st andrews primary school, marayong

St Andrews Primary School, MarayongPO Box 4010, Marayong 2148Principal: Mr Michael TonnetPhone: 9671 6622 Fax: 9676 3048Email: [email protected]://www.standrewspsmarayong.catholic.edu.au

mailto: [email protected]

http://www.standrewspsmarayong.catholic.edu.au

Introduction

About the Annual School ReportSt Andrews Primary School is registered by the Board of Studies Teaching and EducationalStandards (BOSTES) NSW, as a member of the Catholic system of schools in the Diocese ofParramatta.

The Annual School Report provides parents and the wider school community with fair, accurateand objective information about various aspects of school performance and development. TheReport describes achievement of school development priorities in 2015 and gives informationabout the 2016 priorities.

This Report is a legislative requirement under the Schools Assistance Act, 2008 and the EducationAmendment Act 2004.

The information in this Report is complemented by the school website where other schoolpublications and newsletters can be viewed or obtained from the school.

St Andrews Primary School, Marayong Page 1

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2008A00153/

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/NSWBills.nsf/0/024AF2E5E17C7B88CA256E3D0031FC35?Open&shownotes

Key Messages

PrincipalThis is the Annual School Report for St Andrews Primary School, Marayong. We provide asupportive and safe environment where children can engage in their learning and achieve thebest result possible for each student. As a Catholic school we also focus on the growth in faith ofevery student.

The children learn in modern, collaborative learning spaces where teachers work in teamssharing their expertise. Kindergarten commenced this style of teaching in 2011. Years 1 and 2, ofwhich there are four classes, operate as two pods of two classes. Our Years 3 and 4 classroomsare totally open with 110 children in each learning space. Years 5 and 6 operate as individualclassrooms.

We have specialist teachers who assist the classroom teachers in literacy and numeracy. We havechildren receiving specialist tuition in music and have a school orchestra.

For our primary students, the school's garden provides children with the opportunity toappreciate and learn about the environment.

ParentAs parents we are so pleased when we see the continual improvements taking place at StAndrews Primary School. The collaborative learning spaces provide quality learning for allstudents. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) work in the children's learninghas added much to the way our children learn. Parents are fully informed of their child'seducational progress and as parents we are consulted in many areas of the life of the school. Weare proud of what the school is achieving for our children.

StudentAs students we were honoured firstly to be elected to the Student Council. The opportunities weare given to exercise leadership with our peers is encouraged by our teachers and principal. Partof our role is to organise and present assemblies for the whole school which helps us to improveour public speaking and communication skills. There is a wide variety of opportunities forstudents to develop their skills and interests with our school orchestra, the school garden andcommunity outreach, and visits to the nursing home and local shopping centre for variousperformances to showcase our improving skills.


Who we are

History of the schoolIn 1957 the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in conjunction with Fr Kenneth Byrneestablished a school known as Holy Family, on Quakers Road, Marayong. In 1965 the schoolmoved to its present site. The first lay principal arrived in 1994. Over many years, the school hascompleted rebuilding all the old rooms that were built in the early life of the school. Wecommenced with our school library, followed by the school administration building. In 2008, weremoved eight old portable classrooms and built four open-learning areas. In 2010, wecompleted our new open-learning areas for Year 3 and Year 4. A major addition was the finishingof the Building the Education Revolution (BER) project, with the completion of the school hallable to seat 800 people.

Location/drawing areaSt Andrews Primary School is a four stream primary school with a student population of 764students. Located in Marayong, the student population is culturally diverse with children frommany different countries attending our school. Students are drawn from Marayong, Woodcroft,Kings Park, Plumpton, Blacktown, Glendenning and Quakers Hill. The parish we serve is St Andrewthe Apostle.


Workforce Composition

Category Numberof Staff

Number of teachers who hold teaching qualification from a higher educationinstitution within Australia or as recognised within the National Office of OverseasSkills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) guidelines

48

Number of teachers who have a bachelor degree from a higher education institutionwithin Australia or within AEI-NOOSR guidelines but lacking formal teacherqualifications

0

Number of teachers accreditated to teach Religious Education 45

Number of teachers currently undertaking accreditation to teach Religious Education 2

Number of non-teaching staff (includes teachers' aides) 17

Percentage of teachers who are indigenous 0

The average teacher attendance for 2015 93.49

Percentage of 2015 teaching staff who were retained from 2014 98

Catholic Identity and Religious Education


Catholic Identity and Religious Education

Prayer, Liturgical Life and Faith ExperiencesSt Andrews Primary demonstrates a vibrant and meaningful liturgical and prayer life whichinvolves the whole school community. There is a rich variety of prayer opportunities occurring atall levels within the school. Prayer is evident in many forms, both informal and formal, individualand shared. Opportunities are provided for children and staff to develop their spirituality.Opportunities for faith formation include staff prayer, reflection days, Reconciliation, grademasses, whole-school masses, liturgies and staff inservices.

