Royal Far West School Annual School Report 2013

5504

School context Royal Far West School (RFWS) provides educational services to the clients of Royal Far West (RFW) clinical programs. Our RFW cohort at Manly is entirely made up of students from rural and remote NSW. All come with a medical referral, primarily focusing on developmental, learning, behaviour and emotional wellbeing.

Principal’s message At Royal Far West School (RFWS) we believe that all children have the right to achieve their potential - no matter where they live, whatever their medical condition or disability and whatever their family circumstances.

To achieve this goal, we work closely with families, country schools and regions and with RFW clinical services to provide information, consultancy, resource advice, professional development and program assistance. We have an increasingly strong focus on working across the state using video conferencing and internet-based video communication for individual, ongoing student support.

In 2013, thanks to the Chairman’s Trust of CLSA, we have had the opportunity to develop an early literacy program – Sounds, Words and Yarning (SWAY). This program, which embeds Aboriginal culture into a framework developed collaboratively by educational and clinical staff and Aboriginal community members, is unique in that the framework can be localized to any setting. SWAY is a wonderful example of what can be achieved by collaboration between professionals, community and philanthropy.

David and Emma from CLSA came with the RFWS SWAY team to Bowraville Central School to see SWAY in action

More information about the school may be found at www.royalfarwe-s.schools.nsw.edu.au

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.

Jenny Rayner, RFWS Principal

SWAY activity at Manly

School Council message RFWS continues to develop innovative programs to support the capacity of country school to support students with complex educational, health and social needs. In the process of doing this the school has become much more integrated with Royal Far West clinical services. This has been to the benefit of both, but more especially for the students.

The school received a very sizeable sponsorship from CLSA to develop an early literacy program, with a particular focus on the development of strong literacy skills for Aboriginal children (SWAY). This program, being trialled at Bowraville Central School, can be used as a template for any community or school, enabling the embedding of local culture.

The school is going from strength to strength at a time of considerable change in educational direction and policies. The principal and staff deserve great credit for the important work they have done through the year.

David Barr, School Council President

1

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

Student enrolment profile

Year Total number of students supported by RFWS educational services

Ratio of male to female students

2013 1516 2:1

2012 1360 2:1

2011 1422 2:1

2010 1389 2:1

2009 1403 2:1

Student attendance profile

Virtually all clients and their siblings aged 3 ½ to year 12 come to RFWS during their admission to RFW clinical services. The school is an integral part of the assessment program and attendance is strongly encouraged by our combined services.

Management of non-attendance

Some students who come to RFW are extremely school-avoidant, highly anxious or very oppositional. Every effort is made by school staff, in particular our school counsellors and Assistant Principal (School Operations) to work with families and students to develop a plan that will support reintegration into educational services.

Structure of classes

Royal Far West School comprises

5 classes, including an integrated class for students with very high support needs. All students in these classes are clients of RFW health services.

The Centre for Effective Reading Manly. The Centre provides multidisciplinary assessments and personalized programs to country students with complex reading difficulties. Students are referred from

all school sectors. They are not generally clients of RFW.

SOLVE IT, the RFWS literacy outreach program provides individual structured lessons three times a week to 30 students at any one time. Lessons are delivered using internet technology.

Hard at work in Group 2

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

RFWS has a dynamic, flexible, experienced and innovative staff who are passionate about the power of education as an agent for change.

Workforce composition

Position Number Principal 1.0 Assistant Principal(s) 2.0 SSP Teacher 4.0 Teacher of Severe Reading Difficulties 1.0 Teacher Librarian 0.2 School Counsellor 1.0 School Administrative & Support Staff 8.822 Total 18.022

2

The Australian Education Regulation, 2013 requires schools to report on Aboriginal composition of their workforce.

RFWS is proud to have a full-time Aboriginal Education Officer.

