Franklin Early Childhood School

Annual School Board Report

2016

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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, 2016

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

The school website is http://www.fecs.act.edu.au.

Inquiries about this publication should be directed to:

Franklin Early Childhood School
135 Oodegeroo Avenue
Franklin ACT 2913

General enquiries:

Telephone (02) 61421110

Contents

School Board Chair Report	2

Context	2

Student Information	2

Student enrolment	2

Student attendance	2

Staff Information	3

Teacher qualifications	3

Workforce composition	4

Volunteers	4

School Review and Development	4

School Satisfaction	5

Overall Satisfaction	5

Learning and Assessment	7

Performance in Literacy and Numeracy	7

Early years assessment	7

Performance in Other Areas of the Curriculum	8

Progress Against School Priorities in 2016	9

Financial Summary	10

Professional Learning	11

Voluntary Contributions	11

Reserves	11

Endorsement Page	12

Members of the School Board	12

School Board Chair Report

Our family has been part of the Franklin Early Childhood School community for the past four years. Starting school is something that parents and children learn how to navigate together and the staff at Franklin Early Childhood School has made that journey easy for all of our family members.

When we were looking for preschools, we chose Franklin for the convenience of before and after school care for our child. As working parents, that is important to us. However, we chose to stay at Franklin beyond preschool and through to Year 2 because the values of the school fit with our family values. We love the fact that the school is small, inclusive and diversity is celebrated. And importantly, we feel confident that if we had any issues the staff, both executive and teaching, would explore them with us. It has also been wonderful to watch the school grow and still maintain those values and commitment to the students and families.

There is strong communication between the school and families and we love the environment. We will be sad to leave the school at the end of this year as my child is in Year 2 and will need to transition to Year 3 at another school. However, we are grateful for the opportunity to build such a fantastic foundation for the early years of our child's schooling.

As I working parent, I value the opportunity to be participate in decision making as the Board Chair. It gives me the opportunity to build relationships, provides a deeper insight into the school and enables me to have input.

Context

Franklin Early Childhood School was in its fourth year of operation in 2016 and as in previous years our student numbers continued to grow. With no designated priority enrolment area (PEA) students are drawn from many suburbs across the Gungahlin area, with the greatest percentage of families living in Franklin and Harrison. In addition the linguistic and cultural background of our community is representative of 39 various language and cultures.

FECS continues to grow towards capacity and the expectation and projections indicate that in 2017 all available classrooms will be accommodated with students. To support this realisation the school continues to invest in resources to support growth in numbers and the requirements of our student body.

As an early childhood school we provide, in addition to classes for preschool to year 2, access to child care services for children prior to school entry and after school care; parent support and education through the coordinated efforts of all members of the team and often led by the Community Coordinator and targeted services and support for children and families with specific needs.

The existing partnership with ANGLICARE, the on-site childcare provider, continues to grow and the principle of early childhood education and care is evidenced by the rich and rewarding relationship between the two arms of the school. The learning and development of each child sits at the heart of the two organisations with family support and participation; integrated service delivery and high quality learning being the core elements of the work of all of us.

Student Information

Student enrolment

In 2016 there were a total of 145 students enrolled at this school.

Table: 2016 Student Enrolment Breakdown

Group	Number of Students
Male	74
Female	71
Indigenous	0
LBOTE	84

Source: Planning and Analytics, December 2016

Student attendance

The following table identifies the attendance rate of students by year level during 2016. 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: 2016 Attendance rates in Percentages

Year Level	Attendance Rate %
K	94.0
1	94.0
2	93.0

Source: Planning and Analytics, December 2016

The management of student attendance is based upon the principles of good communication. Families are informed via the newsletter, school information sessions, family enrolment meetings and individual year group information sessions of the organisation of the day and the expectations of student attendance. The front office informs staff of known student absence and teachers are expected to make contact with families if a student has been absent for two or more days in a row and the family has not communicated this to the school.

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 2016.

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

Table: 2016 Qualification of Teaching Staff in Percentages

Qualifications	% Teaching Staff
Certificate/Diploma/Degree	100
Postgraduate	47

Source: Teacher Quality Institute, 16 December 2016

Workforce composition

The 2016 workforce composition of [INSERT SCHOOL NAME] 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.

Table: 2016 Workforce Composition Numbers

Staff Employment Category	Total
Teaching Staff: Head Count	12
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent	11.6
Non Teaching Staff: Head Count	5
Non Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent	4

Source: This data is from the 2016 August census date and is calculated using the parameters provided by the ABS.

Note: This table does not include pre-school staffing.

There is one indigenous staff member at this school.

Volunteers

The estimated number of hours volunteers worked with the school during 2016 was 400 hours.

