2018 spring farm public school annual report · 2019. 6. 3. · introduction the annual report for...

Spring Farm Public SchoolAnnual Report

2018

4657

Printed on: 3 June, 2019 of 17 Spring Farm Public School 4657 (2018)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2018 is provided to the community of Spring Farm Public as an account of the school's operationsand 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.

Donovan Jance

Principal

School contact details

Spring Farm Public SchoolBarley RoadSpring Farm, 2570www.springfarm-p.schools.nsw.edu.auspringfarm-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au02 4658 3057


School background

School vision statement

At Spring Farm, we believe it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every student is provided with opportunities toachieve personal success as they develop skills, knowledge and understandings that will allow them to be successfullearners and active and informed citizens. Students will be resilient, creative learners that are able to workcollaboratively, communicate with others and think critically. They will be able to transfer their skills and understandingsacross all areas and contexts, and develop positive relationships with their peers, teachers and community.

Students will be reflective and engaged lifelong learners that will always strive for their personal best. Staff will deliverexplicit, balanced, differentiated and integrated quality teaching and learning programs designed to meet the diverseneeds of all learners. They will actively participate in professional learning opportunities, both in school and the widereducation community, to support and lead the implementation of innovative, creative and research–based pedagogies.

Staff will use formative assessment strategies and data to provide relevant, differentiated teaching and learningexperiences and inform future programs. The school community will work in a supportive and collaborative partnershipwith the school to ensure our students are successful and engaged learners, active and informed citizens and futurelearners. This will be underpinned by practices that are innovative, authentic and consistent

School context

Spring Farm Public School is a new and contemporary school in the middle of a rapidly growing housing estate nearCamden, in Sydney's south–west. The traditional custodians of the land are the Dharawal people.

The school's population currently comprises of 490 students from an increasingly diverse cultural, religious andsocio–economic backgrounds. There is a 22% LBOTE (Language Background other than English) population, withstudents coming from Arabic, Portuguese, Swahili, Urdu, Maltese, Russian and Khmer background. The school has 22ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) students.

As the suburb of Spring Farm continues to grow, our student population will also reflect this growth. From January 2016and our starting enrolment of 60 students, it is evident the expected continued and rapid growth of the school'senrolments will increase student numbers. The school was open from January 2016 on a temporary site at NarellanAnnexe. Staff and students remained at the annexe for the duration of Term One.

The school was completed in early April 2016. It has the capacity to enrol 500 students, including four support classes.Spring Farm Public School is built to support and enhance quality and engaging teaching and learning, where innovationand a collaborative learning culture is embraced. At Spring Farm Public School we aim to: provide quality and engagingeducation for all students; provide students with the academic and social skills to contribute to and create positive futuresfor themselves and the broader community; and encourage students to become global citizens and lifelong learners. Thestudents, staff and community are currently working collaboratively to make the school the hub of the community withlocal residents able to share the facilities such as local church groups, dance groups and the karate group who hire theschool hall.

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.

Learning

In the domain of Learning, our efforts have focused on Assessment and Reporting and Student Performance Measures.All learning is data driven and teaching and learning programs are differentiated to meet the needs of all students.Students decide on learning goals and success criteria to improve their understanding. The students are encouraged tobe self– motivated learners.

Teaching


In the domain of Teaching, our efforts have focused on Effective Classroom Practice, Data Skills and collaborativePractice. The school continued to focus on a whole school collaborative approach to designing teaching and learningprograms. We expanded our teacher mentor program to ensure effective classroom practice was occurring across theschool for beginning and existing teachers. We provided opportunities for staff to view other lessons and provided time todiscuss the objectives of a lesson and observers feedback. Teachers continue to monitor student performance and usethe data obtained to improve student growth. Staff set Professional Learning Goals to enhance their teaching and todevelop a deeper understanding of curriculum and effective pedagogy.

Leading

In the domain of Leading, our efforts have been focused on Leadership and Management Practices and Processes. Wehave continued to develop effective systems to collect and analyse data which has been driving the learning across theschool. The school continues to have productive relationships with external agencies, such as Occupational and SpeechTherapists, Local Play Groups and High Schools and other community organisations supporting the school.