Teacher qualifications

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

Qualifications % of staff Degree or Diploma 100% Postgraduate 60% NSW Institute of Teachers Accreditation 100%

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 30/11/2013

Income $ Balance brought forward 216993.13 Global funds 121722.71 Tied funds 50773.28 School & community sources 57106.88 Interest 6442.07 Trust receipts 7000 Canteen 0.00 Total income 460038.07 Expenditure Teaching & learning

Key learning areas 84346.86 Excursions 0.00 Extracurricular dissections 100

Library 125 Training & development 1961.23 Tied funds 72553.17 Casual relief teachers 33366.58 Administration & office 20502.13 School-operated canteen 0.00 Utilities 20677.94 Maintenance 4730.60 Trust accounts 5323.37 Capital programs 0.00 Total expenditure 243686.88 Balance carried forward 216351.19

A full copy of the school’s 2013 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 2013

Achievements

Our programs focus on early assessment, collaborative planning, targeted and intensive intervention and the use of cutting edge technology. Through innovation and strong partnerships with parents, rural schools and agencies and Royal Far West clinical services, we are impacting on the educational achievements and wellbeing of country students.

Our students made some amazing kites

Academic achievements

As all of our students are enrolled elsewhere, RFWS does not hold results of state or national testing.

Significant programs and initiatives

In response to the needs of our students, we have a very strong focus on literacy, on early learning and on building the capacity of our parents, carers and partner schools.

A SOLVE IT student has a “real life” lesson with his tutor during a visit to Manly

3

Video Conferences with Rural Schools Multidisciplinary video conferences with home school teams, including parents, have become an integral part of the assessment and support package offered by RFWS and RFW.

Students are identified as being suitable for a video conference at our weekly health and education case conferences.

RFWS office staff contact schools to make the offer of a video conference with the RFW-RFWS team and manage all associated documentation, ongoing communication, video conference room bookings, agendas and technical information.

Video conferences are based in one of the two RFWS Connected Classrooms. Participants at Manly may include a paediatrician, paediatric psychiatrist, psychologist, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, social worker, special educator, school counsellor, Aboriginal Education Officer and literacy teacher. Videoconferences are chaired and minuted by the RFWS Principal, Assistant Principal or school counsellor.

Our partner rural school teams generally include a member of the executive, classroom teachers, school counsellor, Aboriginal Education Officer, Learning and Support Teachers and possibly regional staff. Parents are always invited and encouraged to attend.

The videoconferences provide an open venue for information sharing and collaboration. As the minutes are being taken, a plan is developed with specific goals and planned actions. The people responsible for the implementation of the plan and a timeframe for the plan are included. The agreed plan is read out to the participants during the videoconference. Minutes, including the plan, are emailed to all participants, generally within 48 hours.

The demand for video conferences is increasing exponentially, with 95 held in 2011, our first year of operation, 132 in 2012 and 184 in 2013.

RFWS Learning and Support Program In 2013 our Learning and Support Team carried out 458 formal literacy assessments (including 133 for students in preschool to end of year 1).

Our Early Learning Assessments include siblings of clients. We typically identify at least one student each week who requires referral to local services or, if these are not available, to RFW clinical services for further assessment and intervention.

Technology is an integral part of our literacy programs

All assessments are followed up with individual parent interviews and written reports to parents, home schools and RFW clinical services. Families are provided with easy-to-implement strategies and games for home use to develop skills and a pack of suitable reading materials.

In some cases where our partner schools in rural areas have been unable to implement a recommended individualized program, we have been able to provide 1:1 instruction through our SOLVE IT (R) program (see below).

Schools are offered training if needed. This could include informal email and telephone support, resource suggestions and demonstrations and whole RFW/RFWS and home school and family videoconferences to collaboratively enhance existing learning plans or to initiate such plans.

Commonly used assistive technology is embedded into the upper primary and high school classrooms at RFWS, enabling the Learning and Support Team to provide information to RFW clinical staff and home schools regarding the suitability of pursuing technology as a way for students with literacy difficulties to more fully access the curriculum.

4

How do parents feel about our Learning and Support program?

• They “vote with their feet” – no one EVER misses a reading assessment parent meeting

• They say they thought something was wrong and are relieved to talk to someone about it

• They are very keen to know how they can assist their child

• Once the child's specific reading needs are discussed, parents often feel more empowered to approach the school

• For some parents they are reassured that their child has sound early literacy skills or in some instances competent readers.

And what do the students say?

I liked when we read the book together

It was good. I liked the stickers

The pictures are funny. (Referring to a standardised literacy assessment)

It was fun when I could choose a book.

Do you mean I can take this book home and keep it forever? - A common comment!

Relaxing with an ipad in a “pea pod”

Using technology to set goals

SOLVE IT (School outreach learning using volunteer educators and Information Technology) SOLVE IT (Reading) provides instruction in a structured reading program using internet-based technology and an interface designed by the NSW Curriculum, Learning and Innovation Centre (CLIC) based on Adobe Connect.

