LawsonPublicSchoolAnnualReport

2381

2015

IntroductionTheAnnualReportfor2015isprovidedtothecommunityofLawsonPublicSchoolasanaccountoftheschool’soperationsandachievementsthroughouttheyear.

Itprovidesadetailedaccountoftheprogresstheschoolhasmadetoprovidehighqualityeducationalopportunitiesforallstudents,assetoutintheschoolplan.Itoutlinesthefindingsfromself-assessmentthatreflecttheimpactofkeyschoolstrategiesforimprovedlearningandthebenefittoallstudentsfromtheexpenditureofresources,includingequityfunding.

CorinnaRobertsonActingPrincipal

Schoolcontactdetails:

LawsonPublicSchool

AdelaideStreet

LawsonNSW2783

WebAddress:http://www.lawson-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/

Email:lawson-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Phone:47591196

MessagefromthePrincipalThisyearsawtheintroductionofanewapproachtoschoolplanning,givingNSWpublicschoolsgreaterauthoritytomeettheneedsoftheircommunities,toimprovethequalityofteachinginschoolsandtoimproveoutcomesforallstudents.Itishighlystrategic,focussingon3keyareasforimprovementdeterminedbytheschoolinconsultationwithitscommunity,toensureaprofounddifferencetotheongoinggrowthanddevelopmentoftheschool.ThethreestrategicdirectionsforLawsonPublicSchoolare:

• InnovativeStaff

• SuccessfulStudents

• ConnectedCommunity

InadditiontotheintroductionofthenewschoolplanwastheimplementationofthenewMathematicsandScienceSyllabuses.TeachershavecollegiallyplannedfortheirsuccessfulintroductionandcontinuetodevelopskillsinreadinessfortheintroductionofthenewHistorySyllabusin2016.

LawsonPublicSchoolsaidgoodbyetotheirwell-lovedPrincipal,MrsChantalBeltran,attheendofTerm1,2015.MrsBeltranwassuccessfulintheMeritSelectionProcessandtookuphernewpositionofPrincipal,PenrithPublicSchoolatthecommencementofTerm2.IwasgiventhewonderfulopportunityofActingintheroleofPrincipalfromthecommencementofTerm2.

Inmytenure,Ihavewitnessedanexceptionalteachingstaffandacaringandproactiveparentcommunity,inparticulartheP&C,whoprovideeveryopportunityforstudentstobesupportedtodeveloptotheirfullpotential,acrossallareasoftheirschooling.Thisyear,ajointprojectwaslaunchedtoraisefundsforthesupportclasses.Moneyraisedwillbespentonre-resourcingandrefurbishmentoftheclasses.Thusfar,wehaveseenthesuccessfulsellingofraffleticketsandasourmajorfundraiser,awalkathonwherestudents,staffandfamily/caregiverswereinvitedtojoininourwalkwhilstraisingmoneyforthisvaluablecause.

ThenewlyintroducedLawsonLearnersStallattheMagpieMarkethasbecomealocalfavouritewithstudentssellingcupcakesandhandmadecraftitems.Thisstallnotonlypromotescommunityrelationshipsbutalsoservesasanongoingfundraisingopportunity.

Throughouttheyear,studentsattheschoolhavebeenprovidedwiththeopportunitytoengageinawidevarietyofextracurriculaactivitiesincluding:dance,debating,publicspeaking,schoolcamp,varioussportingactivities(PanthersontheProwl,Hockey,Futsal),excursionsandvariousculturalexperiencesdesignedtoenrichstudents’overalllearningexperiences.Further,participationintheStephanieAlexanderKitchenGardenprogramhashelpedchangethewaychildrenthinkaboutfoodwheretheyhavebeengiventheopportunitytogrow,harvest,prepareandsharenutritiousfood.Imustagainthankstafffortheirdedicationandcommitmenttotheoverallwellbeingofstudents.

TheP&Cfunded‘ArtistinResidence’programwasonceagainanoverwhelmingsuccess.Allstudentsparticipatedintheweavingofgardenbedsandornaments.Thewovengardenbedswillnowextendourgrowingcapacity.Feedbackfromstudentswasextremelypositive.

Toconclude,IsincerelythankallstakeholdersforthemostwonderfulthreetermsspenthereatLawsonPublicSchool.