Faith experiences are enriched and developed through participation in prayer and liturgy arisingfrom interaction with curriculum units, as well as the lived experience of the students. Feast daysand seasons of the church lead to a deepening of faith as students ritualise and internalise theirmeaning through Scripture, drama, story and song. Further opportunities for faith developmentarise through student involvement in school and parish masses, Reconciliation, Sacramentalprograms and visits to the church.

This is an integral part of our school community that is valued and developed for all communitymembers. We have a very close relationship with our our parish and pastors which enriches thelearning experiences for the children.

Social JusticeAs a school community, a strong emphasis is given to the gospel values of justice and equitywhich is evidenced by our outreach to the poor, the marginalised and the needy. Foodcollections, Christmas hampers and fundraising by the children are part of our extensive effortswe take to live out these values. As part of our outreach, the school supported St Vincent dePaul, Catholic Mission, Caritas and the local nursing home.

School home and parish partnershipsThe links between the school and parish are an integral aspect of school life at St AndrewsPrimary School which is evident throughout the year by our attendance at parish masses,Reconciliation and the school's involvement in the parish feast day celebrations. The mutualsupport and open communication, in close working with the parish priest, are key features of ourcommunity. St Andrews Primary School gives priority to parish events in the newsletters and staffattendance at parish functions. The school also shares its facilities with the parish for variousevents.

As a school community we make deliberate efforts to build and strengthen positive communityrelations. Parents are provided with many varied opportunities to participate in school life.Parents are invited to participate in events such as liturgies, social events, fundraising, gardening,creative arts, sporting carnivals and gala days, school committees, classrooms helpers andexcursions.

Religious EducationThe Religious Education program at St Andrews Primary School is firmly based on the ParramattaDiocesan syllabus, Sharing Our Story. The teaching of Religious Education is an integral part ofschool life. This is apparent in the use of Sharing Our Story units and the pathways in theteachers' programs, children's workbooks and classroom displays. Formal Religious Educationlessons are taught daily. Lessons incorporate aspects of our Catholic tradition. Masses areplanned by the staff with the assistance of the Religious Education coordinator.

Staff have been inserviced on shared Christian praxis and have implemented this refinedunderstanding in the religious education units in the classroom. During the year, opportunitiesand resources were provided for staff to develop further knowledge of their faith through theprayer and reflection days. As a staff, we set aside one staff development day each year forreflection.


Professional Learning of staff in Religious EducationStaff have been inserviced on shared Christian praxis and have implemented this refinedunderstanding in the religious education units in the classroom. During the year, opportunitiesand resources were provided for staff to develop further knowledge of their faith through theprayer and reflection days. As a staff, we set aside one staff development day each year forreflection.


Learning and Teaching

National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)Students in Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9 across Australia participated in National AssessmentProgram – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in May 2015. The purpose of this test is to provideinformation to parents and teachers about the achievements of students in aspects of Literacyand Numeracy. The test provides a measure of the student’s performance against establishedstandards and against other students in Australia. Each year the results are analysed by theschool to inform teaching and learning with a view to improving student performance.

The Commonwealth Government sets minimum acceptable standards for literacy, numeracy,reading, writing, grammar, punctuation and spelling at particular ages. These are referred to asnational minimum standards. Student performance in NAPLAN in our school is compared tothese standards. The percentages of students achieving at or above these national minimumstandards, and the percentages of students in the top three bands are reported in the tablebelow.

