Fadden 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	1

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	9

Professional Learning	10

Voluntary Contributions	10

Reserves	10

Endorsement Page	11

Members of the School Board	11

School Board Chair Report

The Fadden Primary School community is one that many schools would be envious of. It has an energy and enthusiasm that crystalizes into the overarching goal of improving outcomes for all students. In every School Board meeting it is constantly reinforced that Ms Wallace and the Fadden Primary Leadership Team have a clear vision and strategic plan to achieve this goal. Some of the key actions communicated in this vision centre on student and staff wellbeing, effective communication and continued academic excellence. As the School Board Chair and Parent Representative I am confident that my child, along with all students at Fadden Primary, receives a quality education, feels cared for, important and listened to, and has the tools and confidence to achieve success.

One of the key areas the school has achieved this year is improving mathematics teaching and learning. Teachers have attended relevant Professional Learning sessions on up to date delivery and planning methods along with effective teaching and learning strategies. This has been actively shared in whole staff and team meetings to build capacity across the school. This ongoing commitment to staff development is one of the reasons both NAPLAN and PIPS results for 2017 continued to meet or exceed ACT Education Directorate NAPLAN targets.

Staff and student satisfaction data have shown considerable growth from the previous year. This has been achieved through key improvement strategies of embedding school values, providing opportunities for student voice and focussing on student wellbeing. Last year also saw the opening of the Fadden Kitchen Classroom, providing opportunities to learn about cooking and healthy eating choices following the guidelines of the Fresh Tastes program.

It has been a pleasure to work with all the members of the Fadden Primary School Board in my capacity as School Board Chair in 2017. Ms Wallace, the school leadership team, teachers, students, parents and the whole Fadden community should be proud of their achievements this year.

Luke Marsden

School Context

Fadden Primary community encourages every student to aim for excellence in an environment which promotes a love of learning and prepares each student for the challenges of the future. Our school values are confidence, respect and responsibility.

Student enrolments remained stable during 2017 with 352 students from preschool to year six. Students residing in Fadden and Macarthur receive priority access into the school. The school receives many inquiries from out of priority enrolment area families however is not able to accommodate these families.

In 2017 a thorough analysis of student need was carried out which resulted in a significant increase in the number of individual learning plans (ILP) in place. At the end of 2017 11 percent of students within the school had an individual learning plan compared to 5 percent at the start of 2017. Autism Spectrum Disorder and mental health issues made up a large proportion of these ILPs.

Academic excellence continued to be achieved at Fadden Primary School. In 2017 students from years three to six had the opportunity to participate in the independent, skills-based ICAS assessment in English, Mathematics, Digital Technologies, Science, Spelling and Writing. Three high distinctions, including one medal, were awarded in Mathematics and one high distinction was awarded in Science. As well as these very high achievements, students who participated received 19 distinctions, 37 credits, 16 merit awards and 53 participation awards.

Students from senior years also had the opportunity to participate in the Mathematics Olympiad and Australian Mathematics Competition with one of the 23 students who participated winning a medal. Nominated students from junior and senior classes also had the opportunity to participate in Tuggeranong Network Enrichment Days in Science, Maths, Arts and Literacy.

Sporting excellence continues to be a focus at Fadden Primary School with 29 students representing the Tuggeranong Region or ACT on 44 occasions and two students being nominated for awards as part of the Excellence in School Sports Awards.

Citizenship was also celebrated in 2017 with four senior boys being awarded a Student Award from the Order of Australia for their commitment and fundraising efforts for a peer who suffered a brain injury in a bike accident in the first half of the year.

Student Information

Student enrolment

In 2017 there were a total of 310 students enrolled at this school.

Table: 2017 Student enrolment

Student type	Number of students
Male	149
Female	161
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander	8
LBOTE*	69

*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	96.0
1	95.0
2	94.0
3	94.0
4	95.0
5	94.0
6	93.0

Source: Planning and Analytics, December 2017

Student absences are monitored by class teachers. When a child is absent for three consecutive days a phone call is made to the family to check on the child’s wellbeing. Ongoing patterns of absence are raised with the Student Wellbeing team and followed up with families.

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	41

Source: Teacher Quality Institute, 16 December 2017

Workforce composition

The 2017 workforce composition of Fadden 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	25
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Permanent	19.80
Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent Temporary	4.00
Non Teaching Staff: Head Count	8
Non Teaching Staff: Full Time Equivalent	7.00

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.

Fadden 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, 82% of parents and carers, 100% of staff, and 83% 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 28 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.	100
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	93
This school is well maintained.	96
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.	89
Students like being at this school.	96
This school looks for ways to improve.	100
This school takes staff opinions seriously.	96
Teachers at this school motivate students to learn.	100
Students’ learning needs are being met at this school.	96
This school works with parents to support students' learning.	96
I receive useful feedback about my work at this school.	86
Staff are well supported at this school.	93

Source: 2017 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2017

A total of 50 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 at this school provide my child with useful feedback about his/her school work.	78
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.	82
This school is well maintained.	88
My child feels safe at this school.	86
I can talk to my child’s teachers about my concerns.	86
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.	67
My child likes being at this school.	90
This school looks for ways to improve.	86
This school takes parents’ opinions seriously.	78
Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.	82
My child is making good progress at this school.	78
My child's learning needs are being met at this school.	76
This school works with me to support my child's learning.	74