CorinnaRobertson

Schoolbackground

Schoolvisionstatement

StudentsatLawsonPublicSchoolareprovidedwithexcellenteducationalexperiences,inasafeandcaringsettingwherebytheyaresupportedtodeveloptotheirfullpotential,acrossallareasoftheirschooling.

Acultureofinclusivity,respectandacceptanceofindividualityisfosteredacrossalllevelsoftheschoolcommunity.Theschoolcorevalues(AtLawsonPublicSchoolweareSafe,Respectful,Responsiblelearners)arereflectiveoftheschool’scommitmenttoensuringqualityteachingandlearningexperiencesareprovidedwithinasafe,caring,positivelearningenvironment.

Studentsareconsistentlyencouragedtothinkandactresponsiblyandrespectfullyandthis,togetherwiththestrongemphasisonpositiveconnectionsbetweentheschool,homeandcommunitywillequipstudentstoliveandachieveinarapidlychangingworld.

OurschoolvisionalignswiththeMelbourneDeclaration.

Schoolcontext

LawsonPublicSchoolcomprises9mainstreamclassesand3classesinthesupportunit.Theschoolhasanenrolmentof242students.Allstudentsareprovidedwithabroad,qualitycurriculumwithinasafe,caringlearningenvironment.

TheschoolactivelyengagesthecommunitythroughattendanceandpresentationatarangeofeventssuchastheLoveLawsonFestival,MagpieMarkets,EldersLuncheon,HubMeetingsandothereventsconductedintheBlueMountains.

TheschoolbelongstoboththeUpperBlueMountainsandMidMountainslearningcommunitiesandparticipatesincombinedprofessionallearningandprojects,transitionprogramsfornewkindergartenstudents,aswellasyearsixstudentswhoarepreparingforhighschool.

ProductivepartnershipswithLawsonCommunityPreschoolisvaluedbythebroaderschoolcommunity.ThepreschoolattendsspecialeventssuchastheEasterHatParade,BookWeek,performancesandassemblies,aswellasthepopular‘LeapintoLearning’kindergartenorientationprogram.

AboriginalperspectivesareincludedinallteachingandlearningprogramsandLawsonPublicSchooltakespartinseveralCreativeandPracticalArtsactivitieseachyear,resultinginstrongpartnershipsbetweentheschoolandthelocalAboriginalcommunity.StafffeelprivilegedandhonouredtohosttheannualReconciliationArtExhibition,showcasingartworksfromstudentsacrossmanyofourlocalschools,aswellasAboriginalArtists.

TheschoolisverywellsupportedbyanactiveP&CAssociation.

Self-assessmentandschoolachievements

Self-assessmentusingtheSchoolExcellenceFrameworkThissectionoftheAnnualReportoutlinesthefindingsfromself-assessmentusingtheSchoolExcellenceFramework,ourschoolachievementsandthenextstepstobepursued.TheFrameworksupportspublicschoolsthroughoutNSWinthepursuitofexcellencebyprovidingacleardescriptionofhighqualitypracticeacrossthethreedomainsofLearning,TeachingandLeading.

Thisyear,ourschoolundertookself-assessmentusingtheelementsoftheSchoolExcellenceFramework.

Ourself-assessmentindicatesthatweare‘SustainingandGrowing’acrossthedomainsofLearning,TeachingandLeadingasfollows:

Learning• Thereisademonstratedcommitmentwithintheschoolcommunitytostrengthenanddeliveron

schoollearningpriorities.

• Theschoolconsistentlyimplementsawhole-schoolapproachtowellbeingthathasclearlydefinedbehaviouralexpectationsandcreatesapositiveteachingandlearningenvironment.

• Studentscareforself,andcontributetothewellbeingofothersandthewidercommunity.

• Studentreportscontaindetailedinformationaboutindividualstudentlearningachievementandareasforgrowth,whichprovidethebasisfordiscussionwithparents.

• Theschoolhasanalysedschoolperformancedataandarangeofothercontextualinformationandisawareoftrendsinstudentachievementlevels.

