School plan 2018-2020Kariong Mountains High School 8292

Printed on: 7 April, 2018Page 1 of 6 Kariong Mountains High School 8292 (2018-2020)

School background 2018–2020

School vision statement School context School planning process

Kariong Mountains Highs School is committed to challengestudents to reach their full potential, having the skillsnecessary to be respected and successful citizens in anever changing society. The school values of UnityKnowledge and Respect are to be embedded in allpractices.

Kariong Mountains High School is a comprehensive Years7–12 school, which opened in 2010 with a mandate tofocus on the biosciences (STEM) and technology. A middleschool operates in Stage 4 with curriculum designed tomaximise student potential and well–being. The first HSCcohort was in 2014 and from this time forward, schoolenrolment figures have averaged around 580, with 5%acknowledging Aboriginality. The school has formed linkswith local industries, TAFE and universities and is providingstudents with relevant future focussed learningopportunities. It has a strong partnership with its LearningCommunity of schools and is committed to enhancing acontinuum of learning across K–12. It is a proud member ofthe Cooinda AEGG and has a small, but very supportingP&C who engage with the school in governance andresourcing to enhance opportunities for all.

School priorities are to implement Quality Teachingprograms and project based learning, utilising the evidencebased framework of John Hattie's Visible Learning. Theimportance of a growth mindset is communicated to theschool community and underpins the school's expectationsof success.

Well–being of students and staff is evident in the range ofprograms and support structure sin practice across theschool. The student services room, Ngara Ngunga and thePersonalised Learning Plans/Mentoring for Aboriginalstudents are examples of such support. In addition, a rangeof programs are in operation, for example 'Food Forest' toprovide support at time of need. There is a commitment tostudent voice and the student leadership team driveschange associated with the Positive Behaviour to LearningHouse system.

Consultation on developing this plan occurred with staff,school captains, the P&C and AEGG. Parents were alsoinformed via the newsletter and invited to participate in thedevelopment of the Strategic Directions. Planning with theKariong Mountains Learning Community led to the sharedcommitment to value– adding to numeracy results acrossall schools. Evidence and data collated from the ExternalValidation process in 2017 and the School ExcellenceFramework V2 were also key contributors to futuredirections for the 2018–2020 school plan.

Information from TTFM (Tell Them From Me) parent andstudent surveys was used to identify appropriate processesto achieve school targets. 

Staff engaged in a number of school plan revisions throughuse of collaborative tools and forums. Staff collaborated onthe 5Ps (Purpose, People, Processes, Practices andProducts) both in KLA groups and whole staff meetings.

Improvement measures were informed by data analysisavailable from tools such as SCOUT, SMART, RAP andin–school analyses, for example, using data from Sentral,the school's welfare tracking system.

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School strategic directions 2018–2020

STRATEGICDIRECTION 1

Quality Teaching and Learning

STRATEGICDIRECTION 2

Inclusive School Culturesupporting individual growth

STRATEGICDIRECTION 3

A Successful Centre of Learning

Purpose:

To ensure that all curriculum programs and assessmentsare designed to maximise student learning outcomes,within a growth mindset framework, through application ofbest practice pedagogical strategies, quality feedback anduse of data to provide evidence of success.

Purpose:

To develop a positive school culture that promotesdiversity, encourages student voice and is aspirationalthrough recognition of individual pathways to success anda positive behaviour to learning approach.

Purpose:

To be valued by the community as a school in which staffactively engage in professional learning to provide relevantand rigorous educational opportunities to students thatenhance their capacities to thrive as successful futurefocussed learners.

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Strategic Direction 1: Quality Teaching and Learning

Purpose

To ensure that all curriculum programs andassessments are designed to maximisestudent learning outcomes, within a growthmindset framework, through application ofbest practice pedagogical strategies,quality feedback and use of data to provideevidence of success.