School Review and Development

In 2016, 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 new 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.

The introduction of a revised External School Review process in 2016 represented a significant change for the system. It is now a five-year cycle with an External School Review at the end, based partly on the school’s self-evaluation of their progress documented in a Summative Report and substantially on the findings of External Review Panels when in schools. External Review Panels now include an external school review expert as the panel chair and an experienced system principal.

Franklin Early Childhood School will be reviewed in 2018. This is the first time that FECS has been reviewed so there are no previous validation reports.

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 2016 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 2016, 95% of parents and carers, 100% of staff, and 0% 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.

The results for the 19 staff who took part in the survey are tabled below.

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

National Opinion Item	(%)
Teachers at this school expect students to do their best.	100
Teachers at this school provide students with useful feedback about their school work.	84
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	84
This school is well maintained.	100
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.	95
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	63
Students like being at this school.	100
This school looks for ways to improve.	68
This school takes staff opinions seriously.	42
Teachers at this school motivate students to learn.	95
Students’ learning needs are being met at this school.	84
This school works with parents to support students' learning.	79
I receive useful feedback about my work at this school.	37
Staff are well supported at this school.	42

Source: 2016 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2016

The results for the 44 parents who took part in the survey are tabled below.

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

National Opinion Item	(%)
Teachers at this school expect my child to do his or her best.	100
Teachers at this school provide my child with useful feedback about his or her school work.	91
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	95
This school is well maintained.	100
My child feels safe at this school.	98
I can talk to my child’s teachers about my concerns.	100
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	91
My child likes being at this school.	98
This school looks for ways to improve.	93
This school takes parents’ opinions seriously.	93
Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.	98
My child is making good progress at this school.	95
My child's learning needs are being met at this school.	93
This school works with me to support my child's learning.	86

Source: 2016 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2016

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.

The following table shows the comparison of the school against the ACT on raw scores in reading and mathematics.

Table: Franklin Early Childhood School PIPS 2016 mean raw scores

School	ACT
Start	End	Start	End
Reading	50	124	49	121
Mathematics	38	56	39	54

Source: Planning and Analytics

Performance in Other Areas of the Curriculum

The teaching of science and scientific literacy continues to be an area of strength for the school. K-2 students’ inquiry skills and understanding of science as a human endeavour are developed as they engage in science understanding across the four key strands of biological sciences, chemical sciences, Earth and space sciences and physical sciences. Primary Connections Science units are taught each term and reported upon in semesters one and two.

During 2016 Humanities and Social Sciences was a curriculum focus area for the school. Using Understanding by Design as a planning framework, staff developed a sequence of HASS inquiry units of work for K-2 students. Staff who attended the Directorate’s Gifted and Talented workshops led teams to embed differentiation into the units by layering tasks using the Williams model. All units were published in the FECS Learning Map and will be taught and refined during 2017.

A highlight of learning in arts was our participation in a term long dance program and parent open morning facilitated for our students by the Footsteps Dance Company. During NAIDOC Week, a team of teachers worked closely with Indigenous staff from the Gungahlin Child and Family Centre to provide extensive learning across the arts curriculum around ways of presenting and representing knowledge, traditions and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples.

Our preschool students were part of the ELLA (Early Languages Learning Australia) program for the second year and our chosen language was Mandarin. One teacher represented Franklin at professional learning around the project in Melbourne.

Classes participated in the Fresh Tastes Program as part of our health and physical education learning. Two P-2 sports days were held during the year and we utilised the assistance of year 11 and 12 students from Gungahlin College to assist with the organisation of the day. Learn to Swim programs were held for all K-2 students at the AIS and Gungahlin Pools.

Progress Against School Priorities in 2016

Below is Franklin Early Childhood School’s 2016 Annual Action Plan Report (AAPR) in pdf and MS Word formats. The AAPR details the priorities and targets of the school for 2016. Progress against priorities and targets, and methodologies for measuring progress, are also described. Double click on the icon of your choice to open the report.

If you cannot open the document check to make sure you have clicked the yellow ‘Enable All Features’ menu that may have appeared at the top of your page. Please contact the school for an electronic or hard copy should none of these options work.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat you can download the free Reader version here (large download).

Double-click the icon below to access the Adobe PDF version

Double-click the icon below to access the Microsoft Word version

Note to school: If providing the Annual School Board Report (ASBR) in hard copy please provide a printed copy of the above Annual Action Plan Report and append it to the ASBR.

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.

