Harrison School

Annual School Board Report

2018

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This report supports the work being done in the ACT Education Directorate, as outlined in Strategic Plan 2018-21: A Leading Learning Organisation.

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© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, 2018

Material in this publication may be reproduced provided due acknowledgement is made.

Contents

Reporting to the community1

Summary of School Board activity1

School Context1

Student Information2

Student enrolment2

Student attendance2

Supporting attendance and managing non-attendance3

Staff Information3

Teacher qualifications3

Workforce composition3

School Review and Development3

School Satisfaction4

Overall Satisfaction4

Learning and Assessment6

Performance in Literacy and Numeracy6

Early years assessment6

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Financial Summary7

Voluntary Contributions8

Reserves8

Endorsement Page11

Members of the School Board11

Reporting to the community

School report to communities in range of ways, including through:

Annual School Board Reports

a (5-year) School Improvement Plan (formerly School Strategic Plan)

annual Impact Reports/ Annual Action Plan Reports

newsletters

other sources such as My School.

Summary of School Board activity

The Harrison School Board met on four occasions during 2018 to discuss and monitor the school’s financial management and progress towards strategic goals.

School Context

Harrison School is a large preschool to year 10 (P-10) school in the Gungahlin area of northern Canberra. The school opened in 2008 as a preschool to year 6 (P-6) school with an enrolment of approximately 300 students and expanded to include years 7-10 incrementally from 2011-2014. The school has continued to grow and with an enrolment of almost 1700 it is the second largest public school in the ACT. A strength of the school is its diverse population, with a large number of students coming from language backgrounds other than English and a significant number coming from Australian Defence Force families.

Harrison School operates with a values focus and a strong sense of community. The Harrison School values of respect, inclusion, team work, integrity, resilience and endeavour continue to shape all actions and interactions across the P-10 school. Harrison is adopting a model of Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL) in 2019 to clarify how our values look in action across the school. Our PBL expectations are:

We are respectful

We are responsible

We are learners

The school is physically designed to be inclusive for all students through offering a variety of learning spaces and accessible buildings. It supports our student-centred philosophy of learning and our model of inclusion. Classes and other learning groups are multi-aged with a focus on personalising learning through helping students understand themselves as learners and supporting their social development. During 2013-2017 an embedded focus on inquiry learning was implemented across all year levels from kindergarten to year 10, promoting greater ownership of learning by students. Our ‘one school’ philosophy enables strong transitions for students as they traverse their learning journey.

Our preschool curriculum aligns with the National Early Years Learning Framework through a collaborative and play-based program. The school was an early implementer of the Australian Curriculum and all learning programs from kindergarten to year 10 are based on this.

ICT has featured heavily at the school since 2011, initially through all years 7-10 students using personal electronic devices to enrich their learning. Increased use of ICT for our primary aged students has occurred through the use of Google Apps for Education and a focus on developing student digital portfolios.

Student Information

Student enrolment

In 2018 there were a total of 1,675 students enrolled at this school.

Table: 2018 Student enrolment

Student type	Number of students
Male	858
Female	817
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander	46
LBOTE*	785

*Language Background Other Than English

Source: Analytics and Evaluation, December 2018

Student attendance

The following table identifies the attendance rate of students by year level during 2018. 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: 2018 Attendance rates in percentages*

Year level	Attendance rate
1	91.0
2	92.0
3	92.0
4	91.0
5	91.0
6	90.0
7	89.0
8	89.0
9	87.0
10	83.0

Source: Analytics and Evaluation, December 2018

* Attendance data for 2018 have been derived from a school administration system in the process of implementation. Care should be taken when comparing these data with data from previous years and from other jurisdictions.

Supporting attendance and managing non-attendance

All ACT public schools put into effect the education participation requirements in the Education Act 2004 and the responsibilities of schools in relation to compulsory education. The Education Directorate’s Education Participation (Enrolment and Attendance) Policy describes its position with regard to supporting attendance and managing non-attendance. A suite of procedures supports the implementation of the policy. Please refer to https://www.education.act.gov.au/ for further details.

Staff Information

Teacher qualifications

All teachers at this school meet the professional requirements for teaching in an ACT public school. The ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) specifies two main types of provision for teachers at different stages of their career, these are detailed below.

Full registration is for teachers with experience working in a registered school in Australia or New Zealand who have been assessed as meeting the Proficient level of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Provisional registration is for newly qualified teachers or teachers who do not have recent experience teaching in a school in Australia and New Zealand. Many teachers moving to Australia from another country apply for Provisional registration.