Students log onto SOLVE IT at their own school and are linked to a tutor working from RFWS in Manly.

SOLVE IT operates using trained volunteer tutors from the Manly area working under the direct supervision of a highly skilled literacy teacher.

Using a headset and webcam, the tutor and student are able to see and hear each other and the instruction screen.

Of the 43 students supported through SOLVE IT in 2013, ¼ were Aboriginal and ½ in high school. We are able to work with 30 students at any one time.

We know that most students progress in the development of reading skills as a result of being on SOLVE IT. For example, of the 34 active SOLVE IT students at the end of 2013, 30 were making

5

clear progress, with 6 having progressed to an extension level of the reading tutor program.

However, there are benefits beyond this achievement. In 2013 the NSW Department of Education and Communities and the University of Western Sydney conducted a formal evaluation of SOLVE IT, looking at the impact of the sessions on student engagement, attitude to learning, wellbeing and attendance at their home school. The study found that SOLVE IT had a very positive impact on student self-esteem, confidence and engagement in school in general.

During 2013 the SOLVE IT team developed a technical support system to improve quality and consistency of virtual lessons, began the development of a library system to improve the online user interface and provided informative and motivating training to 25 tutors.

In 2013 SOLVE IT won a Schools First Impact Award for $30,000 from NAB bank for community partnership work

Congratulations to the whole SOLVE IT team for an awesome partnership and proven dedication and expertise.

The SOLVE IT interface

Give IT a Go Technology can be of enormous benefit to students with ongoing complex literacy difficulties. In 2013 we started the Give IT a Go program. This involves:

Whole class use of key literacy software for students in upper primary and high

Virtual reality comes to the classroom

school to enable screening for suitability for more targeted support

Learning and Support Team liaise with classroom teachers to discuss suitability of technology for students with literacy difficulties (either reading, writing or both)

Recommendation for consideration of technology included in Learning and Support Team report sent to referring school, including link to RFWS Give IT a Go website (giveitagorfws.com)

Schools are asked to look at recommended technology on Give IT a Go website and to contact RFWS Learning and Support Team if they would like assistance to implement technology supports for their student

Links made with RFW Occupational Therapy or RFW Speech Pathology where appropriate regarding suitability for trial of technology support

Possible referral to group program or individual therapy through RFW for students with complex health and educational issues.

6

Implementing assistive technology trials for students with severe literacy difficulties. Incorporating iPad technology and apps such as iReadWrite, Book creator, Learning sounds 2 and wordbuilder by Reading Doctor, Clicker Sentences, Clicker Docs and Pages.

Engaging students to reconnect with their learning by incorporating technology such as using QR codes in lessons, creating presentations using avatar characters (puppet pals, tellagami) and creating iMovies to show their understanding of topics.

Students creating informative iBooks that use images, movies and voice recordings to demonstrate their knowledge. Students have created animated book reviews and posters that contains QR codes that will lead to an animated video of the student discussing their chosen book.

Use of AR (Augmentative Reality) to engage students in art, literacy and creative learning.

Early Learning The Early Learning environment in Group 1 has continued to meet the needs and interests of individual students through a play-based program. Student strengths and needs are assessed within the classroom in a warm, supportive and inclusive program. A key focus for Group 1 is the development of strong communication skills. The increasingly close working partnership with RFW clinical staff is resulting in a much more integrated health and education assessment process, flowing through to tangible benefits to our shared clients. Group 1 is also a vital trial site for our new early literacy program, SWAY (see below).

Using technology to consolidate early maths skills

Farewell to some very special friends

Over the past 20 years Val and Errol Hunt have been extraordinary supporters of our school, and group 1 in particular. Unfortunately, earlier this year Errol passed away. Errol was a member of the RFWS School Council for close to 20 years and President for the last 5. Val is particularly passionate about early education and gave her time and beautiful energy to Group 1 over a 10 year period. She provided morning tea for the children 4 mornings a week (not to mention special treats for the staff !!). Val was everyone’s “grandma” - she gave her love, support and genuine care to the children, families and staff at Royal far West. Group 1 have just farewelled Val, as she has gone to sunny Queensland to be near family. Words cannot express how the Staff at RFWS feel, and the loss that is felt within the RFW Community. The children and families ask continually to see Val....her memories will be treasured and never forgotten.

