2017 middle harbour public school annual report...introduction the annual report for€2017 is...

Middle Harbour Public SchoolAnnual Report

2017

2543

Printed on: 6 April, 2018 of 16 Middle Harbour Public School 2543 (2017)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2017 is provided to the community of Middle Harbour Public School as an account of theschool's operations and achievements throughout the year.

It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities forall students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self–assessment that reflect the impact of keyschool strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equityfunding.

Sally Hogan

Principal

School contact details

Middle Harbour Public School8 Hale RdMosman, 2088www.middleharb-p.schools.nsw.edu.aumiddleharb-p.School@det.nsw.edu.au9953 6232

Message from the Principal

Message from Principal

It is with great pleasure that we present the 2017 Annual School Report for Middle Harbour Public School. Our schoolprides itself in having delivered outstanding quality education to the Middle Harbour community for over 100 years. Thisis achieved through strong academic, sporting, cultural and student welfare programs. These outstanding achievementscan be attributed to the school’s dedicated, enthusiastic and committed staff, parents/carers and students. We have awell–resourced learning environment and provide quality teaching and learning for all our students in a positive andhappy climate. 2017 has been a year of continued growth and achievement for Middle Harbour Public School.

Staff are committed to nurturing wellbeing and attaining outstanding learning outcomes for our students. A wide range ofquality educational programs were provided which ensure our students achieved their personal best, were active andinvolved community citizens and became self–directed learners with sound personal values. Many of our studentsexcelled in their academic, cultural and sporting achievements. A consistent focus on improving literacy and numeracyoutcomes for all students was supported by excellent classroom practice, a strong Learning and Support Team and anextensive teacher professional learning program.

Our dedicated and highly accomplished teachers are to be commended for their work throughout the year. They combinea strong sense of caring with high expectations for teaching and learning. They are well supported by an equallycommitted team of administrative and support staff. A strong partnership exists within the school between staff and theparent community. Teaching and learning has been enhanced through parental involvement in the P&C, a range ofsuccessful fundraising efforts. We are extremely appreciative of this support.

Transformational progress is a priority as we work to develop and educate our students for a rapidly changing future.. Asteachers, we are also constantly learning and adapting to new ways of working and new pedagogies. Changes incurriculum, new approaches to teaching and advances in technology all impact on the important work teachersundertake in classrooms. The annual reporting process serves as an opportunity for the school to capture this cycle ofchange.

While it is impossible to capture the diversity of learning and achievement in any one document, this annual reportcaptures a snapshot of our achievements throughout the school year, highlights the strengths of our school communityand identifies our future directions. It is with a sense of optimism and pride that we ask you to celebrate our successesand reflect on our future goals as we look forward to 2018.

Sally Hogan, Principal


Message from Relieving Principal

2017 has been yet another busy and rewarding year at Middle Harbour Public School(MHPS). We started the year with645 students in 26 classes.

There were many highlights throughout the year. We introduced the research–based program “You Can Do It”. ThisK–10 program focuses on the 2 things most parents want for their children: Success and Well–Being. The programfocuses on five work habits that align with our school values of respect, responsibility and personal best and our sharedexpectations for positive behaviour, namely: persistence, organisation, confidence, getting along and resilience.

The Media Unit at the Department of Education produced a short promotional film on the Education Week theme I Learn,We Learn which was screened at the launch of Education Week and via the department’s online communicationchannels. MHPS was identified as an exemplary school in which to have the Deputy Secretary, Mrs Georgina (George)Harrisson and our school director, Mrs Sharon Sands, visit in order to film Mrs Harrisson delivering her Education Weekmessage. Mrs Harrisson interviewed nine students and a number of teachers. Mrs Laura Barry and two students weredepicted on the Education Week promotional posters.

The 2017 Bold Archy was an outstanding example of collaboration between parents, teachers and students. Theshowcase of portraits captured the creativity of Middle Harbour students from years 5 and 6. Looking around the hall atthe exceptional talent and freedom of expression depicted by our students, reminded us how fortunate our students areto experience having their work hung in our ‘gallery’ and that the arts are such an integral part of all that we do at MiddleHarbour. The judge was local artist, Jessica Ashton.

