Macgregor Primary School

Annual School Board Report

2018

This page is intentionally left blank.

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

Accessibility

The ACT Government is committed to making its information services, events and venues accessible to as many people as possible.

If you have difficulty reading a standard document and would like to receive this publication in an alternate format, such as large print and audio, please telephone (02) 6247 4580.

If English is not your first language and you require the translating and interpreting service, please telephone 13 14 50.

If you are deaf or hearing impaired and require the National Relay Service, please telephone 13 36 77.

© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, 2018

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

Contents

Reporting to the community	1

Summary of School Board activity	1

School Context	2

Student Information	3

Student enrolment	3

Student attendance	3

Supporting attendance and managing non-attendance	3

Staff Information	4

Teacher qualifications	4

Workforce composition	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

Financial Summary	8

Voluntary Contributions	9

Reserves	9

Endorsement Page	10

Members of the School Board	10

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

2018 was a consolidation year for Macgregor Primary School and the School Board, as it was a year of review of our four-year School Plan, conducted by a visiting principal and another expert from ACEL, both external to our school. During this time of reflection using the National School Improvement Tool, our school received commendations, affirmations and recommendations to assist our school improvement journey. The School Board extends its thanks and appreciation to Jennifer and her team for the many hours of analysis and collation of documents in preparing all the materials for the validation team. Macgregor Primary School received an email from ACARA’s CEO as one of the schools across Australia to achieve exceptional growth (as demonstrated through NAPLAN data 2017) from years 3 to 5.

Within the school, Board members also saw further interactions with the parent community through Jennifer hosting extended Coffee and Chat sessions, the development of a communication strategy in consultation with the school community and the use of a new SMS messaging system for urgent announcements. Through sponsorship by The Snow Foundation, Macgregor Primary School successfully implemented the Lift Off program run by ‘Uplifting Australia’. This inclusive program provided parents with ideas and strategies for valuable family communication. Within the school, we saw a successful Art Show and School Fete in term 4 - thanks to all the staff, parents and other community members who contributed in various capacities.

In 2018, the Macgregor Primary School continued participation in the ACT Education Directorate’s ‘Early Years Literacy Project’, guided by Christine Topfer. This project provided teachers with the expertise to become highly effective teachers of literacy. In addition, Louise Dempsey (author of ‘The Writing Book’) visited classrooms and modelled writing lessons for teams of teachers across the school. The school also established a large student reading data wall in the staffroom to support teams in the analysis of data and preparing learning programs.

The two most apparent changes to the primary school grounds have been the installation of a large rock garden on the Eastern side of the school (funded by the Education Directorate) and the Indigenous Garden learning space between the year 5 and 6 classrooms (funded by a Reconciliation Week grant). Both projects, have led to even greater levels of inclusive and safe play amongst our students. Thank you also to the P&C Association for financially supporting the school to lay artificial turf within the preschool garden and providing further funds to assist the school in designing engaging learning spaces for our primary children.

A major personnel change at the end of 2018 was the recruitment of our new substantive and experienced Deputy Principal Catherine Dillon. Jennifer Wynne, was appointed to Macgregor Primary School as an acting Business Manager in July, August and September. In addition, Peter Usher joined the executive team and Norma John, a well known local teacher librarian, also joined our staff in preparation for the 2019 school year. Six early career teachers were appointed to the teaching staff at Macgregor in January 2018. A supportive professional learning community and new educators’ support group was established. All professional learning teams shared practices through the introduction of regular ‘Learning Walks and Talks’ across the school in early 2018. The Board is appreciative of the leadership team’s commitment in providing these comprehensive mentoring and coaching projects.

I wish to personally thank my colleagues on the School Board for their contribution in 2018 and look forward to Macgregor Primary School continuing with its school improvement journey in 2019.

Susie Abrahamaffy

Macgregor Primary School 2018 Board Chair

School Context

Macgregor Primary School is a true Professional Learning Community. Situated in the West Belconnen region of Canberra and at the heart of the expanding Macgregor suburb, our school includes a preschool campus for four year old children and a primary campus for children aged between five and twelve. With a current enrolment of 596 students across the two campuses, our teachers know each of our families and work together to achieve the best outcomes for our students.

Our school and classroom programs are designed to support both those students requiring extension and those students who require additional support to improve outcomes. Our student cohort includes two integrated Learning Support Centres supporting up to 22 students with specific learning needs and a growing population of students with a language background other than English. Macgregor Primary School has embarked upon an ambitious school improvement journey to maximise learning outcomes and ensure our students reach their full potential. To achieve this we focus on quality teaching and high expectations in every classroom with effective targeted intervention where additional support is required.

Teachers work collaboratively at Macgregor Primary school to ensure a cohesive curriculum is delivered to all students. Team planning allows teachers to design and deliver quality programs that focus on Literacy and Numeracy across our curriculum delivery. Student progress is closely monitored at an individual, class and school level. This is indicative of our belief that every teacher contributes to the development of each child. Macgregor Primary School utilises quality system endorsed resources to achieve outcomes. As a Phase 1 Early Years Literacy Project School, Macgregor has embedded the ten essential skills for literacy learning, Early First Steps Reading Second Edition and First Steps Writing Second Edition. The strategic use of these resources supports our belief in the developmental nature of learning and the benefit of explicit and systematic teaching. Teachers use these resources to target their Literacy programs and track students’ development over time. This approach maximises potential in a sequential and effective way. We are dedicated to providing our students with the highest quality education. Our academic programs aim to challenge, inform and promote lifelong learning, and our broader goals celebrate good citizenship and leadership.