Val and friends in Group 1

7

SWAY – Sounds, Words and Yarning SWAY is an early oral language program being developed at RFWS using funding generously provided by the Chairman’s Trust, CLSA. The program, which has a theoretical framework based in speech pathology, Early Education and literacy teaching, embeds Aboriginal cultural knowledge and ways of learning. The program is the result of a collaboration between the local Guringai community (through the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group), the Aboriginal community in Bowraville, RFWS and Bowraville Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff, speech pathologists, National ICT Australia (NICTA) and parents and carers. SWAY has a number of elements:

• A whole classroom program that embeds activities to develop sound awareness, identification and blending

• Individual and small group speech pathology sessions using a specially designed web-based, interactive, culturally inclusive and child and user-friendly interface

• Capacity-building of staff and community in rural and remote areas using a range of outreach services including group staff training in key early literacy areas, tutor training and ongoing mentoring

• The defining element of SWAY is that it is designed to be localised. This means that every community will be able to use their own stories, their own language, their own images and their own people to personalise the SWAY resource making it relevant, engaging and respectful to local communities.

David from CLSA working on a SWAY activity

During 2013 the SWAY team achieved the following: Design of SWAY framework, involving

extensive consultation with Aboriginal community and collaboration between teachers, support staff, speech pathologists, an occupational therapist and community members.

Completion of 2 out of final 6 modules Ongoing trial of classroom program in

preschool and kindergarten at Bowraville Development of innovative interface in

collaboration with National ICT Australia (NICTA) bringing together cutting edge technology, culturally inclusive design and Early Childhood and speech pathology expertise.

Trials of individual speech pathology sessions for targeted students with significant speech or language issues not able to access intervention

Trials of staff mentoring and skills development using the new interface

3 site visits to Bowraville to engage the local community and school, to learn about the local culture and needs, to gather baseline data and conduct interviews with families, staff and community.

Emma from CLSA during a SWAY visit to Bowraville Central School

We would like to thank CLSA, NICTA, the staff at Bowraville Central School and Aboriginal staff and community for their incredible support and generosity in the development of this program.

8

Lois and the Bridges Class at Bowraville bringing SWAY to life

NSW Centre for Effective Reading Manly • The Centre provides direct support for rural

and remote primary-aged students with complex reading difficulties and their teachers.

• Students accessing the services of the NSW Centre for Effective Reading are referred from government and non-government schools.

• A multidisciplinary team provides cognitive, educational and speech and language assessments.

• Intervention support is provided to schools of referred students through collaborative planning, professional learning for teachers and other key personnel and through regular monitoring of the student’s program.

• Support includes planning to address students’ needs across the curriculum. Centre for Effective Reading Manly works with each student’s school to ensure adjustments are made to programs and teaching strategies in response to student progress. Based on their response to intervention, students may be referred to the Centre’s Learning and Support Team. This team meets to discuss and recommend ways to further support students and schools. It consists of representatives from all four hubs of the NSW Centre for Effective Reading

(Wagga, Dubbo, Westmead and Manly) as well as other staff, as required.

• Centre speech pathologists, special educators and psychologists have been involved in the development of resources to address the areas of language difficulties (specifically vocabulary), cognition (attention, organisation and planning) and transition to high school. These high quality, evidence-based resources will assist in building capacity of schools and address the learning needs of students with complex reading difficulties. These materials are now available on the Centre website for access by all schools in NSW.

• We look forward to our role within the Rural and Remote Education Strategy and to continue to work closely with schools in rural NSW.

• We encourage teachers and parents to access the Jill Sherlock Memorial Learning Assistance Library which provides resources to support the teaching and learning needs of students with learning difficulties. Schools that are being supported through the Centre may borrow materials from the reserve section of the library.

Reading assessment in progress

During 2013

- Additional assessment tools were purchased and Centre staff participated in training for the administration of these assessments.

9

- Service standards were reviewed and revised.

- Surveys were developed to assess home school teachers’ perception of students’ academic gains and self-efficacy.

- Staff from Centre Manly are members of Every Student, Every School working parties, developing resources for Language, Transition and Cognition.

- Staff undertook professional learning and training in the new English K-10 Syllabus (ongoing), Plan for Reading Intervention, NSW DEC educational reforms, new assessment tools, Disability Discrimination Act.

