Theodore Primary School

Annual School Board Report

2017

Image: Front of school at Theodore Primary

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

Context	1

Student Information	1

Student enrolment	1

Student attendance	1

Staff Information	2

Teacher qualifications	2

Workforce composition	2

School Review and Development	3

School Satisfaction	3

Overall Satisfaction	4

Learning and Assessment	7

Performance in Literacy and Numeracy	7

Early years assessment	7

NAPLAN	7

Performance in Other Areas of the Curriculum	8

Financial Summary	9

Professional Learning	10

Voluntary Contributions	10

Reserves	10

Endorsement Page	11

Members of the School Board	11

School Board Chair Report

School Context

Theodore Primary continues to grow in enrolments. Enrolments at Theodore increased from 291 in 2016 to 321 in 2017, 67.1% of which were from within the priority enrolment area. This increase is in spite of the percentage of in-area students decreasing over the last two years. Our ICSEA score have declined marginally from 987 to 985, a downward trend which has continued over a number of years. In 2017 10% of the school population identified as Indigenous and 14% had a language background other than English.

Student Information

Student enrolment

In 2017 there were a total of 321 students enrolled at this school.

Table: 2017 Student enrolment

Student type	Number of students
Male	165
Female	156
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander	33
LBOTE*	47

*Language Background Other Than English

Source: Planning and Analytics, December 2017

At the beginning of 2017 Theodore Primary School opened the Learning Support Unit with seven students ranging from kindergarten to year 5. The school also supports 14 students in a Learning Support Centre; these students are integrated within their mainstream peer classes daily and have Individual Learning Plans to support

.

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	92.0
1	92.0
2	91.0
3	90.0
4	89.0
5	89.0
6	93.0

Source: Planning and Analytics, December 2017

The school tracks daily attendance in accordance with the ACT Education Directorate’s ‘Attendance at ACT Schools Policy’. Attendance rates continue to be high with ongoing monitoring for improvement. The school makes contact with parents regarding irregular attendance, consistent patterns of absenteeism, and unexplained absences, and invites parents and /or carers to meet to discuss how the school might support. It is important to investigate underlying cause of absenteeism in order to determine the most appropriate strategies for the school to implement. Theodore Primary also utilises our School Psychologist and School Chaplain in working with families to support school engagement.

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	30

Source: Teacher Quality Institute, 16 December 2017

The table above confirms that 100% of teaching staff at Theodore meet the professional requirements for teaching; almost one-third of the teaching staff have postgraduate qualifications.

Workforce composition

The 2017 workforce composition of Theodore Primary 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	28
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Permanent	23.00
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Temporary	3.00
Non Teaching Staff: Head Count	12
Non Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent	9.48

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 is one Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff member at this school.

The school also has strong well-developed partnerships with community organisations that provide volunteer support to our students. These include Salvation Army (Redcap); Smith family (Passport to Success, Reading for Life, Homework Club) Schools Volunteer Program Act (mentoring); Belconnen Community Services (bungee); Barnados (grants); Marymead; Winunga Health (hearing tests); ACT Dental Service (dental checks); and Occupational Therapists from University of Canberra (assessments).

Theodore also has a number of volunteers from our own parent community who give up their time to contribute to and support our school. Their contributions support such activities as breakfast club, excursion support, sports carnival support, and classroom support.

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.

Theodore Primary School will be reviewed in 2018. 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, 86% of parents and carers, 97% of staff, and 80% 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 32 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.	94
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	100
This school is well maintained.	97
Students feel safe at this school.	94
Students at this school can talk to their teachers about their concerns.	94
Parents at this school can talk to teachers about their concerns.	97
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	94
Students like being at this school.	100
This school looks for ways to improve.	97
This school takes staff opinions seriously.	97
Teachers at this school motivate students to learn.	97
Students’ learning needs are being met at this school.	91
This school works with parents to support students' learning.	97
I receive useful feedback about my work at this school.	84
Staff are well supported at this school.	94

Source: 2017 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2017

A total of 96 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.	93
Teachers at this school provide my child with useful feedback about his/her school work.	87
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	88
This school is well maintained.	96
My child feels safe at this school.	92
I can talk to my child’s teachers about my concerns.	93
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	80
My child likes being at this school.	95
This school looks for ways to improve.	92
This school takes parents’ opinions seriously.	80
Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.	87
My child is making good progress at this school.	85
My child's learning needs are being met at this school.	85
This school works with me to support my child's learning.	84

Source: 2017 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2017

A total of 79 students responded to the survey. Please note that not all responders answered every question.