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

Fostering the wellbeing of Students to Engage and Achieve

Purpose

Develop the student leadership team to have a strong voice within the school community. This will be reflected by aculture of collaborative decision making made by students for their school.

Spirals of Inquiry (Action Based Research) and professional learning with close reference to key documents such as,The Wellbeing Framework and Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) framework focusing on student well–being anddeveloping a cultural understanding of the diversity of enrollments such as, EALD students and students with trauma,anxiety issues and complex behaviour.

Build upon the integration of support unit students into mainstream classes and reverse integration opportunities fortargeted students.

Build upon the extra–Curricular Groups to develop engagement and achievement in TOM, STEM, CAPA, Sport, publicspeaking and peer support.

Increase social skills programs for lunch and recess breaks such as, games clubs and peer buddy partners. Providingworkshops on anti–bullying strategies for students and the community with close reference to the Department ofEducation Anti–bullying policy and CESE Anti–bullying research.

Overall summary of progress

Spring Farm Public School, continues to develop and refine a school–wide focus on Positive Behaviour for Learning(PBL). This has continued to enable the school to utilise and develop a successful, whole school approach to studentwellbeing and learning culture in this strategic direction. PBL has allowed the use of a consistent approach to teachingand learning of appropriate behaviours and associated social skills across all school contexts. A PBL committee wasestablished to further focus and refine PBL practices and a representative from the PBL directory has started to informand review the school's practice. This was in close reference to The Wellbeing Framework. As a result, consistent,positive and respectful language utilised by the staff to develop positive relationships throughout the school community.

All staff established learning goals within their classrooms, utilising formative assessment strategies such as visiblelearning processes. The school also implemented Spirals of Inquiry professional learning sessions. Through cooperativeplanning teachers collaboratively focussed on student learning outcomes and continuously reviewed whole schooldirection. Learning Support Team's processes were reviewed and refined with all staff receiving training withparaprofessionals to develop further skills in identifying the learning needs of all students. A Gifted and Talentedcommittee was formed and a policy developed to support identified students. Teaching staff were provided training todevelop the skills needed to identify students with gifted and talented support needs and implement successful teachingand learning strategies for Gifted and Talented. By refining these processes students were consistently moving along themarkers in line with the Literacy and numeracy progressions.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

An increase of students who areable to identify and utilise theschool’s PBL expectations

Improvement in student partialand whole day attendance

Students indicated a ranking of70% or higher in the studentengagement and wellbeingsurvey

Increase integration of SupportUnit Students into mainstreamclassrooms

$5000 has been spent onPBL. The majority of thisfunding has gone towardsstaff training anddevelopment.

Spring Farm officially became a PBL school.Baseline Data was collected during a Tiered FidelityInventory. 62% of students surveyed were able toidentify the school expectations. They were alsoable to articulate the expectations they had followedwhen they received a PBL Gotcha award.

According to our Student Attendance Profile, ourattendance in 2018 increased by 0.3% from theprevious year.

The Tell Them From Me Survey indicates 70% ofstudents are interested and motivated. This surveyalso indicated that 73% of our students have apositive sense of belonging and 84% of students






An increase of students who areable to identify and utilise theschool’s PBL expectations

Improvement in student partialand whole day attendance

Students indicated a ranking of70% or higher in the studentengagement and wellbeingsurvey

Increase integration of SupportUnit Students into mainstreamclassrooms

have developed positive relationships.

Spring Farm Public School has three Support Unitclasses. Our Multi Categorical class has sevenstudents K–5. Each of these students have a buddyclass and they access this on a regular basis. 2019has seen a significant decrease in the anxiety thatstudents display surrounding this program which ispositive. Several students from the IO/IS classesalso attend buddy classes this year and are makingpositive gains. A number of mainstream studentsK–6 also benefit from a reverse integration programwhere they access lessons with the support unit atvarious times through the week.

Next Steps

Refining the PBL award system and expectations and communicating procedures to new students and staff.

Identify student needs and providing additional School Learning Support Officer time for students with additional needs.

Developing and constantly reviewing Individual Educational Plans, Individual Behaviour Plans and Risk ManagementPlans.

Strengthen Learning Support Team and work with APL&S.

MAPA Training for all staff and continue to develop a culture of integration between support classes and mainstreamclasses.

