Aranda Primary School

Annual School Board Report

2017

Figure 1 – Aranda Primary School front entrance

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This report supports the work being done in the ACT Education Directorate, as outlined in the ‘Education Capital: Leading the Nation Strategic Plan 2014-17’.

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© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, 2017

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Contents

School Board Chair Report	1

School Context	2

Student Information	2

Student enrolment	2

Student attendance	2

Staff Information	3

Teacher qualifications	3

Workforce composition	3

School Review and Development	4

School Satisfaction	4

Overall Satisfaction	4

Learning and Assessment	6

Performance in Literacy and Numeracy	6

Early years assessment	6

NAPLAN	7

Performance in Other Areas of the Curriculum	7

Financial Summary	9

Professional Learning	10

Voluntary Contributions	10

Reserves	10

Endorsement Page	11

Members of the School Board	11

School Board Chair Report

2017 has been an eventful and interesting year for Aranda Primary. It began with the school having to use its community room and library as classrooms. This was obviously not an ideal situation, and much planning, meetings and campaigning was done during the year to try to resolve the situation - but more on this later.

The school remains an academically high-performing school and continues to be a sought after choice of many new parents, so much so that we have had to reduce the catchment area. However, this is only a part of the story as under our Principal's leadership, the school has cultivated a stimulating and enjoyable environment. The landscaping has thrived and provided great amenity, and all the extra activities run by the school from the Science Fair and Robotics club to the Running club and G Force make the school a vibrant and caring community for our children.

In June, the school ran its first Trivia night for many years, and plans are already underway for another one in 2018. Many thanks to the team with whom I worked, most notably Ilona, Simon, Jim, Helen, Petra and Janine, for putting on the event. In October, there was the highly successful biennial fete run by our very active P&C, led ably by the chief organiser Karolyn and supported by the efforts of many helpers, large and small.

And finally, stretching beyond 2017, there was the grand opening by the Minister of Education of our hard-won demountable classroom in week 2 of 2018. This was perhaps the most prominent success for the school during the year - the approval by the Education Department for a new two-room classroom to be designed and constructed within twelve months. It was the culmination of combined efforts by a number of people led from the front by our Principal Phil and Business Manager Alex (with full support of the Board) and wonderful positive activism from our P&C President Petra and other members of the school community, most notably Karen. Together, we put together a positive case for extra space required for our children so we could return the library and community room to their original purposes.

This serves as a great example of the Aranda school community and what can be accomplished when we all work together. And it doesn't stop there, with the school already beginning to upgrade its Hall and Gym. The school confidently looks forward to celebrating its half-centenary in 2019, ever improving its facilities, community culture and education outcomes for its students.

In this, my final year of my formal association with Aranda Primary School, I would like to thank the Principal and staff, fellow Board members and the parents of the P&C, Aranda Afters Association, Aranda Music Association and other committees for all their hard work and support during my time here. I wish you all the best for the future.

Donald Lowe

Aranda Primary School Board Chair 2017

School Context

Aranda Primary School opened in 1969. The school is situated in the northern suburbs of Canberra close to the city and two universities. It provides education from preschool to year 6. The preschool sits in a leafy setting overlooking the primary site. It comprises of two teaching units and offered long day sessions for three preschool classes in 2017. The Primary School consisted of 24 classes from Kindergarten to Year 6. 66 children attended Preschool and 556 children attended the Primary School from Kindergarten to Year 6 during 2017. The K-6 student population grew by 16 students in 2017. Thirty percent of Aranda families come from English as an additional language or dialect background.

Student Information

Student enrolment

In 2017 there were a total of 556 students enrolled at this school.

Table: 2017 Student enrolment

Student type	Number of students
Male	264
Female	292
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander	7
LBOTE*	197

*Language Background Other Than English

Source: Planning and Analytics, December 2017

Student attendance

The following table identifies the attendance rate of students by year level during 2017. Student attendance rate is the percentage of school days attended by students in each year level at the school. Student attendance is measured over two school terms; that is from the first day of the school year for students in term 1 to the last day of term 2.

