2018 charlestown south public school annual report

Charlestown South Public SchoolAnnual Report

2018

4324

Printed on: 1 May, 2019 of 18 Charlestown South Public School 4324 (2018)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2018 is provided to the community of Charlestown South Public School as an account of theschool's operations 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.

Colin Johnson

Principal

School contact details

Charlestown South Public SchoolPatricia AveCharlestown, 2290www.charlestos-p.schools.nsw.edu.aucharlestos-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au4943 5827

Message from the Principal

The school has grown in student numbers to 221 in 2018 and will grow to over 230 in 2019 and therefore, be unable toenrol students from out of the intake enrolment zone. The most recent School External Validation process saw theExternal Validation Panel assesse CSPS to be Excelling in 11 of the 14 elements of the School Excellence Framework.The School has as major priorities; a focus on the Explicit Instruction (EI) Pedagogy with a view to further elevate ourstudents' Literacy and Numeracy skills, extending the use of technologies for education and the broadening ofcollaborative communities and learning alliances. The Explicit Instruction pedagogy was first undertaken at CSPS in2015 after much research and consultation between community, school and like–minded schools. CSPS commencedworking closely with John Fleming; who at the time was the Deputy Chairman of AITSL; and Haileybury College inMelbourne who are the top performing primary school in the nation. The EI pedagogy has resulted in significantacademic growth in students as highlighted by the 2018 NAPLAN results. This year's Year 3 cohort are the first studentgroup to sit the NAPLAN who have known nothing else but the EI pedagogy and daily maths, literacy and writing warmups. 86% of Year 3 were in the top 2 bands of NAPLAN Reading and 83% in Numeracy. Since 2016 we have by defaultbecome the demonstration school for those in the local Newcastle/Hunter/Lake Macquarie area for those wanting toexplore the EI pedagogy. The implementation and embedding of further technologies into every day practice has alsobeen a focus for 2018 and will continue as a priority in 2019 as CSPS looks to continue the BYOD program for Stage 3and continue to grow and expand our coding and robotics program from K to 6. Although operating as an individualschool, CSPS is part of the Whitebridge Community of Schools (WCoS) and the Fleming Network of Schools (FNS). In2018 the student learning opportunities, collaborative teacher professional learning sessions and High School transitionprograms were all extended from previous years and continue to be a hallmark of the WCoS. The FNS grew markedlyduring 2018. CSPS coordinated and hosted Explicit Instruction professional learning afternoons each term atCharlestown Bowling Club attended by over 150 local teachers. In 2019 CSPS will continue to deepen our EI pedagogy,use of technology and partnerships with like–minded schools as we continue to create opportunities for our students inpreparation for an ever changing world.


School background

School vision statement

Charlestown South Public School (CSPS) is an active, caring community of learners who demonstrate tolerance andrespect for others and embrace excellence. We have a professional and highly motivated staff who nurtures the social,emotional, physical and intellectual development of each child.

Our mission is to inspire lifelong learning. We empower our students to become innovative, creative, intellectuallycurious and socially responsible citizens, who are prepared for and can respond to the demands and opportunities of the21st century.

School context

CSPS is located in the Lake Macquarie region, serving a diverse population within a mid–socio–economic context.Currently 224 students are enrolled including 18 Aboriginal students. Charlestown South is a close knit community withextremely high parental involvement and a wide range of extra curricula programs including; Concert Band, Choir, VocalEnsemble, Dance, Drum Group, Debating, Aboriginal Dance, Gardening and Environmental Groups and many sportingpursuits. The school is renowned for its cultural arts, academic, technology and sporting achievements, highlighted bysuccesses in regional competitions and consistently above regional averages in NAPLAN. The staff at CharlestownSouth consists of experienced and newly accredited teachers who demonstrate passion and expertise across allcurriculum areas. The 2018 – 2020 School Plan, has as major priorities; a focus on the Explicit Instruction (EI)Pedagogy, extending the use of technologies for education and the broadening of collaborative communities andlearning alliances. Charlestown South is a member of the Whitebridge Community of Schools (WCoS) and theNewcastle Fleming Network of Schools. At CSPS we work in a close, highly professional and strategic partnershipdelivering innovative and inspirational student educational and social opportunity, as well as focused, collaborativelydesigned, professional learning for all staff members K–12.

