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2016 Annual Report to the School Community

School Name: Toorak Primary School

School Number: 3016

Ju

Julie Manallack

Name of School Principal:

Michelle Osborne

Name of School Council President:

May 2 2017

Date of Endorsement:

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About Our School

School Context

The buildings and grounds at Toorak Primary School have been fully refurbished to provide an attractive, functional learning environment for all students. The wider community also utilises the array of facilities on offer at Toorak Primary School. Enrolments have increased sharply over the past few years with projected enrolments for 2017 to be in excess 500 students. Five specialist classes being French, Physical Education, Music, Visual and Performing Arts and Library are offered to all students throughout the year. Other languages available at Toorak Primary School include German, Greek, Mandarin and Swedish. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities are integrated across the curriculum. For the first time, in 2016 a French study tour to New Caledonia was undertaken where students were immersed in French language and culture. Innovative programs on offer comprise a sailing program at The Boatshed on Albert Park Lake and a snow sports program, including interschool skiing competitions, offered during the winter months at Mt Buller. As part of the Performing Arts Program, a whole school production is staged every second year with the musical production, “Peter Pan” to be staged in August 2017. In order to address the high absence data experienced across the school, families are encouraged to take holidays during the school vacation period, rather than throughout each term. Students who arrive late to school must collect a late pass from the front office as well as provide an explanation for the late arrival. For early departures from school, an Early Departure pass must be collected with a reason for leaving school early. For those students who are absent, contact is made with the parent/guardian at 10.00am each day to determine the reason for the pupil’s absence from school. The school promotes the current government initiative of,” Every Day Counts” in order to ensure daily school attendance for every child. In line with the State Government initiative, “Building the Education State”, Toorak Primary School supports the Victorian Curriculum. Single levels operate across the school from foundation through to grade 6 where possible. The well-equipped multi media centre is a focal point for future learning with the implementation of Multi Modal Literacy across the school. The school draws on highly acclaimed paraprofessionals from the local community to support teaching and learning and encourages parent and carer participation in school activities. Staffing profile is varied in terms of both gender and teaching experience with 31.00 equivalent full time staff including 2 principal class members, 26.00 teachers and 3.00 education support staff.

Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO)

“Building Practice Excellence” is Toorak Primary School’s Key Improvement Initiative. Our goal is to build greater consistency in our

whole school approach to English and Mathematics with a specific focus on implementing a school wide approach to spelling. Our 2016 NAPLAN data illustrates that the employment of a whole school approach to writing has supported a drop in low growth. However, our reading, spelling and grammar and punctuation results have shown an upward trend in low growth. Toorak Primary School is committed to increasing student learning confidence in these key areas by further embedding our VCOP writing program, implementing a differentiated phonics based spelling program and supporting less experienced teachers through coaching, more refined induction processes and professional development that supports our current programs. “Curriculum Planning and Assessment” is an area that Toorak Primary will continue to address in both Writing and in Numeracy.

We received pleasing rising trend results in NAPLAN Numeracy but still have a high number of students achieving medium growth. We aim to increase student engagement in 2017 by embedding open-ended problem solving and real life investigations as part of our weekly planning expectations. We will work with local schools to share resources and effective assessments. We will continue to improve our planning and moderation of writing through continued involvement with cross-school moderation and leading the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO) Communities of Practice Year 6/7 moderation initiative.

Achievement

In 2016, year three and year five NAPLAN results indicated students were performing above both state and national levels in numeracy across all elements. In both year three and year five numeracy, more than 90% of students achieved above the National Minimum Standard. NAPLAN relative growth between year three and year five in numeracy indicates 90% of students received medium to high growth, with 40% of students receiving high growth. This has increased from 33% the previous year.

Over the course of the review period, 2015 -2019, Toorak Primary School aims to improve the number of students achieving A and B in numeracy. To work towards improving student performance in problem solving strategies, all year levels have allocated weekly lessons focusing on open-ended Mathematical problems and real life Mathematical investigations. High achieving students who have demonstrated low to medium growth, in grades 2-5, will participate in a Mathematics Detective weekly program, allowing for additional support in problem solving and investigative learning.