Source: 2017 School Satisfaction Surveys, August/September 2017

A total of 80 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.	92
My teachers provide me with useful feedback about my school work.	85
Teachers at my school treat students fairly.	74
My school is well maintained.	72
I feel safe at my school.	84
I can talk to my teachers about my concerns.	62
Student behaviour is well managed at my school.	66
I like being at my school.	75
My school looks for ways to improve.	93
My school takes students’ opinions seriously.	75
My teachers motivate me to learn.	76
My school gives me opportunities to do interesting things.	76

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: Fadden Primary School PIPS 2017 mean raw scores

Agency	Reading start	Reading end	Mathematics start	Mathematics end
School	52	136	40	57
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, 0.00 % of year 3 students and 2.00 % 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: Fadden Primary School 2017 NAPLAN Mean Scores

Test Domain	Year 3 School	Year 3 ACT	Year 5 School	Year 5 ACT
Reading	451	442	535	517
Writing	425	412	498	475
Spelling	422	411	535	494
Grammar & Punctuation	446	441	534	503
Numeracy	420	417	512	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

Whilst the focus on improving teaching and learning has been on English and Mathematics, there has been success in the key learning areas of Science, The Arts and Health, in particular social and emotional Learning.

Science has been a focus of learning programs throughout preschool to year six classes. Students engage in learning opportunities across the strands of science understandings, science as a human endeavour and science inquiry skills. Teachers utilise the Primary Connections program developed by the Australian Academy of Science as a springboard for learning opportunities and inquiry in science. In 2018 the focus on Science will continue with access to the Centre for Innovation and Learning at Caroline Chisholm High School and entry in the ACT Science Fair.

In 2017 the school introduced a Performing Arts program delivered by a specialist teacher. Each class participates in a 45 minute lesson per week with a qualified music and dance teacher. The focus of learning has been on music, dance and drama. In music, the children were introduced to new songs, games and movement activities, with a strong focus on the elements of beat and rhythm, pitch and melody, in-tune singing and expression. We were also able to utilise a wide range of percussion instruments to explore, make and respond to sounds. In dance, students learned about the elements of relationships, time, space and dynamics. This happened through a range of choreographed movements and improvised motion. Students were able to utilise familiar actions and movements to create their own dances, and manipulated choreographed dance steps by focusing on one or more of the dance elements they had learned about. Drama lessons concentrated on building confidence through Theatre Sports games and activities. Students explored the elements of pantomime, characterisation, improvisation and creativity, ensemble building, focus and vocal exercises. Students also learned about Stagecraft and principles of blocking scenes on stage.

As part of the school’s focus on wellbeing, social and emotional learning continued to be a priority in 2017 with classes learning about self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and social decision-making through the Friendly Schools Plus program. Student voice was also a priority throughout 2017 with the revamp of Student Parliament to be more active and engaged in school programs and decision making. Details of Student Parliament achievements are outlined in the 2017 Annual Operating Plan Report.

The new kitchen classroom was another highlight of 2017 with all children from preschool to year six participating in cooking lessons in the new kitchen which was funded through P&C fundraising. The cooking and gardening opportunities provide rich learning opportunities key learning areas, general capabilities and cross curriculum perspectives. Classes have access to the kitchen classroom for ongoing cooking experiences, growing and harvesting food and special events such as Principal Morning Tea and Graduation Morning Tea. In 2018 a student Green Team will be established to further the work of the school in the area of sustainability.

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	209996.33	161730.58	371726.91
Voluntary contributions	12135.00	1719.50	13854.50
Contributions & donations	250.00	1142.00	1392.00
Subject contributions	0.00	5272.63	5272.63
External income (including community use)	12715.58	28748.65	41464.23
Proceeds from sale of assets	818.91	0.00	818.91
Bank Interest	3472.81	3710.03	7182.84
TOTAL INCOME	239388.63	202323.39	441712.02
EXPENDITURE
Utilities and general overheads	30732.07	75297.38	106029.45
Cleaning	41555.26	31654.40	73209.66
Security	667.64	1009.22	1676.86
Maintenance	29784.94	61973.56	91758.50
Administration	8377.57	7723.21	16100.78
Staffing	0.00	0.00	0.00
Communication	4784.35	3709.62	8493.97
Assets	8668.84	5381.20	14050.04
General office expenditure	4394.20	16841.99	21236.19
Educational	32439.67	16014.80	48454.47
Subject consumables	5591.45	0.00	5591.45
TOTAL EXPENDITURE	166995.99	219605.38	386601.37
OPERATING RESULT	72392.64	-17281.99	55110.65
Actual Accumulated Funds	156732.89	156732.89	156732.89
Outstanding commitments (minus)	-18159.94	0.00	-18159.94
BALANCE	210965.59	139450.90	193683.60

Professional Learning

The average professional learning expenditure at the school level per full time equivalent teacher was $344.00.

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
Playground equipment To enable purchasing of new playground equipment to enhance student growth and wellbeing	$20,000	2020

Endorsement Page

Members of the School Board

Parent Representative(s):	Jennifer Glover,	Veronica Elliot
Teacher Representative(s):	Beth Morgan,	Annette Raats
Board Chair:	Luke Marsden
Principal:	Liz Wallace

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:	___________________________	Date:	_____ / _____ / _____