementationofschoolpoliciesandprocedures

partofthefuturedirectionoftheschool.

• TheWell Being team implemented a number ofstrategies (including Well Being week) to improvestaff wellbeing. This strategy has improved thesenseofteamrightacrosstheschool.

•100%ofstudentsidentifiedasrequiringadditionalprovisionsareappropriatelysupportedthroughpersonalisedlearningplans•Improvementinstudentattendanceby1.5%(93.4%)

•AllclassroomteachersidentifiedstudentswithadditionallearningneedsintheirclassroomanddevelopedindividuallearningprogramsthatweresupportedbytheteacherandSLSO.•TheLearningSupportTeammeetweeklyandassignprioritiesbasedonteacherfeedbackandwholeschooldata.•Abehaviouralconsultantisemployedonedayperweektosupportteacherprofessionallearningandidentifystudentsneedingadditionalsupport.•Proactiveattendancemonitoringandprocedurescontinuetoimproveoverallattendancedatawithattendanceratesat94.5%andasteadydecreaseinchronicnon-attendanceisevident.•Aclassroomteacherisreleasedfortwohourseachweektomonitorwholeschoolattendanceandpromoteproactivestrategieswithallstaff.

$165000

Nextsteps

Thissection includes futuredirections for2016andensuresthe3-yearplanremainsontracktoprovidehighqualityeducationaloutcomes.

What are the next steps required for 2016 to ensure Strategic Direction 1 is successfullyimplemented?

•TheWellBeingTeamwillcontinuetoprovidearangeofstrategiestopromotestaffwell-being.

• PBL will become a greater focus during 2016 with a revision of our student welfare andbehaviourpolicyandcommunicationprocessestoparents.• Continue to monitor attendance through Sentral, classroom teacher/parent relationships,attendancemonitorandHSLO.

StrategicDirection2

Authentic Community Engagement

Purpose

Todesigneffectivecommunicationstructures thatengageandempowerstudents, staffand thecommunity, inawaythat ispurposefulandauthentic. Inaddition, tocontinuebuildingaschoolculturethatiswellinformed,innovativeandresponsivetostudentandcommunityneeds.

Overallsummaryofprogress

In 2015 theWell Being Teamand Leadership andManagement Teamworked in conjunction tosupport the achievement of the community’s vision, goals and aspirations. The teams played apivotal role in engaging staff, students, parents and wider community to be involved in thedevelopment of the school’s vision and strategic directions and build capacity of the schoolcommunitytoparticipateinauthenticandpurposefulconsultationforschoolimprovement.Community feedback continues to be a regular practice throughout the school and evaluatedutilisingtheParentBody,Multiculturalparentgroup,coffeechatandparentfocusgroups.Schoolplansanddirectionshavebeenshapedbycommunity feedbackanddecisionsare influencedbythisinput.Wehaveidentifiedthisareaasbeingpivotaltolearning,well-beingandemotionalandsocialoutcomesforallstudents.Agreaternumberofparentscontinuetoengageinthelifeoftheschool.

Progresstowardsachievingimprovementmeasures Resources(annual)

Improvement measure(to be achieved over 3years)

•25%increaseincommunityattendanceatschoolevents

Progressachievedthisyear

• The school had in excess of 500 grandparents atourGrandparentsDaycelebrations.

•CoffeeChatparentmorningswereverysuccessfulwith teachers being able to discuss school relatedmatterswithparents/carersinaninformalsetting.

• An increase in parents being helpers in HomeReadingandclassroomsupport.

• The establishment of a termly Yarning Circle forAboriginal parents and family members wasorganised. An average of 10 parents attend eachgathering.

$6500

•75%ofparentsengageinformalstudentlearningmeetings

• From 2014 to 2015 the school achieved a 10%increase in participation at parent informationeveningsandparent/teachernights.

•A12%increaseinparentsattendingPLPmeetings

•ItwaschallengingtoencourageparentstoattendIEPmeetings,which is an areawewill be focusingon in 2016. Progress was evident, however very

$4000

StrategicDirection2

minor.

•100%increaseincommunityparticipationinschooldecisionmakingforums

•95%ofparentsreturnedourVisionsurvey.

•50%increaseinparents/familymembersattendingmonthlyParentBodymeetingstodiscussthefuturedirectionoftheschool.