Implement surveys to all stakeholders to gain feedback on the wellbeing of students.



Quality teaching, pedagogy and student growth

Purpose

Data Informed Teaching

Explicit teaching using data to identify and respond to individual student learning needs; adapting teaching practice anddifferentiating the curriculum through TEN/TOWN and individual learning goals; and taking an explicit approach toteaching where learning outcomes are clearly communicated through visible learning and students are supported tosucceed.

Improved Pedagogy Using Research Based Programs

Develop innovative professional learning that improves the teaching of literacy and numeracy including TEN/TOWN,formative assessment and the introduction of the Literacy and Numeracy Progressions. Engage in Spirals of Inquiry toimprove student learning and value the practice of collaboration for staff. All staff are to engage in peer observations anddemonstration lessons to improve practice.


Spring Farm Public School focused on improving student outcomes using data in writing and staff confidence and abilityto differentiate numeracy. All teachers have participated in regular moderation of writing tasks in with the Department ofEducations Learning Progressions to develop consistency in assessment of, and for learning and to track student growth.This has included, research into current and proven teacher practice on how to effectively teach writing. These initiativeshave resulted in improvements in students writing outcomes and teacher effectiveness.

Visible learning has been implemented into all classes. All staff have participated in professional learning andprofessional readings to successfully implement elements of visible learning and formative assessment into classroompractice. Staff engaged in Spirals of Inquiry K–6 focusing on visible learning. This has included bump it up walls, learninggoals and learning intentions and success criteria. The effective implementation of visible learning has resulted instudents becoming reflective learners as data has indicated they have a greater understanding of what they are learningand how to improve.

All K–2 staff were trained Teaching Early Numeracy and this program was implemented successfully K–2. Teachersdeveloped consistency in their classroom and all infants classes had consistent learning goals, posters and reflectionboards to increase student learning. Data informed future practice with teachers regularly collecting data to create fluidand flexible groups based on student need.

All staff engaged in Spirals of Inquiry to improve student outcomes in literacy and numeracy and to research currenttheories of how students learn. Across K–6 teachers engaged in action research projects on visible learning,differentiation & student reflection in mathematics, social skills, regulating behaviour, increasing engagement in writing.Data from all Spirals of Inquiry sessions highlighted student achievement and growth in targeted areas. Data collectedfrom a staff survey revealed that 95% of staff found the Spiral of Inquiry process beneficial to their professional learning,teaching practice and improved student outcomes.





Increasing number of studentsachieving greater than or equal tostage expectations in writing andnumeracy using both internal andexternal data.

All staff are assessing studentgrowth in line with the LearningProgressions and enteringevidence into PLAN 2.

Staff measure against a

$10 000 At the end of 2018 over 80% of studentsdemonstrated growth in writing and mathematics.

100% of teachers were involved in Spirals of Inquirywhich lead to improvement in student outcomes inliteracy and numeracy.

100% of K–2 teachers implementing TEN with100% of students progressing on the numeracycontinuum and 90% of students reaching schoolbased expectations for EAS.






framework of the AustralianProfessional Standards forTeachers, to increase thepercentage of staff at proficientand higher levels across allstandards.

100% of teachers completing ProfessionalDevelopment Plan aligned with the AustralianProfessional Standards for Teaching.

Next Steps

K–6 teachers implementing TEN/TOWN in line with Learning Progressions.

Continuation of Spirals of Inquiry.

Professional learning in Leaning Progressions and PLAN 2.

Continue to develop consistent teacher judgement in writing.



Community Partnerships and Alliances

Purpose

Develop and review policies and practices in order to provide opportunities for the community such as, EAL/D &Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander families to have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of school life.

Establish Focus Groups to develop programs and policies to maintain school expectations for all schoolstakeholders.Establish new and maintain current links and networks with local schools, outside agencies and the broadercommunity and educational platforms.

Establish new and maintain current links and networks with local schools, outside agencies and the broader communityand educational platforms.


Spring Farm Public School implemented a number of measures to development open and positive communication withparents and the community. This included three–way learning conferences twice a term and modifying the reportingprocess for parents and careers. The school's Facebook page saw an average weekly reach of 600–1000 people,gaining insights to the day–to–day events of the school.