NAPLAN RESULTS 2015

% of students at or abovenational minimum

standard

% of students in top threebands

School Australia School Australia

Year3

Grammar and Punctuation 98 94 83 73

Literacy 96 95 79 72

Reading 98 95 74 71

Writing 100 96 93 76

Spelling 99 93 73 65

Numeracy 98 94 66 61

NAPLAN RESULTS 2015

% of students at or abovenational minimum

standard

% of students in top threebands

School Australia School Australia

Year5

Grammar and Punctuation 99 93 66 61

Literacy 98 93 68 57

Reading 99 93 70 58

Writing 97 92 42 52

Spelling 97 93 77 61

Numeracy 99 95 59 56

The school is currently in a real growth phase of improvement in both literacy and numeracy. Theschool's focus on professional learning for staff, alignment and consistency of teaching practices,and a restructure of our learning support throughout the school has led to a huge improvement


in our NAPLAN results. We expect our results to continue to improve as we embed these newpractices and procedures into our learning agenda.

School curriculumOur school follows all curriculum requirements set out by the Board of Studies, Teaching andEducational Standards (BOSTES) in NSW. We also allocate the correct number of minutes percurriculum to Key Learning Areas (KLAs) as required by the BOSTES. We have many othercurriculum units that are taught in addition to the BOS requirements. The first of these isReligious Education as mentioned earlier, as well as the following:

schools Strings Orchestra for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6learning support for for all students who require specific assistanceReading RecoveryExtending Mathematical Understanding �(EMU) to support teachers

St Andrews Primary School has a Transition program for children starting Kindergarten. Thisprogram enables staff to evaluate children and their achievements effectively, as well as theirareas of need. We were able to identify children with specific needs. The program was evaluatedand received positive acclaim from parents and teachers. The Transition program will continue,helping us prepare for the entry of our Kindergarten children.

We also joined with St Andrews College in the Transition program of our Year 6 children to Year7. This program provided us with accurate information on the achievement of all our children asthey finished their education in Year 6.

The school is involved in a number of co-curricular activities including:dramaVoice of YouthParents As Tutors programSt Andrews Primary School orchestra

Initiatives to promote respect and responsibilityIn order to promote respect and responsibility, the school holds dearly to our three school rules:1. We make safe and loving choices.2. We respect the rights and feelings of others.3. We take care of all property.

We support this further with our weekly student of the week award, presented at our schoolassembly. We have St Andrews Primary School awards which are presented at a whole-schoolassembly three times per term. We have our student council which consists of boys and girlselected by their peers. We also have our sports captains and vice-captains who set a positiveexample to all children. At the end of the year we have our principal awards and graduationceremony. Our children look forward to these rewards and they realise they are rewarded forgood work and responsible behaviour.

Professional LearningThe staff at St Andrews Primary School are themselves committed to lifelong learning and takeopportunities to share professional dialogue and best practice with colleagues. During 2015, wedeveloped a whole-school approach to literacy and numeracy practices.

During 2015, the school continued to develop and refine our Focus 160 program and theExtending Mathematical Understanding program so much of the professional learning for staffwas based around this learning. All professional learning focuses on our main goal of improvingchildren's literacy and numeracy.


School Improvement

Annual school prioritiesPriority 1 To deepen the knowledge and understanding of the Gospel of Mark

Reason for priority 1 Religious Literacy Assessment (RLA) data indicated Scripture continuedto be an area that needed deeper exploration by students and staffand, as it was Year B, Mark’s Gospel was our focus Scripture.

Steps taken to achievepriority 1

teachers to display doctrinal statements linking them toScriptureunpacking Scripture using intentional teaching of Scripturestrategies (reading passages before and after forcontext/placement within Bible)use of learning intentions and success criteria for Scripture-based activitiesintroduction of Lectio Divina practice for exploring Scriptureselection of Mark’s Scripture from Sharing Our Story (SOS) unit(preferred)

Status of priority 1 Ongoing reflection strategies are being developed.

Priority 2 All children to make expected growth in comprehension - minimumone year growth in Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading (PAT-R)and comprehension clusters

Reason for priority 2 NAPLAN/PAT-R data indicated that we needed to improve theconsistency of practice in connecting ideas and inferentialcomprehension.


making learning specific through learning intentions and successcriteriausing the agreed Instructional practices of shared and guidedreading consistentlyteaching comprehension strategies - activating prior knowledge,making connections, questioning, visualising, inferring,summarising, synthesising, using strategies togetherusing data to inform teaching

Status of priority 2 Ongoing professional learning taking place


Priority 3 All students to achieve expected growth in numeracy supported bymathematical instructional practices aligned, consistent and monitoredin each learning space

Reason for priority 3 During instructional walks we had observed that the instructionalpractices in the learning spaces were inconsistent. NAPLAN dataindicated that we needed to improve the consistency of practice ineach learning space.