•1100children,parentsandfamilyattendedourChristmasCarolsconcertontheoval.

$8000

Nextsteps

Thissection includes futuredirections for2016andensuresthe3-yearplanremainsontracktoprovidehighqualityeducationaloutcomes.

What are the next steps required for 2016 to ensure Strategic Direction 2 is successfullyimplemented?• The Skoolbag app was purchased in 2015 and trialled in Term 3 and 4. There was anoverwhelmingresponseandwillbeheavilypromotedasaneffectivecommunicationtoolin2016.• A Community Engagement Officer to be employed one day per fortnight to align with thisstrategic direction and to promote further involvement of parents from Non English speakingbackgrounds.• The Literacy and Numeracy teams will be implementing parent workshops focused onsupportingstudentlearninginthehomeenvironment.

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StrategicDirection3

Quality Teaching and Learning

Purpose

To support staff througha comprehensive, strategicandpersonalisedapproach toprofessionaldevelopmentandtocultivatereflectiveandcollegialpracticewhichtailors learning. Inaddition,to provide quality teaching and learning experiences that support our students to be literate,numerate,confident,creativeandcooperative21stcenturylearners.

Overallsummaryofprogress

94%of Year 3 and95%of Year 5 students are abovenationalminimumstandardsonexternalperformancemeasures.Studentsareshowingexpectedgrowthoninternalschoolperformancemeasures.Teachers regularly use student performance data, analysis and other student feedback toevaluatetheeffectivenessoftheirownteachingpractices.Withtheintroductionofmoreformalclassroomobservationsandfeedbacksessionsfrompeers,thispracticewillfurtherimproveandbecomeembeddedintheclassroomteaching/learningculture.There is a particular focus on improved teaching methods in literacy and numeracy, withprofessionallearningactivitiesfocusedonbuildingteachers’understandingsofeffectiveteachingstrategiesintheseareas.Theschoolalsoidentifiesexpertisewithinitsstaffanddrawsonthistofurtherdevelopitsprofessionalcommunity.Quality Teaching and Educational Leadership are continually being developed through theeffectiveimplementationofgoalsettingproceduresutilisingthePerformanceandDevelopmentFramework and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. This process has beendevelopedin2015andwillcontinuetobebuiltuponandrefinedin2016.Teachersarebecomingmorereflectiveoftheirownpractice.Beginningteachershavebeenprovidedwithopportunitiestodevelopnetworks across the school anddevelop collegial relationshipswith eachother andmentorstoassisttheirdevelopmentasclassroomteachers.

Progresstowardsachievingimprovementmeasures Resources(annual)

Improvement measure(to be achieved over 3years)

•100%ofteachershaveaPerformanceandDevelopmentPlanandareengagedincollaborativepractice

Progressachievedthisyear

•100%ofteachershaveengagedinscheduledprofessionalconversationsandgoalsettingtosupportthedevelopmentandimplementationofthePerformanceandDevelopmentFramework.

•100%ofnewlyappointedbeginningteachersareengagedinprofessionallearningonaweeklybasistoassistindevelopingskillsandunderstandingaroundqualityteaching.

$29000

• 85% of students meeting appropriate learning expectations

•31%ofstudentsinYear3achievedinthetop2bandsinNAPLAN(ReadingandNumeracy)

•25%ofstudentsinYear5achievedinthetop2bandsinNAPLAN(ReadingandNumeracy)

•25%ofstudentsinYear7achievedinthetop2

StrategicDirection3

bandsinNAPLAN(ReadingandNumeracy)

•94.5%ofstudentsinYears3and5achievedabovetheNationalMinimumStandard(ReadingandNumeracy)

•100%ofschoolprogramsthatsupportAboriginalStudentsarealignedwiththesixdomainsoftheNationalAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderActionPlan•100%ofstudentsareengagedinteachingandlearningactivitiesthatutilisetheschoolsidentified21stCenturyLearningSkills

• A number of Aboriginal studentswere targetedfor additional support during our KindergartenOrientation program. The school worked closelywith KARI and Tharaawal to identify the ongoingsupportneededduringthesetransitions.

•ThroughtheYarningCircleandsupportwiththeWestern Sydney University, students wereprovidedwith culturalexperiencesand identifyingfuturepathwaystouniversityandothervocationaleducationalsettings.