FutureDirections:o Theschoolhasinplaceacomprehensiveandinclusiveframeworktosupportthecognitive,

emotional,social,physicalandspiritualwellbeingofstudentswhichmeasurablyimprovesindividualandcollectivewellbeing.

o Theschoolhasdevelopedexplicitprocessestocollect,analyseandreportinternalandexternalstudentperformancedata.

o Positiveandrespectfulrelationshipsareevidentamongstudentsandstaff,promotingstudentwellbeingandensuringgoodconditionsforstudentlearning.

Teaching• Theschoolidentifiesexpertisewithinitsstaffanddrawsonthistofurtherdevelopitsprofessional

community.

• Teachersactivelysharelearningfromtargetedprofessionaldevelopmentwithothers.

• Thereisaparticularfocusonimprovedteachingmethodsinliteracyandnumeracy,withprofessionallearningactivitiesfocusedonbuildingteachers’understandingofeffectiveteachingstrategiesintheseareas.

• Teachersareactivelyengagedinplanningtheirownprofessionaldevelopmenttoimprovetheirperformance.

• Teachersdemonstrateresponsibility,adaptabilityandethicalpracticeinworkingtowardstheschool’sgoals.

FutureDirections:o Teachersprovideandreceiveplannedconstructivefeedbackfrompeers,schoolleadersand

studentstoimproveteachingpractice.

o Teachersincorporatedataanalysisintheirplanningforlearning.

o Teachersdrawonandimplementevidencebasedresearchtoimproveperformanceanddevelopment.

Leading• Staffarecommittedto,andcanarticulatethepurposeof,eachstrategicdirectionintheschool

plan.

• Clearprocesses,withaccompanyingtimelinesandmilestones,directschoolactivitytowardseffectiveimplementationoftheschoolplan.

• Workforceplanningsupportscurriculumprovisionandtherecruitmentofhighqualitystaff.

• Strategicfinancialmanagementisusedtogainefficienciesandtomaximiseresourcesavailabletoimplementtheschoolplan.

• Physicallearningspacesareusedflexibly,andtechnologyisaccessibletostaffandstudents.

FutureDirectionso Theschoolusescollaborativefeedbackandreflectiontopromoteandgeneratelearningand

innovation.

Ourself-assessmentprocesswillfurtherassisttheschooltorefinethestrategicprioritiesinourSchoolplanleadingtofurtherimprovementsinthedeliveryofeducationtoourstudents.

StrategicDirection1

InnovativeStaff

Purpose

Toprovideallstudentstheopportunitytobecomeliterate,numerateandskilfultechnologyuserswhoembracelearninginthe21stCentury.

Highlyqualifiedcollaborativeandsupportiveteacherswillleadstudentlearning,whichisunderpinnedbyhighquality,evidencebasedteaching.

Studentswillbeencouragedtoplayanactiveroleintheirlearning.willleadedbyhighquality,

Overallsummaryofprogress

EvidenceofImpact:

• Staffskillsaudit(buildingprofessionalcapital)• ProfessionalLearninginWritingtoensureconsistencyofteacherjudgement(CTJ)• Analysisofwholeschooldatainwriting• IntroductionandwholeschoolteachingofCUPS(editingframework)• Commencementofteacherprofessionallearning(TPL):FormativeAssessment• PerformanceandDevelopmentprocessinplace

Progresstowardsachievingimprovementmeasures Resources(annual)

Improvementmeasure(tobeachievedover3years)

Progressachievedthisyear FundsExpended

100%ofstaffeffectivelyusetheLiteracyandNumeracycontinuumstoplan,assessandtrackstudentprogressandachievement.

StaffSurveyDataindicates:

• 80%ofstaffindicatedTPLinWritingwasrelevanttotheircurrentclassroompractice.

• 73.33%ofstaffindicatedcollegialdiscussionsinCTJ(Writing)wasusefuland60%indicatedthattheywouldlikethistocontinue.

• 80%indicatedtheintroductionofgoalsettingwithstudents.

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100%ofstaffareactivelyengagedwiththePerformanceandDevelopmentFrameworkusingevidencetodemonstrateprogresstowardsprofessionalgoals.

100%ofstaffengagedin2015PerformanceandDevelopmentCycle,withevidencetoindicateprogresstowardandachievementofprofessionalgoals.