- Staff attended relevant professional conferences, including the Successful Learning Conference. CHERI (Children’s Hospital Educational Research Institute Conference), assistive technology workshops (e.g. iPad Master Class: Using iPads to Support Students Struggling with Literacy).

- Over 100 video and teleconferences held with home schools and parents/carers.

The Centre team consider technology options to support students at the same time as working with their referring school to develop literacy skills. The team recommend appropriate technology and are able to assist schools with best practice implementation of technology into the classroom and at home

The Centre for Effective Reading Manly team

What do schools think about Centre for Effective Reading Manly?

This year has been terrific. I am very happy with the service from beginning to end. All our referred students have been really well supported by the Centre. We had a teleconference this morning which was a very effective way to support our students with transition to high school. It allowed us to have a really good conversation with the high school and having another service involved with this process helps the cause to get the support needed for the students. Often these kids have the potential to get lost in the system if there is no diagnosis or funding so the support with transition really helps. We have received lots of feedback from the Centre and feel that this year in particular the service has been run really well – really good support and lots of strategies sent through. Access to other resources suggested by the Centre has also been great. We have had really good parental involvement this year. Having the parents on board at teleconferences has been terrific – we really like that the Centre offers this service to the parents as it is not available in Tamworth .

10

Terrific Videoconference

Feedback excellent after assessment particularly the follow up with notes.

Everyone at the Centre was excellent and very supportive. Follow up really good.

I would send back monitoring sheets and the Centre staff would give me very comprehensive feedback on everything I sent.

We were given great suggestions and shared resources that supported the Multilit program.

I have used these strategies positively with other kids I work with as well.

As a professional in a role working with kids with learning difficulties the Centre gave me fantastic and ongoing support.

I would highly recommend schools to refer to the Centre.

My experience with the NSW Centre for Effective Reading has been extremely valuable. The Centre provided me with comprehensive assessment data for my student both at the beginning of the program and at the end. The ongoing communication, fortnightly student monitoring of progress and support was outstanding. Nothing was too much trouble and I always received a prompt reply to my requests of assistance. The mid-program review via video conference was a valuable opportunity for myself, the tutor assigned to the student involved, and the parents, to come together and share student progress, questions and concerns. I would highly recommend the NSW Centre for Effective Reading to any school needing expert advice and support with students who need significant assistance in reading. Thank you for providing such a valuable resource for teachers and their students.

…and our parents’ comments?

‘Excellent! The Centre was great with Nathan…. Support for Nathan after assessment was great with me as a parent and with the school. Actual assessment and ongoing support has been ‘brilliant’.

The whole experience was fabulous.’

The program was the best thing for Ben. The school and I had tried many things to help Ben but nothing worked until the he came to the Centre for Effective Reading. I felt the support and encouragement the Centre provided the school was key …. Ben’s program with the Centre really helped and continues to help his progress at school. It really made a big difference to Ben and our family.

The 2 day assessment was fantastic and really enjoyable for Gabe. Gabe raved about his time in Manly. Both Gabe and I were really impressed – 10/10.Terrific ongoing support and the Centre was always available via phone or email. Also received great advice and support regarding additional resources such as books and websites. Gabe has a way to go but thanks to the Centre he has improved by a long shot. I always felt very supported.

The Assessment in Sydney was brilliant. The co-ordination of accommodation and assessment – the whole package was brilliant ….The whole assessment was very comprehensive.….extremely thankful for the opportunity which has made such a difference to Luke’s confidence. He recently entered a writing competition which he would never have done before coming to Sydney. Luke ended up winning the competition and was published in a national magazine. We are all really excited about this.

11

Student Welfare

Student welfare is at the heart of everything we do – we strive to provide a safe, secure and stimulating school environment for our students, who often come to us with enormous trepidation.

We work hand in hand with our whole school community – including schools across the state – to support out students and their families to enable them to be very best they can be.

Our school counselling team contact schools prior to first admission to discuss what needs to be in place to ensure a safe and productive visit to RFW and RFWS.

Our students love the excitement and challenge of going out on boats with Sailability

Multicultural education

We have a trained Anti-Racism Officer, an Aboriginal Education Officer and a strong culture of inclusiveness.

Aboriginal education

We continue to strive to provide culturally inclusive programs in all areas of the school and have a wealth of wonderful Aboriginal resources, artworks and displays.