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.

The schoolself–assessment, which was made in consultation with the entire staff, settledon CSPS ranking 2 elements within the SeF as Excelling and 12 elements asSustaining and Growing. Despite the External Validation Panel in 2017 making thejudgement of 11 elements at Excelling and 3 elements at Sustaining and Growingat CSPS, we believe as a staff that we have more improvements to make as wefurther embed new practices and pedagogies into the everyday routines and bestpractice.

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

Active, informed student learners

Purpose

• To create a purposeful, challenging, engaging learning environment underpinned by high expectations andteaching practices delivering a differentiated curriculum.

• To enable students to develop the abilities to think critically, creatively and ethically.

Overall summary of progress

The engaging learning environment and quality teaching practices, which are underpinned by high expectations, haveensured that students are highly active participants in their learning. Students receive high levels of feedback on a dailybasis which ensures they are highly informed learners which in turn facilitates and enables students to play an active rolein their own personal academic goal setting.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

All parents actively contribute tostudent IEP and PLP process.

No cost for course.

Casual relief 4 days @$450

Two staff trained in Positive Partnerships , newprocess trialled for writing IEP's. Parents involved ingoal setting for their child.

100% of students in Stage 3 canarticulate their learning goals andidentify if they have achievedtheir goal.

3 x $450 Casual Relief

Stage 3 teacher PLPathways Maths – 2x $450casual relief

Course cost $800

Executive staff attended Assessing for Impact PL toupskill and train staff.

Goal setting processes explored using PathwaysMaths for Stage 3 students.

Increased confidence andclassroom engagement asidentified through student survey.

TTFM Surveys – identified high levels ofengagement confidence, positive relationships andbelonging

Next Steps

The introduction of the Critical and Creative Thinking pedagogy in 2019 will aim to extend students' ability to problemsolve, work collaboratively and think critically and creatively. All teaching staff will complete professional learning bothonline and face to face engaging with the Minds Wide Open Program in order to facilitate student learning experiencesand creative opportunities to grow and deepen their problem solving skills. The CCT pedagogy will form the basis of ourPeer Support program.

A focus on developing the quality of student writing will be maintained. Teacher Professional Learning opportunities inrelation to improving student writing will increase. Partial Staff Development Days and Explicit Instruction sessions withJohn Fleming will target specific skills and practices to enhance genre writing. Genre writing Scope and Sequences fromK to 6 will be reviewed throughout the year.

In 2019 there will be a greater emphasis placed on student academic goal setting with every Stage 3 student havingbiannual one on one interviews with an executive member to discuss and review student personal goals. Theintroduction in 2019 of 3 Way Interviews for Stages 2 and 3 at the end of Term 1 involving the classroom teacher,parent/carer and student will increase the accountability and meaningfulness of the goal setting process.



Fostering inspirational and innovative teaching and leadership

Purpose

• To provide a highly collaborative and communicative teaching environment that promotes and celebratesinnovation.

• To understand and implement the most effective explicit teaching methods, with the highest priority given toevidence–based teaching strategies.


In 2018, staff have been exposed to innovative and creative practices to enhance their own capacities and provideengaging learning experiences for every student. Staff have reviewed student assessment and tracking systems whichhave lead to consistent teacher judgement and valuable reporting to parents. Professional learning has also driven futurefocused learning and staff are able to be innovative and creative in their classroom practices.

There is a positive, caring culture, focused on improvement evident within the school where positive relationshipsbetween staff, students and community are fostered. Students are displaying increased skills in self awareness,behaviour and emotional regulation and their ability to set measure and articulate learning goals. Flexible learningenvironments across the school have been enhanced and the school has continued to respond to student needs andinvolve student voice in decision making. Data and evidence sources indicate that there have been improvements in allareas of engagement in learning.