Workforce composition

Workforce composition for the year of reporting is highlighted in the following table. The data is taken from the school’s verified August staffing report. For reporting purposes it incorporates all school staff including preschools, staff absent for a period of less than four consecutive weeks and staff replacing staff absent for more than four consecutive weeks. It does not include casuals and staff absent for a period of four consecutive weeks or longer.

The Education Directorate is required to report Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff figures. As of June 2018, 101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members were employed across the Directorate.

Table: 2018 Workforce composition numbers

Staff employment category	TOTAL
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Permanent	86.42
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Temporary	18.80
Non Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent	36.65

Source: This data is from the 2018 August census date and is calculated using the parameters provided by the ABS.

School Review and Development

The ACT Education Directorate’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021 provides the framework and strategic direction for School Improvement Plans (formerly School Strategic Plans). 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.

Our school will be reviewed in 2022. A copy of the most recent validation report can be found on our school website.

School Satisfaction

Schools use a range evidence to gain an understanding of the satisfaction levels of their parents and carers, staff and students. In August/ September of this reporting period ACT schools undertook a survey to gain an understanding of school satisfaction at that time. This information was collected from Staff, parents and students from year 5 and above (with the exception of students in special schools) through an online survey.

Overall Satisfaction

In 2018, 77% of parents and carers, 85% of staff, and 64% of students at this school indicated they were satisfied with the education provided by the school.

Included in the survey were 16 staff, 14 parent, and 12 student items which are described as the national opinion 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, students and staff who agreed with each of the national opinion items at this school.

A total of 133 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.	91
Teachers give useful feedback.	71
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	89
This school is well maintained.	73
Students feel safe at this school.	81
Students at this school can talk to their teachers about their concerns.	88
Parents at this school can talk to teachers about their concerns.	91
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	46
Students like being at this school.	85
This school looks for ways to improve.	77
This school takes staff opinions seriously.	48
Teachers at this school motivate students to learn.	85
Students’ learning needs are being met at this school.	72
This school works with parents to support students' learning.	77
Staff get quality feedback on their performance	48
Staff are well supported at this school.	56

Source: 2018 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2018

*Prior to 2018, the item wording and placement was slightly different.

A total of 781 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.	86
Teachers give useful feedback.	70
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	83
This school is well maintained.	86
My child feels safe at this school.	86
I can talk to my child’s teachers about my concerns.	90
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	66
My child likes being at this school.	86
This school looks for ways to improve.	75
This school takes parents’ opinions seriously.	66
Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.	79
My child is making good progress at this school.	75
My child's learning needs are being met at this school.	73
This school works with me to support my child's learning.	72

Source: 2018 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2018

*Prior to 2018, the item wording and placement was slightly different.

A total of 517 students responded to the survey. Please note that not all responders answered every question.

Table: Proportion of students in years 5 to 10 in agreement with each national opinion item

National opinion item	Proportion of students
My teachers expect me to do my best.	89
Teachers give useful feedback.	57
Teachers at my school treat students fairly.	51
My school is well maintained.	41
I feel safe at this school.	57
I can talk to my teachers about my concerns.	46
Student behaviour is well managed at my school.	24
I like being at my school.	63
My school looks for ways to improve.	71
Staff take students’ opinions seriously.	49
My teachers motivate me to learn.	63
My school gives me opportunities to do interesting things.	72

Source: 2018 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2018

*Prior to 2018, the item wording and placement was slightly different.

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 (or School Improvement 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. Below are the results for this school.

Table: Harrison School PIPS 2018 mean raw scores

Agency	Reading start	Reading end	Mathematics start	Mathematics end
School	45	114	38	51
ACT	49	124	39	54

Source: Analytics and Evaluation

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 mean scores achieved by students at this school compared to the ACT for this reporting period.

Table: Harrison School 2018 NAPLAN Mean Scores

Test Domain	Year 3 School	Year 3 ACT	Year 5 School	Year 5 ACT	Year 7 School	Year 7 ACT	Year 9 School	Year 9 ACT
Reading	419	441	499	518	544	549	597	593
Writing	398	411	454	460	494	501	541	539
Spelling	413	410	495	494	544	540	594	582
Grammar & Punctuation	416	438	502	510	542	549	593	592
Numeracy	399	416	490	494	550	554	603	596