NAPLAN is moving online in the near future so schools around Australia completed School Readiness tests in August.ABC journalist Natasha Robinson and a camera crew filmed two year 5 classes completing the first part of the online trialassessment. Natasha interviewed Mrs Carole Jaye, Miss Catherine Thomson and students, who answeredcomprehensive questions about the online experience. This story ran nationally on the morning and evening news on theABC, as well as a piece for radio broadcast and online delivery. This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase publiceducation and the outstanding ambassadors of Middle Harbour Public School.

The Middle Harbour Debating team are the 2017 Northern Sydney Regional Debating Champions in the NSW Premier’sDebating Challenge. Initially, 825 teams entered the Premier’s Debating Challenge. The Northern Sydney Regionconsisted of 126 debating teams representing 65 schools. The debating teamthen progressed to the StateChampionships in late November.

This year’s school show, From Page to Stage, had each student performing on stage withtheir class through dance,drama and music. Teachers and students worked extremely hardto again produce matinee and evening performances.Once again, our school show exceeded all expectations.

Our two school bands and the two string ensembles continued to shine, performing on many occasions throughout theyear. Our choir performed at the Sydney Opera House in the Festival of Choral Music.

The MHPS Tournament of Minds team and Maths Olympiad team competed against anumber of other schools.

The P&C’s major fund–raising event, Spooky Sparkle was held on Friday, 27 October. The parent committee, organisedand coordinated this highly successful night full of fun and enjoyment.

In consultation with staff, students and parents we have created a number of outdoor learning spaces. Manyareas around the school have been transformed into creative, imaginative and interesting outdoor learning spaces. Theideas all stemmed from the Blueprint for the Future (2016). These improvements were made possible thanks to the fundsavailable to the school through the voluntary contribution and the P&C funds raised.

Mrs Sally Hogan and I feel extremely proud to be the principal and relieving principal of this outstanding school.

Carole Jaye


School background

School vision statement

Our vision is every student moving forward to achieve personal success.

Middle Harbour Public School works in partnership with parents and the broader school community to provide qualityeducation that encourages students to reach their personal best in a respectful, safe and caring environment.

Middle Harbour Public School is a dynamic, inclusive, innovative school that strives for excellence by developingsuccessful confident and creative learners who will become active and informed global citizens. The school sets highexpectations and standards for all students and values a strong and innovative curriculum.

School context

Middle Harbour Public School is an innovative school located in Mosman on the lower North Shore of Sydneyestablished in 1916. Since 1982 the school has grown from 300 to over 650 students. The school is renowned for itshigh student achievement, its dedicated teaching staff and caring community. Students are challenged to strive for theirpersonal best using the NSW Syllabuses standards as the basis for setting high and explicit expectations for all students.

Middle Harbour Public School focuses on providing a rich and diverse curriculum building strong foundations in keydisciplinary areas along with developing the general capabilities, skills and dispositions that contribute to success inschool, in the workplace and in life.

The school provides specialist programs in creative arts, physical education, gymnastics and Mandarin. There is a widerange of extra curricula activities: training, junior and senior bands, string ensembles, choir, dance, public speaking,debating and chess.

The school works in partnership with parents and the broader school community to provide quality education thatencourages students to reach their personal best in a respectful, safe and caring environment. Our school is committedto the PBEL (Positive Behaviour Engaging Learners) program. Our core expectations and values are: Respect,Responsibility, and Personal Best.

Our school also uses the You Can Do It Program as the basis for explicitly teaching productive work habits and ways ofthinking that lead to students experiencing a greater sense of wellbeing, success and achievement.

Parents take an active interest in their child's education and the school. There is strong parent and communityparticipation that supports an enthusiastic and committed staff in providing a well–balanced education for each child in awell–resourced, caring environment.

Self-assessment and school achievement

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework,school achievements and the next steps to be pursued.