Increase the percentage ofstudents demonstrating expectedgrowth in literacy and numeracy(NAPLAN)

In reading and numeracy 88% of Yr 5 studentswere beyond expected growth an increase of 28%in reading from 2017.

Bump it Up strategies will see thepercentage of studentsperforming in the top two bandsof NAPLAN increase.

Year 3 • Reading increase of 50% from 36% to 86% intop 2 bands. • Numeracy increase of 35% from 48% to 83% intop 2 bands.Year 5 • Reading increase of 3% from 55% to 58% in top2 bands. • Numeracy increase of 8% from 44% to 52% intop 2 bands.

Staff improve their professionalpractice as evidenced by selfreflection using AITSL ClassroomPractice Continuum.

100% of staff completed Classroom Practicecontinuum and indicated an overall increase inproficiency.

Next Steps

In 2019 teaching staff will continue peer observations of Explicit Instruction Warm Ups in Literacy, Numeracy and Writingwhilst extending peer observations to the explicit instruction lesson format for numeracy. Through the observation andfeedback process, current practices will be reviewed and refined and greater collaboration with resource creationincreased.

In 2019 the use of online PAT Assessments will increase in order to inform the teaching and learning cycle with stagemeetings having greater focus on data analysis.

The introduction of the Critical and Creative Thinking pedagogy in 2019 will aim to enhance and broaden innovative and


inspirational teaching and leadership. All teaching staff will complete professional learning both online and face to faceengaging with the Minds Wide Open Program with the view to extending students' ability to problem solve, workcollaboratively and think critically and creatively.

Staff will continue to reflect upon their classroom practice through reflection on AITSIL Classroom practice continuumand through the PDP process.



Strengthening community connections

Purpose

• To engage in meaningful shared learning experiences through a collaborative approach to learning, teaching andleading.

• To develop inclusive, collaborative teams and school networks through strong community partnerships which valuestudent engagement, learning and wellbeing.


During 2018 there has been a deepening and strengthening of the connections with community. The inter schoolalliances between the Whitebridge Community of Schools has continued to grow as pedagogies and programs becomeincreasingly interwoven. The Explicit Instruction pedagogy which was introduced at CSPS in 2014, which is now beenembraced by Dudley, Redhead and Charlestown primary schools has been the catalyst for the expansion ofcollaboration between schools and the interschool visits for classroom observations. The planning for 2019 will seeWhitebridge HS tailor the Year 4 and 5 Enrichment Program for the primary schools to better cater for student needs, aswell as introduction of a collaborative sharing session for Stage 3 and 4 teachers focusing on literacy.





• Students actively participate inWCoS events offered. • Parents' response to surveysindicate strong, positiverelationships with the school. • Increased staff collaborationacross learning communities asevidenced by positive responsesin staff survey.

WCoS based studentprograms were financed bythe WCoS and/or studentscontributions.

Fleming afternoons at CBCfor catering $160

Explicit Instruction sharingafternoon $50

The level of participation in WCoS student events in2018 was higher than ever before. Both informaland formal feedback via student surveys in regardto Leadership Day, Charlestown Cup and the WHSEnrichment Program indicated high levels ofengagement and enjoyment.

WHS Enrichment Program in 2018 extended to alsoinclude Year 4 students for the first time from thesix primary schools. Positive feedback fromteachers and students was received.

The Term 3 WCoS Combined Staff DevelopmentDay demonstrated the highest levels of participationas well as the highest levels of WCoS based schoolstaff presenting on the day. The feedback from allsix primary schools was overwhelmingly positivewith 94% of attendees who completed the surveyrating the day as 'Excellent'.

Deeper and wider connections were built in 2018with other Fleming Network Schools across theHunter with CSPS by default becoming thedemonstration school for aspiring schools who arelooking to, or who are in the process of embeddingthe new EI pedagogy into their daily routines. Thishas been done by the way of termly Open Dayswhereby CSPS opens classrooms to a maximum of20 teachers and Principals from other school whohave requested visiting CSPS to view EI Literacy,Maths and Writing Warm Ups.