Table: 2017 Attendance rates in percentages

Year level	Attendance rate
K	95.0
1	95.0
2	93.0
3	94.0
4	94.0
5	92.0
6	91.0

Source: Planning and Analytics, December 2017

Student non-attendance is managed by the school principal in accordance with Education and Training Directorate Policies. Class rolls are monitored by classroom teachers and team leaders. Excessive absences are reported directly to the principal; families are contacted and reminded of the expectation to attend and to provide reasonable cause for absence. Continued absence results in a formal letter from the principal and is filed on the child’s school record. Any further concerns are forwarded to appropriate agencies.

Staff Information

Teacher qualifications

All teachers meet the professional requirements for teaching in an ACT public school. The ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) has provided the following data based on teachers registered as at 16 December 2017.

The proportion of teaching staff with certificates/degrees/diplomas and a postgraduate qualification is shown below.

Table: 2017 Qualification of teaching staff in percentages

Qualifications	Proportion of staff
Certificate/ Diploma/ Degree	100
Postgraduate	24

Source: Teacher Quality Institute, 16 December 2017

Workforce composition

The 2017 workforce composition of Aranda School is highlighted in the following table. The data is taken from the school’s term 4 staff report. For reporting purposes it incorporates all school-based staff.

Table: 2017 Workforce composition numbers

Staff employment category	TOTAL
Teaching Staff: Head Count	40
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Permanent	38.60
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Temporary	0.00
Non-Teaching Staff: Head Count	10
Non-Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent	8.67

Source: This data is from the school’s term 4 2017 staff report. Data provided in previous years was sourced from the August census date and was calculated using the parameters provided by the ABS. As such, pre-2017 staffing figures may differ significantly from the above.

There are no Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members at this school.

School Review and Development

In 2017, the ACT Education Directorate’s Strategic Plan 2014-2017 provided the framework and strategic direction for the school’s Strategic Plan. This is supported by the school performance and accountability framework, ‘People, Practice and Performance: School Improvement in Canberra Public Schools, A Framework for Performance and Accountability’. This framework has school improvement at its centre, with the National School Improvement Tool (NSIT) as its core feature, providing support to achieve high standards in student learning, innovation and best practice in ACT public schools.

Prior to 2016 all ACT public schools participated in a four-year cycle of school review and development. In the fourth year schools underwent an external validation process. In 2016 this changed to a five-year cycle with an External School Review at the end.

Aranda Primary School will be reviewed in 2019. A copy of the most recent validation report can be found on the school website.

School Satisfaction

Schools use a range of data collection tools to gain an understanding of the satisfaction levels of their parents and carers, staff and students. In August/ September 2017 the school undertook a survey to gain an understanding of school satisfaction at that time. Staff, parents and students from year 5 and above (with the exception of students in special schools) took part in an online survey.

Overall Satisfaction

In 2017, 95% of parents and carers, 100% of staff, and 96% of students at this school indicated they were satisfied with the education provided by the school.

Included in the survey were 14 national parent survey items and 12 national student survey items. These items were approved by the then Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) for use from 2015. The following tables show the percentage of parents and carers and students who agreed with each of the national items at this school.

A total of 44 staff responded to the survey. Please note that not all responders answered every question.

Table: Proportion of staff in agreement with each national opinion item

National opinion item	Proportion of staff
Teachers at this school expect students to do their best.	100
Teachers at this school provide students with useful feedback about their school work.	98
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	100
This school is well maintained.	98
Students feel safe at this school.	100
Students at this school can talk to their teachers about their concerns.	100
Parents at this school can talk to teachers about their concerns.	100
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	100
Students like being at this school.	100
This school looks for ways to improve.	100
This school takes staff opinions seriously.	95
Teachers at this school motivate students to learn.	98
Students’ learning needs are being met at this school.	98
This school works with parents to support students' learning.	98
I receive useful feedback about my work at this school.	98
Staff are well supported at this school.	95

Source: 2017 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2017

A total of 357 parents responded to the survey. Please note that not all responders answered every question.