During 2013 we worked with 336 Aboriginal students and their families. Our Aboriginal Education Officer was a key participant in most of the video links where the student involved was Aboriginal, visibly reducing stress levels for parents and Aboriginal support staff in our rural schools.

Our Aboriginal Education Officer is also an integral member of the RFW team, providing cultural advice and support to clinical staff and contacting families prior to admission to RFW.

School planning and evaluation 2012—2014

School evaluation processes NSW public schools conduct evaluations to support the effective implementation of the school plan. The processes used include:

• Pre and post intervention assessment data

• Surveys and questionnaires

• Discussions with parents, RFW staff and referring school staff

School planning 2012—2014: progress in 2013

School priority 1

Literacy Outcomes from 2012–2014

Increase in literacy skills as measured by individual standardized assessments from below to above age appropriate levels

Students with severe literacy difficulties accessing the curriculum with the assistance of technology

Second SOLVE IT Room established for speech pathology and psychology outreach.

12

Evidence of progress towards outcomes in 2013:

• SOLVE IT supporting increased numbers of high school students with severe reading difficulties who are unable to access local individual, intensive support

• SOLVE IT Centre providing remote speech pathology, psychology and occupational therapy as a result of partnership with RFW clinical services

• RFWS website contains growing bank of best practice resources for literacy development from preschool to high school level

• Development of new technology website and support service – “Give IT a Go” to assist schools to incorporate assistive technology into the classroom to support students with severe literacy difficulties

• Use of assistive technology embedded into upper primary and high school groups for all students.

• Partnership between RFW Learning and Support Team, classroom teacher and RFW clinicians to identify students where the use of assistive technology is appropriate and process to support implementation at referring school.

• Centre for Effective Reading Manly embedding use of technology as a support strategy from the beginning of support program if indicated.

• RFWS Learning and Support Team taking part in Multidisciplinary video conferences.

Strategies to achieve these outcomes in 2014

• Further development of Give IT a Go website and support service

• Development of Learning and Support website providing links, video clips, tutorials and templates for referring schools

• Continued liaison with RFW Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy Departments to further integrate assessments and recommendations to schools

School priority 2

Wellbeing and engagement Outcomes from 2012–2014

Improved engagement in learning at their home schools for RFWS high school students

Evidence of progress towards outcomes in 2013:

• SOLVE IT Centre now used to provide psychology services to individual students in their home schools

• 50% of students on SOLVE IT are in high school

• RFWS high school teacher involved in video conferences involving high school students

Strategies to achieve these outcomes in 2014:

• Appointment of high school Learning and Support Teacher to provide support through SOLVE IT

• Reading materials for SOLVE IT to include age-appropriate, high interest materials

• Universal and targeted trials of assistive literacy technology on site linked to intensive support through Give IT a Go and referring school

• Residential therapy groups jointly designed and run by RFWS and RFW clinicians for teenagers with issues such as emotional and behavioural difficulties, autism, intellectual disabilities, ADHD. Groups to have strong link with referring schools to ensure continuity of service post-program

13

Students display their work at weekly Assembly

School priority 3

Aboriginal Education Outcomes from 2012–2014

Increased percentage of Aboriginal students who attend RFWS completing year 12 or recognized vocational training

Evidence of progress towards outcomes in 2013:

• Increase in numbers of Aboriginal students attending RFW and RFWS

• Increase in number of Aboriginal students accessing SOLVE IT

• RFWS Aboriginal Education Officer participates in all video conferences involving Aboriginal students

• RFWS Aboriginal Education Officer contacting families prior to admission

Strategies to achieve these outcomes in 2014:

• Aboriginal parents with severe literacy difficulties to be invited to access SOLVE IT Centre

• Whole site training in Aboriginal cultural awareness and 8-Ways training

• Resources for SOLVE IT expanded to include age-appropriate, culturally engaging reading materials

• Revamp of existing high school learning and support materials on website to become more engaging and culturally inclusive

Professional learning • All teachers at RFWS took part in a range

of professional learning activities including innovative use of technology, autism and behaviour management, dyslexia and complex reading difficulties, emotional disorders, mental health issues and youth at risk, literacy and numeracy, resilience and curriculum.