A termly afternoon for informal sharing between'like' Stage teachers has been developed to allowteachers to swap ideas and resources relating to EIWarm Ups to reduce the workload on teachers interms of resource creation.






• Students actively participate inWCoS events offered. • Parents' response to surveysindicate strong, positiverelationships with the school. • Increased staff collaborationacross learning communities asevidenced by positive responsesin staff survey.

The featuring of CSPS on the Whitebridge HS TVfor the first time this year allowed for greaterdevelopment of relationships between CSPS andWHS students.

CSPS continues develop deeper connections withour local members of Parliament. This has resultedin the successful grant applications for several keycapital works initiatives in 2018.

Next Steps

The next key steps in developing wider community connections is to continue to strategically plan for the growth inconnections with all of the WCoS school as well as the Fleming Network of schools. The extension of the EnrichmentProgram to both Years 4 & 5 trialled in 2018 will continue in 2019 and a new initiative will see all Stage 3 and Stage 4English teachers come together for a full day of planning as the WCoS looks to strengthen partnerships and studentliteracy outcomes.

The Explicit Instruction CSPS Open Days will continue in 2019 as there has already been requests from three schools toattend in Term 1. The EI Informal Sharing Afternoons which were trialled in 2018 will continue with the Literacy Warm Upbeing a focus for the first semester.


Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

English language proficiency 1/2 day @ $400 per dayrate

*Student arrived on NAP with no English.

* Due to trauma experience in home countryconsiderable support was required to developpositive relationships with child and familyresulting in child communicating in Englishand achieving beyond Kindergartenbenchmarks in Literacy and Numeracy.

Low level adjustment for disability 1x 1/2 hr per day @ $37/hrx 10 weeks = $925

Above identified staffingallocation funds of $12,500allocated to create aprimary LaST role

* As part of our Bump It Up strategy identifiedindividual students and small groupsbenefited greatly from the expertise of highquality, proactive and highly motivatedStudent Learning Support Officers, all with apartial background in teaching.

* Monitoring of NCCD students with identifiedadjustments required to access the curriculumwas more closely monitored and resulted inimproved learning outcomes.

* Increase in LaST via a partially schoolfunded position allowed for the growth in theprimary maths and STEM GATS programs atCSPS. This also allowed for increasedsupport within the classroom for CTs.

LAST timetable reflected identification ofstudents and intervention at the point of need.

Quality Teaching, SuccessfulStudents (QTSS)

8 x $400 = $3200 * All teaching staff released on Fleming visitdays to ensure all are able to access changesin pedagogy and to new EI observe practice.NAPLAN results reflected the growth instudent achievement due to this initiative.

Socio–economic background Above identified staffingallocation funds of $12,500allocated to create aprimary LaST role

* Fluid and flexible timetable

* Review progress

* Individual Education Plans were developedand implemented for students identified asrequiring adjustments and for those onNCCD.

* SLSO employed to provide intervention andsupport for the Bump It Up initiative. NAPLANresults indicated the percentage of Year 5students in Top 2 Bands for Reading and forNumeracy has exceeded school targets.

* Student Assistance was offered to familiesexperiencing financial hardship to ensureequity of opportunity for those students toachieve learning outcomes from experiencessuch as the Gymnastics program, Excursions,Information Technology Package andincursions.

Targeted student support forrefugees and new arrivals

* Teacher capacity to enable student'slearning progression has grownsignificantly

* The student supported through this programbegan to speak English in the school settingin the latter part of the semester


Targeted student support forrefugees and new arrivals * No funding has been provided from the

Support for Refugees Program for 2019.However, allocation of 'extra' LaST and SLSOsupport with school funded positions abovethe central staffing allocation will assist insupporting this students.