In 2016 NAPLAN year three reading results indicated that 69% of students achieved in the top 2 bands which is similar to like school groups. In year five, 46% of students were placed in the top two bands which is below schools with similar characteristics. NAPLAN relative growth between year three and five in reading indicates that 81% of students are achieving medium to high growth with high gain in reading achieved by 22% of students during 2016. The results indicate a steady decline in high growth over the past four years. The percentage of students achieving high gain in writing has remained steady over the past four years. To work towards improving student outcomes, the school will provide a consistent approach using resources and strategies from the “Letters and Sounds”

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program in foundation-2 and “Words Their Way” program in grades 3-6. High quality resources linked to Victorian Curriculum Inquiry Units along with engaging literature such as play scripts and comics linked to the new spelling model will be implemented. New “Parent Pipelines”, which inform parents of strategies available to support students, will be readily available.

Future directions for improving both reading and writing include the implementation of a whole school approach to writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar. Communities of practice will be further developed with other government schools, to share best pedagogical practices.

Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework

AusVELS

x

Victorian Curriculum

A Combination of these

Engagement

Student Voice was a continued priority in 2016. Whole school provision for student voice included Junior School Council, Green Team and Class Captains. Student leadership was supported through specialist roles such as, house, music, library, art and multi-media captains. Student engagement has been strengthened through extra-curricular and specialist programs. The inclusion of lunchtime clubs such as, veranda club, cooking, dancing, and chess clubs have had a positive impact on school connectedness. Positive learning environments were highlighted with classroom expectations clearly visible in classrooms for teachers and students to see and discuss on a regular basis. Attendance data continues to be a concern as the number of student absences increased in some year levels. The impact of family holidays taken during term dates influenced this data. To increase student engagement in their learning, teachers were provided with peer feedback regarding the explicit teaching of writing. Teachers also received feedback regarding the effectiveness of their teaching through student surveys. This data and the data from the Attitudes to School Survey indicated that feedback was impacting our teacher effectiveness with pleasing upward trends. Teaching and learning surveys from prep to grade 6 as well as the Attitudes to School Survey revealed improvements in both student learning confidence and motivation. Various programs and strategies introduced in 2015 and embedded in 2016 have contributed to the improved results. Future directions include:

The lunchtime clubs program continued to provide collaborative play spaces to support student engagement and belonging

Whole school participation in the bi-annual musical – Peter Pan

Daily phone calls to families of absent students

Wellbeing

The 2016 Attitudes to School Survey trend data revealed that students in years 5 and 6 were connected to peers and felt safe at school. Various programs and strategies introduced during 2016 contributed to this data. During 2016 the Toorak Citizenship Values were implemented with the development of a common language around the five ‘values’ in which all members of the school commun ity interact and behave. The school community was consulted in the process and protocols for promoting the values of Kindness, Honesty, Responsibility, Friendship and Respect through the use of wristbands as recognition of achieving one of the attributes. The Bounce Back wellbeing and resilience program became embedded in classroom practices with teachers integrating these skills in other curriculum areas. Students explored the core values of the program and themes such as, “No Bullying”, “Emotions”, and “Looking on the bright side”. Mindfulness classes also continued through daily meditation programs such as Smiling Minds and lunchtime yoga. We also utilised the Life Education program to educate students in personal safety, cyber safety and nutrition. Behaviour management continued to be monitored, reviewed and tracked through Compass for effectiveness and behaviour trends within the school. A welcome trend was the decrease in the number of students attending Reflection Room. Transition programs, both internal and external were positively received. Children from local Kindergartens attended multiple classroom sessions whilst new parents were welcomed into the school community with information sessions and social gatherings. A whole school transition day was held to ensure students transitioning to new classes were able to do so with minimum distress. To prepare students for secondary school, students were encouraged to attend open days. Parent information sessions were conducted to ensure smooth transitions from year 6 to year 7. Positive learning environments also continued to be an emphasis with classroom expectations visible for teachers and students to see and discuss on a regular basis. Future directions will include the provision of opportunities for students to participate in programs that further improve social skills so that they continue to develop increased resilience. These include:

The Resilience Project

Life Skills for Foundation and Grade 1 students

Embedding the Toorak Citizenship attributes

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For more detailed information regarding our school please visit our website at www.toorakps.vic.edu.au

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Performance Summary

The Government School Performance Summary provides an overview of how this school is contributing to the objectives of the Education State and how it compares to other Victorian government schools.

All schools work in partnership with their school community to improve outcomes for children and young people. Sharing this information with parents and the wider school community will help to deliver community engagement in student learning in the school, which is a state-wide priority of the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes.

