2018 Branxton Public School Annual Report€¦ · marquees, 800 home readers, materials for a vegetable garden bed and paint for the friendship garden mural. Thanks to the many fundraisers

Branxton Public SchoolAnnual Report

2018

1341

Printed on: 30 May, 2019Page 1 of 14 Branxton Public School 1341 (2018)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2018 is provided to the community of Branxton 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 to provide high quality educational opportunities forall students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self–assessment that reflect the impact of keyschool strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equityfunding.

Michelle Maier

Principal

School contact details

Branxton Public School12 King StreetBRANXTON, 2335www.branxton-p.schools.nsw.edu.aubranxton-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au4938 1214

Message from the school community

P&C Message

Parents at Branxton Public School are welcomed and encouraged to play a part in their children's learning in many ways.We enjoy seeing our children build friendships and make meaningful connections in the friendly and student focussedplayground. The culture of welcoming parents into the school is evident in classroom reading programs, canteenvolunteering, regular school assemblies, annual and bi–annual school events and P&C meetings having great parentand staff representation. Assemblies are a highlight for parents, showcasing student leaders, class performances,sporting achievements, academic excellence and positive behaviour awards. Staff effectively involve parents in studentlearning by inviting the support of class reading programs and by utilising technology platforms such as secure such asSeesaw, Matific and Literacy–Pro. Twice annual school reports and parent–teacher interviews offer great insights toparents on their child's learning.

In 2018 the P&C continued with the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy with more adaptations to healthy andnutritious 'home cooked' offerings. We also introduced a commercial oven to enable the implementation of lunch as firstbreak. This is thanks to our dedicated and friendly Canteen Coordinator. We are continuing to enjoy the benefits broughtby the 2016 introduction of Flexischools for canteen, uniforms and other P&C fundraising payments thanks to ourpersistent Treasurer and support treasurer. It is only possible thanks to our team of canteen volunteers.

Uniform shop stock has been expanded so it now includes every day and sports shirts, jumpers and jackets, shorts andskorts, trousers, bags and even hair bows. Inclusion of shorts and trousers was at the request of families not being ableto find quality items in local area stores. "Starter packs" now available on Flexischools are a great convenience forkindergarten students and other families new to the school. We are fortunate to have a volunteer uniform shopcoordinator making it all happen.

In 2018 we successfully applied for four separate community grants, which enabled the purchase of school shademarquees, 800 home readers, materials for a vegetable garden bed and paint for the friendship garden mural. Thanks tothe many fundraisers supported by the school community, including the Bunnings BBQ, local community expo, MillerPark movie night, annual pie drive, Easter and Christmas raffle, hot cross bun drive, footy tipping, mango fundraiser,Mother's Day stall and Father's Day stall we also contributed to bright and colourful professional pavement art, five citrustrees, blazers for school representative council and a SeeSaw subscription subsidy.

The P&C has a strong balance sheet developed over many years of hard work by many, many volunteers. To maximisethis position, we will continue to leverage savings with community grants, sponsorships and school partnership toachieve our two big goals which are to donate laptops for classroom use and pursue a multi–purpose sports court withinschool grounds. We also have hopes for many other improvements including more bubblers, canteen improvements, acoffee machine for staff/parents, sensory and play equipment additions, and of course any educational resources


requested by school staff.

The significant school changes made in the period, including addition of classrooms, library refurbishment, new officeand amenities blocks, further development of behavioural, leadership and other policies, implementation of innovativenew literacy and mathematics learning programs (to name a few) are due to dedicated leadership and staffing at theschool.

Overall, the fantastic improvements to the school and school community in 2018 were only possible due to the hard workand support of parents, school staff and community. A strong platform continues to be set for our students to achievetheir personal best.

Kerrie O'Brien, P&C President


School background

School vision statement

Branxton Public School is a safe and happy school with a friendly environment which nurtures students to confidentlyapproach the challenges of 21st century learning.