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2015 2016 2017 2018

Boys 110 107 114 114

Girls 71 98 108 105

The enrolments at Charlestown South PS have grownquite rapidly over the past 7 years arresting a decline instudent enrolments. During 2018 the school reached itsenrolment ceiling capacity and therefore can no longeraccept enrolments from beyond the school intake zoneexcept for exceptional circumstances which are dealtwith at a regional and or state level by the Director ofEducation or Executive Director.

Enrolment History

2012 – 139

2013 – 170

2014 – 179

2015 – 188

2016 – 205

2017 – 221

2018 – 225

2019 – projected 232

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2015 2016 2017 2018

K 95.8 96.8 96 95.5

1 93.7 94.6 94.8 95.2

2 96.3 95.1 95.4 95.2

3 93.4 95.6 94.8 94.3

4 95.1 92.4 95.7 95

5 92.2 94.5 93 94.3

6 93.2 93.1 92.4 95.3

All Years 94.5 94.8 94.8 94.9

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

The attendance of every child on every day is a priorityat Charlestown South PS. We proactively championattendance and have specific awards that highlight thisin front of the whole school community so as topromote the importance of high attendance. This is alsoreferenced frequently in our school Newsletter andother forms of communication.

Charlestown South PS monitors student attendancevery carefully using the Sentral and EBS4 platforms torecord attendance. Should a child be absent for morethan 2 consecutive days the classroom teacherimmediately contacts the parents/carers for anexplanation and to offer assistance where possible.This enquiry may also be accompanied by a letterprompting the parents/carers to explain the absence.Should the absenteeism continue or exceed the85%level over a period of time, the urgency for actionwill be escalated to the Learning and Support Teamand the Infants or Primary Assistant Principal. Theseparties will follow up absenteeism. Should this fail tobring about a positive result, the Principal will makecontact for an explanation and to assist the familywhere possible. Failing these courses of action, theHome School Liaison may also be contacted andengaged for assistance. The processes and proceduresat CSPS are clearly communicated to all staff andoutlined in the school Attendance Course of Action


Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal(s) 1

Assistant Principal(s) 2

Classroom Teacher(s) 8.15

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.5

Teacher Librarian 0.6

School Administration and SupportStaff

2.42

*Full Time Equivalent

Charlestown South PS has a mix of experiencedteachers as well as those in their first few years ofteaching. There are no Aboriginal or Torres StraitIslander staff members at CSPS. A very highpercentage of staff at Charlestown South PS arepermanent staff members.

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

All teachers at CSPS are accredited with NESA and theschool's professional learning plan is constructed incollaboration with all staff using the goals outlined byeach in their Personalised Professional Learning Plan.There are significant professional learning opportunitiesat Charlestown South PS for teachers and SASS staffto collaborate and work with other local schools. Thisincludes lesson observation rounds and feedback.Charlestown South PS works closely with JohnFleming, Deputy Head of Haileybury College inMelbourne.

A particular focus for CSPS in 2018 has been aroundconsistent assessment and the further development ofthe whole school assessment plan across the school. In2019, there will be a greater emphasis on theprofessional development of teachers in order to liftstudent outcomes in the area of genre writing..

Financial information

Financial summary

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

2018 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 179,590

Revenue 2,207,495

Appropriation 2,040,516

Sale of Goods and Services 2,127

Grants and Contributions 163,063

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 0

Investment Income 1,789

Expenses -2,144,650

Recurrent Expenses -2,144,650

Employee Related -1,870,084

Operating Expenses -274,566

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

62,845

Balance Carried Forward 242,435

Charlestown South PS has financial managementprocesses and governance structures in place to meetfinancial policy requirements .The Financial Summaryof operations at Charlestown South PS is open toscrutiny by the school community and Director. Theschool's Financial Committee meet regularly to discusscurrent trends, fund allocation and future spendingopportunities that are in line with the School Plan andStrategic Directions. Twice per term the committee willcross reference and check the start of year developedbudget with the current financial overview report andmake financial decisions accordingly. All majorspending is approved by the finance committee.

The financial committee have designated some fundsfrom 2018 to go toward the refurbishment of the Libraryand the resurfacing of the softfall and artificial grass inand around the top playground fixed equipment.