This year, our school undertook self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework. The framework supportspublic schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practiceacross the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

Learning

In the domain of Learning, our school has primarily focused on the domains of Curriculum and Learning, Assessmentand Reporting and Wellbeing. In curriculum, teachers focused on building a deeper understanding of the concepts, skillsand processes unique to each Key Learning Area in order to plan authentic programs of learning and assessment

Student wellbeing has also been a focus. Middle Harbour’s shared values of respect, responsibility and personal bestunderpin all school policies, programs and practices. Expectations of behaviour are explicitly taught to students andrelate to the variety of school settings such as classroom, playground, hallways, canteen and assemblies.


In 2017 we introduced the “You Can Do It” program K–6. This program provides a common language anddevelopmental progression for teaching specific social and emotional skills (work confidence, resilience, persistence,getting along with others and organisational skills).

We focus on the use of learning progression, appropriate to the relevant domain of learning to direct teaching and informstudent progress in learning.

Our focus for 2018

Our focus in 2018 will be on the implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions so thatevery student is progressing in their learning.

Teaching

Teachers at Middle Harbour Public School are committed to identifying, understanding and implementing effectiveteaching methods. Our major focus in the domain of Teaching has been on collaborative practice for staff members. Animportant opportunity has been provided to staff members in relation to planning, teaching and growing as a team ineach of our stages. Teachers regularly use student performance data and other student feedback to evaluate theeffectiveness of their own teaching practices. Changes in teacher practice, including the use of technology, dataanalysis, classroom observations, feedback and syllabus knowledge, has resulted in increased levels of student learningand engagement. Importantly, staff members are developing evidence based practice through their reflections andevaluations of collective work. All staff members are actively engaged in formulating their own Performance andDevelopment Plans to strengthen their practice. Professional learning is carefully aligned with the strategic directionsoutlined in the school plan. Teachers worked collaboratively to design integrated learning programs ‘backwards mapped’to History and Geography outcomes and responsive to the interests, strengths, capabilities and learning needs of theirstudents. Teachers clarified the inquiry processes central to each Key Learning Area and designed authenticassessment tasks echoing ‘real world’ practices.

Our focus in 2018 will be on the implementation of effective teaching practices that evidence shows improve studentperformance and growth.

Leading

The whole school community works together actively to ensure that we provide the very best for all students. There isbroad understanding. The school has strong bonds with the parents and wider community as evidenced by feedback,support and participation by the community in a wide range of academic and social activities. In term 4, 2016 students,staff and parents participated in a community forum to develop a Blueprint for the future inform future planning andprovide clear guidelines for strategic management and resourcing.

Our focus in 2017 was actioning many of the recommendations from our community forum, implementingrecommendations from the student leadership review and embedding monitoring, evaluation and review processes aspart of the school’s routine calendar.

Our focus for 2018

In 2018 our focus will be enhancing student learning and wellbeing through supportive and collaborative partnershipsand highly effective communication. We will continue to implement recommendations from our Blueprint to the Futureand seek to build authentic partnerships beyond the school that improve outcomes for our students.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine our school plan, leading to further improvements in thedelivery of education to our students. For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching–and–learning/school–excellence–and–accountability/sef–evidence–guide


Strategic Direction 1

Engaged, successful, reflective learners

Purpose

To maximise student learning so that all students are engaged, successful and reflective learners that are movingforward in their learning.

Learning progressions form the basis for setting high and explicit expectations, planning, programming, assessing andreporting student achievement and progress. A focus on effective assessment practice, using common learningprogressions will lift student achievement by providing information that students, teachers and parents can use to betterdetermine where a student is now, where they next and how to move them forward in their learning.

Overall summary of progress

Using relevant learning progressions has continued to be a key strategy in setting high and explicit expectations so thatevery student understands where they are now, how they are going and where to next in their learning. They haveexplored different ways to make 'next steps' in learning more visible to students using 'bump it up' walls, annotatedexamples, photos, rubrics, photos etc. This has enabled students to reflect on their progress and take more responsibilityfor their own learning. Teachers have particularly focused on deepening their knowledge of the key concepts, skills andprocesses unique to each KLA to plan more authentic assessment tasks for students. We continue to focus on usingstudents assessment data and information to inform planning so that every student is moving forward in their learning.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

• School reports link to NSWSyllabus outcomes/stagestatements and content • ES1 and S1 reach expectedprogress benchmarks in literacyand numeracy National Literacy andNumeracy Assessment • performance for year 3students is equivalent to SSG orabove like school group inNAPLAN • performance for year 5students is equivalent to SSG orabove • Growth for year 5 is equivalentto SSG or above

Literacy and Numeracyfunds $21,079

Student reports include measurable data in relationto disciplinary learning areas and personal andsocial development.

