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John Septimus Roe Anglican
Community School:
Attraction and Retention Project
FINAL REPORT
3 December 2019
Edith Cowan UniversitySchool of Education
Associate Professor Matt Byrne
Dr Susan Hill
Dr Dianne McKillop
Elizabeth Wenden
i
This report was commissioned by John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School (JSRACS) to
investigate factors that are important to the attraction of students to the school and their retention.
JSRACS engaged researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) School of Education to conduct the
research. The ECU researchers were:
Associate Professor Matt Byrne, Associate Dean of Education (Primary)
Dr Susan Hill, Senior Research Fellow
Ms Elizabeth Wenden, Senior Research Officer
Dr Di McKillop, Researcher
School of Education Edith Cowan University 2 Bradford St Mt Lawley WA 6050 T: 134 328 https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/education/overview
ii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School (JSRACS) engaged Edith Cowan University School of
Education researchers to investigate factors in the attraction and retention of students to the school.
Research methods were online surveys and focus group discussions. The online surveys were sent to JSRACS
students, parents and staff and they required ratings of the importance of, and agreement with, statements
about: Teaching and Learning; Student Well‐being; School Facilities; Staff, Leadership and Governance and
School Communications. Respondents were also asked to comment on the positive aspects of JSRACS that
they had experienced and on areas of potential improvement to the school. In the case of parents, the topic
of Quality of Education/Value for Money was added as well as questions about reasons for enrolling their
child(ren) at the school and whether they were satisfied with their decision.
Quantitative data from the online surveys was received from 1,163 JSRACS students, 238 parents and 144
staff members. Qualitative themes were extracted from textual responses to survey questions about positive
aspects of JSRACS and areas for improvement. Qualitative themes were also extracted from parents’
comments on enrolment decisions and resulting satisfaction.
Sixteen focus groups were conducted with 198 individuals. Participants in the focus groups were 116
students, 62 parents and 20 staff members.
Overall, participants in this research expressed positive views of JSRACS, particularly regarding the clear
strength of its sense of community, its reputation and the quality and balance of the education offered. In
terms of attracting students to the school, indications from parents’ comments were that the major
attraction factor is the school’s values. Comments that produced this most prominent theme encompassed
the school’s ethos, moral and ethical focus, pastoral care, its sense of community, and its emphasis on good
behaviour.
Indications from the comments of parents and students of JSRACS were that the major factors in retention
of students were to build on the school’s existing strengths – its sense of community, acceptance of diversity,
the ‘JSR Spirit’ – and to address concerns such as consistency of behaviour standards and expectations;
consistent standards of quality teaching; regularity of documentation and communication on student
progress; parental engagement; a community‐linked approach to well‐being; and communication.
Considerations for planning the strategic direction of JSRACS, as well as conclusions about attraction and
retention of students, are offered in this report.
iii
Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... ii
List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................................... v
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................................... vii
Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1
Research Methods ............................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Survey Respondents ................................................................................................................................. 2
2.1.1 Student Sample Characteristics ................................................................................................................ 2
2.1.2 Parent Sample Characteristics .................................................................................................................. 3
2.1.3 Staff Sample Characteristics ..................................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Survey Materials ....................................................................................................................................... 4
2.2.1 Student Survey .......................................................................................................................................... 4
2.2.2 Parent Survey ............................................................................................................................................ 5
2.2.3 Staff Survey ............................................................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Research Procedure ................................................................................................................................. 6
Survey Results: Quantitative ............................................................................................... 8
3.1 Teaching and Learning Statement Responses ......................................................................................... 9
3.1.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: Teaching and Learning ......................................................................... 17
3.2 Student Well‐being Statement Responses ............................................................................................. 20
3.2.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: Student Well‐being .............................................................................. 28
3.3 School Facilities Statement Responses .................................................................................................. 31
3.3.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: School Facilities .................................................................................... 39
3.4 Staff, Leadership, Governance Statement Responses ........................................................................... 41
3.4.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: Staff, Leadership and Governance ....................................................... 49
3.5 School Communications Statement Responses ..................................................................................... 51
3.5.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: School Communication ........................................................................ 57
3.6 Quality of Education/Value for Money Statement Responses .............................................................. 59
Survey Results: Qualitative ................................................................................................ 61
4.1 Positive Aspects and Improvements Needed ........................................................................................ 61
4.1.2 Students’ Views ...................................................................................................................................... 61
4.1.3 Parents’ Views ........................................................................................................................................ 61
4.1.4 Staff Members’ Views ............................................................................................................................. 62
4.1.5 Commonalities in Positives and Needs for Improvement ...................................................................... 63
4.2 Parents on Children’s JSRACS Enrolment ............................................................................................... 64
4.2.1 Please briefly explain why your child/children will not continue through to Year 12 at John Septimus
Roe Anglican Community School. ........................................................................................................... 64
4.2.2 What was the main reason/s you enrolled you child/children at this school? ....................................... 64
4.2.3 Are you happy with your decision to enrol your child/children at this school? Why or why not?
(Please explain your answer) .................................................................................................................. 66
Qualitative Themes from Focus Groups ............................................................................. 68
5.1 Student Focus Group Themes ................................................................................................................ 68
5.1.1 Students K‐Year 2/3 ................................................................................................................................ 68
iv
5.1.2 Students Years 3‐6 .................................................................................................................................. 68
5.1.3 Students Years 7‐9 .................................................................................................................................. 69
5.1.4 Students Years 10‐12 .............................................................................................................................. 70
5.2 Parent Focus Group Themes .................................................................................................................. 73
5.3 Staff Focus Group Themes ..................................................................................................................... 76
Conclusions and Strategic Considerations .......................................................................... 81
6.1 Survey ..................................................................................................................................................... 81
6.2 Positives ................................................................................................................................................. 81
6.3 ‘Needs Improvement’ ............................................................................................................................ 82
6.4 Why Choose JSRACS? ............................................................................................................................. 82
6.5 Why Stay at JSRACS? .............................................................................................................................. 83
6.6 The Future .............................................................................................................................................. 83
References ........................................................................................................................................................ 84
v
List of Figures
Figure 3.1: STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about teaching and learning
(agreement and importance) ............................................................................................................... 10
Figure 3.2: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about teaching and learning (agreement
and importance) ................................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 3.3: STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about teaching and learning (agreement
and importance) ................................................................................................................................... 14
Figure 3.4: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentages of ‘Agree’ and ‘Somewhat Agree’ responses to
statements about teaching and learning at JSRACS ............................................................................. 15
Figure 3.5: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentages of ‘Important’ and ‘Somewhat Important’ responses to
statements about teaching and learning at JSRACS ............................................................................. 16
Figure 3.6: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about student well‐being
(agreement and importance) ............................................................................................................... 21
Figure 3.7: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about student well‐being (agreement
and importance) ................................................................................................................................... 23
Figure 3.8: STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about student well‐being (agreement and
importance) .......................................................................................................................................... 25
Figure 3.9: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Agree’ and ‘Somewhat Agree’ responses to
statements about student well‐being at JSRACS .................................................................................. 26
Figure 3.10: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Important’ and ‘Somewhat Important’ responses to
statements about student well‐being at JSRACS .................................................................................. 27
Figure 3.11: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about the school facilities
(agreement and importance) ............................................................................................................... 32
Figure 3.12: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about the school facilities (agreement
and importance) ................................................................................................................................... 34
Figure 3.13: STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about the school facilities (agreement and
importance) .......................................................................................................................................... 36
Figure 3.14: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Agree’ and ‘Somewhat Agree’ responses to
statements about school facilities at JSRACS ....................................................................................... 37
Figure 3.15: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Important’ and ‘Somewhat Important’ responses to
statements about school facilities at JSRACS ....................................................................................... 38
Figure 3.16: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and
governance (agreement and importance) ............................................................................................ 42
Figure 3.17: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and
governance (agreement and importance) ............................................................................................ 44
Figure 3.18: STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and
governance (agreement and importance) ............................................................................................ 46
Figure 3.19: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Agree’ and ‘Somewhat Agree’ responses to
statements about staff, leadership and governance at JSRACS ........................................................... 47
Figure 3.20: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Important’ and ‘Somewhat Important’ responses to
statements about staff, leadership and governance at JSRACS ........................................................... 48
Figure 3.21: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school communications
(agreement and importance) ............................................................................................................... 52
Figure 3.22: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school communications
(agreement and importance) ............................................................................................................... 54
vi
Figure 3.23 STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school communications (agreement
and importance) ................................................................................................................................... 56
Figure 3.24: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about quality of education / value for
money (agreement and importance) ................................................................................................... 60
vii
List of Tables
Table 2.1: STUDENTS ‐ Survey sample by school year ............................................................................................ 2
Table 2.2: STUDENTS ‐ Survey sample by year group ............................................................................................. 3
Table 2.3: PARENTS ‐ Survey sample by number of children currently at JSRACS .................................................. 3
Table 2.4: PARENTS ‐ Survey sample by year group of children currently attending JSRACS ................................. 3
Table 2.5: STAFF ‐ Survey sample by work role ....................................................................................................... 4
Table 2.6: Number and type of focus groups .......................................................................................................... 7
Table 3.1: STUDENTS ‐ Percentage of valid responses to statements1 about teaching and learning ..................... 9
Table 3.2: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about teaching and learning .................... 11
Table 3.3: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about teaching and learning ......................... 13
Table 3.4: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about student well‐being ............... 20
Table 3.5: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about student well‐being ........................ 22
Table 3.6: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements about student well‐being ............................... 24
Table 3.7: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school facilities ..................... 31
Table 3.8: PARENTS ‐ Per cent of valid responses to statements1 about the school facilities .............................. 33
Table 3.9: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about the school facilities ............................. 35
Table 3.10: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and
governance ........................................................................................................................................... 41
Table 3.11: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and
governance ........................................................................................................................................... 43
Table 3.12: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about staff, leadership and governance ....... 45
Table 3.13: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school communications ........ 51
Table 3.14: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school communications ................ 53
Table 3.15: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school communications...................... 55
Table 3.16: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about quality of education / value for
money ................................................................................................................................................... 60
Table 4.1: Were parents happy with their decision to enrol their child/children at JSRACS? .............................. 66
1
Introduction
For many parents and caregivers1 the choice of school for their children is one of the most important
decisions they can make. As explained by Campbell, Proctor and Sherington (2009), many parents are willing
to move suburbs, compromise their financial security or give up travel to get their children into their
preferred school. According to Daniels (2011), “A wealth of research exists to show the benefits of choice to
school effectiveness and achievement” (p.335). However, less is known about what motivates parental
choice for the schooling of their children, whether parents are aware of what quality schooling entails, and
the key factors that impact the quality of school.
Since opening in 1990, John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School (JSRACS) has developed an enviable
reputation for strong academic achievement, a nurturing pastoral care system, a long‐established Anglican
tradition and a wide diversity of co‐curricular activities. This demonstrates its endeavour to provide the best
all‐round education for students by fully supporting them in their intellectual, emotional, psychological,
physical, social and spiritual development.
The School aspires to assist students to be architects of their lives; looking beyond the ordinary to achieve
the extraordinary, to make a difference to the world in which they live. In encouraging its students to achieve
their potential, it places a major emphasis on the creation of a dynamic teaching and learning environment,
both within and outside the classroom.
JSRACS had an existing strong, well‐established partnership with the School of Education at Edith Cowan
University (ECU) when it requested the assistance of ECU researchers to collect and analyse data on factors
in the attraction and retention of students into the school. The purpose of the research was to generate
detailed data about the areas of perceived strength and limitation of the school as perceived by parents,
teachers, students and the wider school community, and to provide information on the factors that enhance
or constrain the attraction and retention of students to JSRACS. More broadly, it was anticipated that the
research would inform the extent to which parent perceptions of a school can impact attraction and retention
and provide insights into key factors that impact quality schooling as well as parents’ perceptions of quality.
Researchers at ECU’s School of Education were keen to strengthen research collaboration with JSRACS in
pursuit of their mutual goal and mission to improve the quality of education for all children in order to close
the gap between high and low performing students and schools.
The research was guided by the following questions:
1. What are the school’s strengths and limitations as perceived by parents/carers, school staff and
students?
2. What factors enhance or constrain the attraction and retention of students at JSRACS?
3. What are the potential impacts of parent perceptions on the school’s ability to attract and retain
students?