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding. Afull copy of the school's financial statement is tabled atthe annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning the


statement can be obtained by contacting the school.

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 1,665,777

Base Per Capita 42,928

Base Location 0

Other Base 1,622,849

Equity Total 129,774

Equity Aboriginal 23,640

Equity Socio economic 39,178

Equity Language 0

Equity Disability 66,955

Targeted Total 166,762

Other Total 39,449

Grand Total 2,001,763

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 andnumeracy assessments are reported on a scale fromBand 1 to Band 10. The achievement scalerepresents increasing levels of skillsand understandings demonstrated in theseassessments.

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.

The CSPS NAPLAN results have continued to see anescalation in the percentage of students in the Top 2Bands for Literacy based disciplines. It has been thePremier's Priority to see schools annually continue toincrease the percentage of students in the Top 2 Bandsof NAPLAN especially reading and Numeracy. TheState combined average for all school in Literacy andNumeracy is 35%. The average at CSPS is double theState average at 70%.

The school introduced the pedagogy of ExplicitInstruction in 2014 with this year's 2018 cohort the firstgroup to come from kinder through to Year 3 havingbeen exposed to daily literacy, maths and writing warmups. Their NAPLAN results highlighted theeffectiveness of this pedagogy with 86% of students inthe top 2 bands for Reading and 83% in the top 2bands for Numeracy. Other Literacy disciplines alsoreflected huge increases with 80% for Writing, 77% forSpelling and 77% for Grammar and Punctuation beingin the top 2 bands.

Band 1 2 3 4 5 6

Percentage of students 0.0 2.9 5.7 14.3 11.4 65.7

School avg 2016-2018 4 3 10 23 20 40


Band 1 2 3 4 5 6


School avg 2016-2018 1 8 13 22 30 26

Band 1 2 3 4 5 6


School avg 2016-2018 1 4 9 16 35 35

Band 1 2 3 4 5 6


School avg 2016-2018 0 1 15 28 38 18


Band 3 4 5 6 7 8


School avg 2016-2018 2.6 3.8 19.2 28.2 21.8 24.4

Band 3 4 5 6 7 8


School avg 2016-2018 2.6 7.8 10.4 26 27.3 26

Band 3 4 5 6 7 8


School avg 2016-2018 0 7.7 11.5 43.6 20.5 16.7


Band 3 4 5 6 7 8


School avg 2016-2018 2.6 10.3 35.9 37.2 12.8 1.3

The Numeracy results in the NAPLAN assessmentwere almost as impressive as the Literacy with 83% ofstudents in the top 2 bands in Year 3 and 52% of thestudents in the very top 2 bands in Year 5.

Band 1 2 3 4 5 6


School avg 2016-2018 0 8 12 27 32 21


Band 3 4 5 6 7 8


School avg 2016-2018 0 3.9 27.6 30.3 22.4 15.8

The My School website provides detailed informationand data for national literacy and numeracy testing. Goto http://www.myschool.edu.au to access the schooldata.

Premier's Priorities: Improving education results andState Priorities: Better services – Improving Aboriginaleducation outcomes for students in the top twoNAPLAN bands.

CSPS had 3 Aboriginal students in Year 3 with 66% ofstudents achieving in the very top band 6 for Readingand Writing, and 66% in the top 2 bands for Spelling,Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy.

CSPS had 5 Aboriginal students in Year 5 with 80% ofthis group far exceeding the expected growth levels inReading and 100% exceeding expected growth levelsin Numeracy. No student achieved in the top 2 bands.

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

In 2018 CSPS undertook the Tell Them From MeSchool Survey for students in Years 4 to 6 as well asthe parent body which saw 80 parents complete theonline survey. A summary of the results are listedbelow.

The students replies were overwhelmingly positivetoward their school, teachers, peers and their learning.

* 85% of students felt accepted by everyone at all timeswhich was well above the state average for otherschool surveyed.

* 96% recorded positive relationships with others atschool which was well above the state average forother school surveyed.