StaffingAllocation(1dayperfortnight)

- QualityTeachingSuccessfulSchools(QTSS)

$10000

Nextsteps

StrategicDirection1• Engagethewholestaffinfurtherdevelopingskillstosupportgoalsettingprocesseswithstudents,inconjunction

withthe‘BumpitupWalls’structuresinclassrooms.• Refinethetimetableforschoolwideassessment,includinglinkstocontinuumbasedassessment.• Implementfurthertrainingintheuseoftheliteracyandnumeracycontinuums,includingtheuseofPLANdata

todifferentiateandsupportteachingandlearningofallstudents.• ContinuetosupportallstaffinthePerformanceDevelopmentPlanningprocess,includingthepromotionof

collaboration,observationandprofessionalsharingofevidence.

StrategicDirection2

SuccessfulStudents

Purpose

Todevelopthecapabilitiesofallstudentssotheyareactivecontributorstotheplanningandmonitoringoftheirlearningdevelopment.Studentstakeownershipoftheirlearninggoalsandbecomeintrinsicallymotivatedtoachievethem.

Overallsummaryofprogress

EvidenceofImpact:

• TeacherProfessionalLearningtodevelopcommonlanguageandunderstandingaroundgoalsetting,successcriteria,learninggoals

• LearningSupportTeamflowchartproducedandTeacherProfessionalLearningprovidedtosupportitsimplementation

• DatacollectionformalisedaroundPLAN• DatawallproducedbasedondatafromPLAN–drivingsupportinReading/Writing• SchoolCaptainsReportpresentedatformalassemblies–promotingandreportingonschool

activities.• LawsonLearnersStallestablished(linkedtotheStephanieAlexanderKitchenGarden)

Progresstowardsachievingimprovementmeasures Resources(annual)

Improvementmeasure(tobeachievedover3years)

Progressachievedthisyear FundsExpended

100%ofstudentsdemonstratepositivegrowthof1skillbandfromYear3toYear5inallexternalassessments.

Finaldatarelatingtothistargetwillnotbeavailableuntil2017.However,LawsonPublicSchoolcontinuestoimplementstrategiestosupportthisgoalthroughtheuseof:

• AdditionalLasTtime• Targetedwithdrawalprograms

$42836.84

100%ofstudents,propelledbytheformativeassessmentprocess,understandanduselearningtargets,settheirownlearninggoalsandassesstheirownlearningprogress.

100%ofstaffengagedinTeacherProfessionalLearningaroundFormativeAssessment.

$14123.49

Nextsteps

StrategicDirection2• ContinuetobuildontheimprovedLearningSupportTeamproceduresandthedatacollection

processestocreateaccuratedatawallstobeusedinplanningstrategiesandprocessesforongoingstudentgrowth.

• LawsonLearnersstallandStephanieAlexanderKitchenGardenProgramtobecontinuedandfurtherdevelopedtoenhancestudentwellbeingandsuccess.

• Furtherdevelopteachers’skillsintheuseofsuccesscriteriaandgoalsettingforstudents,includingtheuseofacommonlanguageandunderstandingaroundgoalsetting.

StrategicDirection3

ConnectedCommunity

Purpose

Tofostercollaborativerelationshipsacrossthelearningandwiderschoolcommunitytosupportandenhancestudentlearninginadynamic,holisticandintegratedway.

Overallsummaryofprogress

EvidenceofImpact:

• ScopeandSequenceofKidsMatterphilosophiesformulatedtoensurekeyideasarepresentedbystudentsandreinforcedinclassrooms

• WelfareandWellbeingpolicyreviewed

• HarmonyDay/BullyingNoWayDayconducted

• WhiteRibbonlaunched

• NaidocDay–Term3

• TotemHandover–Term4

• ArtistinResidence–Term3

• StephanieAlexanderKitchenGarden(SAKG)–parentssupportingprogramimplementation

Progresstowardsachievingimprovementmeasures Resources(annual)

Improvementmeasure(tobeachievedover3years)

Progressachievedthisyear FundsExpended

Highlevelsofcommunityconnectedness,participation,satisfactionandtrustintheschool.

• 59%ofparentsstronglyagreethattheschoolrespectsandvaluesthefamiliesbeliefsandwishes.

• 65.57%ofparentsstronglyagreethattheschoolprovidesasafeandcaringenvironmentfortheirchild.