"Create opportunities for the present and into the future."

The school plays an important role in promoting the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, moral, spiritual and aestheticdevelopment and wellbeing of our students. We share this responsibility with the broader community, includingparents/caregivers, families and the community.

Our vision also incorporates our three expectations that align themselves with school life: Respect, Responsibility &Personal Best.

"A respectful and responsible learning environment providing opportunities for all to achieve their personalbest."

School context

Branxton Public School is a semi–rural school in the lower Hunter Valley. The school population is 373 students, of which8% are identified as Aboriginal.

The staff is a team dedicated to improving outcomes for its students through their professional, collaborative learning. Allteaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.

Our expectations of Respect, Responsibility & Personal Best are being incorporated into all aspects of school life.

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 the School Excellence Framework. The framework supportspublic schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practiceacross the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

During 2018 staff worked in their stage teams to reflect on the whole school plan, their personal learning goals and theprogress of the milestones. This was mapped against the School Excellence Framework and evidence was collected tosupport the levels we had achieved. We discussed and analysed whether the school was delivering, growing andsustaining or excelling against the domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading. Future planning was incorporated intothis discussion.

In the domain of Learning we made significant gains across all themes especially in our focus areas of Wellbeing,Curriculum and Student Performance measures.

High expectations across the whole school community are facilitated by our successful Positive Behaviour for Learning(PBL) initiatives to sustain a positive school culture, creating the conditions for effective teaching and learning to takeplace in an environment where students feel safe and supported. There is a school wide, collective responsibility forstudent learning and its success. Students are able to monitor their own learning through the use of learning goals anddetermine where to next through their use of "I Can" statements. Regular meetings are held so all staff can analyse dataand implement evidence based changes to whole school practices. This is shared and communicated to the wider schoolcommunity.

RAM funds were used to facilitate a staff member to work alongside teachers. This enabled the school to monitor, shareand review teaching practices and curriculum provisions to meet changing requirements of the students. Teachersimproved in their differentiation of the curriculum delivery and students are able to articulate their learning and arebeginning to understand what they need to learn next to enable continuous improvement.


Systems to improve student performance measures have been successfully embedded across the school. All classesdisplay data walls that enable students to be aware of their personalised learning progression. The school's value–addedtrend is positive in most areas.

In the domain of Teaching our primary focus was on Effective Classroom Practice and Data Skills and Use.

Evidence based teaching practices were identified, promoted, modelled and shared through explicit instructionprocedures to improve student outcomes in Literacy and Numeracy. Procedures were enhanced through regular peerobservations, stage meetings, and the identification and sharing of high quality work samples resulting in positivefeedback opportunities for teachers and students.

Assessments are developed and used regularly across all stages to gain consistent and comparable judgement ofstudent learning. There has been significant Professional Learning in data concepts, analysis and the use of studentassessment data and related tools. This enables teachers to evaluate students understanding of lesson content andguide future directions.

In the domain of Leading our focus has been to strengthen our school planning, implementation and reporting whilst alsoimproving our management practices and processes. The school leadership team continue to develop qualityopportunities and actively support change to review the teaching practices at BPS. All staff are able to seek ProfessionalLearning in alliance with their Professional Development Plan (PDP) to improve their performance

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine our school plan, leading to further improvements in thedelivery of education to our students.

For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching–and–learning/school–excellence–and–accountability/sef–evidence–guide


Strategic Direction 1

Quality Teaching Engaged Learners

Purpose

To ensure all students have access to a challenging and engaging curriculum which allows each student to reach theirfull potential.

To enable students to reflect upon how they are progressing and to be active partners in their education.

Overall summary of progress

* Classes have visible data walls and students are engaged in recognising their learning journey with personalisedlearning goals in Literacy and Numeracy.

* Stages 2 and 3 have been working on rich tasks and utilising the CUBES method for problem solving.