•TheschoolpurchasedanumberofTouchPanelsto support the development of 21st Centurylearning skills K to 6. Aboriginal culturalexperiences were embedded into weekly lessonsutilisingthistechnology.

$31000

Nextsteps

Thissectionincludesfuturedirectionsfor2016andensuresthe3-yearplanremainsontracktoprovidehighqualityeducationaloutcomes.

Whatarethenextstepsrequiredfor2016toensureStrategicDirection3issuccessfullyimplemented?

•Refinetargetssetforindividualstudentssomoreexplicitandcontinuouslybasedondata.• Improve student performance in all internal andexternalmeasures, includingmore studentsintoproficiencybandsinNAPLANandincreasedstudentgrowth.•Wholeschool focusonnumeracy inavarietyof contexts including improvedEarlyarithmeticstrategiesK-2.•Assessmentforlearningprojecttobemoredetailedandspecificacrosstheschool.• Provide better communication about children’s in-class learning programs including supportandextensionprovisions.• New syllabus being effectively and consistently implemented and common understanding ofrequirementsisdevelopedusingtheskillsofeachKLAtoensurethatteachingismeaningfulandrelevanttoindividualstudentneed.NextSteps

Keyinitiativesandotherschoolfocusareas

Keyinitiatives(annual) Impactachievedthisyear Resources(annual)

Aboriginalbackgroundfunding

•AllAboriginalstudentshaveaPLPwhichhavebeendevelopedinconsultationwithparents,studentsandteachers.Theseplansfocusonacademicaswellassocial/emotionalgoals.

•Continuedtostrengthenpartnershipsandpromotedgenuinecollaborationbetweenschools,AboriginalfamiliesandlocalAECG.

•EmployedSLSOstosupportstudentlearningintheclassroom

•TeacherstaughtinConnectedCommunitiesschoolsaspartoftheirongoingPL.

$35235

Englishlanguageproficiencyfunding

•StrengthenedEnglishlanguagesupportforEAL/Dstudentsatkeytransitionpointsi.e.TargetedstudentsinKindergarten.

•ImprovedthequalityofteachingandlearningforEAL/Dstudentsthroughtheeffectiveuseofdatatoinformdifferentiationinprogramsandassessment.

•2xteachersemployed3daysperweektosupportstudentsrequiringadditionallearningsupport.

$118334

Targeted students support for refugees and new arrivals

•InclasssupporttomaximiseLiteracyandNumeracyskillsandtoincreaseEnglishlanguageproficiency.

•Programsweredifferentiatedtomeetstudentneed.

$8000

Socio-economicfunding

•StudentwithgreatestneedwereidentifiedbystaffandL&STandgiventimetoworkwithateachertoimproveliteracyandnumeracyskills.Parentswereinformedofassistancegiven.

•Targetedindividualstudentsandworkedtowardsimprovingstudentoutcomes.

$62785

Next Steps

•Engagedparentsintothelifeoftheschoolviacoffeechat,yarningcircleandliteracyandnumeracyworkshops.

Low level adjustment for disabilityfunding

•SupporttargetedstudentsintheclassroombyfundingadditionalSLSOstosupportstudentsatkeytransitionalpoints,andtheimplementationofIndividualisedLearningPlans.

•Employedteachersacrosstheschooleachweektosupportstudentsandfocusonindividuallearningplans.

$257824

Supportforbeginningteachers

•AdditionalRFFprovidedtoensurereducedresponsibilitiesandteachingloadtosupportthedevelopmentofskills.

•Collaborativesupport,feedbackandmentoringprovidedaspartofPDPsbyteamleadersandcolleagues.

•Strategicresourcingtosupportneeds

•Mentoringandplanningsupportprovidedthroughembeddedschoolpractices.

$29478

StudentinformationItisarequirementthatthereportingofinformationfor all students be consistent with privacy andpersonalinformationpolicies.