Teachers to be:discussing and analysing student work samples to identify nextteaching/learning stepsreferring to the learning intention throughout all stages of theMathematics sessionacknowledging co-constructed success criteria achieved bystudents throughout Mathematics sessionconnecting 'all the Mathematics' within open-ended tasks

Status of priority 3 Ongoing professional learning


Projected school prioritiesPriority 1 For all students to have a deeper understanding of sacred Scripture

specifically to Luke's Gospel and its application to The Sacraments, asevidenced by an improvement in classroom assessment data

Reason for Priority 1 Historical Year 4 and Year 6 Religious Literacy Assessment data onScripture and Sacraments has been used to determine the focus onSacraments. We plan to maintain current growth in Scripture andincrease the growth in Sacrament to be above diocesan average.

Steps to be taken toachieve Priority 1

Teachers will:increase their own understanding of Scripture and theSacramentsparticipate in the Lectio Divina at fortnightly staff prayerdevelop an understanding of Lectio Divinarevise Religious Education (RE) units throughout 2016 - targetingScripture, word wall word banks, learning intentions and successcriteria, warm upslearn the background and context of the Scripture passagesused in SOS units

Priority 2 By the end of November, 90% of children Kindergarten to Year 6 (K-6)will make expected growth in reading comprehension: a minimum ofone year's growth determined by text Levels, PAT-R and/or Departmentof Education and Communities (DEC) Continuum.

Reason for Priority 2 Current data shows that around 40% of our students are not makingexpected growth in PAT-R and NAPLAN. When observing item analysisin NAPLAN we found that our greatest difference between national andschool was vocabulary.


Teachers will:name the learning intention and build the success criteria basedon the syllabus and reading and comprehension clustersimplement the agreed practices from the core English documentwithin their literacy blockobserve each other implementing guided reading, readers circleand reciprocal teachingparticipate in professional learning that builds understandingabout word consciousness


Priority 3 By November 2016 all students to achieve the expected growth pointsin each of the Mathematical domains and to reduce the percentage ofstudents who are vulnerable in one or more domains in number

Reason for Priority 3 NAPLAN data and Mathematics Assessment Interviews(MAIs) indicate that we need to improve the consistency of practice intracking and moving all students through the growth points. The MAISpecialist Teacher Report 2015 on Assisting Mathematically VulnerableStudents highlighted the need to reduce the percentage of studentswho are not reaching the grade way points.


Teachers willdiscuss student work samples to make judgements aboutgrowth point achievementindicate growth points in programconstruct electronic data wallsphysical data walls to be displayed in teacher hub of at risk andvulnerable studentsconduct case management meetings around Mathematicsconduct parent workshop in Mathematicsbe supported by EMU teachers' programs that reflect themathematical instructional practices

Community Satisfaction


Community Satisfaction

Parent satisfactionDuring 2015, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta engaged insight SRC to conduct theQuality Catholic Schooling (QCS) survey to provide feedback from parents, students and staffabout our school. This survey is conducted annually.

The QCS data collected and reported showed that parents believed that teachers wereapproachable and that the learning focus, the management of student behaviour and thetransition program were all areas of strength for St Andrews Primary School.

Student satisfactionThe Quality Catholic Schools data showed that the students of St Andrews Primary School had astrong connectedness to the school and had strong relationships with their teachers. Thestudents had a strong motivation to improve their learning and felt that the learning waspurposeful and stimulating.

Teacher satisfactionThe Quality Catholic Schools data showed an improvement from the 2014 results which was verypleasing. The areas of teamwork, parent partnerships, teacher confidence, engaging practice andquality teaching all showed improvement over the 2014 results. This was achieved throughimproved access to professional learning experiences for all staff. The aspects for improvementneeded for staff related to the high work demands. We will endeavour to address this in ourmeetings during 2016 to see if we can find more efficient ways to complete the many tasksrequired to meet the work demands.


Student Profile

Enrolment PolicySt Andrews Primary School follows the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP)Enrolment Policy and Procedures. This document can be obtained from the school office or can beaccessed on the CEDP website http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/policy-central

Current and previous years' student enrolmentYear Boys Girls Total

2013 385 374 759

2014 386 365 751

2015 377 342 719

Our enrolment continues a downward trend but with new housing developments starting in thevicinity of the school we expect the enrolment to stabilise and perhaps show some increase.

Student attendance ratesThe table below shows the percentage of student attendance by Year level and school average.