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

National opinion item	Proportion of students
My teachers expect me to do my best.	97
My teachers provide me with useful feedback about my school work.	85
Teachers at my school treat students fairly.	72
My school is well maintained.	79
I feel safe at my school.	83
I can talk to my teachers about my concerns.	61
Student behaviour is well managed at my school.	46
I like being at my school.	74
My school looks for ways to improve.	89
My school takes students’ opinions seriously.	66
My teachers motivate me to learn.	79
My school gives me opportunities to do interesting things.	82

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: Theodore Primary School PIPS 2017 mean raw scores

Agency	Reading start	Reading end	Mathematics start	Mathematics end
School	45	97	39	54
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: Theodore Primary School 2017 NAPLAN Mean Scores

Test Domain	Year 3 School	Year 3 ACT	Year 5 School	Year 5 ACT
Reading	375	442	464	517
Writing	362	412	436	475
Spelling	372	411	448	494
Grammar & Punctuation	382	441	458	503
Numeracy	369	417	451	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

At Theodore our students engage in inquiry learning using a conceptual framework that supports differentiated learning opportunities. This enables students to access the Australian Curriculum at their point of need, whilst developing conceptual understanding that is transferrable across all learning areas. The inquiries are designed and implemented to address the Achievement Standards across all curriculum areas, and core concepts are underpinned by universal understandings and the identification of skills to be taught throughout the inquiries. Professional learning in curriculum development has been driven by Executive in partnership with key external personnel to support staff in implementation. This work continues into 2018, as the school’s scope and sequence is expanded to incorporate all areas of the Australian curriculum into the conceptual framework.

In 2017 the school offered a specialist PE and specialist Science program as part of the release allocation provided for teachers. Both PE and Science programs highly engaged the students. A specialist LOTE (languages Other Than English) program continues to be unavailable due to the school being unable to staff the program. Alternatives to support such an opportunity are being sought.

During 2017 students have been explicitly taught social skills through the ‘Bounce Back’ and ‘Mind Up mindfulness programs. The students engage daily in mindfulness practices to support their learning and focus. Trauma informed practices such as these continue to support students’ personal and social capabilities, readiness for learning and emotional wellbeing.

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	170750.35	166750.35	337500.70
Voluntary contributions	8158.00	120.00	8278.00
Contributions & donations	25831.12	3527.00	29358.12
Subject contributions	3350.00	930.00	4280.00
External income (including community use)	2029.55	6347.73	8377.28
Proceeds from sale of assets	4087.37	0.00	4087.37
Bank Interest	3239.76	3206.05	6445.81
TOTAL INCOME	217446.15	180881.13	398327.28
EXPENDITURE
Utilities and general overheads	24997.27	36744.57	61741.84
Cleaning	43844.65	32498.54	76343.19
Security	0.00	0.00	0.00
Maintenance	34991.10	12096.97	47088.07
Administration	26075.81	28947.47	55023.28
Staffing	0.00	9711.00	9711.00
Communication	10183.85	4798.08	14981.93
Assets	23752.77	4028.04	27780.81
General office expenditure	5914.17	11499.97	17414.14
Educational	14388.33	10056.76	24445.09
Subject consumables	3980.00	0.00	3980.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	188127.95	150381.40	338509.35
OPERATING RESULT	29318.20	30499.73	59817.93
Actual Accumulated Funds	117984.54	119706.42	119706.42
Outstanding commitments (minus)	-18689.52	0.00	-18689.52
BALANCE	128613.22	150206.15	160834.83

Professional Learning

The average professional learning expenditure at the school level per full time equivalent teacher was $905.94.

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
9917-R18-18 Playground reserve This reserve was set to supplement the P&C contribution towards the senior playground equipment upgrade. This included equipment, civil works, groundcover, and certification.	10000.00	This was completed on June 30, 2018.

Endorsement Page

Members of the School Board

Parent Representative(s):	Ray Haley	Danielle Searle
Community Representative(s):	Beverley Blatch
Teacher Representative(s):	Sharon Swift	Jenny Lonergan
Board Chair:	Kirsten Baker
Principal:	Kerri Clark

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:	Kerri Clark	Date:	_____ / _____ / _____