Table: Proportion of parents and carers in agreement with each national opinion item

National opinion item	Proportion of parents and carers
Teachers at this school expect my child to do his or her best.	97
Teachers at this school provide my child with useful feedback about his/her school work.	92
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	96
This school is well maintained.	95
My child feels safe at this school.	97
I can talk to my child’s teachers about my concerns.	95
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	93
My child likes being at this school.	97
This school looks for ways to improve.	97
This school takes parents’ opinions seriously.	88
Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.	93
My child is making good progress at this school.	92
My child's learning needs are being met at this school.	91
This school works with me to support my child's learning.	91

Source: 2017 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2017

A total of 138 students responded to the survey. Please note that not all responders answered every question.

Table: Proportion of students in years 5 & 6 in agreement with each national opinion item

National opinion item	Proportion of students
My teachers expect me to do my best.	98
My teachers provide me with useful feedback about my school work.	93
Teachers at my school treat students fairly.	85
My school is well maintained.	96
I feel safe at my school.	94
I can talk to my teachers about my concerns.	77
Student behaviour is well managed at my school.	86
I like being at my school.	91
My school looks for ways to improve.	97
My school takes students’ opinions seriously.	87
My teachers motivate me to learn.	91
My school gives me opportunities to do interesting things.	96

Source: 2017 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2017

This information can be considered alongside information available on the My School website (http://www.myschool.edu.au).

These results, as well as the continual review of school performance, contributed to the evaluation of our Strategic Plan and the development of Annual Action Plans. The Strategic Plan is available on the school website.

Learning and Assessment

Performance in Literacy and Numeracy

Early years assessment

Students in kindergarten undertake an on-entry assessment of their early reading and numeracy skills using the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) program. Student results are reported against five performance bands at the end of semester 1 and 2.

Table: Aranda Primary School PIPS 2017 mean raw scores

Agency	Reading start	Reading end	Mathematics start	Mathematics end
School	57	138	42	56
ACT	51	124	39	55

Source: Planning and Analytics

NAPLAN

Students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in all ACT schools participate in the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). This program assesses skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy.

In 2017, no students were exempt from testing based on nationally agreed criteria.

Results are not reported when there are fewer than five students with results. This rule is applied for reasons of statistical reliability, as well as to protect the privacy of students in small schools.

The following table shows the 2017 mean scores achieved by our students compared to the ACT.

Table: Aranda Primary School 2017 NAPLAN Mean Scores

Test Domain	Year 3 School	Year 3 ACT	Year 5 School	Year 5 ACT
Reading	499	442	552	517
Writing	427	412	498	475
Spelling	433	411	519	494
Grammar & Punctuation	504	441	551	503
Numeracy	466	417	528	496

Source: Planning and Analytics

An analysis of our NAPLAN results can be found when reporting against our priorities.

Performance in Other Areas of the Curriculum

Aranda Primary School offers a broad range of additional programs delivered by specialist teachers including French, Music, Science, STEM, Critical Literacy and Physical Education. Lunchtime clubs are also offered to students including volleyball, chess, mindfulness colouring, walking, paper art, book club, soccer, running, environmental studies, Ukulele, gardening, yoga and drawing. The lunch clubs offered vary each term. Students at Aranda Primary are also able to be a part of a junior and senior choir. These students have had the opportunity to perform within the school as well as outside at community events.

Figure 2: 2017 Athletics Carnival

In 2017, the school ran a Year 5 and a Year 6 band, a junior and a senior choir. In 2017 a toddler music program was introduced and provided early introduction to music and movement for students aged 3-4 years at 8.30am on Wednesday mornings before school in week 5 each term. The Ukulele club was also introduced in 2017 with both our music specialist and a member of the executive team involved in delivering the initiative.

During 2017 the staff at Aranda supported the after school music and arts program. 170 students were enrolled in the program which operated between 3pm and 6pm each day of the week.

The Year 5 & 6 students participated in the Footsteps dance program during Term 4 in preparation for an end of year function.

In 2017 the Aranda Primary Sports Program consisted of both competitive and non-competitive teams in several sports including AFL, Cricket, Orienteering, Swimming, Basketball, Athletics, Netball, and Cross Country. The Year 5/6 boys and girls AFL teams competed in the annual ACT James Hird Cup. Students from Years 3/4 and 5/6 competed in Jamie Pearlman and Sue Geh Cup. Both competitions are well regarded competitive basketball programs in the ACT. Year 5/6 boys and girls competed in the ACT primary schools Futsal Cup. Both teams placed 2nd for the third consecutive year. Two Aranda teachers coached a school netball team who trained and competed outside of school hours in a local competition. An Aranda parent with Volleyball expertise coached 4 school teams from Years 3-6 afterschool on Wednesdays and Fridays. These teams then competed in various competitions throughout the year on weekends. In 2017 we had representation at National level in swimming, athletics and cross-country. One staff member also managed the state hockey team that competed at the National competition in September.

