2020 Annual Report
Sydney Girls High School
8138
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Introduction
The Annual Report for 2020 is provided to the community of Sydney Girls High School as an account of the school's operations and achievements throughout the year.
It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities for all students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self-assessment that reflect the impact of key school strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equity funding.
School contact details
Sydney Girls High School Moore Park Surry Hills, 2010 www.sydneygirl-h.schools.nsw.edu.au [email protected] 9331 2336
Message from the principal
Despite the challenges of 2020 the school continued to deliver high level investment in the lives and learning of all students at Sydney Girls High. Appreciation is due to all staff, parents and student leaders who were significant in maintaining morale and close communication across the months of online learning when the school was operating without a physical presence and we were forced to respond to the ever changing conditions in NSW schools. Out of this extraordinary year emerged some remarkable achievements and a greater sense of appreciation of the value of friendship and collegiality which school life provides for us all.
A landmark achievement was the construction of our long awaited building The Governors Centre with Sydney Boys High which throughout the months of the pandemic was able to be progressed with few interruptions to the building schedule. We are indebted to the many people and teams who devoted time and expertise to the project notably the Department of Education project management personnel, the builders and architects, school office bearers and parents who continued to advocate and fundraise in order to see the realization of the vision of the project. We are sincerely grateful to the many families and individuals in the school community whose generosity and care for the school saw the fund raising of the finance to construct such a future-focused building and shared facility for the students of Sydney Girls and Boys High School.
It has been an extraordinary collaborative endeavor between these two public schools, to embark and fulfil this ambitious project, remarkable in the scale of its achievement.
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School vision
At Sydney Girls High our philosophy and purpose is to provide all students with the opportunities to achieve their individual potential across the domains of giftedness: intellectual, creative, sporting and social, within a culture of collaboration.
The school community is committed to the pursuit of excellence for all students while fostering socially responsible young women who are encouraged through student voice and leadership, to make a difference in society and to care for and respect others. An appreciation of the history and heritage of the school, valuing the contributions of those women who have gone before, is an important feature linking the past, present and future.
The ideals of life-long learning, valuing difference and diversity, while meeting the future challenges of a global community are the foundations of the ethos of the school.
School context
Sydney Girls High School, enrolment 950 students, is an academically selective secondary school with a record of outstanding academic achievement. The school fosters the capacity of young women across the domains of giftedness and students are actively involved in an extensive and highly valued co-curricular program.
Situated in the heart of Sydney adjacent to the Centennial Parklands, students travel from all parts of the greater Sydney area to attend. As a partner school, Sydney Boys High is located in the same parcel of land, sharing a common history in NSW public education.
Traditions and connections between the two schools are maintained through student leadership, social and co-curricular programs and experiences.
With a long and proud history, the school reflects the recognition of the value of education in the state and the nation. George Reid the colony's new Minister for Public Instruction declared the school's establishment in 1883 for the purpose of nurturing the academic talents of young women who could go on to take their places at university beside their male counterparts.
Many prominent and successful women are graduates of Sydney Girls High across many varied walks of life. The examples of the achievements of the alumni over more than 137 years serve as inspiration for the current students who strive for leadership and recognition in the full knowledge of the privilege of their education and the responsibility for making a difference in the lives of others.
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Self-assessment and school achievement
This section of the annual report outlines the findings from self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework, school achievements and the next steps to be pursued.
This year, our school undertook self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework. The Framework is a statement of what is valued as excellence for NSW public schools, both now and into the future. The Framework supports public schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practice across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.
Each year, we assess our practice against the Framework to inform our school plan and annual report.
Our self-assessment process will assist the school to refine our school plan, leading to further improvements in the delivery of education to our students.
For more information about the School Excellence Framework: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and- learning/school-excellence-and-accountability
Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework Elements 2020 School Assessment LEARNING: Learning Culture Excelling LEARNING: Wellbeing Excelling LEARNING: Curriculum Excelling LEARNING: Assessment Excelling LEARNING: Reporting Excelling LEARNING: Student performance measures Excelling TEACHING: Effective classroom practice Excelling TEACHING: Data skills and use Sustaining and Growing TEACHING: Professional standards Sustaining and Growing TEACHING: Learning and development Excelling LEADING: Educational leadership Excelling LEADING: School planning, implementation and Excelling reporting LEADING: School resources Excelling LEADING: Management practices and processes Excelling
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Strategic Direction 1
Inspire gifted students through quality teaching programs to achieve excellence and thrive as confident, creative learners and leaders.