4. What implications do the findings have for parental choice in relation to faith‐based schools and for
school choice more broadly?
As well as answering the above questions, research findings were expected to more broadly inform insights
into quality schools and the key factors that impact quality schooling.
1 Wherever the term ‘parent’ is used in this report, it is intended to include any carer of a child.
2
Research Methods
2.1 Survey Respondents
The design of the project called for students, parents and school staff to complete an anonymous online
survey and, if they ‘opted in’ at the end of the survey, to participate in one of 16 focus groups. Being part of
the project was voluntary. All participants received an information letter to retain and a consent form to
complete. They were assured that all data would be confidential as well as being de‐identified in any
reporting.
There were 1,163 JSRACS students, 238 parents and 144 staff who participated in this research project by
responding to online surveys. Ninety‐three students, 36 parents and three staff members logged on to the
survey but did not choose to participate.
2.1.1 Student Sample Characteristics
The numbers of students who responded to the survey ranged from 87 Year 4s to 143 Year 9s (please see
Table 2.1). Numbers of student respondents by year groups are reported in Table 2.2. Of the total number
of 1,163 students, 547 were male and 557 were female2.
Table 2.1: STUDENTS ‐ Survey sample by school year
N %
Year 3 97 8.3
Year 4 87 7.5
Year 5 93 8.0
Year 6 106 9.1
Year 7 126 10.8
Year 8 135 11.6
Year 9 143 12.3
Year 10 118 10.1
Year 11 115 9.9
Year 12 137 11.8
Not answered 6 0.5
TOTAL 1,163 100.0
2 Wherever the number of responses reported do not sum to the total number in a group (e.g., 1163 in this case), the reason is that
some participants either did not respond or took the option “prefer not to say”.
3
Table 2.2: STUDENTS ‐ Survey sample by year group
N %
Years 3‐6 (primary) 383 32.9
Years 7‐10 (lower secondary) 522 44.9
Years 11‐12 (upper secondary) 252 21.7
Not answered 6 0.5
TOTAL 1,163 100.0
2.1.2 Parent Sample Characteristics
Forty‐two of the parents who responded were male and 194 were female. Parents had a total of 366 children
who were attending JSRACS and details of parents’/carers’ numbers of children attending the school are
reported in Table 2.3, below. For the number of children in each year group, please refer to Table 2.4.
Table 2.3: PARENTS ‐ Survey sample by number of
children currently at JSRACS
N %
Not answered 1 0.4
1 child only 99 41.6
2 children 107 45.0
3 children 24 10.1
4 children 5 2.1
5 or more children 2 0.8
TOTAL 238 100.0
Table 2.4: PARENTS ‐ Survey sample by year group of
children currently attending JSRACS
N % of
responses
Kindergarten ‐ Pre‐Primary 33 9.0
Years 1‐3 69 18.9
Years 4‐6 97 26.5
Years 7‐10 127 34.7
Years 11‐12 40 10.9
TOTAL 366 100.0
4
2.1.3 Staff Sample Characteristics
Of the staff members who responded to the survey, 35 were male and 96 were female. The responding staff
members’ work roles are reported in Table 2.5, below.
Table 2.5: STAFF ‐ Survey sample by work role
N %
Teaching primary students 47 32.6
Teaching secondary students 59 41.0
In a non‐teaching role 34 23.6
Not answered 4 2.8
TOTAL 144 100.0
2.2 Survey Materials
2.2.1 Student Survey
The first two questions in the Student Survey asked about the student’s gender and school year. These were
followed by five separate survey sections that each contained statements that students were asked to, a)
rate according to how much they agreed with the statement and, b) rate according to how important they
thought it was. Agreement and importance were measured on a four‐point scale (Agree to Disagree and
Important to Unimportant) with a Not Applicable option added for when students had no knowledge or
experience of a particular statement. The five survey sections focused on:
Teaching and learning ‐ 15 statements were presented for rating, including the example that is shown below:
Statement Please choose how much you AGREE
1 My teachers encourage me to strive for excellence
Agree Slightly Agree Slightly Disagree
Disagree Not Applicable
Statement Please choose how IMPORTANT this is
1 My teachers encourage me to strive for excellence
Important A bit
Important A bit
Unimportant Unimportant Not Applicable
In this section students were also given the opportunity to make further comments about teaching and
learning.
Student well‐being – ten statements were presented for ratings of agreement by students and of importance
to students. They were invited to note any further comments they had.
School facilities – five statements were presented for ratings of agreement and importance.
Staff, leadership, governance – four statements were presented for ratings of agreement and importance.
School communications – four statements were presented for ratings of agreement and importance.
5
At the end of the survey, students were asked to list three positive aspects or things about their school life
during the past year and three aspects of the school that they thought needed improving.
2.2.2 Parent Survey
The first three questions in the Parent Survey asked about the parent’s gender, how many children they had
at JSRACS and what year(s) they were in. These were followed by six separate survey sections that each
contained statements that parents were asked to, a) rate according to how much they agreed with the
statement and, b) rate according to how important they thought it was. Agreement and importance were
measured on a four‐point scale (Agree to Disagree and Important to Unimportant) with a Not Applicable
option added for when parents had no knowledge or experience of a particular statement. The six survey
sections focused on:
Teaching and learning ‐ 16 statements were presented for rating, including the example that is shown below:
Statement Please choose how much you AGREE
4 Independence in learning is encouraged
Agree Slightly Agree Slightly Disagree
Disagree Not
Applicable
Statement Please choose how IMPORTANT this is
4 Independence in learning is encouraged
Important A bit
Important A bit
Unimportant Unimportant
Not Applicable
In this section parents were also given the opportunity to make further comments about teaching and
learning.
Student well‐being – 15 statements were presented for ratings of agreement by parents and of importance
to parents. Parents were invited to note any further comments they had.
School facilities – six statements were presented for ratings of agreement and importance. Parents were
invited to record any further thoughts they had on the topic.
Staff, leadership, governance – five statements were presented for ratings of agreement and importance.
Parents were also asked whether they had any comments to make about the staff, the leadership of the
school, or the School Council.
School communications – six statements were presented for ratings of agreement and importance. Parents
were invited to note any further comments they had.
Quality of education/value for money – three statements were presented for ratings of agreement and
importance.
At the end of the survey, parents were asked questions about their child’s current and future enrolment at
JSRACS and about their level of satisfaction with the school. They were also asked to list three aspects the
school that had positively impacted on their child’s life during the current year and three aspects of the school
that they thought needed improving.
6
2.2.3 Staff Survey
The first two questions in the School Staff Survey asked about gender and school role. These were followed
by five separate survey sections that each contained statements that staff were asked to, a) rate according
to how much they agreed with the statement and, b) rate according to how important they thought it was.
Agreement and importance were measured on a four‐point scale (Agree to Disagree and Important to
Unimportant) with a Not Applicable option added for when staff had no knowledge or experience of a
particular statement. The five survey sections focused on:
Teaching and learning ‐ 16 statements were presented for rating, including the example that is shown below:
Statement Please choose how much you AGREE
6 The school nurtures risk taking and innovative thought
Agree Slightly Agree Slightly Disagree
Disagree Not
Applicable
Statement Please choose how IMPORTANT this is
6 The school nurtures risk taking and innovative thought
Important A bit
Important A bit
Unimportant Unimportant
Not Applicable
In this section staff were also given the opportunity to make further comments about teaching and learning.
Student well‐being – 15 statements were presented for ratings of agreement by staff and of importance to
staff. Staff were invited to note any further comments they had.
School facilities – six statements were presented for ratings of agreement and importance. Staff were invited
to record any further thoughts they had on the topic.
Staff, leadership, governance ‐ seven statements were presented for ratings of agreement and importance.
Staff were also asked whether they had any comments to make about staff, the leadership of the school, or
the School Council.
School communications ‐ four statements were presented for ratings of agreement and importance. Staff
were invited to note any further comments they had.
At the end of the survey, staff were asked to list three positive aspects of school life that had worked well for
them in the past year and three aspects of the school that they thought needed improving.
2.3 Research Procedure
Qualtrics survey software was used to deliver online surveys to parents, staff and students. These were
followed up with eight parent focus groups, four staff groups and four student groups that comprised Years
K‐2, 3‐6, 7‐9 and 10‐12 (please see Table 2.6).
7
Table 2.6: Number and type of focus groups
Year Group Parent Focus Group Staff Focus Group Student Focus Group
K‐2 2 1 1
3‐6 2 1 1
7‐9 2 1 1
10‐12 2 1 1
During Terms 1 and 2 of 2019, the ECU research team collected, analysed and interpreted quantitative survey
data and qualitative data from surveys and focus group discussions. Quantitative data from the survey
responses were analysed using IBM statistics software SPSS 25. The qualitative data produced by textual
responses to survey questions and by the focus group discussions were analysed using thematic content
analysis (e.g., Schreier, 2013).
8
Survey Results: Quantitative
In this section of the report, results will be reported in the same sequence as the Survey topic areas, i.e.,
quantitative results of numerical responses to survey questions will be presented in the following sequence:
Teaching and learning
Student well‐being
School facilities
Staff, leadership and governance
School communications
Quality of education/value for money.
For ease of reference, in each of the six topic areas, tables and bar graphs will be used to separately depict
student, parent and staff member responses of agreement and importance ratings to the statements that
make up that topic. A summary of the quantitative data, including, where applicable, comparisons of student,
parent and staff responses has been included at the end of each of the six topic areas.
9
3.1 Teaching and Learning Statement Responses
Table 3.1: STUDENTS ‐ Percentage of valid responses to statements1 about teaching and learning
TEACHING AND LEARNING STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Slightly Agree
Slightly Disagree
Disagree
Important
A bit Important
A bit Unimportant
Unimportant
1. My teachers encourage me to achieve high academic results 64 26 8 2 76 18 4 1
2. My teachers encourage me to strive for excellence 61 31 6 2 75 21 3 1
3. My teachers help me to improve my literacy and numeracy 55 30 12 4 78 17 4 1
4. My teachers encourage/challenge me to work to my capacity and reach my full potential
51 36 9 3 73 21 5 1
5. My teachers provide me with a balanced education 49 31 13 7 75 19 5 2
6. There are excellent teachers at this school 48 33 12 6 80 15 4 1
7. My teachers help me to develop moral values 45 33 15 7 61 29 8 3
8. My teachers encourage me to be independent 44 37 14 4 57 33 8 2
9. My teachers help me to improve my sporting talents 43 30 16 12 49 28 14 10
10. I am given a reasonable amount of homework 43 24 16 18 64 21 9 6
11. My teachers encourage me to be self‐motivated 42 39 13 6 61 29 8 2
12. My teachers encourage me to think about life‐long learning 42 31 16 10 65 26 7 2
13. My teachers help me to improve my creativity 37 30 20 13 50 33 12 4
14. My teachers help me to improve my ICT skills 35 32 18 16 43 35 16 7
15. My teachers encourage me to take risks and be innovative 31 32 24 13 48 37 12 3
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which students agreed with them.
10
Figure 3.1: STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about teaching and learning (agreement and importance)
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that students attached to them.
11
Table 3.2: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about teaching and learning
TEACHING AND LEARNING % AGREEMENT1 % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree Important Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
1. The school actively develops students' moral values 58 34 7 1 92 8
2. The school actively develops students' creative talents 55 37 6 1 72 27 1
3. The school provides a balanced education 52 36 9 4 91 8
4. Independence in learning is encouraged 49 42 6 2 76 22 2
5. Student self‐motivation is encouraged 44 44 10 2 88 12
6. The school actively develops students' ICT skills 43 44 11 2 66 31 3
7. My child is encouraged to work to capacity to reach their fullest potential
43 38 16 3 93 6 1
8. Excellence in student achievement is nurtured 42 46 9 3 84 15 1
9. The school actively develops students' literacy and numeracy 42 45 9 4 95 4 1
10. The school actively develops students' sporting talents 41 40 15 3 60 31 8 1
11. Excellence in teaching is evident 35 49 13 3 95 5
12. The school actively fosters life‐long learning 35 48 14 4 83 16 1
13. The school caters for individual needs and provides support and extension where appropriate
35 37 17 10 93 7
14. The school actively develops students' academic abilities 31 47 18 4 85 14
15. The amount of student homework is appropriate 30 38 22 10 56 36 6 1
16. The school nurtures risk taking and innovative thought 20 51 20 9 66 32 2
Note1 : Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which parents agreed with them.