A number of community events were run throughout the year to encourage community participation. These included:Open Day, Education Week, Assemblies, Easter Hat Parade, Sporting Carnivals, Grandparents' Day,ANZAC/Remembrance Day, 100 days, Parent Helpers, Book Week and Presentation Day.

Staff members participated in a range of professional development opportunities throughout the year that reflectedschool focuses such as writing, Positive Behaviour for Learning, Formative Assessment and integration of supportstudents into mainstream classrooms. Policy and procedure development meetings were also a focus to continuepositive open lines of communication.

Establishment of connections with Elderslie High School for high school transitions, as well as a number of externalagencies to ensure that the social wellbeing of all students was supported.





All staff participate incollaborative ProfessionalDevelopment opportunities withinand beyond our network ofschools

An increase of outside agenciesassisting the school in socialprograms

Increased educational programsfor parents and carers on themanagement of the school forexample, parents understandingthe formation of Stage classes

Increased engagement ofAboriginal and EALD families inschool decision making

Increase use of Focus Groups toreview and provide feedback onschool policies

$5000 6 staff participated in EPIC Macarthur.

All staff participated in a range of in school andoutside school TPL, including TeachMeets,MANSW meetings, Special Education Networks.

Connections established with Uniting andBenevolent Society (Preschool) to supportcommunity.

ATSI committee development and connectionsestablished with Briar Rd PS.

TTFM survey completed by students to providefeedback on PBL initiatives.

Parent Feedback survey completed to seekfeedback on Strategic Directions and currentinitiatives.

Student leadership group meetings regularly todiscuss new initiatives in the school and fundraiser.






Increase Student Voice that willenable them to work with theschool community provide futuredirections

6 staff participated in EPIC Macarthur.

All staff participated in a range of in school andoutside school TPL, including TeachMeets,MANSW meetings, Special Education Networks.

Connections established with Uniting andBenevolent Society (Preschool) to supportcommunity.

ATSI committee development and connectionsestablished with Briar Rd PS.

TTFM survey completed by students to providefeedback on PBL initiatives.

Parent Feedback survey completed to seekfeedback on Strategic Directions and currentinitiatives.

Student leadership group meetings regularly todiscuss new initiatives in the school and fundraiser.

Next Steps

Further extend and establish connections with ATSI families and other schools in order to strengthen positive ties withour ATSI families.

Build and establish cross–school network groups in different areas to build system leadership and support staffdevelopment through networking with other staff in other schools.

Refine and evaluate current policies and ensure that all policies reflect the current needs of students, staff andcommunity as well as align with departmental policy updates.

Establish and implement clear processes for all community events, seeking staff, student and community voice as wecontinue to build positive community relationships.

Encourage community events and the involvement of all stakeholders in the planning and implementation of theseevents.


Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

Aboriginal background loading $13,950 At Spring Farm Public School, culturalsignificance is celebrated through wholeschool participation and through workshopsthat individual Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander (ATSI) students attend. Our primarystudents participated in the MacarthurAboriginal Kids Day at Mount AnnanBotanical Gardens. The Spring Farm PublicSchool community was invited to celebrateNAIDOC, where we were joined by localperformers and Aboriginal speakers. Ournominated Junior AECG students visit adifferent school each term, where theyexplore their culture and evaluate theeffectiveness of Aboriginal Education. Tofoster engaged learning and culturalawareness, Aboriginal resources werepurchased for K–6, along with an Aboriginaltri–flag to display at community events.Teachers on the Aboriginal Educationcommittee attend various ProfessionalLearning courses and conferences to furtherup–skill staff in their cultural competence atSpring Farm Public School. The loading alsoassisted in funding School Learning SupportOfficers to support students in their learning.

English language proficiency $35,027 Spring Farm Public School prides itself onhaving a variety of cultures and backgroundsother than English. The school has 27% ofstudents and their families are English as anAdditional Language or Dialect (EAL/D). Allteaching units throughout all KLAs have theMulticultural Perspectives embedded.Language acquisition and individualisedprograms through the use of EAL/D scalesare addressed with the support of theLearning Support Team and class teacher.The funding also assisted in employingSchool learning Support Officer to assist theteacher follow through strategic aspects oftheir Literacy and Numeracy program tosupport small groups of EAL/D students.