Improvement Measures

• The percentage of Year 9 students inthe top two NAPLAN (reading andnumeracy) Bands has increased by10% to 27% and 28% respectively from2017 data (17% and 18%)

• 70% of Year 10 students meet theNESA HSC minimum standards in 2020(baseline data 2019)

• The percentage of students achieving inthe top two bands of the HSC increasesfrom 17% (2015–2017 average acrossall courses) to 25% (2018 – 2020average across all courses)

• 80% of students value add to theirresults across all KLAs as they moveacross Stages 4 or 5 (based on schooldeveloped measures from 2018 data).

People

Students

Understand the importance of activelyparticipating in their learning with theirteachers and expect to grow in theirlearning.

Parents/Carers

Value the work of the school to maximiseindividual success through opencommunication.

Staff

Have the skills to review their teachingprograms to embed quality teachingpractices and participate in professionallearning and collaborative practice tofurther develop skills.

Leaders

Have the capacity to develop plans to growstaff skills in quality teaching and learning.

Community Partners

Understand the contribution they make tosupport best practice pedagogies and theirapplication.

Processes

How will we achieve our goals by 2020?

• Implement and embed a quality wholeschool approach to programming thatexplicitly demonstrates differentiatedteaching and learning programs

• Implement and embed a systematic andevidenced based approach to analysingdata for student improvement

• Implement and embed research basedauthentic assessment practices acrossall years.

Evaluation Plan

Progress towards improvement measureswill be evaluated through: classroomwalkthroughs, peer review of assessmenttasks, analysis of NAPLAN and HSC datausing SCOUT and RAP, growth data frominternal assessments (e.g. Semesterreports) and teaching program reviews.

Practices and Products

Practices

From now on:

• There is a shared responsibility toensure that teaching and learningactivities meet the needs of students

• Teachers analyse and interpret data toinform planning and modify teachingpractices to optimise learning

• Assessment and feedback are usedflexibly and responsively as anintegrated part of daily classroominstruction

• Every student utilises learning intentionsand success criteria and collaborativelyengages in feedback (‘Visible Learning’)in accord with a growth mindset towardslearning progression.

Products

Our hard work will pay of when:

• Data based differentiation strategies tosupport learning and increaseintellectual quality are embedded in allteaching programs

• Assessment and feedback tools areused by teachers and students toprogress learning

• ‘Visible learning’ strategies are used inevery class to identify and implementindividual learning goals and providefeedback on learning progress.

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Strategic Direction 2: Inclusive School Culture supporting individual growth

Purpose

To develop a positive school culture thatpromotes diversity, encourages studentvoice and is aspirational throughrecognition of individual pathways tosuccess and a positive behaviour tolearning approach.

Improvement Measures

• The percentage of Year 9 studentsshowing at or above expected growth inNAPLAN increases from 2017 baselinedata of 60% reading, 56% writing and71% numeracy to 70% reading, 65%writing and 75% numeracy by 2020 

• Measureable improvements by 2020 inpositive relationships are evidenced by20% decrease in referrals linked toconflict (60% of total in 2017)

• Increase in engagement with learning isevidenced by a 10% increase in % ofSTARS awards issued in 2020 from2018 baseline data 

• The ‘Advocacy at School’ aspect of theDrivers of Student Outcomes increaseto meet or exceed the NSW governmentnorm (Baseline 5.3% for the schoolcompared to 6% in the 2017 TTFMstudent survey

• The ‘Students with High Levels ofAcademic Self–Concept’ aspect of the‘Social–Emotional Outcomes’ increasesto meet or exceed the NSWGovernment norm for students(Baseline 51% for the school comparedto 65% in the 2017 TTFM studentsurvey).

People

Students

Understand the importance of having apositive mindset, demonstrating resilience,collaboration and responsibility to achieveaspirational goals.

Parents/Carers

Appreciate the importance of risk takingand effort in learning to achieve aspirationalgoals in collaboration with school staff.

Staff

Acknowledge the importance of reflectionon practice to support individual growth andaspirational goals in a positive learningenvironment.

Leaders

Have the capacity to establish a culturewhereby all staff and students engage fullywith the spirit and application of theschool’s values.

Community Partners

Appreciative of, and active in, promoting apositive view of students at the school andtheir achievements.

Processes

How will we achieve our goals by 2020?