• 83.34%ofparentsagreeorstronglyagreethattheyfeeltheycanparticipateindecisionsthataffecttheirchildatschool.

SAKG

ArtistinResidence

KidsMatterTPL

Theschoolhasalignedstaffprocessesandschoolsystemsforcollecting,analysingandreportinglocalandexternaldataonstudentandschoolperformance.

• Analysisofinternalandexternaldataforthepurposeofreportingtoparents.

Nextsteps

NeStrategicDirection3• ConsolidatetheembeddingofKidsMatter,BounceBackandWhiteRibbonstrategiesinallclassroomteaching

andlearningprogramstoenhancestudentwellbeingandconnectwiththewidercommunitythroughwholeschoolsupportstructuresandevents.

• Connectwith,andbuildrelationshipswithparentsandcaregivers,byImplementingtimelinechangesregardingreportingtoparents.ThiswillincludeholdingparentteacherinterviewsearlyinTerm1,tofacilitatediscussion,feedbackandprovideappropriateintervention,supportandextensionopportunitiesforstudents.

• DiscussionstobeheldwithinterestedpartiesforthedevelopmentofaBushtuckergardenundertheStephanieAlexanderKitchenGardenprogram.

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Keyinitiativesandotherschoolfocusareas

Keyinitiatives(annual) Impactachievedthisyear Resources(annual)

Aboriginalbackgroundfunding

• Individualstudentstargetedinwithdrawalgroups

• Totemproject

$9676

Englishlanguageproficiencyfunding • FirstPhaseESLstudent

• Studentachievingexpectedoutcomesandaverageofclasscohortbyend2015

$862

Socio-economicfunding

Wecouldwriteinhere…..Strengthenedpartnershipsbetweenschool,familiesandcommunityorganisations–GardenProjectlinkedtoSAKG

$12576

Lowleveladjustmentfordisabilityfunding

Personalisedlearningandsupportprograms.

• Improvedstudents’learningoutcomes

• Improvedprofessionallearningprogramstoaddresslearnerdiversityinclassrooms,includingtheprovisionofsupportforteachersinrecognisingandrespondingtostudents’additionallearningneeds.

$16248

Supportforbeginningteachers

Beginningteachersweresupportedthroughmentoring/coaching,additionalreleasefromfacetofaceandadditionalteacherprofessionallearning.

• Reducedteachingloadstosupportthedevelopmentoftheirskills.

• Ongoingfeedbackembeddedinthecollaborativepracticesoftheschool.

• Accesstoprofessionallearningthatfocusesonclassroomandbehaviourmanagement,strategiestobuildstudentengagement,collaborativeprofessionalpracticeswithintheschoolandproductiverelationshipswithparentsandcaregivers.

$17147

StudentinformationItisarequirementthatthereportingofinformationforallstudentsbeconsistentwithprivacyandpersonalinformationpolicies.

StudentenrolmentprofileThedataandcorrespondinggraphindicateahealthybalancebetweenmaleandfemaleenrolments.Theoverallenrolmenttrendsindicateincreasinggrowthannually.

Studentattendanceprofile

AtLawsonPublicSchoolwestrivetoencouragestrongattendancehabitswithourschool.Ourschoolhassystemsandstructuresinplacetoensureunexplainedabsencesareinvestigated.

Classsizes

Rollclass Year Totalinclass Totalperyear

KH K 21 21

KW K 22 221C 1 22 22

3G 3 26 264E 4 27 271/2P 1 13 26 2 13 26

2/3W 2 20 23

3 3 234/5H 4 9 28

5 19 285/6B 5 7 27

6 20 27

ThistableshowsthenumberofstudentsenrolledineachclassatLawsonPublicSchoolin2015.

WorkforceinformationReportingofinformationforallstaffmustbeconsistentwithprivacyandpersonalinformationpolicies.

Workforcecomposition

Position Number

Principal 1

DeputyPrincipal(s) 0

AssistantPrincipal(s) 3

HeadTeacher(s) 0

ClassroomTeacher(s) 9

TeacherofReadingRecovery 0.5

LearningandSupportTeacher(s) 0.7

TeacherLibrarian 0.6

TeacherofESL 0

SchoolCounsellor 0.2

SchoolAdministrative&SupportStaff 5.422

Otherpositions 0

Total 20.422

TheAustralianEducationRegulation,2014requiresschoolstoreportonAboriginalcompositionoftheirworkforce.