12
Figure 3.2: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about teaching and learning (agreement and importance)
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that parents attached to them.
13
Table 3.3: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about teaching and learning
TEACHING AND LEARNING % AGREEMENT1 % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Important
Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
1. Students are encouraged to work to capacity to reach their fullest potential
62 31 6 1 90 10 0 0
2. The school actively develops students' sporting talents 57 35 8 0 51 44 5 0
3. The school actively develops students' creative talents 57 35 6 2 67 33 1 0
4. The school provides a balanced education 52 38 9 2 91 7 2 0
5. Independence in learning is encouraged 47 42 10 2 78 20 2 0
6. Student self‐motivation is encouraged 44 50 4 2 87 12 1 0
7. The school actively develops students' moral values 41 48 10 1 87 13 1 0
8. The school actively develops students' literacy and numeracy 40 53 4 3 88 12 0 0
9. The school actively develops students' academic abilities 38 50 11 1 83 15 2 0
10. The school caters for individual needs and provides support and extension where appropriate
37 48 11 4 84 14 2 0
11. Excellence in student achievement is nurtured 36 56 6 2 80 18 2 0
12. The school actively develops students' ICT skills 33 49 16 2 56 39 5 1
13. The amount of student homework is appropriate 25 45 23 7 50 38 9 3
14. Excellence in teaching is evident 24 66 9 1 86 13 1 1
15. The school actively fosters life‐long learning 23 57 19 1 82 17 2 0
16. The school nurtures risk taking and innovative thought 16 45 33 7 60 39 0 1
Note1 : Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which staff agreed with them.
14
Figure 3.3: STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about teaching and learning (agreement and importance)
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that staff attached to them.
15
Figure 3.4: STUDENTS,
PARENTS & STAFF ‐
Percentages of ‘Agree’ and
‘Somewhat Agree’ responses
to statements about teaching
and learning at JSRACS
16
Figure 3.5: STUDENTS, PARENTS &
STAFF ‐ Percentages of ‘Important’ and
‘Somewhat Important’ responses to
statements about teaching and learning
at JSRACS
17
3.1.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: Teaching and Learning
Agreement
All Groups
The statement about teaching and learning at JSRACS that attracted agreement from relatively high numbers
of students, parents and staff members, alike, was: The school provides a balanced education. Approximately
half of each group (49% of students, 52% of parents and 52% of staff) agreed with this statement.
Survey items with the lowest numbers in agreement across all three groups were: The school nurtures risk
taking and innovative thought (31% of students, 20% of parents and 16% of staff agreed) and: The amount
of student homework is appropriate (43% of students, 30% of parents and 25% of staff agreed).
Students were substantially more likely than parents and staff members to agree that:
The school actively develops students’ academic abilities
Excellence in student achievement is nurtured
Excellence in teaching is evident
The school actively develops students’ literacy and numeracy
The amount of student homework is appropriate
The school nurtures risk taking and innovative thought.
However, students were much less likely than parents or staff to agree that: The school actively develops
students’ creative talents.
Parents (58%) were more likely than students and staff (45%, 41%) to agree that: The school actively develops
students’ moral values.
Staff were more likely than students and parents to agree that: Students are encouraged to work to their
capacity and to reach their fullest potential (51% of staff, compared to 43% and 62% students and parents,
respectively) and: The school actively develops students’ sporting talents (43% of staff compared to 41% of
students and 57% of parents).
Students
Students tended to more frequently agree with statements that related to academic achievement. For
example, the teaching and learning items that attracted most (>50%) agreement were:
The school actively develops students’ academic abilities (64%)
Excellence in student achievement is nurtured (61%)
The school actively develops students’ literacy and numeracy (55%)
Students are encouraged to work to capacity and to reach their full potential (51%)
The lowest rates of students’ agreement with teaching and learning statements were:
The school nurtures risk taking and innovative thought (31%)
The school actively develops students’ ICT skills (35%)
Parents
Parents tended to agree in larger numbers with statements about the school’s ability to promote students’
general capabilities and a balanced education, rather than academic achievement. The statements most
agreed with (>50%) were:
18
The school actively develops students’ moral values (58%)
The school actively develops students’ creative talents (55%)
The school provides a balanced education (52%)
The aspects of teaching and learning with the lowest rates of parental agreement were:
The school nurtures risk taking and innovative thought (20%)
The amount of student homework is appropriate (30%)
The school actively develops students' academic abilities (31%)
Staff
Like parents, the staff saw strengths in the school’s broader focus on developing the whole child, rather than
purely academic achievement. The statements that most staff (>50%) agreed with were:
The school actively develops students’ creative talents (57%)
The school actively develops students’ sporting talents (57%)
The school provides a balanced education (52%)
Students are encouraged to work to capacity and to reach their full potential (51%)
Importance
All Groups
There were three statements that relatively few survey takers, across all three groups, regarded as important.
They were:
[Important that] The school nurtures risk taking and innovative thought
[Important that] The amount of student homework is appropriate
[Important that] The school actively develops students’ sporting talents
Students
Fewer students than parents or staff thought that statements about teaching and learning were important.
The only exception was in relation to the statement about homework. More students saw it as an important
issue compared to parents and, especially, compared to staff views:
[Important that] The amount of student homework is appropriate (students 64%, parents 56%,
staff 50%)
The aspects of teaching and learning that relatively larger numbers of students (≥75%) viewed as important
related to teaching excellence and academic achievement:
[Important that] There are excellent teachers at this school (80%)
[Important that] My teachers help me to improve my literacy and numeracy (78%)
[Important that] My teachers encourage me to achieve high academic results (76%)
[Important that] My teachers encourage me to strive for excellence (75%)
[Important that] My teachers provide me with a balanced education (75%)
Parents
More parents than students or staff tended to regard statements about teaching and learning as important.
The six statements that the most parents (≥ 90%) thought were important were:
19
[Important that] Excellence in teaching is evident (95%)
[Important that] The school actively develops students’ literacy and numeracy (95%)
[Important that] The school caters for individual needs and provides support and extension
where appropriate (93%)
[Important that] Students are encouraged to work to their capacity to reach their fullest
potential (93%)
[Important that] The school actively develops students’ moral values (92%)
[Important that] The school provides a balanced education (91%).
Statements with the fewest numbers of parents (≤60%) rating them as important related to sport and
homework:
[Important that] The school actively develops students’ sporting talents (60%)
[Important that] The amount of student homework is appropriate (56%)
Staff
The following teaching and learning statements were rated my most teachers (≥ 90%) as important:
[Important that] The school provides a balanced education (91%)
[Important that] Students are encouraged to work to their capacity and to reach their fullest
potential (90%)
Statements that the fewest staff members (≤60%) rated as important were:
[Important that] The amount of student homework is appropriate (50%)
[Important that] The school actively develops students’ sporting talents (51%)
[Important that] The school actively develops students’ ICT skills (56%)
[Important that] The school nurtures risk taking and innovative thought (60%)
20
3.2 Student Well‐being Statement Responses
Table 3.4: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about student well‐being
STUDENT WELL‐BEING STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Slightly Agree
Slightly Disagree
Disagree
Important
A bit Important
A bit Unimportant
Unimportant
1. The school has high standards of student behaviour 58 29 9 4 64 25 7 3
2. I feel part of a community at the school 55 29 10 6 68 23 5 3
3. My teachers encourage me to be socially responsible 55 29 10 6 62 26 8 3
4. People at the school encourage me to make a positive contribution at school and outside of school
48 31 12 9 61 26 8 4
5. My resilience is being developed by people at the school 47 32 13 7 59 30 7 3
6. I am encouraged to develop my values 46 37 11 6 59 29 8 4
7. My self‐image is being developed by people at the school 45 32 13 10 53 30 11 6
8. I feel an important part of the school 42 27 16 14 62 23 9 6
9. My spirituality is being developed by people at the school 39 31 16 15 45 29 12 14
10. People at the school have a very caring approach 38 34 19 9 72 21 5 3
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which students agreed with them.
21
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that students attached to them.
Figure 3.6: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about student well‐being (agreement and importance)
22
Table 3.5: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about student well‐being
STUDENT WELL‐BEING STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Important
Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
1. There is a strong sense of community 59 31 6 3 78 21 1
2. There is a strong emphasis on values 57 35 5 2 90 10
3. The school has a strong pastoral care approach 54 36 8 2 78 19 2
4. The school has an appropriate emphasis on developing students' spirituality
49 44 6 1 33 42 20 5
5. The school nurtures students who can make a positive contribution to society
48 44 6 1 74 25 1
6. The teachers are committed to enhancing my child's/children's well‐being
48 43 7 2 91 8
7. The teachers are committed to helping my child/children improve academically
48 38 10 4 95 5
8. The school nurtures students who are socially responsible 46 45 8 2 75 24
9. Positive student self‐image is nurtured 46 44 8 2 89 11
10. My child/children feel an important part of the school 43 39 14 3 82 16 2
11. Strong standards of behaviour are upheld 41 39 12 7 91 9
12. Resilience is nurtured 36 46 15 4 85 15
13. The teachers are committed to helping my child/children develop spirituality
33 51 14 2 29 40 25 6
14. My relationship with the school is valued 29 44 18 9 62 30 5 2
15. I feel an important part of the school 23 44 23 11 55 34 7 3
Note1 : Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which parents agreed with them.
23
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that parents attached to them.
Figure 3.7: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about student well‐being (agreement and importance)
24
Table 3.6: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements about student well‐being
STUDENT WELL‐BEING STATEMENTS1 % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Slightly Agree
Slightly Disagree
Disagree
Important
A bit Important
A bit Unimportant
Unimportant
1. The teachers are committed to helping the students improve academically
64 33 2 1 87 13
2. The teachers are committed to enhancing students’ well‐being 59 38 2 1 93 8
3. The school has a strong pastoral care approach 56 35 5 3 87 13
4. There is a strong sense of community 52 38 9 1 82 17 1
5. Positive student self‐image is nurtured 45 46 6 2 88 12
6. The school nurtures students who can make a positive contribution to society
44 44 10 2 82 17 1
7. There is a strong emphasis on values 44 41 13 2 88 11 1
8. The students feel an important part of the school 42 45 12 1 85 15
9. The school has an appropriate emphasis on developing students' spirituality
40 46 13 2 41 51 6 2
10. My relationship with the school is valued 40 42 15 2 84 16
11. The school nurtures students who are socially responsible 38 48 13 2 82 18
12. I feel an important part of the school 38 44 15 3 81 18 1
13. Resilience is nurtured 25 45 20 10 93 7
14. Strong standards of behaviour are upheld 22 44 25 9 91 8 2
15. The teachers are committed to helping students develop spirituality
20 53 24 3 40 49 7 4
Note1 : Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which staff agreed with them.
25
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that staff attached to them
Figure 3.8: STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about student well‐being (agreement and importance)
26
Figure 3.9: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐
Percentage of ‘Agree’ and ‘Somewhat Agree’
responses to statements about student well‐
being at JSRACS
27
Figure 3.10: STUDENTS, PARENTS &
STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Important’ and
‘Somewhat Important’ responses to
statements about student well‐being at
JSRACS
28
3.2.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: Student Well‐being
Agreement
All Groups
The aspect of student well‐being with consistently high rates of agreement across all three groups (>50%)
was:
There is a strong sense of community (55% of students, 59% of parents, 52% of staff)
The greatest disparity between the three stakeholder groups was in relation to standards of behaviour. More
students (58%) agreed that ‘Strong standards of behaviour are upheld’ than either parents (41% agree) or
staff (22% agree).
Fewer students than parents or staff (38%, as opposed to 54% and 56%) agreed that ‘The school has a strong
pastoral care approach’.
Disparity between parents and teachers was also evident for statements relating to teacher commitment to
‘…enhancing students’ well‐being’ and ‘…helping students improve academically’. More teachers agreed that
this was the case (59% and 64% respectively) than parents (48% and 48%). (Note that students were not
asked to comment on teacher commitment.)
Parents (23%) and staff (42%) also differed markedly in the extent of their agreement with the statement
that: ‘Students feel an important part of the school’.