Studentenrolmentprofile

Studentattendanceprofile

Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Scho

ol

K 94.4 94.1 95.7 97.6 95.8 94.5

1 94.3 92.5 94.6 96.3 94.4 93.8

2 94.3 93.2 93.9 96.4 93.4 94.7

3 95.1 94.4 95.0 96.4 95.7 93.8

4 93.8 94.1 94.6 97.3 94.8 95.5

5 95.1 94.5 95.8 97.0 93.7 94.7

6 93.9 94.7 94.4 96.4 94.1 94.5

Total 94.4 93.9 94.8 96.8 94.5 94.5

Stat

e D

oE

K 94.7 94.7 94.3 95.0 95.2 94.4

1 94.2 94.2 93.9 94.5 94.7 93.8

2 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.7 94.9 94.0

3 94.5 94.4 94.4 94.8 95.0 94.1

4 94.5 94.3 94.3 94.7 94.9 94.0

5 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.5 94.8 94.0

6 94 93.8 93.8 94.1 94.2 93.5

Total 94.4 94.3 94.2 94.7 94.8 94.0

WorkforceinformationReporting of information for all staff must beconsistent with privacy and personal informationpolicies.

Workforcecomposition

Position Number

Principal 1.0

DeputyPrincipal(s) 2.0

AssistantPrincipal(s) 5.0

HeadTeacher(s)

ClassroomTeacher(s) 27.844

TeacherofReadingRecovery 0.945LearningandSupportTeacher(s) 1.7

TeacherLibrarian 1.2

TeacherofESL 1.2

SchoolCounsellor 1.0

SchoolAdministrative&SupportStaff 9.672Otherpositions

Total 51.561

The Australian Education Regulation, 2014 requiresschoolstoreportonAboriginalcompositionoftheirworkforce.St Andrews Public School has one Aboriginal staffmember.

TeacherqualificationsAll teaching staff meet the professionalrequirementsforteachinginNSWpublicschools.

Qualifications %ofstaff

Undergraduatedegreeordiploma 93%

Postgraduatedegree 7%

Professionallearningandteacheraccreditation

During2015,oneteachersubmittedaccreditationtothe Board of Studies Teaching and EducationalStandards (BOSTES) at proficient teacher level.Eleven staff are currentlymaintaining accreditationat proficient level and three teachers weresupported by their supervisor/mentor accessingBeginningTeacherAllocation fundingalignedto theGreatTeaching,InspiredLearningreform.

Professional learning undertaken by all staff at StAndrews Public School in 2015 was linked to ourthree strategic directions of Quality Teaching andLearning, Wellbeing and Authentic CommunityEngagement.

Student Enrolment

Gender 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015Male 420 393 374 366 389 414 409Female 371 345 341 346 360 377 378

Financialinformation

Financialsummaryfor229(SAP)schoolsThis section is mandatory for reporting in the Annual Report for all 229 schools. All 229 schools are required to replace the Financial Summary table in the AR template with the following tables and statements.

For 2015, the 229 schools are required to report on financial information from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015. The summary table should be supported by a general statement describing: − the school’s financial management processes and governance structures to meet financial policy requirements − any unusual spending patterns, or substantial underspending/overspending (e.g. accommodating leave, - illness, savings for planned capital expenditure) − intended use of funds available.Funds received through the Resource AllocationModel(StAndrewsPublicSchool)

Component RAMBase 4,474,232

Location - Other Base 4,474,232

Equity 474,178 Aboriginal 35,235 Socio-Economic 62,785 Language 118,334 Disability 257,824 Equity Transition -

Targeted Total 914,773 Other Total 202,728 Total 6,065,912

Financial Summary for the Year Ended 31 December 2015 (St Andrews Public School)

2015 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 311,995

Revenue 6,564,362

Appropriation 6,196,081

Sale of Goods and Services

61,951

Grants and Contributions

300,087

Investment Income 6,242

Gain and loss -

Other Revenue

-

Expenses (6,270,313)

Recurrent Expenses

Employee Related (5,705,149)

Operating Expenses (565,165)

Capital Expenses

Employee Related

-

Operating Expenses

-

Surplus/Deficit for the Year 294,049

Balance Carried Forward 606,044

SchoolperformanceNAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the resultsacrosstheYears3,5,7and9literacyandnumeracyassessmentsarereportedonascalefromBand1toBand 10. The achievement scale representsincreasing levels of skills and understandingsdemonstratedintheseassessments.

The My School website provides detailedinformation and data for national literacy andnumeracy testing. Click on the link My School andinsert the school name in the Find a school andselectGOtoaccesstheschooldata.