• Implement a whole school integratedapproach to student wellbeing that islinked to improvement in studentlearning and wellbeing outcomes

• Implement staff wellbeing local practicesfor better staff performance andwellbeing

• Review and strengthen practices thatsupport responsive teaching for specificstudent groups (Aboriginal, EALD) toensure that achieving success targetsand informing future practice.

Evaluation Plan

Progress towards improvementmeasures will be evaluated through:surveys (including TTFM), studentbehaviour data analysis, attendance data,enrolment patterns, data from the Learningand Support Team and data from semesterreports related to attributes, staff wellbeingdata, academic reports analysis using e.g.SCOUT.

Practices and Products

Practices

From now on:

• Positive and respectful relationships areevident amongst staff and students,optimising conditions for learning acrossthe school

• Detailed individual student informationsupports and informs teaching practicesand whole school programs

Products

Our hard work will pay off when:

• There is an evidence based wholeschool practice to wellbeing that leadsto improvements in student engagementand learning

• Effective partnerships with parents andstudents in the practice of the school’svalues enable students to achieve theirbest and continually improve

• Students engaged in targeted teachingto achieve success in learning.

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Strategic Direction 3: A Successful Centre of Learning

Purpose

To be valued by the community as a schoolin which staff actively engage inprofessional learning to provide relevantand rigorous educational opportunities tostudents that enhance their capacities tothrive as successful future focussedlearners.

Improvement Measures

• Survey of students’ attitudes to futurefocussed learning activities indicatesthat more than 70% are activelyengaged and motivated

• Attendance in Stages 4 and 5 increasesfrom 90.8 (2017) to 93% (2020)

• The ‘Relevance’ aspect of Eight Driversof Student Learning increases to meetor exceed the NSW Government norm(2017 Baseline of 4.7% compared to5.8% for NSW from the TTFM studentsurvey)

• The ‘School Supports Learning’ aspectin the TTFM parent survey increases tomeet or exceed the NSW Governmentnorm (2017 Baseline of 6.9% comparedto 7.3%)

• The ‘Technology’ aspect of EightDrivers of Student Learning in the TTFMteacher survey increases to meet orexceed the NSW Government norm(2017 Baseline of 6.5 compared to 6.7for NSW).

People

Students

Build skills to engage positively with therange of learning opportunities thatdevelops their capacity to successfullythrive in society.

Parents/Carers

Understand the importance of futurefocussed learning and demonstrate supportfor the school’s position in itsimplementation.

Staff

Value professional learning so that theycan continue to grow their knowledge inbest practice teaching and wellbeingstrategies.

Leaders

Have the skills necessary to establish acoordinated approach to developingleadership skills to enhance learning;communicate effectively with thecommunity.

Community Partners

Appreciate the professionalism of staff ineducating students for the future; theLearning Community values collaborationacross K–12 to enhance learning for allstudents.

Processes

How will we achieve our goals by 2020?

• Implement professional learning andcontemporary practices to build capacityof all staff in delivering future focussedlearning

• Refine and update current coursesagainst Australian curricula outcomes/competencies and current research 

• Implement communication protocolsand procedures that inform and connectto the community.

Evaluation Plan

Progress towards improvement measureswill be evaluated through: surveys(including TTFM and focussedquestionnaires), attendance data, updatedintegrated course developed andimplemented, evaluation ofbioscience/STEAM curriculum, evaluationof professional learning approach andimplementation, staff PL plans aligned topersonal growth targets and schoolpriorities.

Practices and Products

Practices

From now on:

• The school utilises multiple lines ofcommunication to inform, engage andconnect with the community

• A planned approach to professionallearning is used to build the capacity ofall staff to develop future focusedteaching and learning practices

• There is a shared, school–wideresponsibility for implementing anintegrated bioscience/STEAMcurriculum.

Products

Our hard work will pay off when:

• The school is recognised as beingwelcoming of, and responsive to, theschool community

• Staff professional learning aligns withthe school’s Strategic Directions and theAustralian Professional Standards forTeachers 

• There is a highly visible, whole schoolcommitment to future focussed learning.

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