Students
The three statements that most (>50%) students agreed with were:
The school has high standards of student behaviour (58%)
I feel part of a community at the school (55%)
My teachers encourage me to be socially responsible (55%)
Items that received relatively low levels of agreement were:
People at the school have a very caring approach (38%)
My spirituality is being developed by people at the school (39%)
Parents
The aspects of student well‐being that most parents (>50%) agreed with were:
There is a strong sense of community (59%)
There is a strong emphasis on values (57%)
The school has a strong pastoral care approach (54%)
The two items that received the lowest levels of agreement were about the parents’ sense of belonging and
relationship to the school:
My relationship with the school is valued (29%)
I feel an important part of the school (23%)
29
Staff
Statements about student well‐being that attracted a relatively high (>50%) of staff agreement were:
The teachers are committed to helping the students improve academically (64%)
The teachers are committed to enhancing students’ well‐being (59%)
The school has a strong pastoral care approach (56%)
There is a strong sense of community (52%)
Items with the lowest levels of staff agreement were:
The teachers are committed to helping students develop spirituality (20%)
Strong standards of behaviour are upheld (22%)
Resilience is nurtured (25%)
Importance
All groups
As was seen with teaching and learning statements, fewer students than parents or staff rated aspects of
student well‐being as important. The exception was ‘emphasis on developing students' spirituality’ which
proportionately more students (45%) rated as important than both parents (33%) and staff (41%).
Aspects of student well‐being for which there was a disparity between numbers of students, parents and
staff who viewed them as important were:
[Important that] Positive student self‐image is nurtured (53% of students, 85% of parents and
93% of staff agreed)
[Important that] There is a strong emphasis on values (59%/90%/88%)
[Important that] Resilience is nurtured (59%/85%/93%)
[Important that] Strong standards of behaviour are upheld (64%/91%/91%)
Consistent with the numbers in agreement (above), all three stakeholder groups placed relatively high
importance on pastoral care (i.e., 72% of students, 78% of parents, and 87% of staff).
Students
The statements rated as important by the largest proportions of students were:
[Important that] The school has a strong pastoral care approach (72%)
[Important that] There is a strong sense of community (68%)
The following four survey items received the lowest numbers of students’ rating as ‘Important’:
[Important that] The school has an appropriate emphasis on developing students’ spirituality
(45%)
[Important that] Positive student self‐image is nurtured (53%)
[Important that] There is a strong emphasis on values (59%)
[Important that] Resilience is nurtured (59%)
30
Parents
Unsurprisingly, most parents regarded aspects of student well‐being as important. For example:
[Important that] The teachers are committed to helping students improve academically (95%)
[Important that] The teachers are committed to enhancing students’ well‐being (91%)
[Important that] Strong standards of behaviour are upheld (91%)
[Important that] There is a strong emphasis on values (90%)
The statements that the fewest numbers of parents saw as important were related to spirituality:
[Important that] The teachers are committed to helping the students develop spirituality (29%)
[Important that] The school has an appropriate emphasis on developing students’ spirituality
(33%)
Staff
The aspects of student well‐being that the highest numbers of staff regarded as important were:
[Important that] Resilience is nurtured (93%)
[Important that] The teachers are committed to enhancing students’ well‐being (93%)
[Important that] Strong standards of behaviour are upheld (91%)
As with the students and parents, the statements relating to the development of students’ spirituality
received the lowest numbers of ‘Important’ ratings from staff:
[Important that] The teachers are committed to helping the students develop spirituality (29%)
[Important that] The school has an appropriate emphasis on developing students’ spirituality
(33%)
31
3.3 School Facilities Statement Responses
Table 3.7: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school facilities
SCHOOL FACILITIES STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Slightly Agree
Slightly Disagree
Disagree
Important
A bit Important
A bit Unimportant
Unimportant
1. The school is well resourced with ICT 61 28 7 4 69 24 5 3
2. The school is well resourced overall 56 31 9 3 78 18 2 2
3. The school grounds are well maintained 54 32 10 4 54 30 10 6
4. The school grounds are attractive 47 36 10 6 69 24 6 2
5. Classroom facilities are excellent 45 37 12 6 71 22 4 2
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which students agreed with them.
32
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that students attached to them.
Figure 3.11: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about the school facilities (agreement and importance)
33
Table 3.8: PARENTS ‐ Per cent of valid responses to statements1 about the school facilities
SCHOOL FACILITIES STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Important
Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
1. The school grounds are well maintained 78 19 3 0 69 29 1 0
2. The school grounds are attractive 68 28 3 0 51 44 4 1
3. The school is well resourced with ICT 61 31 6 1 84 15 1 0
4. The school is well resourced overall 60 31 8 2 89 11 0 0
5. Classroom facilities are excellent 56 36 8 1 86 14 0 0
6. The strategic building program of the school is beneficial to my child/children
43 37 16 4 55 38 6 2
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which parents agreed with them.
34
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that parents attached to them.
Figure 3.12: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about the school facilities (agreement and importance)
35
Table 3.9: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about the school facilities
SCHOOL FACILITIES STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Important
Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
1. The school grounds are attractive 56 36 7 1 52 45 3
2. The school grounds are well maintained 44 47 9 1 67 31 2
3. The school is well resourced with ICT 44 45 8 3 71 28 2
4. The school is well resourced overall 40 50 8 2 81 18 1
5. The strategic building program of the school is beneficial to my students
35 45 16 4 59 38 3
6. Classroom facilities are excellent 23 46 23 8 74 24 2
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which staff agreed with them.
36
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that staff attached to them.
Figure 3.13: STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about the school facilities (agreement and importance)
37
Figure 3.14: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Agree’ and ‘Somewhat Agree’ responses to statements about school facilities at JSRACS
38
Figure 3.15: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Important’ and ‘Somewhat Important’ responses to statements about school facilities at
JSRACS
39
3.3.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: School Facilities
Agreement
All Groups
Overall, more parents than students and staff had positive views of the school facilities.
For example, parents were substantially more positive about the school grounds than were students and
staff:
The school grounds are well maintained (54% of students, 78% of parents and 44% of staff
agreed)
The school grounds are attractive (47%/68%/56%)
Staff were less positive about classroom facilities and ICT resourcing than were students and parents:
Classroom facilities are excellent (45% of students, 56% of parents and 23% of staff agreed)
The school is well resourced with ICT (61%/61%/44%)
Students
The numbers of students in agreement with statements about school facilities were relatively consistent,
ranging from 45% to 61%.
The aspect of school facilities rated most highly by students was:
The school is well resourced with ICT (61%)
The aspects with the lowest agreement ratings by students were:
Classroom facilities are excellent (45%)
The school grounds are attractive (47%)
Parents
The school facilities statements about which the highest numbers of parents agreed were:
The school grounds are well maintained (78%)
The school grounds are attractive (68%)
The item relating to the strategic building program received the lowest level of agreement from parents:
The strategic building program of the school is beneficial to the students (43%)
Staff
The aspect of school facilities that produced the highest numbers of staff in agreement was:
The school grounds are attractive (56%)
The lowest numbers of staff in agreement were for classroom facilities and the strategic building program:
Classroom facilities are excellent (23%)
The strategic building program of the school is beneficial to the students (35%)
40
Importance
All Groups
Fewer parents and staff members viewed school facilities as important compared to aspects of teaching and
learning and student well‐being.
The overall resourcing of the school received the highest proportions of importance ratings across all three
stakeholder groups (i.e., 78% of students, 89% of parents, 81% of staff)
One disparity between the three survey groups was in relation to classroom facilities and ICT resources. More
parents rated them as important issues than did students or staff.
[Important that] Classroom facilities are excellent (71% of students, 86% of parents and 74% of
staff)
[Important that] The school is well resourced with ICT (69%/84%/71%)
Students
The statement that had the largest number of students rating it as ‘Important’ was: ‘The school is well
resourced overall’ (78%).
The statement that had the lowest number of students rating it as ‘Important’ was: ‘The school grounds are
attractive’ (54%).
Parents
Overall resourcing of the school and classroom facilities were most frequently rated as important by parents:
[Important that] The school is well resourced overall (89%)
[Important that] Classroom facilities are excellent (86%)
The statements that attracted the least frequent ratings of ‘Important’ were:
[Important that] The school grounds are attractive (51%)
[Important that] The strategic building program of the school is beneficial to the students (55%)
Staff
Like the parents, overall resourcing of the school and classroom facilities were most frequently rated as
important by staff members:
[Important that] The school is well resourced overall (81%)
[Important that] Classroom facilities are excellent (74%)
The lowest numbers of ‘Important’ ratings by staff were also the same as for the parents:
[Important that] The school grounds are attractive (52%)
[Important that] The strategic building program of the school is beneficial to the students (59%)
41
3.4 Staff, Leadership, Governance Statement Responses
Table 3.10: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and governance
STAFF, LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Slightly Agree
Slightly Disagree
Disagree
Important
A bit Important
A bit Unimportant
Unimportant
1. The school has strong leadership from the principal 65 24 7 4 81 15 2 1
2. The teachers are committed to helping me improve academically
53 32 11 4 86 11 2 1
3. The teachers are committed to enhancing my well‐being 43 35 15 7 77 18 3 1
4. The teachers are excellent 39 39 14 8 86 11 2 2
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which students agreed with them.
42
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that students attached to them.
Figure 3.16: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and governance (agreement and
importance)
43
Table 3.11: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and governance
STAFF, LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Important
Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
1. I receive regular communication from the school 80 14 6 91 9
2. The school has strong leadership from the principal 68 26 5 1 98 2
3. The School Council has a good range of community representation
41 39 15 5 65 31 2 3
4. The teachers are excellent 39 52 7 2 99 1
5. I understand the role of the School Council 33 31 24 12 52 40 7 2
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which parents agreed with them.
44
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that parents attached to them.
Figure 3.17: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and governance (agreement and
importance)
45
Table 3.12: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about staff, leadership and governance
STAFF, LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Important
Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
1. The school has strong leadership from the principal 65 29 4 2 96 3 1
2. The teachers are committed to helping children improve academically
60 36 3 1 94 6
3. The teachers are committed to enhancing children's well‐being 49 50 1 1 89 11
4. The teachers are excellent 32 63 5 0 96 4
5. I understand the relationship between the school and the School Council
32 31 28 10 38 43 13 7
6. The teachers are committed to helping children develop spiritually
19 58 20 3 52 40 6 2
7. I receive regular communication from the School Council 12 23 42 22 27 46 19 8
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which staff agreed with them.
46
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that parents attached to them..
Figure 3.18: STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school staff, leadership and governance (agreement and importance)
47
Figure 3.19: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Agree’ and ‘Somewhat Agree’ responses to statements about staff, leadership and
governance at JSRACS
48
Figure 3.20: STUDENTS, PARENTS & STAFF ‐ Percentage of ‘Important’ and ‘Somewhat Important’ responses to statements about staff, leadership
and governance at JSRACS
49
3.4.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: Staff, Leadership and Governance
Only two survey questions about staff, leadership and governance were the same for all three stakeholder
groups, reflecting the different roles, interests and needs of students, parents and staff. The report sections
that follow are limited to survey questions that were similar for two or three of the stakeholder groups.
Agreement
All Groups
Responses by the three stakeholder groups were quite similar, with the exception of the statement relating
to ‘…regular communication from the School Council’. Here, there was a substantial difference in frequency
of agreement between parents (80%) and staff (12%).
Students and parents (both 39%) were slightly more likely to agree that ‘The teachers are excellent’ than
were staff themselves (32%).
The statement with the highest numbers in agreement from all three groups was:
The school has strong leadership from the principal (65% of students, 68% of parents and 65%
staff)
The item relating to the ‘…relationship between the school and the School Council’ (or the role of the School
Council) received relatively low ratings from both parents (33%) and staff (32%).
Students
The highest frequency of agreement from students was related to:
The school has strong leadership from the principal (65%)
The lowest frequency of student agreement was with:
The teachers are excellent (39%)
Parents
The highest and lowest levels of agreement from parents were related to the school council:
I receive regular communication from the School Council (80%).
I understand the relationship between the school and the School Council (33%)
Staff
As with students, the highest level of agreement from staff members was with:
The school has strong leadership from the principal (65%).
The lowest level of agreement was with:
I receive regular communication from the School Council (12%)
Importance
All groups
Of the range of issues covered by the survey instruments, specific statements relating to staff, leadership and
governance received the highest percentages of ‘Important’ ratings across all three stakeholder groups.
50
The statement most frequently rated as ‘Important’ in this section of the survey was:
[Important that] The teachers are excellent (86% of students, 99% of parents, 96% of staff).
The largest disparity in ‘Important’ ratings was between parents (91%) and staff (27%) for the statement:
[Important that] I receive regular communication from the School Council.