Figure 3: National Tree Day

Sustainability practices remain a focus at Aranda. In 2017 we strengthened our maintenance and care practices of our nature playground. This space is an important outdoor learning area. Students are able to join groups to contribute to the care, maintenance and function of this area. We are registered in the National Solar Schools Program and as part of the school curriculum, classes are able to use the data generated form our Solar Panels and water usage to gauge our environmental impact.

The G-force committee is a student committee with subgroups that is active across the school in promoting environmental sustainability practices that include Earth Hour, Bokashi recycling, Carbon Enviro week activities, Clean Up Australia Day National Tree Day and Nude Food Day. This committee is active across the whole school population P-6 and their work was recognised with an ACT smart Schools school grounds and biodiversity accreditation. The G-force presents at every whole school assembly and keeps sustainability issues prominent.

A total of forty senior students also work with greening Australia. Each Friday groups of 12 students are rotated to perform a variety of tasks that are incorporated into the work of the Greening Australia group.

Financial Summary

The school has provided the Directorate with an end of year financial statement that was approved by the school board. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school. The following summary covers use of funds for operating costs and does not include expenditure in areas such as permanent salaries, buildings and major maintenance.

Table: Financial Summary

INCOME	January-June	July-December	January-December
Self-management funds	194783.18	221832.49	416615.67
Voluntary contributions	12500.00	8600.00	21100.00
Contributions & donations	95120.00	-77134.82	17985.18
Subject contributions	0.00	0.00	0.00
External income (including community use)	15877.13	39485.65	55362.78
Proceeds from sale of assets	2111.15	0.00	2111.15
Bank Interest	9146.34	8977.89	18124.23
TOTAL INCOME	329537.80	201761.21	531299.01
EXPENDITURE
Utilities and general overheads	40249.69	63267.47	103517.16
Cleaning	52963.20	44355.00	97318.20
Security	727.68	400.00	1127.68
Maintenance	1344.71	-13069.67	-11724.96
Administration	4402.03	6909.78	11311.81
Staffing	525.00	9713.48	10238.48
Communication	9371.63	3528.12	12899.75
Assets	4852.86	7261.88	12114.74
General office expenditure	5938.44	17633.07	23571.51
Educational	26023.26	75330.27	101353.53
Subject consumables	0.00	29.97	29.97
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	146398.50	215359.37	361757.87
OPERATING RESULT	183139.30	-13598.16	169541.14
Actual Accumulated Funds	147026.81	172496.31	172496.31
Outstanding commitments (minus)	-77318.35	0.00	-77318.35
BALANCE	252847.76	158898.15	264719.10

Professional Learning

The average professional learning expenditure at the school level per full time equivalent teacher was:

$36,019 spent on Teacher Professional Learning in total. This equates to $900 per full time equivalent teacher.

Voluntary Contributions

The funds listed were used to support the general operations of the school. The spending of voluntary contributions is in line with the approved budget for 2017.

Reserves

Name and Purpose	Amount	Expected Completion
Staffing (2017)	10000	2017
ICT Development (2017)	2150	2017
Capital Works (2017-2018)	68582.37	2018

Endorsement Page

Members of the School Board

Parent Representative(s):	Donald Lowe	Richard Saberton	Troy Heland
Community Representative(s):	Ian Harding
Teacher Representative(s):	Anastasia O’Donnell	Janine Collins
Board Chair:	Donald Lowe
Principal:	Phil Gray

I approve the report, prepared in accordance with the provision of the ACT Education Act 2004, section 52.

Board Chair Signature:	___________________________	Date:	_____ / _____ / _____

I certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief the data and information reported in this Annual School Board Report represents an accurate record of the school’s operations in 2017.

Principal Signature:	___________________________	Date:	_____ / _____ / _____