NAPLAN -YEAR 3 Literacy (including Reading,Writing,SpellingandGrammarandPunctuation)

NAPLAN -YEAR 5 Literacy (including Reading,Writing,SpellingandGrammarandPunctuation)

NAPLAN–Year3and5–Numeracy

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfactionEachyearschoolsarerequiredtoseektheopinionsofparents,studentsandteachersabouttheschool.In 2015, the school sought the opinions ofparents/carers, students and teachers regardingvarious aspects of the school. Their responses arepresentedbelow:

• Themajorityofparents/carers feel that thequalityteachingandlearningprogramsatStAndrewsPublicSchoolcaterfortheneedsoftheirchild.

• They support continuous celebrations of allstaff,communityandstudentachievements.

• Parents/carers would like the school tocontinue enhancing opportunities forcommunity involvement in all facets ofschool.

• Parents/carersbelievethatallstaffhavethebestinterestsoftheirchildren.

PolicyrequirementsAboriginaleducation

We currently have 54 Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander students enrolled at St Andrews PublicSchool. We continue to support Aboriginal history,culture and contemporary Aboriginal Australiawithin our school by embedding Aboriginalperspectives throughout the curriculum andcelebrating Aboriginal culture. The results fromNAPLAN have demonstrated that our Aboriginalstudents have exceeded the state average forAboriginal students in most areas, and most haveshown significant growth in both literacy andnumeracyfromYear3toYear5.This year staff attended professional developmentwhich focussedoncommunityengagementandtheimplementationof Personalised Learning Pathways.Teacherscontinued toutilise theAboriginal8WaysFramework to develop units of work to meet theneedsofallstudents,throughlearningmaps,sharingofstoriesandlinkstolandandcommunity.We continued to build meaningful and significantrelationshipswithourcommunitymembersthroughrefining the process of meeting with parents andcaregivers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderstudents.ThiswastodevelopPersonalisedLearningPathways designed to set and work towards shortand long term goals to reach each student’spotential. Many parents and caregivers were inattendance.NAIDOCwasahugesuccessagainthisyear,withallstudents in the school immersed in a range oflearningexperiencesandactivitiesdesignedtoteachand celebrate Aboriginal culture. All studentsparticipated in an Aboriginal Art competition withwinners from each grade receiving an indigenousbook prize. All students enjoyed a visit from SnakeTails and learnt some valuable knowledge aboutAustralian native reptiles. As part of our NAIDOCcelebration, students also attended theCommunityofSchoolscelebrationatIngleburnPrimarySchool.

Students aged 10 and above were given theopportunity to audition for the GondwanaIndigenous Children’s Choir when they visited theschool.Students in Years 3-6 were again invited toparticipate in the Heartbeat program at theUniversityofWesternSydney.Stage3studentsalsoparticipated in the Koori Bridges program at theUniversity of Western Sydney. Both programs givestudents a taste of university life. The studentsenjoyedtheexperiencesofbothdaysandwereableto develop new relationships and pathways intotertiaryeducation.This year saw the inception of our interschoolculture club program:MyMob,My Culture. Year 2and Year 3 students participated in a variety ofactivities with indigenous students from SarahRedfern Public School. The launch of our programwas held at the Australian Botanic Gardens, MtAnnan. Students enjoyed an informative talk aboutAboriginal culture and a bush tucker walk. Thisprogramhasbeenahugesuccessandstudentshavecontinued to develop and build friendships withotherAboriginalstudentsinourlocalcommunity.Stage 3 students were involved in the OpportunityHub program.We were joined by Robert TownsonPublic School. This program is designed to providepathways to future learning forAboriginal studentsand to build relationships with other Aboriginalstudents in the community. The Stage 3 studentsreally enjoyed learning about career and educationoptions.In 2015 we also saw the beginning of our YarningCircle.TheYarningCircleoccursonceeverytermandis an opportunity for parents, caregivers andAboriginalmembersofourlocalcommunitytocometo school and have a yarn and provide valuablefeedbacktotheschool.Manygreatideashavebeenborn through these Yarning Circles. The YarningCirclesarerunbyaparentfacilitator.