Student wellbeing is addressed through the teaching of social and emotional skills on a whole school level. Demonstrating commitment in valuing a shared language and shared expectations, ensures we are developing responsible learners and children who are both socially and emotionally capable. Our student leadership program engages students in taking social action from preschool to year six. This allows them to act locally in a global world.

Student Information

Student enrolment

In 2018 there were a total of 507 students enrolled at this school.

Table: 2018 Student enrolment

Student type	Number of students
Male	257
Female	250
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander	22
LBOTE*	151

*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	88.0
2	91.0
3	90.0
4	92.0
5	91.0
6	88.0

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	19.60
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Temporary	12.00
Non Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent	15.65

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 was reviewed in 2018. A copy of the Review Report Summary 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, 75% of parents and carers, 88% 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 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 33 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.	97
Teachers give useful feedback.	93
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	91
This school is well maintained.	73
Students feel safe at this school.	88
Students at this school can talk to their teachers about their concerns.	97
Parents at this school can talk to teachers about their concerns.	94
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	64
Students like being at this school.	88
This school looks for ways to improve.	88
This school takes staff opinions seriously.	70
Teachers at this school motivate students to learn.	91
Students’ learning needs are being met at this school.	82
This school works with parents to support students' learning.	88
Staff get quality feedback on their performance	58
Staff are well supported at this school.	58

Source: 2018 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2018

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

A total of 205 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.	87
Teachers give useful feedback.	75
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	76
This school is well maintained.	73
My child feels safe at this school.	81
I can talk to my child’s teachers about my concerns.	88
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	58
My child likes being at this school.	83
This school looks for ways to improve.	72
This school takes parents’ opinions seriously.	63
Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.	81
My child is making good progress at this school.	73
My child's learning needs are being met at this school.	72
This school works with me to support my child's learning.	71

Source: 2018 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2018

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

A total of 86 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.	96
Teachers give useful feedback.	64
Teachers at my school treat students fairly.	61
My school is well maintained.	41
I feel safe at this school.	52
I can talk to my teachers about my concerns.	64
Student behaviour is well managed at my school.	32
I like being at my school.	54
My school looks for ways to improve.	72
Staff take students’ opinions seriously.	59
My teachers motivate me to learn.	88
My school gives me opportunities to do interesting things.	71

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: Macgregor Primary School PIPS 2018 mean raw scores

Agency	Reading start	Reading end	Mathematics start	Mathematics end
School	46	120	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: Macgregor Primary School 2018 NAPLAN Mean Scores

Test Domain	Year 3 School	Year 3 ACT	Year 5 School	Year 5 ACT
Reading	416	441	487	518
Writing	392	411	450	460
Spelling	408	410	475	494
Grammar & Punctuation	406	438	481	510
Numeracy	391	416	468	494

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	220373.14	201351.88	421725.02
Voluntary contributions	8820.74	2540.00	11360.74
Contributions & donations	2566.00	335.00	2901.00
Subject contributions	18571.06	4473.10	23044.16
External income (including community use)	14190.91	30687.09	44878.00
Proceeds from sale of assets	0.00	0.00	0.00
Bank Interest	3391.07	3225.15	6616.22
TOTAL INCOME	267912.92	242612.22	510525.14
EXPENDITURE
Utilities and general overheads	49804.00	60672.56	110476.56
Cleaning	50384.97	48750.75	99135.72
Security	0.00	12.00	12.00
Maintenance	108790.40	47944.60	156735.00
Administration	8400.24	7439.43	15839.67
Staffing	0.00	0.00	0.00
Communication	8258.30	2679.79	10938.09
Assets	48361.86	5421.59	53783.45
Leases	0.00	0.00	0.00
General office expenditure	32572.49	24081.37	56653.86
Educational	37280.83	33515.77	70796.60
Subject consumables	47463.70	2135.27	49598.97
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	391316.79	232653.13	623969.92
OPERATING RESULT	-123403.87	9959.09	-113444.78
Actual Accumulated Funds	254341.78	247312.94	269312.94
Outstanding commitments (minus)	-35688.78	0.00	-35688.78
BALANCE	95249.13	257272.03	120179.38

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
Outdoor Learning Environment This money was reserved to complement donations to improve the outdoor learning environment so that children have engaging play spaces. Ride on Lawn Mower - To purchase new ride on mower for the school New carpet preschool - For the purchase of new carpet for a preschool classroom	$15 000.00 $12 000.00 $10 000.00	This reserve was collapsed in November 2018 to purchase a Roplay ball to be installed in July 2019. This reserve was collapsed for purchase of this item in June 2018. This reserve was collapsed in February 2018 as the purchase of preschool carpet needed to expediated.

Endorsement Page

Members of the School Board

Parent Representative(s):	Susie Abrahamffy,	Duncan Beard,	Erin Kelly.
Teacher Representative(s):	Joanne Pearce,	Rebecca Bull.
Board Chair:	Susie Abrahamffy
Principal:	Jennifer Hall

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

Board Chair Signature:	Susie Abrahamffy	Date:	23/ 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:	Jennifer Hall	Date:	23 /05 /2019