2017 Smithfield West Public School Annual Report

Smithfield West Public School Annual Report 2017 4355 Page 1 of 17 Smithfield West Public School 4355 (2017) Printed on: 9 April, 2018 Introduction The Annual Report for 2017 is provided to the community of Smithfield West Public 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. Stephen Gray Principal School contact details Smithfield West Public School Wetherill St Wetherill Park, 2164 www.smithfielw-p.schools.nsw.edu.au [email protected] 9604 3161 Page 2 of 17 Smithfield West Public School 4355 (2017) Printed on: 9 April, 2018 School background School vision statement Smithfield West Public School aims to provide a quality education where each child achieves to the best of their ability. Students will work collaboratively to become resilient, adaptable and responsible life–long learners. We will promote respect, fairness, equity and compassion for all. We will encourage students to be creative thinkers and problem solvers prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. School context Smithfield West Public School is situated in south western Sydney and is part of the Fairfield Principal Network of Schools. The school is set on spacious grounds and located in a residential area which accommodates both public and private housing. The majority of students live within walking distance of the school. The school receives funding through the Resource Allocation Model with the Family Occupation and Employment Index calculated at 152. In May 2017, there were 345 students enrolled in 14 classes with 50% being male and 50% female. Smithfield West caters for a diverse student population with 73% from a language background other than English and more than 22 languages represented. Of these languages, Assyrian, Arabic, Spanish, Vietnamese and Samoan have the highest representation. 2.6% of students identify as having an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background. The profile of the teaching staff indicates an effective mixture of New Scheme and experienced teachers who are dedicated to improving student outcomes. There is a whole school focus on promoting best practice in teaching through the implementation of the Quality Teaching Framework and a strong belief in fostering the academic, social and emotional development of all students. In 2017, Smithfield West began participation in Phase 2 of the Early Action for Success (EAfS) strategy. This 4 year program aims to improve student performance in literacy and numeracy in the early years of schooling. Parents and the wider community are supportive of the school’s goals and celebrate its achievements with pride. Self-assessment and school achievement Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework (SEF), school achievements and the next steps to be pursued. This year, our school undertook self–assessment using the SEF. The framework supports public schools throughout New South Wales in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practice across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading. In the Learning domain, our efforts have focused primarily on the 'Curriculum and Learning' and 'Assessment and Reporting' elements. Curriculum provision for our New Arrival students was enhanced through learning alliances with other schools and the Refugee Support Leader. Systematic policies, programs and processes enabled teachers and school leaders to identify and address student learning needs. Throughout the year, student reports were modified, enabling teachers to report in more detail about individual student learning achievements and areas of growth. In the Teaching domain, we have concentrated on the elements of 'Data Skills and Use' and 'Collaborative Practice'. Teachers engaged in professional learning and discussions around student data. Teachers analysed student data to inform planning to meet the learning needs of the students in their class and to evaluate the effectiveness of their own teaching programs. The school leadership team used this data to identify student achievement and progress and to inform whole school decisions. Teachers engaged in lesson observations and classroom walk throughs. They provided and received constructive feedback from peers and school leaders to improve their teaching practice. Mentors were successfully established to support beginning teachers in their first years of teaching. In the Leading domain, our efforts have focused on ‘School Resources’. Strategic financial management is used to gain efficiencies and to maximise resources. Additional funding for both physical and human resources were used to support the implementation of EAfS, our New Arrival programs, to update physical learning spaces and to increase technology so that it is easily accessible to staff and students. Page 3 of 17 Smithfield West Public School 4355 (2017) Printed on: 9 April, 2018 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 SEF: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching–and–learning/school–excellence–and–accountability/sef–evidence–guide Page 4 of 17 Smithfield West Public School 4355 (2017) Printed on: 9 April, 2018 Strategic Direction 1 Student Learning Purpose To provide a learning environment that has high expectations and adds value to all students’ literacy and numeracy levels. Students will be productive and ethical users of technology equipped with the skills required for the 21st Century. Students will be nurtured to become resourceful, empathetic and resilient lifelong learners. Overall summary of progress Student Learning focuses on evidence based teaching and meeting the needs of all students. Evidence based teaching and learning utilising both qualitative and quantitative data to inform teaching and learning programs was identified as a key school priority, with a focus on improvement measures for writing. Whole school analysis, including the use of National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and Planning for Literacy and Numeracy (PLAN) data, resulted in student goals being established in writing. With the continuation of the EAfS strategy, there was a strong emphasis on the teaching and assessment of numeracy and literacy. Evidence was regularly collected which demonstrated the growth of student learning as well as the percentage of students meeting and exceeding expected outcomes. Students from Kindergarten to Year 6 engaged in goal setting and learning conversations with their teachers. Teachers explicitly assessed the learning needs of students and used ongoing assessment to plan, teach and personalise learning to monitor student progress. This was strongly supported through intensive learning support programs for targeted students. These programs supported the needs of English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) students, Aboriginal students, refugee students and students with learning difficulties. Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measures Funds Expended Progress achieved this year (to be achieved over 3 years) (Resources) NAPLAN $101, 524 Percentages of students at proficiency (3 year averages): Increase the % of students at Socio–economic • Numeracy Year 3: 24% proficiency (3 year average)from: Background funding • Numeracy Year 5: 18% • Numeracy Year 3: 15% to 23% • Reading Year 3: 26% • Numeracy Year 5: 8% to 16% 77,342 flexible funding • Reading Year 5: 17% • Reading Year 3: 16% to 24% • Writing Year 3: 41% • Reading Year 5: 11% to 19% • Writing Year 5: 5% • Writing Year 3: 26% to 34% • Writing Year 5: 5% to 13% PLAN 1.0 FTE An additional 15% of students in K–2 achieved at or • Increase the % of students in above the expected level of Writing. K–2 achieving at or above Early Action for Success expected levels of Writing –Instructional Leader 97% of students in K–2 achieved at or above • Maintain the % of K–2 students expected levels for early arithmetical strategies. achieving at or above expected $101, 524 early arithmetical levels at 90%. Socio–economic Background funding 21st Century Learning Chromebooks $26,340 Targeted teachers have attended professional • 75% of teaching and learning learning on quality teaching practices and how to programs clearly demonstrate the Charging Carts $9792 effectively embed future focus learning skills into use of ICT skills to support and teaching and learning programs. develop 21st Century learning Socio–economic skills. Background Funding Professional learning has been delivered to all teachers in embedding cross curriculum and $10,000 general capabilities through teaching and learning programs. Professional Learning Page 5 of 17 Smithfield West Public School 4355 (2017) Printed on: 9 April, 2018 Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measures Funds Expended Progress achieved this year (to be achieved over 3 years) (Resources) 21st Century Learning funding An additional 70 Chromebooks and three charging • 75% of teaching

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