* 'I Can' statements were developed for students in Literacy and Numeracy

* Choose Maths techniques from Melbourne University have engaged all teachers in developing the delivery ofmathematics. This has been shared with the parent and community groups.

* Data has been collected, shared and utilised for individual assessment, reporting and further programming, throughcollegial lesson observations, stage meetings and modelled teaching techniques.

* Formative assessment techniques and feedback to; students, fellow teachers, and parents has been promoted andvalued for ongoing improvement of student outcomes.

* The school library has been refurbished with flexible and adaptable spaces and furniture.

* Parents and carers have been actively engaged in developing Individual Education Plans, Personalised Learning Plansand Student Support Plans for increasing student outcomes and student wellbeing.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

100% of students willdemonstrateexpected improvement on theirlearning progressions byachieving their personal goals.

Total for the whole year forthis milestone; $63 460

All students have at least one personalised learninggoal in literacy and numeracy with mostdemonstrating improvement.

Teacher observations identify thatclassroom practice is increasinglychallenging, engaging anddifferentiated.

Rich tasks and differentiated learning are a focus oflesson observations in all stages.

Implementation of learning sprints for focus areasenabled both extension and consolidation forimprovement of student outcomes.

To increase the number ofAboriginal and Non– Aboriginalstudents in the top two NAPLANbands In Literacy and Numeracy.

$12,000 Results for Aboriginal students in the top 2 bandsfor Reading and numeracy increased from 4.17% to16.67%.

Results for Non–Aboriginal students in the top 2bands for Reading and numeracy increased from22.84% to 29.63%.

Next Steps

* Personalised books with students 'I Can' statements to be developed to aid learning journeys in Literacy and


Numeracy..

* Stage 1 to begin using the CUBES method and other strategies for problem solving

* Staff trained in the Tamworth Writing Initiative using the Shifty Six strategies. Through whole staff PD, students willdevelop writing techniques that will develop and enhance their skills in writing.

* Continue with mathematics intervention (exec staff working with small groups) across all classes.

* Targeting Early Numeracy

* Development of Junior AECG.



Wellbeing Drives Personal Best

Purpose

To promote resilience, connectedness and wellbeing in a safe learning environment for all students and staff.

To consistently implement a whole school approach to wellbeing that has clearly defined behavioural expectations andcreates a positive teaching and learning environment in line with the Melbourne Declaration.


* Staff have been engaged in regular PBL meetings to analyse data and guide direction.

* All classes participate in weekly PBL lessons.

* Developing and promoting the input of student voice through SRC meetings, PBL meetings and surveys.

* The whole school PBL matrix has been revised and the consistency guide has been updated.

* Clear communication to parents through school information sessions, P&C reports, Planning and Policy meetings andsurveys.

* Systems have been implemented for improved communication to parents and carers through Seesaw, onlinenewsletters, school app' and streamlined office procedures.





We will increase the percentageof students reporting;

a sense of belonging,

expectations for success

77% of students in Years 4, 5 and 6 feel acceptedand valued by their peers and by others at BranxtonPublic School. ( this reflects an increase from 74%in 2017)

85% of students indicated that their teacheremphasises academic skills and hold highexpectations for their success. ( this is an increasefrom 83% in 2017)

School data will reflect anincrease of students displayingthe school’s expectations asevidenced by school wide data

School PBL data displayed a significant increase inpositive behavioural choices with regard to theschool's expectations of Respect, Responsibilityand Personal Best. ___% of students achievedtheir 2nd Principal's award.

Next Steps

* Trial to school eating and playing times; reversal of recess and lunch and lunches eaten with class.

* Reallocation of staff duties. more activities available for students to choose at playtime.

* Playground games and activities painted on concrete, supported by P&C.

* PBL assemblies split into infants and primary.

* Introduction of whole school and community events for students to showcase CAPA



Positive Partnerships Effective School

Purpose

To work in an active and purposeful partnership with the school and wider community.