MulticulturalEducationandAnti-racism

Students from48 languagebackgroundsother thanEnglish, representing 46%of our school enrolment,were involved in our English as an AdditionalLanguage or Dialect program. The vocabularyfocusedprogramwasaimedat improvingoutcomesforEAL/Dstudentsacrossthecurriculum.Theschoolhasalsoensuredthatclassrooms,teachingprogramsandpracticesareculturallyinclusive.The Anti-Racism Contact Officer was available forstudentstocontinuetodeveloptheirunderstandingofracismanddiscrimination.StAndrewscelebratedHarmony Day with the theme ‘Everyone Belongs’

and students participated inmulticultural and anti-racismactivities.Students from grades 3-6 participated in theMulticultural Perspectives Public SpeakingCompetitionataclasslevel.Twostudentsfromeachstage were chosen to represent St Andrews in thelocal final and two students received a HighlyCommendedfortheirspeech.The school continued its close association withSouth Korea with the principal attending theAustralian Principals’ Korean Study Tour in April. Asister school, The Attached Elementary School ofGongju National University of Education, wasestablished. An orientation visit was made to StAndrews by the Director of the Korean EducationCentre, the principal and an English languageteacherfromGongjutoplanfutureexchanges.A small group of students, parents and teachersfrom St Andrews travelled to South Korea inSeptember. They experienced a Korean culturalimmersionwithahomestayandavisit to thesisterschoolinGongju.A St Andrews’ student won second prize in theAnnualKoreanBookReviewCompetitioninthenon-native speaker category. Through the competitionstudents were encouraged to discover the joy ofreading Korean stories to improve their Koreanlanguageandculturalskills.

Otherschoolprograms

KoreanCulturalTripandSisterSchoolVisitFor the first time, a small groupof StAndrewsP.S.students,parentsandteacherstravelledtoKorea for a seven day tour in the Septemberschoolholidays.HighlightsofthetourincludedeatingtraditionalKorean meals in restaurants, markets and aschool cafeteria, exploring the Third Tunnel atthe DMZ, visits to a folk village and The RoyalPalace, being totally entertained by a fabulous“Nanta” performance and a an unforgettableadventure to the Seoul Tower. Just to name afew!Asmallgroupon the touralsovisitedoursister school, The Attached Elementary Schoolof Gongju National University of Education.Here,wewere given a guided tour of the city,visited the museum and the tombs of someancientkings.Ourdaysandnightswere jammedpackedwiththesightandsoundsofSeoul,providingallofuswith life long memories of our Koreanexperience.

SchoolAchievements2015

Academicachievements

• Two students were successful in gainingOpportunityClassplacements

• Thirty students were successful in gainingSelectiveHighSchoolplacements

• Fifty- two students participated in theEnglishSkillsCompetitionandwereawarded7 Distinctions, 10 Credits, 8 Merits and 27Participationcertificates

• Sixty-three students participated in theMathematics Skills Competition and wereawarded6Distinctions,17Credits,6Meritsand34Participationcertificates

• Twenty-nine students participated in theComputer Skills Competition and wereawarded 2 Distinctions, 6 Credits, 1 Meritand20Participationcertificates

• Forty-two students participated in theScience Skills Competition and wereawarded 2 Distinctions, 9 Credits, 7 Meritsand24Participationcertificates

• Forty-two students participated in theWriting Skills Competition and wereawarded11Distinctions,9Credits,4Meritsand18Participationcertificates

• Sixty students participated in the SpellingSkills Competition and were awarded 2Distinctions, 24 Credits, 5 Merits and 29Participationcertificates

• Four students participated in the AcademicChallenge competition, fourteen studentsparticipatedintheTournamentoftheMindscompetitionandeightstudentsparticipatedintheEnrichmentChallengecompetition.

Arts• Eighteen students participated in School

Spectacular

• Twenty-onestudentsperformedattheStateDanceFestival

• Thirty-three students performed at theRegionalDanceFestival

Sport

• The school was represented at zoneswimming, athletics and cross countrycarnivals by 136 students, 27 studentsrepresentedatareacarnivalsand4studentsrepresentedtheschoolatastatecarnival

• Five PSSA sporting teams were ZonePremiers

• Twelve students represented the school atthe NSW Primary School Table TennisChampionships

• Three students were awarded zone agechampions

• One student represented in the regionalbasketballteamatastatecarnival

• One student represented in the regionalrugbyunionteamatastatecarnival

Other

• One student received the ChoonpaExcellenceAwardforKorean

• One student placed 2nd in the Korean BookReviewCompetition