Accessible data tables are available for all schools separately – please refer to 'AR_Appendix_Data_Tables' which can be found on the School Performance Reporting website.

School Profile

Enrolment Profile A total of 449 students were enrolled at this school in 2016, 222 female and 227 male. There were 25% of EAL (English as an Additional Language) students and < 10% ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) students.

Overall Socio-Economic Profile Based on the school's Student Family Occupation and Education index which takes into account parents' occupations and Education.

Parent Satisfaction Summary Average level of parent satisfaction with the school, as derived from the annual Parent Opinion survey. The score is reported

on a scale of 1 to 7, where 7 is the highest possible score.

School Staff Survey Measures the percent endorsement by staff on School Climate derived from the annual School Staff Survey. The percent endorsement indicates the percent of positive responses (agree or strongly agree) on School Climate from staff at the school. Data are suppressed for schools with fewer than three respondents to the survey for confidentiality reasons.

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Performance Summary

Achievement

Teacher judgment of student achievement Percentage of students in Years Prep to 6 working at or above age expected standards in:

English

Mathematics

For further details refer to How to read the Performance Summary.

Student Outcomes

School Comparison

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Performance Summary

Achievement

Student Outcomes

School Comparison

NAPLAN Year 3 The percentage of students in the top 3 bands of testing in NAPLAN at Year 3. Year 3 assessments are reported on a scale from Bands 1 - 6.

NAPLAN Year 5 The percentage of students in the top 3 bands of testing in NAPLAN at Year 5. Year 5 assessments are reported on a scale from Bands 3 - 8.

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Performance Summary

Achievement

Student Outcomes

School Comparison

NAPLAN Learning Gain Year 3 - Year 5 Learning gain of students from Year 3 to Year 5 in the following domains; Reading, Numeracy, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation. NAPLAN learning gain is determined by comparing a student's current year result to the results of all ‘similar’ Victorian students (i.e. students in all sectors in the same year level who had the same score two years prior). If the current year result is in the top 25%, their gain level is categorised as ‘High’, middle 50%, is ‘Medium’ and bottom 25%, is ‘Low’.

NAPLAN Learning Gain does not require a School Comparison.

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Performance Summary

Engagement

Student Outcomes

School Comparison

Average Number of Student Absence Days Average days absent per full time equivalent (FTE) student per year. Common reasons for non-attendance include illness and extended family holidays. Absence from school can impact on students’ learning. A school comparison rating of ‘lower’ indicates that the absence rate in this school is greater than what we would estimate, given the background characteristics of their students. Average 2016 attendance rate by year level:

Low absences <------> high absences

Low absences <------> high absences

Prep Yr1 Yr2 Yr3 Yr4 Yr5 Yr6

93 % 93 % 94 % 93 % 93 % 94 % 92 %

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Performance Summary

Wellbeing

Student Outcomes

School Comparison

Students Attitudes to School - Connectedness to School Measures the Connectedness to School factor derived from the Attitudes to School survey completed annually by Victorian government school students in Years 5 to 12. The school's average score is reported here on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is the highest possible score.

Students Attitudes to School - Student Perceptions of Safety Measures the Student Perceptions of Safety factor derived from the Attitudes to School survey completed annually by Victorian government school students in Years 5 to 12. The school's average score is reported here on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is the highest possible score.

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How to read the Performance Summary

What are student outcomes? Student outcomes show the achievements of students in this school in English and Mathematics. They also show results in national literacy and numeracy tests and, for secondary colleges, the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) examinations. They provide important information about student attendance and engagement at school. For secondary, P-12 and specialist schools, the Performance Summary also provides information about how many students at this school go on to further studies or full-time work after leaving school. You can see these results for the latest year, as well as the average of the last four years (where available).

What is a School Comparison?

The School comparison is a way of comparing school performance that takes into account the different student intake characteristics of each school. A School comparison takes into account the school’s academic intake, the socio-economic background of students, the number of Aboriginal students, the number of non-English speaking and refugee students, the number of students with a disability, and the size and location of the school. The School comparison measures show that most schools are doing well and are achieving results that are ‘similar’ to what we

would estimate given the background characteristics of their students. Some schools are doing exceptionally well with the students they have, and have ‘higher’ performance. Some schools have ‘lower’ performance after taking into account their

students’ characteristics – these schools will receive targeted support to ensure that there is improvement.