Year 3 & 5 literacy is similar to SSG group expectfor writing.

Year 5 growth in literacy was slightly below SSGwith writing an area for future focus.

Year 3 & 5 numeracy is above state mean butbelow our SSG. This will be an area for focus.

Next Steps

Focus on effective assessment practice, using common learning progressions will improve student achievement byproviding information that students, teachers and parents can use to better determine where a student is now, wherethey are going and how they can move forward in their learning. Enhancing assessment practices and engagement withstudent data to provide differentiated, future–focused teaching and learning through:

• Quality Literacy and Numeracy Instruction • Personalised and Differentiated Learning practices • Effective Assessment Practices • Instructional Leadership



Confident, knowledgeable, professional teachers

Purpose

To change teaching practices in ways that evidence shows maximises student learning by supporting our teachers to beconfident and knowledgeable professionals.

If we want our students to become successful, reflective learners we need our teachers to model and adopt the samekind of learning behaviours. Our teachers need regular opportunities to reflect on their practice and learn with and fromeach other. Analysing student work together gives teachers opportunities to develop a common understanding of whatgood work is and what instructional strategies are working. To be most effective, collaborative learning should be drivenby analysis of student data and focused upon the development of teachers’ knowledge, skills and understanding. (Harrisand Jones, 2012)


We have focused on the implementation of teaching practices in ways that evidence shows maximises student learningthrough collaborative practice. Teachers work together to analyse student assessment data, monitor progress and reporton student achievement working in collaboration with an Instructional Leaders.





• Teaching programs reflectteacher knowledge and skills inthe consistent delivery of 21stcentury pedagogy addressingBOSTES syllabuses andprinciples of conceptualprogramming. • TTFM data shows studentsrating for relevance and rigourare equivalent to or above theNSW government norm of 7.9 • PDPs reflect knowledge andunderstanding of APTS andschool plan.

Teacher professionallearning funds – teacherrelease for observation andcollaborative planning:$33,340

QTSS funds – release ofInstructional Leader: 0.464FTE

Beginning teacher funds$28,301

• Teaching programs reflect teacher knowledgeand skills in the consistent delivery of 21st centurypedagogy addressing BOSTES syllabuses andprinciples of conceptual programming • Students rating for relevance and rigour wereabove NSW government mean at 8.5 • PDPs reflect knowledge and understanding ofAPTS and school plan. • Beginning Teachers program expanded acrosscommunity of local schools. • Teacher PDPs are informed by school plan andAPTS.

Next Steps

Continue with collaborative timetable and priorities teacher professional learning. Deepening teacher knowledge ofcurriculum content and understanding of progression within a domain of learning. Using technology purposefully as a toolto support quality teaching and learning. Using research–based pedagogy and data informed practices to engage,challenge and support learners so they make continuous progress which leads to sense of success as a learner andultimately achievement.

• Syllabus implementation • Evidenced based practices • Innovative, authentic, integrated and future focused learning • Improving digital literacy and technology skills and knowledge



Proactive Partnerships

Purpose

To build proactive partnerships that support the individual and collective wellbeing of all students.

Student wellbeing encompasses the needs of the whole child, in terms of their cognitive, social, emotional, physical andspiritual development. When students see purpose and meaning in their learning, have a sense of voice and choice,experience positive relationships and connectedness to others, self regulate their emotions and use positive learningbehaviours, feel safe and are physically active. Student wellbeing is enhanced when schools connect with and draw onthe expertise, contribution and support of their communities. https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/about


The framework and system for recognising, assessing and reporting positive and productive learning behaviours wasaligned with the You Can Do It program focusing on 5 key habits: Organisation, Persistence, Resilience, Confidence andGetting Along. This has provided a common language for students, staff and parents to support students in workingtowards personal and social learning goals fundamental to success and happiness at school and in life. Parent/teacherinterviews were revised so that students, teachers and parents worked together to personalise learning goals relevant tothe needs of students. Personalised Learning Plans are developed for all students with additional learning needs andused as a common reference for monitoring student achievement and progress, with a focus on literacy, numeracy andsocial/emotional development.