Kindergarten 93

Year 1 95

Year 2 93

Year 3 94

Year 4 94

Year 5 94

Year 6 93

School Average 94

Characteristics of the student bodyThe table below shows the number of students in each of the categories listed.

Language background other than English (LBOTE) 507

Students with disablities (SWD) 61

Indigenous 6

Managing Student Non-attendanceRegular attendance at school is essential if students are to maximise their potential. Schools inpartnership with parents and guardians, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance ofstudents. The compulsory schooling age is 6-17. Parents and guardians are legally responsible forthe regular attendance of their children, explaining the absences of their children in writingwithin several days to the school, and taking measures to resolve attendance issues involvingtheir children. School staff as part of their duty of care, monitor part or whole day absences.


http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/policy-central

They maintain accurate records of students' attendance, follow up unexplained absencesthrough written and verbal communication, implement programs and practices to addressattendance issues when they arise, and provide clear information to students and parentsregarding attendance requirements and the consequences of unsatisfactory attendance. Theprincipal or their delegate, may grant permission for late arrival or early departure from school,leave or exemption from attendance only in individual cases, on written request from parentsand guardians.

The principal/delegate will undertake all reasonable measures to contact parents promptly if anunexplained absence occurs. If truancy is suspected, the principal will contact theparents/guardians to ascertain the reason for the absence. If a satisfactory response is notreceived, the matter will be referred to the relevant staff at the Catholic Education Office,Diocese of Parramatta who will follow up unexplained absences as per legislative requirements.


Student wellbeing

Student welfare, discipline and anti-bullying policies and pastoral careAt St Andrews Primary School, student management follows the guidelines as set out by theCatholic Education Office. Student management is expressed through:

development of quality relationshipsprovision of satisfying learning experiencesestablishment of effective care networksprovision of experiences and structures that provide for integrated spiritual and humangrowth of students

In the day-to-day management of student behaviour and learning, the first contact is with theclassroom teacher. This is followed by interaction with the Stage coordinator, then the assistantprincipal and finally the principal. At all stages, parent involvement is encouraged and activelysought.

We have continued to add extra courses to our Welfare and Discipline policy. We recentlyintroduced the following programs:

Anti-bullying policyFriends - program for social skillsPlay and Learning Skills (PALs) - social skills program for Kindergarten children

All other policies remained unchanged from the previous year's policies. The full text of thestudent management, welfare and discipline policies can be obtained through the school'swebsite: http://www.standrewspsmarayong.catholic.edu.au/

Complaints and grievances policyThe school has formal written protocols in place to address complaints and grievances. Theseprotocols are in line with the Catholic Education, Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) ComplaintHandling policy. A copy of the school policy is available from the school office or is available onthe CEDP website http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/policy-central.

There were no changes to the policy during 2015.


Section Eleven: Financial Statement

Income Expenditure

Commonwealth (62.8%)Capital (0%)State (21.7%)Fees (13.1%)Other (2.4%)

Capital (2.5%)Salary (76.8%)Non-Salary (20.7%)

RECURRENT and CAPITAL INCOME

Commonwealth Recurrent Grants1 $5,227,534

Government Capital Grants 2 $0

State Recurrent Grants 3 $1,808,141

Fees and Private Income 4 $1,093,707

Other Capital Income 5 $200,906

Total Income $8,330,288

RECURRENT and CAPITAL EXPENDITURE

Capital Expenditure 6 $194,857

Salaries and Related Expenses 7 $5,997,504

Non-Salary Expenses 8 $1,616,600

Total Expenditure $7,808,961

1. Commonwealth relates to Commonwealth Recurrent Grants including per capita fundingand special purpose grants.

2. Capital relates to Government Capital Grants.3. State relates to State Recurrent Grants including per capita funding, interest subsidy and

special purpose grants.4. Fees relates to diocesean and school based fees, excursions and other private income

from fundraisers.5. Other refers to Other Capital Income including drawdowns from the Diocesean School

Building Fund to fund Capital Expenditure.6. Capital refers to Capital Expenditure including School Buildings, Furniture and Equipment.7. Salaries refers to the total of all Salaries, allowances and related expenses such as

superannuation, workers compensation and leave.8. Non-Salary refers to all other Non-Salary Recurrent Expenses.

13.1%

21.7%

62.8%

■■■■■

20.7%

76.8%

■■■


st andrews primary school, marayong

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