In2015therewerenostaffwhoidentifiedasAboriginalemployedatLawsonPublicSchool.SomeAboriginalmembersofthelocalcommunitysupportedtheschoolinavoluntarycapacity.

TeacherqualificationsAllteachingstaffmeettheprofessionalrequirementsforteachinginNSWpublicschools.

Qualifications %ofstaff

Undergraduatedegreeordiploma 100%

Postgraduatedegree 22

Professionallearningandteacheraccreditation

BeginningTeachers

Lawson Public School has 4 beginning teachers onstaff. All of these teachers are in the process ofcompleting their accreditation with the AustralianInstitute of Teachers and 3 members of staff havecompleted their accreditation with the NSWInstituteofTeachers.

0

100

200

300

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Stud

ents

Year

Enrolments

Male Female

FinancialinformationFinancialsummary

Thissummarycoversfundsforoperatingcostsanddoesnotinvolveexpenditureareassuchaspermanentsalaries,buildingandmajormaintenance.

Afullcopyoftheschool’s2015financialstatementistabledattheannualgeneralmeetingsoftheparentand/orcommunitygroups.Furtherdetailsconcerningthestatementcanbeobtainedbycontactingtheschool.

Dateoffinancialsummary 30/11/2015

Income $Balancebroughtforward 99115.24Globalfunds 174376.55Tiedfunds 133714.71School&communitysources 85589.75Interest 3522.66Trustreceipts 14473.20Canteen 0.00Totalincome 510792.11Expenditure

Teaching&learning Keylearningareas 12969.34Excursions 21544.72Extracurriculardissections 29992.50

Library 1037.86Training&development 0.00Tiedfunds 126389.23Casualreliefteachers 75074.21Administration&office 46022.94School-operatedcanteen 0.00Utilities 34042.00Maintenance 16236.28Trustaccounts 12958.95Capitalprograms 0.00Totalexpenditure 0.00Balancecarriedforward 376268.03

SchoolperformanceNAPLAN

IntheNationalAssessmentProgram,theresultsacrosstheYears3,5,7and9literacyandnumeracyassessmentsarereportedonascalefromBand1toBand10.Theachievementscalerepresentsincreasinglevelsofskillsandunderstandingsdemonstratedintheseassessments.

TheMySchoolwebsiteprovidesdetailedinformationanddatafornationalliteracyandnumeracytesting.ClickonthelinkMySchoolandinserttheschoolnameintheFindaschoolandselectGOtoaccesstheschooldata.

Parent/caregiver,student,teachersatisfactionEachyearschoolsarerequiredtoseektheopinionsofparents,studentsandteachersabouttheschool.Theirresponsesarepresentedbelow.

• 59%ofparentsstronglyagreethattheschoolrespectsandvaluesthefamiliesbeliefsandwishes.

• 65.57%ofparentsstronglyagreethattheschoolprovidesasafeandcaringenvironmentfortheirchild.

• 83.34%ofparentsagreeorstronglyagreethattheyfeeltheycanparticipateindecisionsthataffecttheirchildatschool.

Policyrequirements

Aboriginaleducation

Aboriginaleducationandculturalawarenessisembeddedthroughoutallteachingandlearningprogramsacrosstheschool.StudentsparticipateinvariouscreativeandperformingartsprogramswiththelocalAboriginalcommunity,resultinginstrongandvaluedpartnerships.ItisourongoingprivilegetoshowcasetheartworkoflocalAboriginalartists,aswellasstudentsfromschoolsacrosstheBlueMountainsashostschoolfortheannualReconciliationArtExhibition.

MulticulturalEducationandAnti-racism

Multiculturalperspectivesareembeddedinteachingand learning programs across all stages. StudentsparticipatedinHarmonyDay,WearitPurpleDayandnumerous other days in order to acknowledge andcelebratediversitywithinourschoolcommunityandbeyond. The school HSIE scope and sequenceensures that students’ perspectives are broadenedand appreciation of diverse cultural heritagesencouraged.