Students
Most students regarded the four staff and leadership statements on their survey as important (frequency
>70%).
Parents
For parents, the two statements most frequently rated as ‘Important’ were:
[Important that] The teachers are excellent (99%)
[Important that] The school has strong leadership from the principal (98%).
The statement least frequently rated as ‘Important’ related to understanding of the role of the School Council
(52%).
Staff
Like the parents, the two statements most frequently rated as ‘Important’ were:
[Important that] The teachers are excellent (96%)
[Important that] The school has strong leadership from the principal (96%).
The less frequent ratings of ‘Important’ were:
[Important that] I have regular communication from the School Council (27%)
[Important that] I understand the relationship between the school and the School Council (38%)
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3.5 School Communications Statement Responses
Table 3.13: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school communications
SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Slightly Agree
Slightly Disagree
Disagree
Important
A bit Important
A bit Unimportant
Unimportant
1. I am kept regularly informed about school events and what is happening in the school
59 25 10 5 68 23 6 3
2. My teachers give me regular feedback about my weaknesses and where I need to improve
43 30 17 11 78 16 4 2
3. My teachers give me regular feedback about my strengths and what I am doing well
40 31 17 12 77 18 4 2
4. My teachers keep me regularly informed in class about my academic progress
33 31 22 13 71 21 5 2
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which students agreed with them.
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Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that students attached to them.
Figure 3.21: ALL STUDENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school communications (agreement and importance)
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Table 3.14: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school communications
SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Important
Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
1. The school keeps me regularly informed about school functions 77 23 1 76 22 1 1
2. I am happy about the level of communication I receive about my child's/children's progress
50 47 3 94 6 1
3. I receive sufficient information about my child's/children's progress through formal academic reports
48 47 5 95 4 1
4. The school keeps me regularly informed about current education issues
42 51 7 76 20 3 2
5. I receive sufficient information about my child's/children's progress between formal reporting periods
30 58 12 89 10 1
6. The school needs to improve the amount of communication it has with parents
20 48 31 76 15 7 2
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which parents agreed with them.
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Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that parents attached to them.
Figure 3.22: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school communications (agreement and importance)
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Table 3.15: STAFF ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about school communications
SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Important
Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
1. I am happy about the level of communication I receive about school events
68 25 6 1 69 28 3 0
2. The school keeps me regularly informed about school functions 67 32 0 1 66 32 2 0
3. I understand the strategic direction of the school 26 49 19 6 72 25 3 0
4. The school keeps me informed about current education issues 24 45 23 7 76 22 2 0
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which staff agreed with them.
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Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that staff attached to them. .
Figure 3.23 STAFF ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about school communications (agreement and importance)
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3.5.1 Summary of Quantitative Data: School Communication
The student and staff surveys each had four statements relating to school communications. The parent
survey covered six items. Since most of the items were worded differently to reflect the differing roles, needs
and interests of the stakeholder groups, graphs that combine the results of students, parents and staff have
not been produced.
Agreement
Students
The highest frequency of agreement about school communications for the students was in relation to being
‘...regularly informed about school events and what is happening in the school’ (59%).
The lowest frequency of agreement was in relation to being ‘…regularly informed in class about my academic
progress’ (33%).
In the case of school communications, student ratings of the importance of, and their agreement with,
statements is reasonably congruent.
Parents
There was considerable variation in agreement for the six parent survey items relating to school
communications.
The statement most frequently agreed with was:
The school keeps me regularly informed about school functions (77%)
In common with the students, the lowest frequency of agreement related to being kept informed about their
child’s progress:
I receive sufficient information about my child's/children's progress between formal reporting
periods (30%)
One of the items in the parent survey was phrased negatively: ‘The school needs to improve the amount of
communication it has with parents.’ Only 20% of parents agreed with this statement, even though 76%
thought it was important. The disparity is possibly an artefact of the way the statement was worded.
Staff
The statements that staff members most frequently agreed with related to communication about school
events:
I am happy about the level of communication I receive about school events (68%)
The school keeps me regularly informed about school functions (67%)
The statements that staff members least frequently agreed with related to understanding of the school’s
strategic direction and being informed about current education issues:
The school keeps me informed about current education issues (24%)
I understand the strategic direction of the school (26%)
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Importance
Students
The statements rated as important by the highest proportions of students were in relation to feedback about
their academic performance:
[Important that] My teachers give me regular feedback about my weaknesses and where I need
to improve (78%)
[Important that] My teachers give me regular feedback about my strengths and what I am doing
well (77%)
The statements least frequently rated as important related to communication about school events:
[Important that] I am kept regularly informed about school events and what is happening in the
school (68%)
Parents
Three School Communication statements were rated as important by very high proportions of parents; all
were related to information about their child’s progress.
[Important that] I receive sufficient information about my child's progress through formal
academic reports (95%)
[Important that] I am happy about the level of communication I receive about my child's
progress (94%)
[Important that] I receive sufficient information about my child's progress between formal
reporting periods (89%)
Staff
All four items relating to school communications produced high numbers of ‘Important’ ratings.
The statements most frequently rated as important by staff were the same ones that had the lowest levels
of agreement:
[Important that] The school keeps me informed about current education issues (76%)
[Important that] I understand the strategic direction of the school (72%)
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3.6 Quality of Education/Value for Money Statement Responses
Parents were the only stakeholder group that had this section included in their survey.
It can be seen from Table 3.16 and Figure 3.24 that there are disparities between the parents’ perceptions of
the importance of statements relating to education quality and value for money and the extent of their
agreement that the statements apply to their child’s/children’s school.
The statement that comes closest in perceived importance and agreement is: ‘I am glad I enrolled my child
at the school’ (93% of parents saw that as an important issue and 69% agreed that it was the case for JSRACS).
However, with this statement, as well as the other two items in this section of the survey, the proportion of
parents in agreement comes very close to perceptions of importance when the numbers of parents who
responded that they “somewhat agree” are included, i.e.:
I am satisfied with the quality of education provided by the school (99% importance; 87% agree
or somewhat agree)
The school provides a high quality of education for my child (96% importance; 89% agree or
somewhat agree)
I am glad I enrolled my child at the school (93% importance; 91% agree or somewhat agree).
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Table 3.16: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of valid responses to statements1 about quality of education / value for money
QUALITY OF EDUCATION / VALUE FOR MONEY STATEMENTS % AGREEMENT % IMPORTANCE
Agree Somewhat
Agree Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Important
Somewhat Important
Somewhat Unimportant
Unimportant
I am glad I enrolled my child/children at the school 69 22 8 2 93 6 1
The school provides a high quality of education for my child/children
51 38 9 4 96 4
I am satisfied with the quality of education provided by the school 49 38 12 2 99 1
Note1: Statements are listed in order (highest to lowest) of the extent to which parents agreed with them.
Note1: Statements are listed in the order (highest to lowest) of the degree of importance that parents attached to them.
Figure 3.24: PARENTS ‐ Percentages of positive responses to statements1 about quality of education / value for money (agreement and
importance)
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Survey Results: Qualitative
4.1 Positive Aspects and Improvements Needed
Survey participants were asked to describe positive aspects of JSRACS and areas for improvement. The forms
that the questions took for each respondent group are shown below.
Student Surveys
What do you think are 3 positive aspects or things about your life at school this year?
What do you think are 3 aspects or things about the school that you think need improvement?
Parent Surveys
Please list three positive aspects of school life that have worked well for your child/children this year.
Please list three aspects of the school that you think need improvement.
Staff Surveys
Please list three positive aspects of school life that have worked well for you this year.
Please list three aspects of the school that you think need improvement.
4.1.2 Students’ Views
There were two main themes to the positive aspects of students’ schooling: Education/Learning and
Community/Social. Sub‐themes of Education/Learning included students’ positive appraisals of the academic
environment, the fact that they enjoyed learning, having co‐curricular opportunities, learning pathways and,
most prominently, teachers who are good, nice, fun, caring and helpful. The clear, dominant sub‐theme in
Community/Social was the friendships that students said they made at school.
There were three themes to students’ perceptions of what needs improving at school. The most prominent
of these was Education/Learning and sub‐themes included the amount of homework they were set, the
timing of assessments (too close together), canteen prices, the need for a swimming pool, the opportunity
for more extra‐curricular activities, and, most prominently, that some teachers needed to be better.
One of the other two themes in the ‘needs improvement’ category was Behaviour Management in Schools
(BMIS): students did not think that consequences of misbehaviour were consistently applied, they said that
bullying was a problem at the school and wanted a more supportive learning environment.
The third improvement theme related to Facilities/Resources. Students wanted cleaner bathrooms and
better desks.
4.1.3 Parents’ Views
There were six themes to the positive aspects of students’ schooling at JSRACS that parents noted. The most
prominent of these was Education/Learning. Parents commented that the teachers are good; supportive
and caring. The also mentioned the academic commitment and focus of the school, the range of extra‐ and
co‐curricular opportunities, learning support, the improved transition to high school process, and the
teaching and learning management system, SEQTA, as positive aspects of JSRACS.
The other themes in parents’ perceptions of the positive aspects of their children’s schooling included the
Sense of Community at the school – that it is both a focus and a support; the Pastoral Care offered by the
school – including the PCG, the children’s positive friendships, socialising and camps; the Music/Arts Program
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– including instrumental, musical and drama opportunities; the Sport Program and the school’s
Values/Morals/Spirituality.
There were four themes to parents’ perceptions of what needs improving at school. The most prominent of
these was, once again, Education/Learning and sub‐themes included:
BMIS/Discipline standards and bullying
Better communication – consistency, school work, issues with SEQTA use
Academic achievement and extension, secondary school excellence
Wanting feedback on progress
Clarity on the amount and nature of homework
Teachers needing empathy, maths, capacity
The uniform policy
Less use of iPads
Education support services need increasing
Career Guidance needed
More sporting emphasis.
Other themes were Fees (don’t increase, reduce); Beechboro (its facilities, the need for more communication
and visibility of the K‐6 branch school) and; Spirituality.
4.1.4 Staff Members’ Views
There were three themes to the positive aspects of JSRACS that staff noted. The most prominent of these
was Education/Learning. Staff commented on the positive relationships between staff and colleagues as well
as the bonds forged and mutual support. Other aspects they noted were an increased emphasis on
pedagogy, sharing ideas and directions in teaching and learning, and the benefits of pastoral care.
The remaining two themes were the Better Direction in which the school is headed and its Sense of
Community.
Staff members’ responses produced six themes in the category of ‘Needs Improvement’. Once again,
Education/Learning was the dominant theme with Workload/Wellbeing close behind.
Education/Learning improvement sub‐themes included:
Need for consistency of pedagogy and expectations
Sharing ideas between Primary and Secondary
Reporting needs streamlining
Overcrowded curriculum – impacts on time
Change needed to overloaded curriculum
Extension needed for gifted students
Shared vision and active promotion of vision to address declining enrolment
Pastoral care needs a shake up
Balance between extra‐activities and the core. Too many interruptions to learning.
Use of technology/tech support in classroom needs improvement.
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Workload/Wellbeing sub‐themes were:
Staff overworked – burnt out – no work life balance, low morale
Duplication of process and paperwork
Pace and volume of new initiatives
Timeframe for completion too tight – not meaningful change
Too many meetings – Monday briefing instead
Email overload.
There was a BMIS theme that incorporated a perceived need for clear, consistent policy action – particularly
when ‘high‐end’ behaviour was concerned. Consistency of dealing with low‐end misbehaviour was also seen
to need more consistency of follow through and communication back from Admin. Staff felt unsupported in
their BMIS dealings.
In a Budget/Resourcing improvement theme, staff would like to see less money spent at department level
and more on the level and quality of ITC support. In a theme of Structure/Leadership, staff wanted
improvements from what they considered ‘management by email’ and ever‐increasing expectations, as well
as better communication, Year Heads rather than House Coordinators, and improved processes for students’
transition from Primary to Secondary School. The remaining theme, Beechboro, concerned a feeling of
inequality by Beechboro compared with Mirrabooka campus.
4.1.5 Commonalities in Positives and Needs for Improvement
Consistent key themes in students’, parents’ and staff members’ appraisals of the positive aspects that work
well at JSRACS were:
Education and learning
Caring teachers, academic commitment, extra‐curricular activities
Community
Pastoral Care
Music/Arts/Sports Programs.