• All staff took part in Staff Development Days programs which included Anaphylaxis management, critical incident training, Child Protection, use of innovative technologies in the classroom, fundamentals of inclusion of all students into mainstream classrooms, the Australian curriculum, sensory integration and sensory strategies for self-regulation and suicide prevention.

• In 2013 we had 2 teachers complete the accreditation process.

• Total spending on teacher professional learning in 2013 comprised $7518.54

• The average expenditure for each teacher at the school during 2013 was $939

Original resource and art work created as part of SWAY program in group 1

Parent/caregiver, student, and teacher satisfaction In 2013, the school sought the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school.

Some of their responses are presented below.

14

Parents/carers

I just wanted to send a note of thanks to you… Thank you all for everything that you do every day to help hundreds of kids. Thank you for what you do for my kids…every time we come to RFW. My kids want to live there!! They love you guys, they really do. Thank you for making them feel so special and welcome…I don't know if people do this or not...but if they don't they should! We want you to know that what you all do makes a HUGE difference to our lives and we appreciate it very much

Say hello to everyone down there from both of us & a big thanks as he was a different child by the end of the year, in a good way- he has borrowed …a book.. from the library & we read it on weekends when he comes home but he reads it every day in his roll call room too

Students Great, lots of fun. Nice school. Love the beach. Nice doctors. Love the art work. I love the teachers! Wish there was a bigger playground with climbing equipment and an obstacle course. Meeting new people is fun. Love seeing the teachers every 6 months. Learning new things every time I come here. Feel safe! Love the iPads and technology. Fun and caring teachers

Visiting Royal Far West school gave me something to really look forward to every 6 months

RFWS staff A survey of all RFWS staff found that:

All staff:

- Enjoy coming to school most of the time

- Feel supported by colleagues and school executive

- Are proud of this school

- Think technology helps out students to access services in a more timely manner

Staff commented positively about:

- Positive, friendly, light-hearted and interested colleagues

- “Can do” attitude and willingness to try new ideas

- Easy and free access to support when needed

- Culture of innovation

- Continual improvement of service

- Concern and care for the students by all staff

- Increasing ability to really make a difference to the lives of our students and their families

Staff from referring schools

…many thanks for your assistance in supporting our students on their learning journey. We look forward to continued communication and collaboration with you.

Thanks for your invaluable assistance at last minute yesterday.

I thought you may be interested to know that we re-tested XX using the Woodcock at the beginning of this year and her word comprehension was 7 yrs 9 mths when she was tested at RFW on 12/8/13 and is now 8 yrs 5

15

months. Her passage comprehension was 8 yrs 5 months and is now 10 years 4 months.

I thought the SOLVE IT tutors may like to know as she was on their program for quite a bit last year. We will be continuing her on the program this year as well.

Thank you for your resources. We have finally got X's behaviour in order so he's producing some great work.

We are using iPad's and IT as it's a great motivator for all our students. I will forward your email onto staff so they're aware of the recommendations.

My experience with the NSW Centre for Effective Reading Manly has been extremely valuable. They provided me with comprehensive assessment data for the student that was enrolled in the Centre, at the beginning of the program and at the end. The ongoing communication, fortnightly student monitoring of progress and support was outstanding. Nothing was too much trouble and Ialways received a prompt reply to my requests of assistance. The mid-program review via video conference was a valuable opportunity for myself, the MultiLit Tutor assigned to the student involved, and the parents, to come together and share student progress, questions and concerns.

I would highly recommend the NSW Centre for Effective Reading to any school needing expert advice and support with students who need significant assistance in reading. Thank you for providing such a valuable resource for teachers and their students.

Sincere thanks to all who were involved with L’s visit. His parents have been so appreciative of all you have done and keep singing your praises.

Can you pass on my thanks to the team supporting D. and his family. It was amazing to have the VC, so informative and helpful.

What a great service.

Thanks for the teleconference this morning. It was great to catch up and share what we have been doing and get your feedback. I have attached the Action Plan for this term and we I'll send you about updated plan for Term Two. Thanks for all you do for children in isolated areas. This service is amazing and the support is much appreciated.

SO excited about how this technology is allowing her to 'keep up' with the others. And I LOVED seeing her so excited about what she can do.

Program evaluations

Video conference program evaluation Background

In 2013 RFWS organized, chaired and minuted nearly 200 multidisciplinary video conferences with partner rural and remote school.