• Students with PLPs showsignificant progress towardlearning goals and literacy andnumeracy continuums. • Tell Them From Me data isequivalent or above the NSWgovernment norm for studentswho feel accepted, valued bytheir peers and experience a highsense of belonging and whodemonstrate positive behaviourand try hard to succeed. • Tell Them From Me dataindicates a decreasing trend inbullying behaviours. The norm forgovernment schools is 36%. Thenorm for our school is 18%.

Teacher professionallearning funds – $10,000

• Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) aredeveloped for al students with additional learningusing a common template. PLP enable progress inliteracy and numeracy to be assessed, monitoredand reported. • TTFM data indicates our school is well aboveNSW government norm for a positive sense ofbelonging and positive relationships with others. • Data regarding incidents for bullyingbehaviours is well below the NSW governmentmean. •

Next Steps

Establish clear communication channels and high levels of parental and community engagement that support all learnersin their learning. Build partnerships and respectful relationships within the education community to promote high levels ofstudent, staff and community engagement. Create efficacy – the belief that together we can make a difference.

• Communicating and Engaging with community • Inclusive School • Effective School Operations


Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

English language proficiency RAM Equity loading forEnglish Proficiency $77,809

• Quality Teaching,Successful Students(QTSS) ($0.00)

Funding was used to engage a teacher withexpertise and experience in supportingstudents with English as a second language 3days per week. The teacher supportedstudents working with small groups andworking within classrooms.

Low level adjustment for disability Learning and SupportTeacher $81,840

The funding is used to support students withadditional learning needs who are not eligiblefor individual funding. Stage teams meetregularly to review progress in consultationwith the Learning and Support Teacher,parents and colleagues. The funding is usedto engage appropriate support staff tocoordinate the Learning and Support Team.

Quality Teaching, SuccessfulStudents (QTSS)

QTSS funding $47,130

Other school sources$136,414

Funding for QTSS was combined with staffingentitlements to create a full time InstructionalLeader position. The Instructional Leaderworked with all stages to support professionallearning and teaching through collaborativepractice.

Socio–economic background $2,936 These funds were used to support thelearning needs of students and familiesrequiring support.

Support for beginning teachers $28,301 These funds have been used very effectivelyto support our beginning teachers in the areasof professional learning, mentoring,programming, class management andmemberships into beginning teachernetworks.


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2014 2015 2016 2017

Boys 288 289 303 294

Girls 275 304 321 348

The school shows steadily increasing enrolments andincreased to 26 classes in 2017.

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017

K 97.5 96.7 97.4 97.2

1 96.8 96.6 94.7 94.5

2 96.8 96.6 96.1 94.9

3 96.5 96.1 96.3 95.8

4 96.6 95.8 95.8 96.5

5 96.4 94.1 95.7 95.6

6 95.8 95.4 94 95

All Years 96.7 96.1 95.8 95.6

State DoE

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017

K 95.2 94.4 94.4 94.4

1 94.7 93.8 93.9 93.8

2 94.9 94 94.1 94

3 95 94.1 94.2 94.1

4 94.9 94 93.9 93.9

5 94.8 94 93.9 93.8

6 94.2 93.5 93.4 93.3

All Years 94.8 94 94 93.9

Management of non-attendance

Our Attendance Policy focused on the school workingwith parents and carers to ensure regular attendancewas maintained throughout the year. Parents andcarers are informed of NSW State Governmentrequirements through the school newsletter. Whenchildren are absent from school, in accordance withDepartment of Education policy, we request anexplanation be provided to the class teacher stating thereason for the absence. Many parents/carersconveniently accessed our Skoolbag app for thispurpose. A fully electronic reporting system for

monitoring attendance is used. This roll is marked dailyand records students who are absent. Class rolls areregularly checked by the Deputy Principal and HomeSchool Liaison Officer. Days absent are reported toparents/carers via the school report in Term 2 and 4.Partial absences are also indicated on these reports.Sign in and sign out procedures apply for studentsarriving late to school or leaving early. Schoolattendance has remained constant this year.Attendance rates are higher than the state average.Many absences are due to family holidays.Parents/carers who need to take their child from schoolfor an extended period are required to complete leaveforms, which are approved by the school.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 1