Consistent key themes in students’, parents’ and staff members’ appraisals of the aspects of JSRACS that
need improvement were:
Education and learning
BMIS
Communication
Quality of teaching and learning
Academic achievement/extension
Feedback on progress (parents and students)
Beechboro.
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4.2 Parents on Children’s JSRACS Enrolment
Of the 195 parents who responded to the question Do you expect your child/children to continue through to
Year 12 at John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School?, twelve answered that their child(ren) would not
be continuing at JSRACS after Year 10.
4.2.1 Please briefly explain why your child/children will not continue through to
Year 12 at John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School.
Six parents said their child(ren) would not continue at JSRACS for financial reasons. For example, The school
fees have quadrupled since enrolling. The constant request for donations and then requests to purchase
donations back is expensive … It seems that public education standards including pastoral care are very
similar to what is provided at JSR, and all for free!
Three parents said that their child(ren) would not continue because of program cuts or class sizes in Years 11
and 12. For example, It seems like a lot of programs are getting cut, especially in the music and performing
arts areas and Class sizes are very large and it will depend on the quality of teaching in the high school
years.
Other reasons for discontinuing enrolment included lack of focus on academics, bad behaviour by peers and
poor communication from the school.
4.2.2 What was the main reason/s you enrolled you child/children at this school?
Thematic content analysis was performed on the qualitative data produced by responses to this question.
The eight major themes3 emerged were: Values, Public School Comparison, Educational Reputation, Balance
in Education, Specialist Programs, Recommendation, Location and K‐12 Schooling.
Values
This most prominent theme encompassed the school’s ethos, moral and ethical focus, pastoral care, its sense
of community, emphasis on good behaviour. Very few parents said that the fact that JSRACS is a
Christian/Anglican school was the main reason for their decision.
Examples:
I enrolled my children at this school because I liked the fact that they advertised a strong sense of
community and value all children’s abilities ….
… the community spirit and sense of family
I was attracted to the JSR community as a whole because there was minimal keeping up with the
Jones type people. These were real people wanting the best for their children, no pretentious
people.
… education in an environment that was aligned with my faith and beliefs, seemed focused on
preventing bullying and maintaining school pride by wearing uniforms and the like
The school fosters good values.
Values and nice parents/kids
Pastoral care, children are treated kindly
3 Most responses to this question contained multiple reasons and it was apparent that parents had given a lot of thought to their
responses. Analysis was necessarily confined to the main reasons that children were enrolled. However, the wealth of content
produced by the question bears further examination.
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… emphasised social and moral development, both of which I felt were more important than
academics for my children at this stage
We have no religious beliefs and wanted a school that respected that. We liked that it taught all
religions.
We liked the lesser emphasis on religion (more ethics/morals) when compared with other private
schools we looked at.
Several parents included discipline and good conduct as value‐driven aspects of the school that attracted
them. For example:
I wanted to have teachers who were experienced and where behaviour was managed effectively
Discipline, Non‐Bullying and very strict
Christian values, good moral code of conduct
… private school where discipline, culture of learning and ethics framework should be in place and
all students conform to this as normal
… the discipline in learning as my son needed more guidance in staying on track with his abilities
as he’s very smart but was getting bored and could have gone off track
Public School Comparison
The second most prominent theme that emerged from parents’ reasons for enrolling their child(ren) at
JSRACS was its favourable comparison to public schools in terms of student achievement, student behaviour,
student support, parent involvement, class sizes and the school was seen as an affordable private option.
Examples were:
Reservations about public schools and the children there
My son was already having issues in pre‐primary at his local public school, we knew that the
options for public high school in the area were terrible
We hoped sending our children to JSR they would more likely be interacting with children/families
who have similar values to ourselves.
… my neighbour’s boys attended the high school as they were going astray in public school. Both
boys are now successfully employed and the most polite, well‐spoken young men I know. Their dad
said JSR really improved their personal development over the high school years. We couldn't be
happier.
Educational Reputation
Many parents chose to enrol their children in JSRACS because of its educational reputation. For example:
Standard of education, quality of teaching, wide range of educational opportunities, value for
money school fees, pastoral care.
I started all my children at Kindergarten. The school has a nice feel to it. The teachers are caring.
The school meets its academic requirements.
Good reputation, reasonably priced and facilities/opportunities.
Balance in Education
This theme included responses around holistic student support, multicultural school, balanced approach to
religion, life skills taught as well as academics. Examples were:
Focus on community and the overall development of the child, not just their academic
development.
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Extensive curriculum that develops the whole child
I wanted to select a school where there was an emphasis on developing socially responsible
behaviour
Mainly for a better education, social environment and values.
Specialist Programs
A number of parents were motivated to enrol their child(ren) at JSRACS because of the programs it offered,
including musical opportunities, languages (especially Italian) and Arts. Many expressed disappointment at
the changes to or discontinuation of programs.
Recommendation
Some parents chose to enrol their children at JSRACS because of recommendations from friends and family,
who had attended, or who had had children who attended the school.
Location
Proximity to home was also a main reason that some parents enrolled their children at the school.
K‐12 Schooling
For some parents, the opportunity for their child to stay at the same school throughout their schooling was
a major reason for their enrolment choice. They cited continuity of education and continuity of friendships
formed in early years as factors in their decisions.
4.2.3 Are you happy with your decision to enrol your child/children at this school?
Why or why not? (Please explain your answer)
Although responses to this question produced qualitative data, there was a limited range of potential
responses to the first part of the question and numbers might provide a useful frame for the remainder of
this section of the report.
Table 4.1: Were parents happy with their decision
to enrol their child/children at JSRACS?
Response Number Percentage
Yes 83 53.2
Yes, very happy 37 23.7
No 13 8.3
No, very unhappy ‐ ‐
Mixed feelings 23 14.7
TOTAL 156 100.0
Some of the reasons that 77% of responding parents were happy or very happy with the decision they had
made to enrol the child or children at the school included:
… the opportunities our children have been given have been outside our initial expectations primary
school
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Yes, my children have found stability, the teachers are lovely and they are cared for. I like the
proactive nature of the staff and ability for them to do a range of things. I also enjoy that my child
does not have a solely academic, sport or creative focus, there's a little of everything
Yes. Love the community spirit. I feel our kids are getting a well‐balanced education
I am very happy that I enrolled my children at this school. One child needs a bit of extra help
academically and he receives that help and it is reflected in his learning rate.
Yes I am overall happy with the school, my child loves the school, and his friends, and his teachers,
he feels safe is happy I cannot ask for more than that.
The reasons that 8% of parents were not happy with their decision to enrol their child in JSRACS included
costs, lack of communication from school, less pastoral care than promised, lack of tutoring, unsatisfactory
interactions with members of school staff, children not learning or not working to capacity and student
misbehaviour.
Some of the reasons that 15% of parents had mixed feelings about their decision to enrol their children at
JSRACS were that, although they were mostly happy, they are concerned: that they are not getting value for
money; at the declining focus on the importance of music and performing arts; with increasing class sizes and
split Year levels; with perceived declines in standards; that teachers need more training in special needs
education; with inconsistencies in behaviour management; at the phasing out of Italian; at the amount of
bullying at the school.
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Qualitative Themes from Focus Groups
Qualitative data in the form of themes that emerged from transcripts of the audio‐recorded focus groups are
presented in this section of the report.
The focus groups were attended by a total of 198 individuals. Of these, 62 were parents (with children K‐12),
20 were staff members (teaching K‐12) and 116 were students (16 in K‐2; 19 in years 3‐6; 34 in 7‐9; and 47 in
10‐12).
5.1 Student Focus Group Themes
5.1.1 Students K‐Year 2/3
Eight K‐Year 2 students from JSRACS Mirrabooka and eight K‐Year 3 students from the Beechboro campus
attended focus groups. The main themes that emerged from both groups of young children were Why This
is a Good School, What I Like About my Class, and Things That Should Change.
Aspects of the first two themes included: good friends, good teachers, lots of fun, learning and “It's a lovely
place to learn, in your classroom”. The young students wanted: more playgrounds, bigger classrooms and
for some of the teachers to change.
5.1.2 Students Years 3‐6
Twelve students from Years 3 to 6 at Mirrabooka campus and seven from Beechboro attended focus groups.
The predominant theme was, once again, Why This is a Good School. The main sub‐themes were ‘teachers’
– and ‘a good school to learn’. About teachers, students said that:
Nice, respectful, helpful when stuck, encouraging, you can talk to them
Teachers are well trained, they encourage students to be the best version of themselves. They
don't get angry at you if you make a mistake
They teach you about the consequences in high school if you do something in primary school. And
they also teach you about the life skills you need to know for adulthood.
Help you understand why you need to do it even if you don’t want to as will help you in life and
later in school.
In the Why This is a Good School sub‐theme, ‘good school to learn’, student comments included the
following:
Good school to learn because the teachers explain things
Challenging work
Sport education
Like reward system/the clubs/Musical twilight fair assemblies/music instruments.
Another theme from this group was What Needs to Improve. Sub‐themes included:
Poles where school pick‐up is.
Winter uniform ‐ only can wear shorts and get cold. Want trousers in primary.
Relief Teachers ‐ they “Get frustrated and don’t help”.
What’s not good about teachers ‐ get in trouble and not doing anything wrong
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Where we can and can’t play.
Basketball ring
More co‐curricular choices
Uniform
Spend money on an organ instead of a pool
Bring back Italian
Playground
iPads more secure
Better desks.
Other themes were Reasons Why I Would Leave (bullying, bad behaviour issues, grades slipping), Values
(especially Christian values) and I Would Recommend My School (all comments were in the affirmative).
5.1.3 Students Years 7‐9
Focus group discussions with 34 students from Years 7 to 9 produced three themes. The dominant theme
was Why Come to this School? Sub‐themes and illustrative comments are listed below:
Reputation
o Good education
o A lot of opportunity for career development
o A lot of acceptance/very inclusive school
o Wide curriculum choice
o Pathways – VET General ATAR
o Trips and campus overseas as well
o Drama and Sport programs.
Family and Friends
Community
o the school has such positive feel and everyone kind of wants everyone to do well, and they
will put in, the teachers will put in the effort to make sure you get your highest achievement.
o Little community here, unified in your house, community within a community
o Everyone knows each other and it is not separated.
Structure
o Sub school structure
o Leadership groups
o House coordinator support.
Facilities
ASC – involvement with other schools
o It creates kind of a sense of a bigger belonging, so if you belong to the school, but you also
belong to that group of schools, and it makes you like almost have a lot more connections.
Faith based
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o Anglican but we learn about all the other religions as well, adds to the school being
multicultural
o Chapel is like the big backbone of the school.
o Values
o Faith hope and love
o Respect.
Teachers
o Nice and funny
o Courses are tailored to what you understand.
The second theme from students in Years 7‐9 was Need for Improvement:
Expensive ‐ family struggles to pay fees and some friends as well
Too much time wasting in class especially for the hour‐long classes
Punctuality
Behaviour of certain students
Hear about some drug problems
Would like a football program
Catering for special needs.
The final theme was Reasons Why I Would Leave:
Bullying, it happens – was dealt with but happens again we will leave.
Subjects not offered.
5.1.4 Students Years 10‐12
Focus group discussions with 47 students from Years 10‐12 produced four themes. The dominant theme was
Why Come to JSR?/What is good? Sub‐themes and illustrative comments are listed below:
Opportunity
Good Education
o Facilities
Family and friends here – had a really good experience
Faith based
Social environment ‐ we are a big community
Very proud to wear the crest
o I’m proud to come to this school because, well, there’s lots of, like, extra‐curricular activities
and so then, when I tell my friends from outside of school about my schooling life, it’s not so
much about academics but more so the other things I’m able to participate in.
Teachers
o Don’t just teach us but empower, treat us like human beings and make an effort to get to
know us on a different level.
o Not directive but you come out having learnt a lot.
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o So, the teachers that do both demonstrations and theory approaches, showed both visual
learning, that helps a lot.
o And the good teachers, they don’t just teach in class, but they’re always there for the students
if they’re dealing with tough times.
o Good teachers really do interact with you and they listen really well, and I found that really
important in terms of learning as well, because if a teacher’s not really interacting with you,
it’s hard to learn.
o So, just with the teachers as well, I feel like when they build that relationship with you, it sort
of enhances their feeling that they want each student to succeed in whatever they’re doing.