Low level adjustment for disability $106, 780 Our Learning Support Team supports theinclusion of students with disabilities inmainstream classrooms and the program istailored to meet the specific needs of studentsby providing tailored adjustments. The role isto provide individual diagnostic assessment ofstudents that have been referred byclassroom teachers. Standardisedassessment is provided at point of entry for allnew enrolments to assist with appropriateplacement within the school, in liaison withthe principal. The Learning and SupportTeacher (LaST) and School Learning SupportOfficers work together to assist at–riskstudents that require additional assessmentand support. The LaST also liaises withrelevant external specialists such as, SpeechTherapists, Occupational Therapists etc. toassist educational outcomes.

Quality Teaching, Successful $39,251 This allowed the Stage supervisor to work


Students (QTSS) $39,251 with beginning teachers with personalisedprofessional development plans which wasclosely aligned with the school's StrategicDirections and with the teacher'sPerformance Development Plans (PDP). Theteachers and their supervisor workedcollaboratively to develop explicit ProfessionalDevelopment Plans (PDPs) with closereference to the Australian ProfessionalStandards for Teachers. This was regularlymonitored and acted upon by the teachers,their supervisor and mentor. Teachers wereable to consistently plan rigours programsand pool resources to broker access tointervention programs and have a commongoal and agreed focus. Through this support,teachers were provided with regular feedbackfrom their mentor and from their peers andsupervisor. This support also providedopportunities for class teacher to be relievedfrom their class to participate in classroomobservations which provided them with theopportunity to view other teaching practicesthat focused on literacy, numeracy andemotional needs.

Teachers were empowered to develop theirown personal learning networks which wasevident in teachers presenting at local TeachMeet conferences and through EPICMacarthur.

Socio–economic background $38,731 In 2018, a number of teachers and SchoolLearning Support Officers were skilled to beheavily involved with establishing andmaintaining effective literacy interventionsincluding MiniLit. Reading Support continuesto be provided by way of a 3–tiered model ofintervention, including in–class supportthrough small group for those studentsneeding additional explicit instruction andpractice in reading; as well as individuallymodified programs (Reading as TutorProgram) for those students requiring moreintensive support and intervention in theirreading.

Support for beginning teachers $40,064 All beginning teachers receive additionalsupport in the first two years of their career.These teachers are provided with additionalteaching release time to access a variety ofsupport. As the funding was provided insemester two due to the establishment of theschool; half of the total amount have beenrolled over to the next year. However, thefunding enabled professional development tobe conducted through innovative ways whichwas closely aligned with the school'sStrategic Directions and with the teacher'sProfessional Development Plans. Theteachers and their supervisor workedcollaboratively to develop explicit ProfessionalDevelopment Plans (PDPs) with closelyreference to the Australian ProfessionalStandards for Teachers. This was regularlymonitored and acted upon by the teachers,their supervisor and mentor. The BeginningTeacher Support provided opportunities for


Support for beginning teachers $40,064 class teacher to be relieved from their class toparticipate in cooperative planning initiativesthat allowed them to identify student literacyand numeracy needs. Teachers were able toconsistently plan rigours programs and poolresources to broker access to interventionprograms and have a common goal andagreed focus. Through this support, teacherswere empowered to develop their ownpersonal learning networks. This was evidentin 2018 where 4 beginning teachersparticipated in an action research andpresented their findings to the MacarthurPods Executive initiative.


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2016 2017 2018

Boys 48 106 185

Girls 48 114 171

In 2018, Spring Farm Public school experiencedincreased student's enrolments at the end of the year.This was due to a number of dwellings that werecompleted and more families moving into and out ofSpring Farm. This has increased the school enrolmentsand this trend will continue in the future.

