Wanniassa Hills Primary School

Annual School Board Report

2017

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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	8

Professional Learning	9

Voluntary Contributions	9

Reserves	9

Endorsement Page	10

Members of the School Board	10

School Board Chair Report

Greetings,

The excellent performance of WHPS in 2017 continued to build on the strong foundations laid out in our strategic plan from 2016. Consistency, communication and collaboration have been hallmarks of the year.

The introduction of the positive behaviour for learning program has had a positive effect in enabling communication through all levels of the school by solidifying the school values of Be Nice, Be Safe and Be a learner.

The use of technology in the school guided by good pedagogy stands our students in good stead; of particular mention was the use of Augmented Reality by the students to tell their own stories for Grandparents day. This use of cutting-edge technology caught the eye of the Director-General on her visit.

The community provided valuable feedback to the Director-General and the Department of Education as part of the Future of Education discussions and was ahead of many others in how it organised students, teachers and parents to participate in collaborative forums which generated structured ideas to feed into the next ACT education strategic plan.

A special mention goes to our long-standing deputy Janet Cody who retired in 2017. The board thanks Janet for her calm and consistent professionalism in helping lead the school during her tenure.

I thank the school board members for all their work and diligence. Emily Neeson, Dale Tomes, Tracey Whyte, Ed Brereton, Nardia Ruhan, and Principal Manders.

I also wish to thank the P&C for all their hard work and creative energy they bring to the WHPS community.

Best regards,

Matt Bacon (Board Chair)

School Context

In 2017, there were 16 mainstream classes on the primary campus. In the preschool there were three classes running full-day programs of 15 hours each. In 2017, the Tuggeranong Primary Introductory English Centre accommodated three classes in Semester 1 and 3 classes in Semester 2, delivering an intensive English program.

Student Information

Student enrolment

In 2017 there were a total of 358 students enrolled at this school.

Table: 2017 Student enrolment

Student type	Number of students
Male	185
Female	173
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander	19
LBOTE*	75

*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	91.0
2	94.0
3	97.0
4	94.0
5	96.0
6	92.0

Source: Planning and Analytics, December 2017

The school had daily procedures in place for identifying student absences. Each day classroom teachers recorded any absences on a slip. If a note was not received explaining the student’s absence, a note was sent home requesting relevant information. We have a mobile app for families that allowed parents to send a note to the school with the swipe of a finger. At the end of each week a summary was sent to the deputy principal showing any un-explained absences. The Deputy Principal rang the family to discuss these absences.

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	55

Source: Teacher Quality Institute, 16 December 2017

Workforce composition

The 2017 workforce composition of [INSERT SCHOOL NAME] 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	22.00
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Temporary	3.00
Non Teaching Staff: Head Count	10
Non Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent	8.12

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.

Wanniassa Hills Primary School will be reviewed in 2021. 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, 90% of parents and carers, 100% of staff, and 71% 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 34 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.	91
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	100
This school is well maintained.	94
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.	97
This school takes staff opinions seriously.	85
Teachers at this school motivate students to learn.	100
Students’ learning needs are being met at this school.	97
This school works with parents to support students' learning.	97
I receive useful feedback about my work at this school.	79
Staff are well supported at this school.	82

Source: 2017 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2017

A total of 134 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.	95
Teachers at this school provide my child with useful feedback about his/her school work.	86
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	86
This school is well maintained.	90
My child feels safe at this school.	91
I can talk to my child’s teachers about my concerns.	92
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	82
My child likes being at this school.	94
This school looks for ways to improve.	89
This school takes parents’ opinions seriously.	75
Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.	95
My child is making good progress at this school.	88
My child's learning needs are being met at this school.	86
This school works with me to support my child's learning.	82

Source: 2017 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2017

A total of 72 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.	94
My teachers provide me with useful feedback about my school work.	71
Teachers at my school treat students fairly.	63
My school is well maintained.	65
I feel safe at my school.	62
I can talk to my teachers about my concerns.	51
Student behaviour is well managed at my school.	43
I like being at my school.	58
My school looks for ways to improve.	68
My school takes students’ opinions seriously.	44
My teachers motivate me to learn.	79
My school gives me opportunities to do interesting things.	65

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: Wanniassa Hills Primary School PIPS 2017 mean raw scores

Agency	Reading start	Reading end	Mathematics start	Mathematics end
School	48	116	38	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, 9.00 % of year 3 students and 12.00 % of year 5 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: Wanniassa Hills Primary School 2017 NAPLAN Mean Scores

Test Domain	Year 3 School	Year 3 ACT	Year 5 School	Year 5 ACT
Reading	414	442	534	517
Writing	420	412	462	475
Spelling	373	411	488	494
Grammar & Punctuation	411	441	490	503
Numeracy	408	417	489	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

In 2017 there was a focus on the assessment of HAAS Kindergarten to year 6. Teaching teams created rubrics, moderated work samples and a consistent scope and sequence to provide feedback to students.

Another priority was the implementation of Positive Behaviours for Learning. Teams of teachers worked to introduce the new expectations and school rules of Be Nice, Be Safe and Be a learner.

Our PE department continued to embed core skills for students across the grades and provide greater opportunities for students to participate in a range of sports utilising the Federal Governments’ sporting school grants. They also provided a core focus on high quality whole school sporting carnivals and activity days.

Our enrichment program was deepened through the involvement of Erindale College students coming and mentoring our year 5 & 6 students in Mathematics.

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	324627.28	177750.17	502377.45
Voluntary contributions	5951.00	2920.00	8871.00
Contributions & donations	6917.20	5944.10	12861.30
Subject contributions	70.00	0.00	70.00
External income (including community use)	9660.93	12326.71	21987.64
Proceeds from sale of assets	2187.66	0.00	2187.66
Bank Interest	4645.31	5502.11	10147.42
TOTAL INCOME	354059.38	204443.09	558502.47
EXPENDITURE
Utilities and general overheads	59105.42	67046.63	126152.05
Cleaning	41514.90	33764.70	75279.60
Security	0.00	0.00	0.00
Maintenance	30464.91	39647.31	70112.22
Administration	7107.53	2986.84	10094.37
Staffing	0.00	0.00	0.00
Communication	5274.84	7487.62	12762.46
Assets	32040.00	588.50	32628.50
General office expenditure	56448.52	25143.82	81592.34
Educational	18365.28	31208.42	49573.70
Subject consumables	5900.00	243.64	6143.64
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	256221.40	208117.48	464338.88
OPERATING RESULT	97837.98	-3674.39	94163.59
Actual Accumulated Funds	116356.76	116356.76	116356.76
Outstanding commitments (minus)	-13512.77	0.00	-13512.77
BALANCE	200681.97	112682.37	197007.58

Professional Learning

The average professional learning expenditure at the school level per full time equivalent teacher was 409.70.

Voluntary Contributions

The school received $8871.00 in voluntary contributions for 2017 .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
Preschool 2018This reserve has been allocated to fund preschool refurbishments in 2018.	$40,000	2018

Endorsement Page

Members of the School Board

Parent Representative(s):	Matt Bacon,	Ed Brereton	Dale Tomes
Teacher Representative(s):	Tracey Whyte	Emily Neeson
Board Chair:	Nardia Ruhan
Principal:	John Manders

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

Board Chair Signature:	Date:	23/05/2018

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:	23/05/2018