We know from informal feedback that parents and carers, referring schools and the RFW and RFWS staff find these to be of immense value. However, we wanted to know a little more about how parents felt about the videoconferences and to see if there was anything we could do to make them better.

We interviewed 18 parents who had taken part in videoconferences during the previous 12 months. These parents were selected randomly and interviews were semi-structured and carried out over the phone.

Findings and conclusions

• The vast majority of parents felt that their school had a better understanding of their child following a videoconference

• Nearly all felt it was very helpful to have everyone together to discuss their child’s program and plan

16

• Most felt that things were better at school and that their child was happier following a video conference

• All stated that they would encourage other parents to take part in a video conference

• Most felt that there was nothing more that RFWS could do to improve the current service

• A significant number stated that their school had not implemented plans made at the videoconference

Future directions

• Work with RFW to initiate pre-admission videoconferences for particularly complex clients to ensure that we are meeting the needs of referring schools

• Contact schools 6 weeks after video conferences to discuss any issues with the implementation of agreed plans

• Encourage parents to contact RFWS if plans are not implemented

Learning and Support Program Evaluation: SOLVE IT Background

The majority of our students present with very significant learning difficulties so Learning and Support is a key focus area for RFWS. In 2013 we decided to evaluate the operating model of SOLVE IT. While we know from earlier evaluations that SOLVE IT is highly effective for many students, we are also aware that there is a need to formalize how the program operates. We looked at:

- how students are referred to the program

- what criteria are used to decide who is referred

- what we require of schools

- what reporting is happening currently

- how do we decide how long students are on the program

- what are the criteria for staying on the program

- what issues (e.g. technology problems) get in the way of the efficient running of the SOLVE IT Centre

Findings and conclusions

While SOLVE IT has been an amazing success story thanks to incredibly dedicated staff and volunteers, we did find a need for clear processes to ensure that access and time on the program is equitable and effective. While we maintain the need for flexibility, we did decide there is a need for clear guidelines to be used in conjunction with our school Learning and Support Team processes. Using student data, recording logs of tutor issues with technology and focused discussions with staff and tutors we decided that:

• We need a clear referral pathway

• We need stated criteria for placement on the program

• We need to state quite clearly what is required of schools prior to commencement on the program

• We need to control the quality of technology used at referring school level

• We need a minimum quality of internet speed and reliability at the referring school level

• We need to use our Learning and Support Team process to regularly review students to decide on length of time on the program

• We need a time-efficient way to report to parents and schools on progress

• We need a greater emphasis on maintaining fidelity of the program and tutor support

Future directions

• Extension of lesson times to 1 hour to allow more time for tutor mentoring and allow for short-term disruptions

• Engagement of additional teacher time to facilitate development of processes to make SOLVE IT more efficient and equitable

• Additional support staff time to continue to develop tutor skills in technology and

17

to run technology trials with all partner schools

• Development of clear documentation for referring schools and parents

• Learning and Support Team meetings, including SOLVE IT team, to be held weekly in 2014

• Scheduled group tutor training as well as “on the spot” assistance

• Recruitment and training of additional tutors

With special thanks to The amazingly talented, caring and

hard-working staff at RFWS

Our expert, flexible and collaborative Royal Far West clinical partners

Our wonderful partner schools in rural and remote NSW

Our families who work so hard with us to achieve the best for the children

Our incredible SOLVE IT volunteers who make the impossible possible

Our awesome classroom volunteers

CLSA whose generosity have made it possible to make a dream a reality

Our faithful, hard-working and dedicated P&C who help to fund our literacy programs and have tirelessly supported our school for many, many years

Our School Council who provide a wonderful support and venue for discussions about how to realize our vision for struggling students in rural and remote NSW

National ICT Australia for its incredible generosity, awesome skills and flexibility

Community volunteers who come for working bees

Community organizations and schools who have donated money or resources to our school

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.

Jenny Rayner, Principal

The entire teaching and support staff at RFWS

School contact information

Royal Far West School

22 Wentworth St, Manly, 2095

Ph: 9977 2452

Fax: 9976 2744

Email: royalfarwe-s.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Web: royalfarwe-s.schools.nsw.edu.au

School Code: 5

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

https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/high-performance/annual-school-reports

18

In 2013 we worked with hundreds of schools. Please see below a patchwork of our wonderful partners in rural and remote NSW. In no particular order…

19

20

21

22