2020 Annual Report Sydney Girls High School 8138 Page 1 of 18 Sydney Girls High School 8138 (2020) Printed on: 28 April, 2021 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. Page 2 of 18 Sydney Girls High School 8138 (2020) Printed on: 28 April, 2021 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. Page 3 of 18 Sydney Girls High School 8138 (2020) Printed on: 28 April, 2021 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 Page 4 of 18 Sydney Girls High School 8138 (2020) Printed on: 28 April, 2021 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. Page 5 of 18 Sydney Girls High School 8138 (2020) Printed on: 28 April, 2021 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.