Purpose
Students at SGHS require support to realise their potential and develop as self-directed lifelong learners and active citizens. School programs build academic resilience and inspire confidence to take intellectual risks.
Improvement Measures
Increased numbers of students indicate in 'end-of-Stage' surveys that they have scope to direct their own learning, access one-on-one teacher feedback and be involved in classroom experiences that are engaging
Increased numbers of students are active in leadership roles
All students engage in one or more significant extracurricular activity
Progress towards achieving improvement measures
Process 1: Quality programs and effective, innovative teaching practices are implemented within and across faculties, shaped by the systematic collection and evaluation of student data
Evaluation Funds Expended (Resources)
The school has now integrated all student leadership roles with the portal $27 600 software for accurate data collection. There are currently 84 fully peer-elected leadership roles including Prefects and the Student Representative and Co- curricular Councils. A further 130 roles are via self nomination and are appointed by staff representatives with a final number of peer-elected leadership roles in extra curricular programs such as Sustainability, Social Justice and similar club structures.
The inaugural Student Leadership Conference was again postponed in 2020 due to COVID but planning is now underway for a date in 2021. This year more than 76% of the student cohort were involved in one or more extra curricular programs. End of Stage surveys indicated that students continued to value highly one-on-one feedback with this becoming an ongoing goal as part of the next planning cycle.
Ongoing commitment to digital platforms such as Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams and Moodle allowed a seamless transition to remote learning for students and teachers. Curriculum delivery was uninterrupted and considerable effort was rewarded when all students across the community were able to access online lessons.
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Strategic Direction 2
Foster quality leadership and learning in a culture of innovation and collaboration. Promote teaching expertise and excellence which engage all staff.
Purpose
SGHS seeks to support teachers in continued professional growth to achieve a learning environment which builds student capacity. Teachers are confident to meet professional standards and those aspiring to higher levels of accreditation and leadership are supported.
Improvement Measures
Increased numbers of staff presenting at professional learning events for colleagues
Increased numbers of staff acting in Year Project key roles
Increased numbers of staff engaged in higher accreditation goals
The majority of SGHS professional learning events are registered with the QTC
Progress towards achieving improvement measures
Process 1: The school implements a professional learning framework that encourages teachers to aspire to best practice
Evaluation Funds Expended (Resources)
Implementation of measures designed to meet the targets articulated in the $20200 School Plan (Strategic Direction 2) was severely hampered in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions on professional gatherings. Whilst there was significant interest from a broad range of staff in presenting a professional learning events, many of these had to be postponed or modified for smaller socially-distanced groups. This also worked against the goal of increased collaboration. The annual SGHS-SBHS joint School Development Day was cancelled and replaced with smaller independent events at both schools. The SGHS event featured three rotational groups, each led by experienced staff and was well-received.
Though delayed, the Year Projects were conducted during Semester 2 and featured an increased number of staff acting in key roles in accordance with the stated improvement measure. Two staff acted in the role of relieving Head Teacher Teaching and Learning in 2020 and each derived valuable leadership experience from their involvement with the projects.
The numbers of staff engaging in higher accreditation goals remained static in 2020, with most teaching staff concentrating on meeting the challenges of remote learning. Nevertheless, several professional learning events undertaken by SGHS staff, both remotely and in-person, were accredited at HAT and Lead level. All eligible professional learning events hosted at SGHS in 2020 were registered with NESA, although it should be noted that the eligibility criteria changed significantly in Term 4 of 2020.
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Strategic Direction 3
Create a culture of collaboration and effective communication between parents, teachers, students, alumni and the community.
Purpose
To maintain optimal outreach and connections within the school and broader education community for the benefit of students’ learning and future pathways, and to further the unique and privileged place of the school.
Improvement Measures
Increased levels of parent satisfaction with the communication and collaboration opportunities within the school
Increased participation and levels of satisfaction by students with SGHS online resources & communication
Progress towards achieving improvement measures
Process 1: An evaluation of information and communication pathways leads to a fully integrated communication environment for the school community
Evaluation Funds Expended (Resources)
The school's learning spaces were renumbered and a digital school directory $14300 installed to allow students, staff and visitors to better navigate and locate the complex geography and changing architecture on the school site.