To continue to improve and maintain the quality of current school systems and utilise these to ensure our whole schoolcommunity works in partnership to enable our students to achieve their Personal Best


* Improvement of communication strategies for parents and carers through the adoption of Seesaw, online newsletters,promotion of P&C involvement.

* Regular opportunities for parent/teacher interview processes; at the beginning of the year, Individual Education Plans,Personalised Learning Plans for Aboriginal students and Student Support Plans.

* Increase in numbers attending P&C meetings, whole school events and fundraisers.

* P&C representatives meet with the Principal regularly to discuss and support the school plan and relevant milestones.

* Staff continue to meet regularly for planning of teaching pedagogy, extra curricular, sporting activities andrepresentative opportunities and Creative and Performing Art opportunities.

* School Leaders engaged in numerous events including leadership breakfast, ANZAC ceremonies, Remembrance Day,assemblies, presentation ceremonies as well as leading the School Representative Council for student voice.





There is an increase in thepercentage each year of parentsand community membersaccessing school systems andprograms.

Seesaw $4964 (equityfunding)

School App $770 ( SchoolOperational Funds)

Increased participation incommunity events and outreachprograms across the school.

An increase in staff developingand implementing proactiveprograms to create active,purposeful partnerships.

Next Steps

* A P&C notice board at the front of the school to promote upcoming events, meetings and opportunities to help/assist.

* Formation of Junior AECG, promote indigenous student voice towards promoting and learning about their culture.

* Opportunities for staff PL to further embed Aboriginal perspectives across the curriculum.

* Aboriginal games incorporated into school sporting activities.

* Parent/teacher meetings held to support Individual Learning Plans, Student Support Plans and Personalised LearningPlans.

* Utilising school funds and P&C funds to construct an outdoor learning space and multi–purpose sports court.


Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

Aboriginal background loading $26 896 These funds are utilised to employ SLSOs tosupport the learning of several students.These students were able to engage inlessons both with whole class and smallgroup activities to help them achieve theirpersonalised learning goals.

Low level adjustment for disability $164 114 Funds engaged a full time Learning andSupport Teacher to enable interventionprograms across the school in Literacy andNumeracy.

Quality Teaching, SuccessfulStudents (QTSS)

0.652 entitlement allocation These funds enabled an executive staffmember to work across the school developingQuality Teaching in Literacy and Numeracy. 'ICan' statements were developed for allstudents and data was collected andanalysed for further improvement.

Casuals employed so stage groups couldobserve each others practice and sharesuccessful strategies and work samples forconsistency in assessment.

Socio–economic background $242 369 These funds supported our PositiveBehaviour for Learning program, TargetingEarly Numeracy training, a library upgrade forfuture focused learning facilities, technologyupgrade for new laptops and additionalstaffing for classroom support in rich learningtasks.


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2015 2016 2017 2018

Boys 185 183 200 214

Girls 174 172 173 185

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2015 2016 2017 2018

K 94.4 94.1 95 93.4

1 92.9 93 92.4 93.6

2 93.1 92.5 93.7 91.7

3 93.2 95 93.3 92.2

4 93.4 92.3 94.9 91.3

5 92.5 93.6 93.6 93.6

6 91.4 91.1 94.2 92.1

All Years 93.1 93.1 93.9 92.6

State DoE

Year 2015 2016 2017 2018

K 94.4 94.4 94.4 93.8

1 93.8 93.9 93.8 93.4

2 94 94.1 94 93.5

3 94.1 94.2 94.1 93.6

4 94 93.9 93.9 93.4

5 94 93.9 93.8 93.2

6 93.5 93.4 93.3 92.5

All Years 94 94 93.9 93.4

Management of non-attendance

At Branxton Public School attendance is monitored veryclosely as consistent attendance is a high priority tohelp enable students to achieve their personal best onall outcomes. Attendance is reviewed by all staff andany concerns are followed up with parents. Parents arealso contacted by the school after 3 successive days ofunexplained absence.