Looking at both the student outcomes and school comparisons provides important information about what a school is doing well and the areas that require further improvement. More information on school comparison performance measures can be found at: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/manage ment/pages/performreports.aspx

What is the meaning of ‘Data not available’?

For some schools, there are too few students to provide data. For other schools, there are no students at some levels, so school comparisons are not possible. Newly opened schools have only the latest year of data and no averages from previous years. The Department also recognises the unique circumstances of Specialist, Select Entry, English Language and Community Schools where school comparisons are not appropriate.

What is this school doing to improve?

All schools have a plan to improve outcomes for their students. The ‘About Our School’ statement provides a summary of this school’s improvement plan.

The Performance Summary also allows you to compare student outcomes for students at this school with the outcomes of students in all other Victorian government schools.

Additionally, NAPLAN learning gain charts are provided for each of the NAPLAN domains. These compare a student's current year NAPLAN result to the results of all ‘similar’ Victorian students (i.e. students in all sectors in the same year level who had the same NAPLAN score two years prior). If the current year result is in the top 25% their gain level is categorised as ‘High’, the middle 50% is categorised as ‘Medium’ and the bottom 25% is categorised as ‘Low’.

What are the changes in student achievement? The Victorian Curriculum F–10 has been developed to ensure that curriculum content and achievement standards enable continuous learning for all students, including, students with disabilities. The objectives of the Victorian Curriculum are the same for all students. The curriculum offers flexibility for teachers to tailor their teaching in ways that provide rigorous, relevant and engaging learning and assessment opportunities for students with disabilities. The ‘Towards Foundation Level Victorian Curriculum’ is integrated directly into the curriculum and is referred to as ‘Levels A to D’.

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Financial Performance and Position

Financial performance and position commentary

[Please refer to pg. 13 of the 2016 Annual Report Guidelines for information on how to complete the ‘Financial Performance and Position Commentary’ section]

Financial Performance - Operating Statement Summary for the year ending 31 December, 2016

Financial Position as at 31 December, 2016

Revenue

Actual

Funds Available Actual

High Yield Investment Account $68,387

Official Account $35,065

Other Accounts $115,449

Total Funds Available $218,901

Student Resource Package

$3,062,073

Government Provided DET Grants $650,439

Government Grants Commonwealth $18,935

Revenue Other $19,404

Locally Raised Funds $387,156

Total Operating Revenue

$4,138,007

Expenditure

Financial Commitments

Operating Reserve $106,562

Asset/Equipment Replacement < 12 months $64,950

Maintenance - Buildings/Grounds incl SMS<12 months

$8,000

Revenue Receipted in Advance $39,389

Total Financial Commitments $218,901

Student Resource Package

$2,658,920

Books & Publications $4,102

Communication Costs $4,411

Consumables $103,693

Miscellaneous Expense $365,684

Professional Development $24,036

Property and Equipment Services $429,202

Salaries & Allowances $274,091

Trading & Fundraising $26,072

Travel & Subsistence $65

Utilities $18,792

Total Operating Expenditure

$3,909,069

Net Operating Surplus/-Deficit

$228,937

Asset Acquisitions

$0

Student Resource Package Expenditure figures are as of 06 March 2017 and are subject to change during the reconciliation process. Misc Expenses may include bank charges, health and personal development, administration charges, camp/excursion costs and taxation charges. Salaries and Allowances refers to school-level payroll.

All funds received from the Department, or raised by the school, have been expended, or committed to subsequent years, to support the achievement of educational outcomes and other operational needs of the school, consistent with Department policies, School Council approvals and the intent/purposes for which funding was provided or raised.

Financial performance and position commentary

Toorak Primary School completed 2016 in a financially sound position with $218,901 being carried forward to the new year. There was a Net Operating Surplus of $228,937. This surplus is due to several factors including an increase in student enrolments, sound workforce planning and an increase in locally raised funds from parent payments. The school’s commitments were closely

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monitored by the School Council. Some of the expenditure for 2016 related to new air conditioners in the main school building, new equipment for the STEM program at the school including a 3D printer and upgrading of the administration office. Maintenance of buildings and grounds and the cost of leased equipment continue to be significant items of expenditure. The funds carried forward will be expended in upgrading the server room, installing a new archive system and upgrading the school library. Toorak Primary is committed to continuing the provision of high quality educational opportunities as well as maintaining the facilities at the current high standard.