A new school website was launched in order to directly link with key Department of Education information and announcements. The new site incorporates secure portals for students, parents and staff to access information and resources relevant to the SGHS community.
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Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year
Quality Teaching, Successful nil not applicable Students (QTSS)
Targeted student support for nil not applicable refugees and new arrivals
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Student information
Student enrolment profile Enrolments Students 2017 2018 2019 2020 Boys 0 0 0 0 Girls 935 937 924 923
Student attendance profile School Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 7 97.5 98.3 96.2 96.5 8 96.6 96.3 96.7 93.6 9 95.4 96.6 96.2 95.2 10 95.9 95.8 96.2 94.9 11 93.5 95 95.2 95.7 12 94.6 94.3 94.7 96.2 All Years 95.5 96 95.8 95.4 State DoE Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 7 92.7 91.8 91.2 92.1 8 90.5 89.3 88.6 90.1 9 89.1 87.7 87.2 89 10 87.3 86.1 85.5 87.7 11 88.2 86.6 86.6 88.2 12 90.1 89 88.6 90.4 All Years 89.6 88.4 88 89.6
NSW student attendance data in 2020 is not comparable to previous years due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NSW Government encouraged students to learn from home, where possible, for a seven week period from 24 March to 22 May. During this period, schools monitored engagement with learning to determine whether students were marked present. This changed the attendance measure. There was also some evidence of varied marking practices as schools adjusted to the learning from home period, with some schools recording higher attendance rates while others recording markedly lower rates.
Management of non-attendance
Attendance at school has a big impact on longer term outcomes for children and young people. When a child is not at school they miss important opportunities to learn, build friendships and develop their skills through play. Regular attendance at school is a shared responsibility between schools and parents. By working together we can have a positive effect on supporting our children and young people to regularly attend school.
Our teachers promote and monitor regular attendance at school and all our schools have effective measures in place to record attendance and follow up student absences promptly. They are guided by the School Attendance policy which details the management of non-attendance.
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Post school destinations Proportion of students moving into post- Year 10 % Year 11 % Year 12 % school education, training or employment Seeking Employment 0 0 0 Employment 0 0 0 TAFE entry 0 0 1 University Entry 0 1 99 Other 0 1 0 Unknown 0 0 0
In 2020, 157 students received their Higher School Certificate at our school. All 157 Year 12 students accepted offers to study at universities across Australia either in 2020 or deferred for the future, with a focus on degrees such as Law, Commerce, Engineering and the Health Sciences. Many students chose double degrees across different disciplines, bringing their differing passions and strengths together for a future career. Medicine remains the most popular first preference for our students.
Most students accepted offers from University of NSW and University of Sydney, while others took up offers with University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie University, University of Newcastle and Western Sydney University, among others. Students also received a number of scholarships from various universities and organisations through merit, leadership and access schemes. Compared to the past few years, more students accepted offers from Australian National University, including two recipients of the Tuckwell Scholarship.
Year 12 students undertaking vocational or trade training
0.51% of Year 12 students at Sydney Girls High School undertook vocational education and training in 2020.
Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalent vocational education qualification
99.4% of all Year 12 students at Sydney Girls High School expected to complete Year 12 in 2020 received a Higher School Certificate or equivalent vocational education and training qualification.
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Workforce information
Workforce composition Position FTE* Principal(s) 1 Deputy Principal(s) 2 Head Teacher(s) 10 Classroom Teacher(s) 46.5 Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.4 Teacher Librarian 1 School Counsellor 1 School Administration and Support Staff 11.37 Other Positions 1
*Full Time Equivalent
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce composition
The Department actively supports the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander employees through the use of identified positions, and scholarship opportunities to become a teacher and by providing a culturally safe workplace. As of 2020, 3.7% of the Department's overall workforce identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People.
Workforce ATSI Staff type Benchmark1 2020 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander representation2 School Support 3.30% 6.30% Teachers 3.30% 2.80%
Note 1 - The NSW Public Sector Aboriginal Employment Strategy 2014-17 introduced an aspirational target of 1.8% by 2021 for each of the sector's salary bands. If the aspirational target of 1.8% is achieved in salary bands not currently at or above 1.8%, the cumulative representation of Aboriginal employees in the sector is expected to reach 3.3%. Note 2 - Representation of diversity groups are calculated as the estimated number of staff in each group divided by the total number of staff. These statistics have been weighted to estimate the representation of diversity groups in the workforce, where diversity survey response rates were less than 100 per cent. The total number of staff is based on a headcount of permanent and temporary employees.