Deputy Principal(s) 1

Assistant Principal(s) 4

Head Teacher(s) 0

Classroom Teacher(s) 24.74

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0

Learning & Support Teacher(s) 0.5

Teacher Librarian 1.2

Teacher of ESL 0.6

School Counsellor 1

School Administration & SupportStaff

4.26

Other Positions 0

*Full Time Equivalent

* Full Time Equivalent

0% of teaching staff identify as Aboriginal or TorresStrait Islander.

All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools.


Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100

Postgraduate degree 31

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Professional learning is aligned to the school plan andbuilding the capacity of all staff to respond to thelearning needs of all students. Weekly meetings aredesigned to address mandatory training requirementsand teacher learning aligned with the school directions,goals and priorities outlined in the school plan.

The timetable has been structured to provide teacherswith additional time to work collaboratively to buildshared understanding of effective evidenced basedpractices that improve student learning outcomes andperformance. Teachers worked together to deepentheir professional knowledge and understanding ofNSW syllabuses, focusing on the key concepts, skillsand processes relevant to each discipline.

The collaborative timetable enabled teachers toobserve colleagues in groups over a four week periodto participate in observational rounds. In addition,timetabled collaborative time allowed teachers toengage in deep professional dialogue about studentassessment data to ensure consistent teacherjudgement across the grade, stage and school.

Financial information (for schoolsfully deployed to SAP/SALM)

Financial summary

The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 1 January 2017 to 31December 2017.

2017 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 610,750

Revenue 5,464,819

Appropriation 4,701,913

Sale of Goods and Services 10,166

Grants and Contributions 740,830

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 0

Investment Income 11,910

Expenses -5,187,596

Recurrent Expenses -5,187,596

Employee Related -4,536,850

Operating Expenses -650,746

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

277,223

Balance Carried Forward 887,973

The financial summary consists of school incomebroken down by funding source and is derived from theschool Annual Financial Statement. on SAP.

Financial summary equity funding

The equity funding data is the main component of the'Appropriation' section of the financial summary above.

2017 Actual ($)

Base Total 4,187,161

Base Per Capita 95,364

Base Location 0

Other Base 4,091,797

Equity Total 162,585

Equity Aboriginal 0

Equity Socio economic 2,936

Equity Language 77,809

Equity Disability 81,840

Targeted Total 86,925

Other Total 182,817

Grand Total 4,619,488


Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding.

A full copy of the school's financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.

School performance

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results acrossthe Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy andnumeracy assessments are reported on a scale fromBand 1 to Band 10. The achievement scalerepresents increasing levels of skillsand understandings demonstrated in theseassessments.

• 70% of year 5 students achieved the expected growthfor literacy. Performance in writing, spelling andgrammar and punctuation were above our SimilarSchool Group with an outstanding 70% of studentsperforming in the upper two bands for reading.

• 72% of year 3 students achieved in the upper twobands for literacy, compared to our SSG of 78%.

• Performance in grammar and punctuation, andspelling was particularly strong. Writing is an area forfuture focus.


• 52% of year 3 students performed in the upper twobands for numeracy which was well above the stateaverage of 38% but below our Similar School Groupaverage of 66%

• 60.2% of year 5 students performed in the upper twobands for numeracy which was well above the stateaverage of 30.5% and within the expected range for ourSimilar School Group average of 63%

The My School website provides detailedinformation and data for national literacy and numeracytesting. Go to http://www.myschool.edu.au and insertthe school name in the Find a school and select GO toaccess the school data.


Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Each year schools are required to seek the opinions ofparents, students and teachers about the school. Theschool sought the opinions of parents/carers andstudents about the school using the Tell Them FromMe surveys. Feedback and the opinions of all membersof the school community was sought throughout 2017through P&C meetings, focus groups and surveys. Their responses are presented below.