We work closely with the home school liaison officerwho visits the school each term. Meetings are held todiscuss any concerns and support given to families withregard to attendance.

During 2018 approximately 200 (0ver 50%) studentshad an attendance rate of 95% or above.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal(s) 1

Assistant Principal(s) 3

Classroom Teacher(s) 15.02

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0.42

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 1.1

Teacher Librarian 0.8

School Administration and SupportStaff

2.82

*Full Time Equivalent

We currently have 2 aboriginal staff members workingat the school. One is an SLSO and is highly involved inworking with our indigenous students and is supportingour new junior AECG to be implemented in 2019. OurGeneral Assistant has also identified as Aboriginal andenjoys contributing to our indigenous themed gardens.He is now focusing on creating an outdoor learningarea; Yarning Circle.

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 0

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

In 2018 all staff members had the opportunity toparticipate in Professional Learning. These werealigned with the school priorities outlined in the schoolplan and personalised professional goals as reflected inProfessional Development Plans.

As well as the mandatory training that is expected;Areas of Professional Development in 2018 included;

Writing initiative

Targeting Early Numeracy

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Literacy and Numeracy Progressions


Learning Sprints (Agile Schools)

STEM

Physical Education Development

Inspire Innovate Conference

Guided Reading

Leading Education Around the World

Library updates

Autism– Sue Larkey

Tough Conversations

Mathematics NSW

Financial planning support

Behavioural Management

Grammar

L3

Plan 2

Creative and Critical Thinkers

Austswim

Financial information

Financial summary

The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 1 January 2018 to 31December 2018.

2018 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 524,651

Revenue 3,656,946

Appropriation 3,515,588

Sale of Goods and Services 3,889

Grants and Contributions 129,534

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 3,678

Investment Income 4,256

Expenses -3,450,680

Recurrent Expenses -3,450,680

Employee Related -3,059,128

Operating Expenses -391,553

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

206,266

Balance Carried Forward 730,917

The Principal oversees the preparation and monitoringof the school budgets and general day to dayexpenditure to ensure smooth running of the schooland direct links to the Strategic School Plan andmilestones.

Funds from the balance carried forwards to 2019 havebeen allocated to ongoing curricula intervention andsupport, a music teacher, upgrading of technology toaid the smooth transition on NAPLAN online as well asa multipurpose sports court.

Financial summary equity funding

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


2018 Actual ($)

Base Total 2,675,689

Base Per Capita 72,127

Base Location 9,755

Other Base 2,593,807

Equity Total 435,015

Equity Aboriginal 26,896

Equity Socio economic 242,369

Equity Language 1,637

Equity Disability 164,114

Targeted Total 94,554

Other Total 116,735

Grand Total 3,321,994

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding.

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 and numeracyassessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 toBand 10. The achievement scale represents increasinglevels of skills and understandings demonstrated inthese assessments.

From 2018 to 2020 NAPLAN is moving from a papertest to an online test. Individual schools are migrating tothe online test, with some schools attempting NAPLANon paper and others online.

Results for both online and paper formats are reportedon the same NAPLAN assessment scale. Anycomparison of NAPLAN results – such as comparisonsto previous NAPLAN results or to results for studentswho did the assessment in a different format – shouldtake into consideration the different test formats andare discouraged during these transition years.