Source: Analytics and Evaluation

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	747321.54	707890.53	1455212.07
Voluntary contributions	16540.00	9270.00	25810.00
Contributions & donations	5000.00	0.00	5000.00
Subject contributions	35075.52	16704.83	51780.35
External income (including community use)	103666.06	87499.97	191166.03
Proceeds from sale of assets	0.00	0.00	0.00
Bank Interest	19325.86	21463.39	40789.25
TOTAL INCOME	926928.98	842828.72	1769757.70
EXPENDITURE
Utilities and general overheads	106303.52	237057.56	343361.08
Cleaning	154649.68	167366.49	322016.17
Security	570.00	180.00	750.00
Maintenance	74669.48	82892.26	157561.74
Administration	22526.73	21900.94	44427.67
Staffing	68355.30	91636.09	159991.39
Communication	14535.14	6381.50	20916.64
Assets	26620.21	39691.55	66311.76
Leases	10118.08	16769.30	26887.38
General office expenditure	44942.62	22054.02	66996.64
Educational	118005.64	120086.89	238092.53
Subject consumables	21704.56	15213.92	36918.48
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	663000.96	821230.52	1484231.48
OPERATING RESULT	263928.02	21598.20	285526.22
Actual Accumulated Funds	350964.85	14319.79	93091.57
Outstanding commitments (minus)	-163500.48	0.00	-163500.48
BALANCE	451392.39	35917.99	215117.31

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 2018.

Reserves

Name and Purpose	Amount	Expected Completion
ICT Smartboards/equipment Repairing, replacing or purchasing new ICT hardware for learning or administration	$95, 633	12/2021
ASBA staffing Funds school component of ICT related ASBA Provides additional ICT support	$9,000	12/2018
Auto sliding doors Provide equitable access to all buildings	$40,000	02/2019
Carpets Replacement of carpet in Green and Blue buildings for safety and aesthetics	$49,588	12/2018
CES courtyard Co-contribution to building an outside learning space for Continuum of Education Support Provides an alternate learning space for years 7-10 students who are disengaged from their learning or school	$50,000	12/2018
LED lighting Upgrade of lighting to more cost-efficient LED Reduces energy usage	$30,000	12/2021
LSU courtyard Co-contribution to building an outdoor learning space for the 3-6 Learning Support Unit classroom Provides an alternate and engaging learning space for years 3-6 LSU students	$50,000	12/2018
Painting Painting of school buildings – maintenance & renewal Maintains aesthetic appeal of buildings and classrooms	$50,000	12/2021
Shade structures Shade structures for the Junior School playground Provide additional shaded space for junior students during recess and lunch and alternate outdoor learning spaces	$57,000	12/2018
Workshed Workshop and storage for Building Service Officers Provide the BSOs with a dedicated workshop to carry out maintenance/ repairs – in-house repairs are more cost effective that external providers	$50,000	12/2019
Softfall repairs Repair and eventual replacement of Softfall in playgrounds Maintain safety for students using playground equipment	$70,000	12/2021
Storage Storage addition to the rear of the gym Provide storage for chairs that will allow other storerooms to be used for sporting equipment or for hirer’s use	$50,000	12/2018
Student wellbeing program Supporting Mind Matters wellbeing program Provides resources and training to support student wellbeing (and learning associated with it)	$5,000	12/2018
Teacher professional learning Provides opportunities for teachers to develop knowledge, skills and understanding to improve their practice	$10,000	12/2018
Walkways covered Design and installation of a covered walkway between the Blue Building and Junior Performing Arts building Provides dry access to classrooms in inclement weather	$59,173	12/2018
ICT software & licences Software and licence subscriptions for learning and administrative software	$30,599	12/2018
Staffing reserve Additional funding for staffing Allow additional staff to be employed to support students and their learning or to support school administration and maintenance	$257,000	12/2018
School bus Lease payout guarantee Required as part of the lease agreement for the school bus, which allows easy transport of students	$52,500	12/2018
Senior front office renovation Reconfiguration of 7-10 front office To overcome design where people can enter or leave the school without passing the 7-10 office – school and student safety	$75,000	12/2019

Endorsement Page

Members of the School Board

Parent Representative(s):	Adele Smith,	Samantha Murray,	Rebecca Jeremenko.
Community Representative(s):	Nicholas Mortimer.
Teacher Representative(s):	Kelly Dunstan,	Ben Saunders.
Student Representative(s):	Harrison Davis,	Keely Forrest.
Board Chair:	Adele Smith.
Principal:	Jason Holmes.

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

Board Chair Signature:	Date:	19/05/2019

I certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief the evidence and information reported in this Annual School Board Report represents an accurate record of the Board’s operations during this reporting period.

Principal Signature:	Date:	24 / 05 / 2019