So, I notice especially coming from primary school to here that, it’s not just like the heads of
departments that want the students to do well, but every different teacher.
o The good teachers, they’re approachable, so if you’re confused in class, you’re not afraid to
ask them a question. And then that also makes, like, learning more enjoyable because you
actually want to learn, because you enjoy being in that class because that teacher makes
learning fun.
o I feel like when the teachers get a good understanding of who you are and how you learn, I
feel like the teachers change their lesson to suit how you learn and how it will benefit you
more. So I feel like if the teachers … like, the teachers here understand you better, so they’ll
teach you better.
o I find that the good teachers are actually really passionate about their topic, so then when
you’re actually in the classroom, it doesn’t feel like you’re just in a classroom, you’re kind of
experiencing and then you’re educated by that.
Values
o Yes ‐ and know what they mean
o So, my interpretation of it is for faith … like having faith in yourself, probably having faith in
God since it’s a religious school, and having faith in the teachers
o And then for hope, like having hope for the future kind of thing, and what you want to do
knowing that the school can provide and ensure that you get to that place. And then love,
just loving each other and at the school.
The second theme that emerged from Year 10‐12 students’ discussions was Bad/Not Good Teachers:
The bad teachers are unapproachable, so if you ask a question they will talk down to you or if it’s
on front of the whole class, they might put you down in front of the whole class and then that
makes you embarrassed and not going to ask any more questions which, means you’re not
learning.
The bad teachers are the type of teachers who treat you like it’s a hierarchy kind of thing, like,
that you’re a student and so you’re lower than them, and so it’s harder for you to approach them
in a classroom environment, as well as in the playground
The bad teachers can be, like, overly strict, like sitting in silence the whole lesson and you don’t
learn anything from that.
There are certain teachers that are extremely sexist, I find. And I know a few of the girls can back
me up on this
The bad teachers will do the same thing every lesson, so if it’s open a book and write notes or just
read a book or copy it off the board, like doing the same thing every lesson, it’s boring.
I find a lot of the bad teachers are really, really strong in their topic so they’ll have a really good
understanding and be really good at what they do. However, they’re not very good at teaching it.
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So, like, sometimes with math teachers especially, when they work things through on the board,
they don’t understand that it’s not as clear for students learning, they just expect you to follow
exactly what’s happening without breaking it down more, because they understand and you don’t.
I find that there’s two extremes, some teachers are very strict, and they don’t allow any discussion
and it becomes kind of scary to want to ask questions or, like, ask your mate how to do the
question. But then some teachers are so relaxed that the class becomes rowdy and it’s hard to
work.
The worst teachers for me are the ones that always seem a little bit unprepared for their lessons.
They come into class and they’ll put a PowerPoint on and there’s, like, statistics that aren’t
updated, and so that they try and update them during class, or they just pull out a textbook and
they say, “Just read it.” Or words like that.
Year 10‐12 students had many ideas along the lines of What Needs to Improve:
Student parking
We want a pool, not a new organ
Year 12 experience – make more memorable
Education system been the same for a while
Bullying
Fees have gone up a lot
Need to keep all the curriculum choices
Marketing scholarships more
More time between assessments
Teach us how to communicate with each other better, more between groups gender culture as
things build and need to diffuse sooner. Brotherhood talk had a big impact. I feel like that the boys
from that talk, I feel like we’ve connected better, like, we’re more able to talk to each other.
Having to stop ATAR when on the borderline
Step from Year 10 to 11 is too big. Get you ready in Y 10 and before that.
Attitude to general subjects – teachers need to put in more effort here. Looked down upon.
Uniform and jewellery policy.
I just think that there needs to be further emphasis on mental health, because I know in Year 11
especially, it is a very, very, very, very big problem. And, we have people go through panic attacks
almost every single day. But, the attitude towards it is just like, okay, once you calm down, just
get back in there and do it all again. And it happens a lot because of our assessments all pile up
on another, on, like, the same weeks. And it’s just, like, a very big problem, and teachers kind of
don’t actually understand the large scale as to which it actually affects the people our year
especially.
And I feel like, so we need to have a lot more awareness of things, I feel like we have a lot more
awareness days as well at school, just to show and tell people that, we are here to support you,
we are here to do that, it’s just I feel like we need to let it be known more.
Recognise when going through issues.
Comms ‐ I think we can improve on more communication between teachers. So, most teachers
will give you a lot of work, but then they don’t take into account all the other subjects that we do.
And then, some teachers say, “My subject’s a bit more content heavy,” or it’s almost like they’re
against each other, to one up each other.
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The fourth theme that emerged from Year 10‐12 focus group discussions was What Separates JSR from Other
Schools?
One thing that I reckon that separates us pretty clearly from other schools is that we have a really
strong community bond with one another. And I reckon, no matter what year group or whatever
we do, you know, like, our school, we’re all close, kind of thing.
With the community part of our school, I feel like it’s a place where kids can come and, like,
everyone feels happy and safe, and even if we don’t feel, like, happy or anything, there’s people
here who support us and, like, help us through. So, I feel like it’s really good.
This community is a very safe community, we feel like we always belong. And also, the school
provides and gives us opportunity that we actually are able to bond with each other, it’s not always
just academics.
I just really like how the school’s done these surveys for the whole school to answer, just, like, so
we can input what we really want and, you know, we can just have what we want.
5.2 Parent Focus Group Themes
Parent (N=62) focus group discussions generated eight themes.
A major parent‐generated theme was Why JSRACS?
Reputation
o Everyone we spoke to said the school was good
o Well known
o Word of mouth, asked neighbours
o Music Arts program
Faith/values‐based
o School structured around this.
o Value‐based. Looking for values.
o Supportive culture
o Moral compass
o Pastoral care
o Not religious – love the values and community. Embrace children as an individual soul.
Nurturing environment.
Partnership with parents (in Primary)
Facilities – another level up from local PS – ovals, courts, trays of laptops.
Multi‐cultural element.
Teachers
o Supportive and caring
o Approachable
o Go above and beyond expectations
o Really care
o Listen
o Part of the school community
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Community/culture
o “makes it a home”
o Well‐rounded, promote leadership and achievement
o “celebrating excellence across everything not just academics”
o “Real community here and feel very comfortable and so do my children”
o “Community service part of the school is really good. Part of something greater.”
o Community spirit
o No keeping up with the Jones’s
Extra‐ and co‐curricular activities
Multiple pathways
Special needs/student support/support services exceptional
Primary – explaining pedagogy – cohesive in approach – consistent
Pastoral Care – vertical system of PCG groups, focus on student wellbeing
Keeping fees down.
Parents also had many suggestions for improvement in a theme named Limitations/Improvement Needed:
Seems to be increasing behavioural issues within the classrooms.
o Problem children – don’t want my children exposed to that.
o Lack of consequences based on continual warnings.
Cyber safety –making decisions – whole school study skills program
Beechboro seen as a poor cousin
Career Guidance earlier than year 9 & 10.
Student Progress – too long between reporting lines. More information more often. Long periods
without hearing what is happening.
After school care repetitive and monotonous
Concerned with 1‐to‐1 iPad and over reliance on this.
Spilt classes. Team teaching ‐ a lot of parents struggle with two teachers but there are benefits.
Quality of the uniform has gone down
More synergy between two schools P&F
How children are chosen for performances
Selection for co‐curricular activities
General pathway non ATAR being left behind
Not allowed to be hands on in the HS
Gender distribution of classes in HS
More pressure to take students out of ATAR pathway
Upper school changes, lack of consultation with parents and information to parents. Hard to have
a meeting with the Principal.
Reduction of student leadership positions. Not following up on issues and having decisions imposed
on us.
Drug issue with HS students in the school not being dealt with
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Uniform shop closing down, no consultation or communication
Year 11‐12 ‐ no letters of recommendation. What happened to the encouragement?
HS Assessment ‐ not bringing assessments home and re‐using assessments.
Leavers activities reduced.
Leadership was of concern to parents. Key sub‐themes were ‘the importance of listening’ and ‘visibility of
middle management’:
Early days
Authentic
Respected by children
Approachable
Open to feedback
BB – need to see Jason more.
Jason, I think, is phenomenal ‐ I’m part of the P&F as well, and he is so visible and so available and
approachable.
Picked up energy, fresh mind
Very professional, very caring
Authentic
I like the way the kids relate to him well.
My children speak highly of him.
Heading in the right direction.
Like the blog
Negative towards some of the curriculum changes and especially to music program.
o Clear vision but more dictatorial than decisive. Less autonomy for senior staff.
Negative towards leavers’ activities and student leadership
Georga similar as above.
o You can have a conversation and she listens
Not better or worse – just different.
A theme that was a key area of concern to parents was Communication:
Of concern across the board
Quicker with progress
Communication and email does not work well.
Really poor communication.
Bug bear – consistency with communication is needed. Paper then email. What are the clear
expectations around this?
Not timely in advising you of anything.
Email over diary system, some like diary system.
Weekly updates from the teacher.
Using Facebook more has helped.
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Other themes were Governance:
Clear area of concern across the focus groups due to lack of understanding and awareness of the
function and people involved in the School Council.
More visibility and exposure to School Council
Would like to know more about the strategic direction especially if things are going to change.
Only in regard to the Tartan
No pictures on website
More well known in the HS and Upper School parent community but still limited.
Process for Addressing Issues/Problems
Go to teacher first or PCG Head.
We can arrange a meeting with the Principal quite easily.
Some good follow‐up to issues, others not so good.
Not a lot of clarity on the process. Use a flowchart.
If not happy with teacher where do you go? Need more clarity on process.
HS go to the info line.
Recommendations
Opportunity for parents to nominate teachers in order to recognise and reward quality. It would
be good to be able to give feedback
A whole school approach to wellbeing: study skills and guidance/life coaches.
Reasons I would Withdraw my Child
Key reason that was repeated ‐ If ongoing bullying was not addressed
Finances and changed circumstances
5.3 Staff Focus Group Themes
Twenty staff members participated in focus group discussions that generated ten themes. The themes that
emerged were Enrolment, Leadership, Communication, Improvements Needed, Addressing Issues/Problems,
Why Teach Here?, Supports for Teaching, Strengths of JSRACS, Governance and Other.
Enrolment
Very good teachers and involved teachers
Faith based –
Values linked to faith
o More the community and quality of teaching than the faith base
o For some parents it is the moral setting/compass that is important
o One hour religious and values education a week more to do with morals and values and
acceptance
Students would only leave because of better opportunities, e.g., scholarships, elsewhere.
Primary teachers mentioned quality of education, value for money, good location, pastoral care,
not many behavioural issues, parents feel welcome to come into the school.
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Secondary teachers mentioned more offerings and co‐curricular, value for money and that
students would only leave if finances prevented enrolment or if behavioural issues were not being
addressed.
Leadership
Teacher Directors of Learning – not sure they applied for the positions
The Deputies ‐ seems to be a lot of management throughout the school
Needed change at the top and Jason is very present ‐ everybody needed freshening up.
TLC communities – there is value – randomly select student examples. Collective impact. But a lot
of this I am doing in a different way??
Secondary teachers said the school is too top heavy, they like overall vision but still really unclear,
Line Manager very supportive. Also:
Sometimes feel that the level of management under Jason is sometimes a little bit disjointed.
Communication between them. Pull in different directions. When you ask a question or have an
issue you need it dealt with. Who is making the decision? Frustrating.
Closing the loop ‐ I also don’t think sometimes there’s enough consistency or even clarity in how
some students’ behaviours are dealt with. As a staff member, you’re the one that’s in the [chalk
face?], you’re the one that’s getting the bad behaviour. And, they’re dealt with and then nothing’s
communicated back to the staff and you kind of get the impression that nothing’s happened. And
it may well have.
BMIS – next level beyond the class policy – bit fuzzy.
Communication
Primary teachers:
TLC not communicated to parent body.
Letter home during holidays worked well. Info about child’s class and teacher. Kids have time to
prepare themselves.
Newsletter home
Two parent teacher nights a year.
Secondary teachers:
Excessive – email fatigue
Not good.
Consistent use of SEQTA needed – especially around follow up of BMIS
As above – blanket emails on improvements but need to direct to individuals. You end up punishing
the people doing the right thing. Just creating a negative vibe.
Knowing they are actually dealing with the issue.
Improvements Needed
Primary teachers:
Expectation on reporting is too much.
o Volumes of comments
Number of meetings
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A lot of out‐of‐hours with meetings and extra‐curricular activities
Study Groups – spent time studying and issue‐making recommendations but nothing happened.