Literacy is always a focus at Branxton Public Schooland we are continuing to aim for strong individualrelative growth across all domains. For the current Year5 cohort, relative growth (as measured against allstudents who had achieved the same scaled score inthe Year 3 test) for Year 5 cohort at Branxton Publicschool for the period 2016 (Year 3) to 2017 (in 2018)was as follows;

In Reading; 53.5% of students were at or aboveexpected growth

In Writing; 53.7% of student were at or above expectedgrowth

In Spelling; 54.4% of students were at or aboveexpected growth

and In Grammar and Punctuation; 51.1% were at orabove expected growth

Numeracy has been a particular focus at BranxtonPublic school over the last 3 years. For the current Year5 cohort, relative growth (as measured against allstudents who had achieved the same scaled score inthe Year 3 test) for Year 5 cohort at Branxton Publicschool for the period 2016 (Year 3) to 2017 (in 2018)was as follows;

* 1% achieved negative growth in Numeracyachievement

* 30% achieved positive growth compared with similarstudents nationally ; and

* 69% achieved higher than expected relative growthcompared with similar students nationally.

The My School website provides detailed informationand data for national literacy and numeracy testing. Goto http://www.myschool.edu.au to access the schooldata. As schools transition to NAPLAN online, the banddistribution of results is not directly comparable to bandaverages from previous years. While the 10 banddistribution available to schools who completedNAPLAN online is a more accurate reflection of studentperformance, caution should be taken whenconsidering results relative to what was formerly a sixband distribution. As the full transition of NAPLANonline continues, the most appropriate way tocommunicate results for NAPLAN online is by scaledscores and scaled growth. This is the reporting formatagreed by state and territory education ministers, and isreflected on the myschool website.

In accordance with the Premier's Priorities: Improvingeducation results, schools are required to report theirstudent performance for the top two NAPLAN bands inreading and numeracy.

At Branxton Public School we are continuing todemonstrate strong growth in these areas. Datacollected across Year 3 and Year 5 in Reading andNumeracy reflect positive growth in these areas. In2018 29.63% of students were achieving in the top 2bands for Reading and Numeracy compared with22.84% in 2017. We will continue to strive for thePremier's target of 35.2 in 2019.

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

One of the purposes of Strategic Direction 1 was toenable


students to reflect upon how they are progressing andto be active partners intheir education. This was through the use of learninggoals and I Canstatements. Students (Years 4–6), parents andteachers were surveyed on this.

39% of students strongly agreed, and 34% agreed thattheirteachers knew what they had to do to progress in theirlearning.

When asked if their teacher tells them what they haveto doto improve their learning 35% of students stronglyagreed and 36% agreed.

The parent survey revealed that 2/16 parents whorespondedstrongly agreed that they understood what they childhad to do to progress intheir learning and 11/16 agreed.

The challenging and visible goals section of the teachersurvey showed a small increase overall to 7.2, with thebiggest jump going from8.4 to 9.0 for setting high expectations for studentslearning.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

Aboriginal education was again a focus in 2018. AllAboriginal students were involved in a process ofconsultation and review to develop a PersonalisedLearning Plan (PLP). This process ensured that 100%of Aboriginal students had a PLP to supportdifferentiated learning within their classroom to achieveindividual goals. The school acknowledged thecontribution of the Aboriginal community by engaging inactivities which develop a better appreciation of theircultural contribution. In doing so, all students develop astronger and a more sensitive appreciation of thehistory and culture of Aboriginal people. The schoolcelebrated National Aboriginal and Islander DayObservance Committee (NAIDOC) Week with anafternoon of activities. Reconciliation Week was alsocelebrated with all students participating in activities inclass time. We continue to build on our resources tosupport the History and Geography syllabuses and, infact, all syllabuses. At all official functions, weacknowledge all Aboriginal people and ancestorsthrough Welcome to Country.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

All classroom teachers continued to look at ways toincorporate multicultural perspectives across thecurricula within the new syllabus content.

In 2018 the school celebrated Harmony Day allstudents and families celebrated our multiculturalismwith a BBQ and open day. Students rotated aroundseveral activities throughout the school including sport,

dance and other culturally inspired events

A staff member was trained as our Anti Racism contactofficer and kept staff updated at staff meetings.


Documents

2018 Branxton Public School Annual Report€¦ · marquees, 800 home readers, materials for a vegetable garden bed and paint for the friendship garden mural. Thanks to the many fundraisers