Teacher qualifications
All casual, temporary and permanent teachers in NSW public schools must hold a NSW Department of Education approval to teach. Teachers with approval to teach must be accredited with the NSW Education Standards Authority, and hold a recognised teaching degree. All NSW teachers must hold a valid NSW Working With Children Check clearance.
Professional learning and teacher accreditation
Professional learning is core to enabling staff to improve their practice. Professional learning includes five student-free School Development Days and induction programs for staff new to our school and/or system. These days are used to improve the capacity of teaching and non-teaching staff in line with school and Departmental priorities.
In 2020, an additional School Development Day was included at the start of Term 2 to assist school leaders, teachers and support staff to focus on the wellbeing of students and continuity of education, such as online and remote learning.
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Financial information
Financial summary
The information provided in the financial summary includes reporting from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020. The Principal is responsible for the financial management of the school and ensuring all school funds are managed in line with Department policy requirements.
2020 Actual ($) Opening Balance 2,032,700 Revenue 10,765,191 Appropriation 9,425,623 Sale of Goods and Services 9,656 Grants and contributions 1,323,158 Investment income 6,754 Expenses -10,609,388 Employee related -8,979,716 Operating expenses -1,629,672 Surplus / deficit for the year 155,803 Closing Balance 2,188,502
Figures presented in this report may be subject to rounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottom line totals, which are calculated without any rounding.
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Financial summary - Equity loadings
The equity loading data is the main component of the 'Appropriation' line item of the financial summary above.
2020 Approved SBA ($) Targeted Total 0 Equity Total 139,495 Equity - Aboriginal 675 Equity - Socio-economic 21,407 Equity - Language 27,471 Equity - Disability 89,941 Base Total 8,845,160 Base - Per Capita 222,178 Base - Location 0 Base - Other 8,622,982 Other Total 351,949 Grand Total 9,336,603
Figures presented in this report may be subject to rounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottom line totals, which are calculated without any rounding.
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School performance - NAPLAN
In the National Assessment Program, the results across the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy assessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 to Band 10. The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments.
The My School website provides detailed information and data for national literacy and numeracy testing. Go to myschool.edu.au to access the school data.
2020 NAPLAN
As agreed by the Education Council, the National Assessment Program (or NAPLAN) did not proceed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was to assist school leaders, teachers and support staff to focus on the wellbeing of students and continuity of education, such as online and remote learning.
The Education Council also agreed to defer the full transition to NAPLAN Online from 2021 to 2022 and the continuation of current NAPLAN governance arrangements through 2021.
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School performance - HSC
The performance of students in the HSC is reported in bands ranging from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6 (highest).
The information in this report must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies. Where there are fewer than 10 students in a course or subject, summary statistics or graphical representation of student performance is not available.
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School Average Subject School 2020 SSSG State 2018-2020 Ancient History 90.1 83.5 69.4 89.3 Biology 86.4 83.7 70.8 86.4 Chemistry 86.2 85.9 74.8 86.0 Economics 86.0 84.0 76.1 87.1 English Advanced 88.5 85.7 80.8 88.1 English Extension 1 87.0 87.3 83.4 88.5 English Extension 2 89.0 85.1 79.3 90.3 French Continuers 93.7 87.7 81.1 91.2 Geography 88.9 89.4 70.1 87.1 History Extension 85.5 84.4 75.7 87.9 Information Processes and 88.3 87.9 69.6 89.6 Technology Japanese Continuers 91.2 88.3 80.8 91.6 Japanese Extension 85.6 89.4 83.7 87.8 Latin Continuers 89.6 88.2 88.3 87.8 Legal Studies 88.1 87.2 72.1 88.0 Mathematics Advanced 89.1 87.1 77.7 89.1 Mathematics Extension 1 89.1 87.6 79.1 88.5 Mathematics Extension 2 86.6 88.2 81.8 86.5 Modern History 90.9 85.7 68.9 90.7 Physics 85.4 84.5 73.0 83.7
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Parent/caregiver, student, teacher satisfaction
In 2020, parent satisfaction with the school remained high despite the challenges of COVID- 19 and the necessity to communicate with families in an online environment. Parent feedback was overwhelmingly positive about the regular bulletins from the school, with clear information and calm messages as each iteration of the school's operations was modified according to COVID protocols.