* 98% said education was highly important and schoolhad a bearing on their future which was well above thestate average for other school surveyed.

* 98% of students identified as a student who wasextremely well behaved and never presented withdisruptive behaviours which was well above the stateaverage for other school surveyed.

* 92% of students said they were motivated andinterested which was well above the state average forother school surveyed.

* 96% of students said they tried hard at all times tosucceed in their learning which was well above thestate average for other school surveyed.

The parents replies were overwhelmingly positive

toward their child's school, teachers and the overallculture and expectations of the school. In terms of howwelcoming, inclusive, safe, supportive, communicativeand the quality of the teaching and learning at CSPSthe of parents who relied in a positive manner was wellin excess of the average score range recorded by allschools surveyed.

* 95% of parents said they would definitely recommendCharlestown South PS to other parents looking to enrolat a quality school.

In 2018 the staff undertook a school based surveyaddressing at school culture, explicit instructionpedagogy, support and leadership.

* 100% of staff strongly agreed that CSPS has ahealthy and happy school culture

* 100% strongly agreed that explicit instructionpedagogy has a significant impact upon studentoutcomes.

* 93% of staff strongly agreed or agreed that theyreceived high levels of support and leadership.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

In 2018, the school continued to implement theAboriginal Education policy that promotes theeducational achievements of all indigenous studentsand aims to enhance the knowledge and understandingof all students about Aboriginal Australia. At CSPS werecognise the responsibility in the development ofcultural understanding and appreciation of our heritage.School Captain and proud Aboriginal girl, SarahGraham, was invited to speak at the Lake MacquarieCity Council NAIDOC Day Celebrations.

All Aboriginal students worked with a Personal LearningPlan designed to assist in closing the state gapbetween aboriginal and non–aboriginal students inrelation to Literacy, Numeracy and Attendance. In Year5 NAPLAN only five Aboriginal students were part ofthe cohort and 80% of the students exceeded growthexpectations in Reading and Numeracy. In Year 3 therewere 3 students with 66% achieving in the top 2 bandsin every discipline. CSPS Aboriginal education in 2018included an Aboriginal Cultural Day which was anotherhighlight of the year at CSPS. A huge variety ofactivities were on offer and a major contribution wasmade by a team of Indigenous parents who played akey role throughout the day in many of the educationaland fun activities . A BBQ and damper taste testingarea was also a highlight of the day. The AboriginalCultural Day promoted the inclusion of Aboriginalperspectives and was the centre piece and culminationof the units completed in all classes that educated allstudents about Aboriginal histories, cultures and currentAboriginal Australia.

In 2018 we participated in the regional workshop forAboriginal Dance. The Monday Choir group on variousoccasions and celebrations sang the National Anthem


in the Awabakal language. Aboriginal students againjoined the Concert Band program in 2018 with apercentage of these students receiving financialstudents support so as they could participate in theweekly peripatetic program.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

Multicultural education influences all areas of thecurriculum and the school encourages all students toidentify with, and be proud of their individual culturalheritage. Tolerance, understanding and acceptance ofdiversity are actively encouraged and taught.Multicultural perspectives are built into units of studyacross the curriculum. In addition special focus daysare held to highlight the multicultural nature of ourcountry. Harmony Day was celebrated and thecontribution of our multicultural community recognised.The National Anti–Bullying Day was also a focus as wediscussed racism and acceptance with all classes.Anti–Racism was also a constant topic of conversationvia ABC's weekly Behind The News televisionbroadcast which was viewed by the stage 3 classes.Through equity funding via the Resource AllocationModel of funding to schools, we were able to assist anumber of Aboriginal, as well other students whoexperience low socio–economic conditions, to attend avariety of excursion and overnight camps so as theiropportunities for valuable learning experiences wasaccessible and equitable for all students.Allundertakings have aided in strengthening partnershipsbetween school, family and the wider community.Added to this has been the escalation of access to awider range of curriculum learning experiences and asconsequence participation and engagement has beenenhanced.


2018 charlestown south public school annual report

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