Financial Summary
INCOME January to June July to December January to December Self management funds 207094.00 152393.20 359487.20 Voluntary contributions 11900.00 9805.00 21705.00 Contributions & donations 545.00 58.00 603.00 Subject contributions 7327.50 5678.50 13006.00 External income (including community use) 10008.41 27115.81 37124.22 Proceeds from sale of assets 0.00 0.00 0.00 Bank Interest 8297.64 7581.39 15879.03 TOTAL INCOME 245172.55 202631.90 447804.45 EXPENDITURE Utilities and general overheads 47231.22 54534.51 101765.73 Cleaning 30116.50 43739.75 73856.25 Security 0.00 0.00 0.00 Maintenance 15240.20 9977.06 25217.26 Administration 14067.67 9449.15 23516.82 Staffing 0.00 0.00 0.00 Communication 9323.23 2005.09 11328.32 Assets 7674.38 10333.80 18008.18 Leases 4075.20 0.00 4075.20 General office expenditure 22536.19 12092.86 34629.05 Educational 24527.03 36624.15 61151.18 Subject consumables 2882.93 8062.68 10945.61 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 177674.55 186819.05 364493.60 OPERATING RESULT 67498.00 15812.85 83310.85 Actual Accumulated Funds 269727.10 203427.10 234227.10 Outstanding commitments (minus) -35494.32 0.00 -35494.32 BALANCE 301730.78 219239.95 282043.63

Professional Learning

The average professional learning expenditure at the school level per full time equivalent teacher was $3000

Voluntary Contributions

The funds listed were used to support the general operations of the school. The spending of $17 800 in voluntary contributions is in line with the approved budget for 2016.

Reserves

Name and Purpose	Amount	Expected Completion
Literacy Resources: For the provision of additional resources to supplement the growth in student numbers and the need to ensure resources meet the needs of the diverse student body	$10 000	December 2017
Garden Maintenance and Refurbishment: The extensive gardens and plantings across the school require ongoing maintenance. This reserve enables the school to continue to be maintained.	$10 000	December 2017
Photocopier: This reserve has been in place since FECS opened in 2013.	$15 000	July 2017
Professional Learning Communities: For Franklin to support the Education Directorate’s commitment to PLC and the expectations to develop a cohesive and aligned PLC at the school level we have a reserve that is in place to provide training and support to staff.	$11 200	December 2017
Staffing: Enhances options for flexible programming and delivery and additional employment of staff to support the diverse needs of our student body.	$75 000	December 2017
BSO : To complement the role of the BSO the finds enable the purchase of equipment that supports the role of the BSO across the early childhood school site, including ANGLICARE	$7 000	December 2017
Playground markings: Enhance opportunities for students to interact with the outdoor play areas in a more dynamic way	$3 500	December 2017
Music: The addition of a specialist music teacher in 2017 increases the need for specialised instruments and other musical paraphernalia	$5 000	December 2017
Numeracy: For the provision of additional resources to supplement the growth in student numbers and the need to ensure resources meet the needs of the diverse student body	$7 500	December 2017
Stage Crafting: Investing in materials that support staging activities indoors and outdoors.	$7500	December 2017

Endorsement Page

I declare that the Franklin Early Childhood School Board has operated in accordance with the provisions of the ACT Education Act 2004 including the following sections.

39	(4)	The school board must give effect to the chief executive’s directions.

44	(2)	The chief executive must end the appointment of a member of the school board of a public school, other than the principal of the school if:

a)	the member is absent from 3 consecutive meetings of the board without reasonable excuse or leave given by the board or

b)	contravenes section 49 (disclosure of interests by members of school boards) without reasonable excuse.

46	The members of the school board of a public school must, whenever is necessary, nominate a member of the board as a member of any selection panel established by the chief executive to make recommendations to the chief executive about the appointment of the principal to the school.

47	(2)	However, the school board must meet at least four times a year.

48	(10)	The school board must keep minutes of its meeting.

49	Disclosure of interests by members of school boards.

49	(3)	The disclosure must be reported in the school board’s minutes and, unless the board otherwise decides, the member (The first member) must not:

a)	be present when the board considers the issue or

b)	take part in any decision of the board on the issue.

49	(5)	Within 14 days after the end of each financial year, the chairperson of the school board must give the chief executive a statement of any disclosure of interest under this section in relation to the school board during the financial year.

Members of the School Board

Parent Representative(s):	Scott Trim	Kerry Prosser	Rebecca Jeremenko
Community Representative(s):	Annette Evans
Teacher Representative(s):	Brydi Ashton	Robyn Strangward
Student Representative(s):	N/A
Board Chair:	Rebecca Jeremenko
Principal:	Julie Cooper

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 2016.

Principal Signature:	______________________________	Date:	19 / 06 / 2017

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

Board Chair Signature:	______________________________	Date:	19 / 06 / 2017