Workload and time.
Secondary teachers:
Workload
o More things to do and not anything taken away. Sense of admin being out of touch around
what the changes mean to teaching on the ground.
o Triple the amount of emails paper work and added layers of accountability.
Bit early to judge the changes and the impact on the students. TLC
Curriculum
o Reflecting on teaching important but not to make up stuff for when someone comes to watch.
o Bringing in all these changes (TLC formative assessment) how is it actually coming down to
teacher level and depends what TLC you are in to how much information you have been given,
how much support how many ideas. There is this good idea and it probably does work but
don’t think people are invested – how much training and info to staff who then incorporate
into teaching it into their lessons. I don’t think it has been communicated very well. Too many
mixed messages and depends on what group you are in.
o I think people are feeling their way and I’m talking about the leaders
o Take an idea and change it to work for you once a month for 10 minutes.
o Struggle because no analysis of what we are already doing and what we are capable of doing.
o Being watched makes you feel really uncomfortable. Thought it would be TLC more
productive in terms of actually reflecting on, you know, “Hey, these are things that are going
on in my classroom, can we have a look and see what we discuss.” Rather than going, “Here’s
a prescribed thing, we’ve met this agenda item, we meet this agenda item,” and that’s what
it feels like.
o 2 years two meetings a year for an hour to discuss pedagogical practices really? Going to
change nothing.
o We have incredible segregation and departmentalisation. So, you have a great maths
department, and you guys are all sharing stuff, I know nothing about it.
o Cultural shift from a social perspective first before the professions going into each other’s
classes and watching. But did have a toxic year the year before with the redundancies.
Not one staff room big enough for everyone.
Departmental Budget constraints
Size of class getting too large 29 in a PCG giving time to develop connection required getting
extremely difficult.
Work Life Balance – putting in more and more hours.
Micro‐management of reports – 5‐page checklist through Aps
Blanket correspondence when should be going to the staff directly that it involves – dress example.
Aps need to have the difficult conversations rather than implicating everyone.
Changes to middle school and Year 8 don’t do ART anymore
More creative thinking and problem solving.
Camp programs and direction with campus.
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Inconsistency in staff involvement with co‐curricular activities
How are kids doing now? Stronger alumni program.
Addressing Issues/Problems
Primary teachers:
Clear structure: Tania does curriculum, Shelley does pastoral care and then Georgia oversees both
of them and then feeds through into Jason.
Secondary teachers:
Workflow
A lot of touch points for decisions to be made. Not enough autonomy for people in middle
management
Workflow issues and decision making. HOD then AP then…
Formal and informal processes.
BMIS often don’t have the full picture which is hard.
They are supported but ‐ often feel like we are being second guessed. But don’t see all the
information or situation.
Why Teach Here?
Primary teachers:
Staff and teachers get on really well.
Feel very supported.
If issues with parents or kids, the school will support you.
Secondary teachers:
That teachers liked teaching at JSRACS was a strong sub‐theme.
Atmosphere – cohesive and supportive
Kids are really nice
Positive relationships
Feel valued and appreciated but work life balance getting harder.
Supports for Teaching
Primary teachers:
Help with behaviour and admin tasks, support with curriculum.
Feel very supported from Mgt.
Secondary teachers:
More resourcing/happy with budget
Consultation in design of new buildings and teacher spaces with those using them.
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Strengths of JSRACS
Primary teachers:
Part of a K‐12 institution that maps the journey all the way through
Balance between academics and social emotional about right.
Secondary teachers:
Grounds and facilities
Multi‐cultural student population – interaction with people from different cultural backgrounds.
Although can also be a negative because of groups
Staff relationships are generally very strong.
Care for students.
Governance
Primary teachers:
Only time I get to hear them is speech at ASC day.
No updates
Worthwhile to know what the Council does communicate to staff and parents.
Secondary teachers:
No idea who they are and what they do or who is in charge of it.
Thought we were more answerable to the ASC?
Would like to know the big picture where I fit in.
How do they get that kind of visibility?
Other
Secondary teachers:
TRUST – TLC change too quick, backed onto all the staff changes and now we are visiting each
other’s classes and providing feedback.
Need for team building – develop culture again and social culture.
Timing of social events. All too busy.
Work intensification.
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Conclusions and Strategic Considerations
6.1 Survey
The online surveys produced valuable quantitative data. The aspects of JSRACS that students, parents and
staff members most strongly agreed upon were that: there is a strong sense of community and the school
has strong leadership from the Principal. The three groups were also strong in their agreement that the
school provides a balanced education.
As well as most parents agreeing that there is a strong sense of community at the school, they also agreed
that: there is a strong emphasis on values and that the school has a strong pastoral care approach. However,
the statements that the fewest number of parents saw as important were related to spirituality. This might
indicate that the secular aspects of caring, values and moral guidance are more important to parents than
specific religious education.
Very high numbers of parents rated school communications about their child’s progress as important.
However, only 30% of parents agreed that: ‘I receive sufficient information about my child's/children's
progress between formal reporting periods’.
The three stakeholder groups had very different views on standards of behaviour at the school. Many more
students agreed that strong standards of behaviour are upheld than did either parents or staff members.
Moreover, students tended to more frequently agree with statements that related to academic achievement,
whereas parents and staff members saw strengths in the school’s broader focus on developing the whole
child, rather than purely academic achievement. Additionally, parents and staff members viewed school
facilities as less important than aspects of teaching and learning and student well‐being.
There were disparities between parents’ perceptions of the importance of statements relating to education
quality/value for money and the extent of their agreement that the statements apply to the school. The
statement that came closest to equivalent proportions of parents who saw it as important and also agreed
with it was: ‘I am glad I enrolled my child at the school’. However, when the numbers of parents who
responded that they ‘somewhat agreed’ with statements about educational quality, value and satisfaction
were added to the numbers who ‘agreed’, parents’ perceptions of importance and agreement were
congruent on all statements for this topic.
6.2 Positives
Textual responses to online survey questions provided valuable qualitative information on stakeholders’
perceptions of positive aspects of JSRACS, areas they thought needed improvement and, for parents, reasons
for enrolling children at the school as well as whether they were satisfied with their decision.
There were two main student themes to positive aspects of JSRACS. One was education and learning which
encompassed positive appraisals of the academic environment, that students enjoyed learning, having co‐
curricular opportunities, learning pathways and, most prominently, teachers who are good, fun, caring and
helpful. The other was community and social, in which the clear, dominant sub‐theme was the friendships
that students made at school.
The most prominent of the six themes that emerged from parents’ comments about positive aspects of
JSRACS was also education and learning. Parents commented that the teachers are good; supportive and
caring. They also mentioned the academic commitment and focus of the school, the range of extra‐ and co‐
curricular opportunities, learning support, the improved transition to high school process, and the teaching
and learning management system, SEQTA, as positives. Other positive themes were a sense of community
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at the school, the pastoral care offered by the school, the Music/Arts program, the Sport program and the
school’s values.
There were three themes to the positive aspects of JSRACS that staff noted. The most prominent of these
was, again, named education and learning. Staff commented on the positive relationships between staff and
colleagues as well as the bonds forged and mutual support. Other aspects they noted were an increased
emphasis on pedagogy, sharing ideas and directions in teaching and learning, and the benefits of pastoral
care. The remaining two positive themes were the better direction in which staff saw the school heading
and its sense of community.
6.3 ‘Needs Improvement’
The main theme that emerged from students’ responses about what needs improving was
education/learning as it relates to amounts of homework, assessments being close together, canteen prices,
needing a swimming pool, more extra‐curricular activities, and, most prominently, that some teachers
needed to be better. Two more improvement themes were a desire for there to be consistent application of
consequences for student misbehaviour and concern that bullying was a problem at the school. Students
also wanted cleaner bathrooms and better desks.
There were four themes to parents’ perceptions of what needs improving at school. The most prominent of
these was, once again, named education and learning and sub‐themes included: discipline standards and
bullying; better communication; academic achievement and extension; secondary school excellence; wanting
feedback on students’ progress and clarity on the amount and nature of homework. The other improvement
themes were fees (“don’t increase, reduce”), a need for more recognition and better facilities at Beechboro
campus, and spirituality.
Staff members’ responses produced six themes in the category of ‘Needs Improvement’. Once again,
education and learning was the dominant theme with workload and well‐being close behind. Other themes
for improvement were management of student misbehaviour, budgets and resourcing, structure and
leadership and Beechboro campus.
6.4 Why Choose JSRACS?
Questions to parents about their reasons for enrolling children at JSRACS and whether they were satisfied
with their decision produced an extensive amount of information. The main reason parents chose JSRACS
for their children, i.e., the school’s major attraction factor, was the school’s values. Comments that produced
this most prominent theme encompassed the school’s ethos, moral and ethical focus, pastoral care, its sense
of community, and its emphasis on good behaviour. The other significant themes in parents’ decisions to
enrol their children in JSRACS included its favourable comparison with accessible public schools; its
educational reputation; the balanced, holistic nature of the education it offers; specialist programs at the
school; personal recommendation; geographical location and the fact that the school offers K‐through‐12
education.
When parents were asked whether they were satisfied with their decision to enrol their children at JSRACS,
the majority (77%) either responded that were happy or very happy. A further 15% were happy but with
some important qualifiers and 8% of parents were not happy with their decision. Reasons for parents’
satisfaction included better‐than‐expected opportunities for their children; stable, happy, safe children;
lovely, versatile teachers; the valuing of a range of talents and abilities; the balanced education; the support
and extra help for students; and the community spirit. Reasons that some parents were dissatisfied or
partially dissatisfied with their decision included the fees; lack of communication from school; less pastoral
care than promised; unsatisfactory interactions with members of school staff, the extent of student
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misbehaviour, including bullying; the declining focus on music, languages and performing arts; increasing
class sizes and split Year levels; and a perceived declines in standards.
6.5 Why Stay at JSRACS?
The fact that only 12 of 195 responding parents stated that they did not intend to keep their children at
JSRACS in Years 11 and 12 bodes well for questions of student retention. During focus group discussions,
parents said that they would consider withdrawing their children from the school only if ongoing bullying was
not addressed or if their finances or other circumstances changed. Students agreed that they would want to
change schools if bullying, which had happened in the past and was dealt with, recurs. They would also leave
if the subjects they wanted to study were not offered by the school.
Themes from focus groups reinforced the information produced by the survey, specifically, JSRACS’s clear
strengths in sense of community, reputation, quality and balanced education.
6.6 The Future
Strategic considerations indicated by the research include:
Build on strengths – sense of community/accepting diversity – the ‘JSR Spirit’.
Education excellence for all, consistent expectations and standards across the school in terms of
quality teaching and learning, risk taking and innovative thought.
Consistent approach to documenting and communicating regularly on student progress and
feedback including reporting.
Parental engagement and partnerships.
Behaviour standards and expectations – a consistent whole‐of‐school approach.
A linked Community – whole‐of‐school approach to well‐being – target resilience/bullying.
Communication consistency at all levels.
Increase visibility of School Governance.
Spirituality.
Revisit the perennial great homework debate…
Overall, some positive messages have come through from this research. Participants expressed appreciation
for the opportunity to have their say and to comment on recent transitions in the school. The research has
produced extensive sets of data; a clear baseline of where the school is at in terms of operation and strategic
direction. As strategic direction and enhancing operations are intricately intertwined and interdependent
(strategic direction includes and enhances operation) it is timely for JSRACS to develop a context for a
Strategic Plan. Guiding questions might encompass the following
What are these data telling me?
What are the key themes shared by all stakeholders?
Where is JSR going by building on what we have as well as bringing in the new?
What is JSR here to do?
What are JSR’s points of difference? This is the fundamental underpinning of strategic direction…
capture these and promote the vision/mission/hope.
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References
Campbell, C., Proctor, H., & Sherington, G. (2009). School choice: How parents negotiate the new school market in Australia. Sydney, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Daniels, B. (2011). Independent schools and equity: Challenging conventional wisdom. The Australian Economic Review, 44(3), 330‐7.
Schreier, M. (2013). Qualitative content analysis. In Uwe Flick (Ed.), The Sage handbook of qualitative data analysis (Ch. 12). EPUB DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446282243.n12
School of Education
Edith Cowan University
2 Bradford St
Mt Lawley WA 6050
T: 134 328
https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/education/overview
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