The school sought the Parents In 2017 were asked tocomplete a survey via The Learning Bar on Parents asPartners in Learning between 21 August and 8October 2017. There were 32 respondents representingapproximately 8% of Middle Harbour families. While thesize of the sample is relatively small, the data offersvaluable insights into parent perceptions.

Parent/carers – highest areas of satisfaction: • School supports positive behaviour • School supports learning • Parents support learning at home • Parents are well informed about school activities • Students feel safe at school

Students:

Students in Years 4, 5 and 6 were asked to complete asurvey addressing key aspects of their cognitive, social,emotional and physical development.

230 students completed the Tell Them From Me surveywhich included nine measures of student engagementalongside the five drivers of student outcomes.

Areas of strength: • 91% of students feel socially engaged and are

actively involved in the life of the school; theirfriends are there and they are involved in sportsor other extra–curricular activities. Thisinvolvement can give them a sense of belongingat school and increase academic motivation

• 95% of students value schooling outcomes andmeet the formal rules of schooling. They areconsidered institutionally engaged. Thesestudents feel that what they are learning at schoolis directly related to their long–term success, andthis view is reflected in their classroom and schoolbehaviour.

Teachers:

The staff used The Focus on Learning Survey toself–evaluate classroom and school effectivenessagainst eight of the most important drivers of studentlearning and engagement.

Areas of strength: • Respondents generally agreed that school

leaders supported quality teaching and learningenvironment for staff. There was a high level ofagreement that teachers were supported to workcollaboratively to plan, program, learn with andfrom each other.

• All respondents believed that the school has alearning culture founded on high and explicitexpectations for all students.

• Respondents agreed that they used appropriateteaching strategies to direct student learning.Respondents felt they provided an inclusivelearning environment and encouraged parentinvolvement.

• Respondents generally agreed that data wasused to inform their practice though this is also anarea teachers indicated they wished to learn moreabout.

Areas for future focus • use computers or other interactive technology to

give students immediate feedback on theirlearning.

• students use computer or other interactivetechnology to track progress towards theirlearning goals.

• help students set goals for learning newtechnological skills

• ask parents to review and comment on students'work

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

Knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander histories and cultures is embedded incurriculum. For example, in English, the crosscurriculum priority area of ‘Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander histories and cultures’ has been integrated byselecting a range of texts that represent subject matterthrough a different lens or from a different point of view.In History, the same cross curriculum priority isexplored by selecting different primary or secondarysources, which may include texts to explore theconcept of ‘perspective’. The “Acknowledgement ofCountry” which recognises the original owners of theland, the Guringai people, is always an integral part ofour introduction and welcome at school assemblies andother formal school gatherings.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

Our school is committed to providing a supportive andsafe environment, characterised by our sharedvalues respect, responsibility and personal best. Thesekey values are embedded in our school vision and areintegral part of all policies, programs and practices. Themessage of mutual respect and responsibility for one’sactions and behaviour is constantly reinforced bymodelling appropriate behaviour and by the explicitteaching of social skills within classes. Our schoolpromotes cultural diversity, tolerance and anti–racismthrough a strong focus on the share values educationor respect, responsibility and personal best. Strategiesto promote inclusivity, counter racism and bullyingbehaviours are taught explicitly through the classroomprogram, our Fair Discipline and Anti Bullying


processes, special assemblies such as Harmony Day.

74% of the students at Middle Harbour Public Schoolwere born in Australia. However, the school has ansignificant number of students who speak English astheir second language and increasing number ofstudents come from language backgrounds other thanEnglish. Multicultural education is embedded in thepolicies, programs and practices of the school. Allstudents learn a second language, Mandarin as part ofthe school program. Intercultural understanding is oneof the general capabilities included in the AustralianCurriculum and students have opportunities to learnabout other cultures in many key learning areas. Forexample, in History, increase their cultural awarenessand cross–cultural understanding by exploring an issuefrom different perspectives. Students investigate thecultural backgrounds of families, customs and practicesimportant to students, the diversity of groups within acommunity and the traditions and belief systems ofother cultures. All students participated in Harmony Dayactivities which assisted their understanding of thecontributions made to our national identity by peoplefrom culturally diverse backgrounds.


2017 middle harbour public school annual report...introduction the annual report for€2017 is...

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