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2015 2016 2017 2018

K 95.3 94.2 94.3

1 92.3 93.4 94.1

2 92.4 93 93.5

3 94.2 93.4 93.5

4 88.9 95.4 94

5 91.9 92.5 93.9

6 95.5 93 93.1

All Years 93.6 93.6 93.9

State DoE

Year 2015 2016 2017 2018

K 94.4 94.4 93.8

1 93.9 93.8 93.4

2 94.1 94 93.5

3 94.2 94.1 93.6

4 93.9 93.9 93.4

5 93.9 93.8 93.2

6 93.4 93.3 92.5

All Years 94 93.9 93.4

Management of non-attendance

Different year groups were close to or exceeded thestate average. The school worked closely with theLearning Support Team and with the Home schoolLiaison Officer to assist individual students and theirfamilies attend school on a regular basis.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal(s) 1

Deputy Principal(s) 1

Assistant Principal(s) 4

Classroom Teacher(s) 14.86

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.8

Teacher Librarian 0.8

School Administration and SupportStaff

5.97

*Full Time Equivalent

The cohesive teaching staff at Spring Farm PublicSchool believes in implementing a balanced curriculumand working cooperatively for improvement. TheAustralian Education Regulation, 2014 requires schoolsto report on Aboriginal composition of their workforce.At Spring Farm Public School there are currently twomembers of staff who have an Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander background.

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

Significant amounts of professional learning wereundertaken by Spring Farm Public School PublicSchool staff in 2018. A whole school writing taskidentified a need to support student learning anddevelopment in the area of writing and numeracy.Discussions, reflections and presentations among staffon their professional learning were regularly scheduledwhich enabled staff to share their learning and pass ontheir knowledge. The school continued to refine anddevelop the inquiry base learning through Spirals ofInquiry which enabled teachers to develop theirknowledge.

Two beginning teachers, in their first year of permanentteaching were provided with additional funding to workwith an experience mentor. Four teachers completedtheir accreditation with NESA at the 'Proficient' leveland one teacher completed their maintenance ofaccreditation at 'Proficient'. All teaching and support


staff were trained in anaphylaxis procedures, first aidand CPR. Other regular compliance training wasconducted in areas of child protection, complaintshandling and code of conduct.

A number of teachers and Assistant Principalsparticipated in an action research and presented theirfindings at the MacArthur Pods Executive initiative. Thiswas very beneficial for Spring Farm Public School'steacher to share best practice and to make acontribution within the network. Several Spring Farmteachers were involved in the Cross Network Projectand focused on the dance initiative. This provided themwith valuable experience in choreographing dance andto lead and manage various dance groups from othernetworks and regions.

Financial information

Financial summary

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

2018 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 365,860

Revenue 3,829,016

Appropriation 3,628,892

Sale of Goods and Services 21,953

Grants and Contributions 173,441

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 0

Investment Income 4,730

Expenses -3,544,410

Recurrent Expenses -3,544,410

Employee Related -3,257,788

Operating Expenses -286,622

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

284,605

Balance Carried Forward 650,466

The school has utilising the SAP and WBS/IO financesystem. A budget committee comprising of executives,teachers and senior SASS staff planned an initialbudget, taking into account available funding in order toaddress school priorities. The budget was monitoredusing the new SAP reports.

In 2018 the school carried over a surplus of funds dueto various funding such as, Beginning Teacher fundsand from a Senior Psychologist who is based at SpringFarm Public School. A majority of these funds wereprovided at the end of 2018. Many resources andprograms were either purchased or planned throughoutthe school holidays in readiness for the start of 2019.The school is budgeting for future capital works.

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 2,388,225

Base Per Capita 43,705

Base Location 0

Other Base 2,344,520

Equity Total 194,488

Equity Aboriginal 13,950

Equity Socio economic 38,731

Equity Language 35,027

Equity Disability 106,780

Targeted Total 565,239

Other Total 210,303

Grand Total 3,358,256

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 reported


on 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.

In Reading in Year 5, the percentage of students thathave shown at or above expected growth is above thatof the state. The average score of Year 3 students inReading has shown an increase from 2017 to 2018.

In Grammar and Punctuation, the average growth scorefor Year 5 students is above that of the state and theaverage score for Year 3 students has shownimprovement from 2017 to 2018.

Our Year 5 writing score is above state average for thesecond year in a row.