There was very strong support from parents for the decision to maintain the normal school daily timetable for students, albeit with a longer break between lessons, as an acknowledgement of the impact of concentrating online for such long times. Teachers and students developed ways of collaborating which connected groups of students within their class, to ensure all students had the same resources and understanding despite the variations in technology access in different family settings. Feedback from families was regular and very supportive.
The normal connections with parents which are highly valued, such as Parent Teacher evenings, forums on key topics for specific Year Groups and P&C meetings were all able to be conducted using different modes of communication and the combined problem solving capacities of the school's Executive staff. The Parent Teacher evening online bookings continued in the regular way, however the interviews were held by telephone with a designated tight time frame, in order to keep the appointments as scheduled. Feedback to the school was positive and the efforts to maintain the calendar with the normal Parent Teacher nights, highly appreciated.
For school forums and P&C meetings the online meeting platform Zoom was the key application and the online attendance was very high. The work of the school's IT team was greatly appreciated as the IT personnel were key to setting up the technology and ensuring the effectiveness of the planned approach. Members of the IT team worked exceptionally hard and their efforts and expertise were appreciated by all members of the school community.
The decisions to delay key events such as the Year 12 Graduation were universally endorsed by families who were more than happy to wait until such time as a proper celebration, in person, could occur. The Graduation after the HSC, held in November, was a huge relief and a great celebration for all of us.
Student satisfaction was measured most significantly by the strong engagement of the student body across all years, in the online learning environment. The attendance at online lessons was outstanding and the care and collaboration between students, assisting all class members to sustain coursework and maintain access to the curriculum, was a gratifying feature of the student response to the COVID changes. The online relationships with teachers and Year Advisors were strong and the efforts of teachers to create positive and new experiences for their classes appreciated by students from the youngest to the most senior. The weekly Year Meetings when the whole cohort was brought together on Friday mornings was a standout feature for the whole 150 or more students in each Year Group. The Class of 2020 progressing to the HSC were very appreciative of the tutorials and additional time provided by their teachers on their return to face to face schooling. The HSC cohort was especially well supported by their Year Advisor and Careers Advisor.
Teachers were united in their efforts and collaboration throughout 2020 with the common objective of maintaining the "normal "operation of the school, delivering the curriculum to their students, ensuring that progress in learning was consistent and collectively viewed as a priority. Appreciation was frequently expressed to colleagues and professional learning presenters who delivered intensive workshops prior to the COVID lockdown, which enabled all staff to feel confident in delivering quality lessons online, in real time. Teachers also appreciated the flexibility of delivering online lessons from classrooms or from home as the conditions suited them. The common response from teachers was that the professional learning undertaken had been of great benefit to them in the COVID world and also when they returned to face to face teaching, instigating more innovative use of technology teaching tools and the chance to more closely engage with different kinds of learners in their classrooms. There was universal appreciation of the work of the school's IT team.
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Policy requirements
Aboriginal Education Policy
The responsibility for enacting the Aboriginal Education Policy rests with all Departmental staff. The policy should underpin and inform planning, teaching practice and approaches to educational leadership in all educational settings.
Evidence of effective implementation of the policy included: • Establishing, building and strengthening relationships with the Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, Aboriginal people and communities. • Providing, in partnership with Aboriginal people and communities, education which promotes quality teaching, is engaging, and is culturally appropriate and relevant. • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students will match or better the outcomes of the broader student population. • Implementation of Personalised Learning Pathways for all Aboriginal students in a school culture of high expectations.
Anti-Racism Policy
All teachers are responsible for supporting students to develop an understanding of racism and discrimination and the impact these may have on individuals and the broader community. Principals are responsible for examining school practices and procedures to ensure they are consistent with the policy. All schools have an Anti-Racism Contact Officer who is trained to respond to concerns in relation to racism.
Multicultural Education Policy
Teachers address the specific learning and wellbeing needs of students from culturally diverse backgrounds through their teaching and learning programs. Principals are responsible for ensuring that school policies, programs and practices respond to the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of the school community, and provide opportunities that enable all students to achieve equitable education and social outcomes.
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