Numeracy Year 3 has seen an increased percentage ofstudents achieve the top two bands. The average scorein Numeracy has shown an increase from 2017 to2018. In Numeracy, Year 3 trend data has shownimprovements and consistent with state average. Theresults showed relatively equal performance in NumberPatterns and Algebra as well as the areas of Data,Measurement, Space and Geometry.The school's Year5 Numeracy average was above stage average.However, students showed difficulty with questionsrelating to decimals and problem solving in questionspresented as language–rich sentences. Performancewas far stronger in Number Patterns and Algebra thanin the area of Data, Measurement, Space andGeometry. It would be a school goal to increase thenumber of Year 5 and 7 students performing in the topband, and to assist students with skills to attack wordproblems.

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.

Spring Farm Public School participated in NAPLANonline. The school experienced an overall improvementsince 2016 in the percentage of students achieving inthe top two NAPLAN Bands in Reading and Numeracywas identified in the school's SCOUT report. Inaddition, the school's Value Added report from Year 3to Year 5 indicated that the school is Sustaining andGrowing. Student growth one external measures isconsistent with student performance and growth oninternal school measures. Almost all of our students in

Year 3 and Year 5 performed above national minimumstandards in both reading and numeracy.The schoolhas continued to focus on the development of qualityteaching practices in reading, numeracy and formativeassessment. In relation to the School ExcellenceFramework and Student Performance Measures, ourschool performed at the Sustaining and Growing level.

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

In 2018, Spring Farm Public School sought the opinionsof parents/carers, students and teachers about theschool through a Tell Them For Me Survey. Theirresponses are presented below.

Parents indicated that they feel welcomed in the school(7.7) and that they can easily speak with their child'steachers (8.2). Parents also stated that the studentreport written about their child was written in terms theyunderstand however, it could be modified to providefurther directions for individual students (7.3).

Students were asked various questions about schoollife. 89% of students stated that they have friends atschool they can trust and encourage them to makepositive choices. 96% of students believe that schoolingis useful and will have a strong bearing on their future.94% of students stated that they try hard to succeed intheir learning.

Teachers indicated that school leaders have helpedteachers establish challenging and visible learninggoals for students (8.2). They also indicated that schoolleaders provide useful feedback to guide their teaching(8.0). Teachers also indicated that they workcollaboratively with school leaders to make a safe andorderly school environment (8.7).

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

Aboriginal education and cultural awareness have beena significant part of Spring Farm Public School'sdevelopment. Our focus has been to make the schoolan inclusive and welcoming setting with culturalsignificance a priority. To strengthen culturalcompetence of staff and students, a whole schoolscope and sequence for Aboriginal Education wasdeveloped in collaboration with a local school. TheAboriginal Education committee regularly networks withAboriginal colleagues from a variety of schools to seekfeedback and directions on the school's vision forAboriginal Education. The school continues to ensurethat there is a strong three–way partnership withparents or carers, teachers and students who workedtogether to create Personal Learning Pathways (PLP)that ensure academic, emotional achievement andcultural development. Each PLP has a focus onimproving learning in literacy, numeracy and culturalawareness. These plans are evaluated mid–year toencourage the ongoing success of personal goals. TheSpring Farm Public School community were very proudand honoured to have two Aboriginal students and a


teacher, be the 2018 recipients of the AboriginalStudent Achievement Awards. Our Aboriginal Familiesare invited to attend 'Yarn at the Farm', which is anopportunity to network, share ideas and create a visionfor Aboriginal Education at Spring Farm Public School.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

Spring Farm Public School has 27% of its studentpopulation come from a non–English speakingbackground. As enrolment continue to grow, there is agrowing trend of students and families attending SpringFarm Public School whom English is an AdditionalLanguage or Dialect (EAL/D). The school is celebratingthis diversity by ensuring that multicultural perspectivesare embedded into daily teaching and learning practice.Students develop knowledge, skills, values andattitudes to truly appreciate and understand ourculturally diverse society. Primarily this is deliveredthrough exploring the history and culture that influenceAustralia's diverse population. Teachers ensure theyfoster an inclusive school community and provide ananti–discriminatory environment for all students andfamilies.

The school participated in Harmony Day celebrationsand organised with the community a multicultural feast.Spring Farm Public School was one of the Macarthurrepresentative for The Power in You Parentconference. Seven parent representatives fromdifferent ethnic backgrounds attended the conferencecelebrating the diversity and positive thinking.


2018 spring farm public school annual report · 2019. 6. 3. · introduction the annual report for...

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