2017 East Hills Boys High School Annual Report · Our Mission Statement focusses on ... School...

East Hills Boys High SchoolAnnual Report

2017

8206

Printed on: 16 April, 2018 of 24 East Hills Boys High School 8206 (2017)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2017 is provided to the community of East Hills Boys High School as an account of the school'soperations and achievements throughout the year.

It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities forall students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self–assessment that reflect the impact of keyschool strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equityfunding.

Mr Kevin Elgood

Principal

School contact details

East Hills Boys High SchoolLucas RdPanania, 2213www.easthillsb-h.schools.nsw.edu.aueasthillsb-h.School@det.nsw.edu.au9773 7806


Message from the Principal

East Hills Boys High School has a strong reputation for academic excellence, outstanding success in a range of sportsand high student involvement in a variety of extra–curricular activities. Known as a leading Sydney comprehensive boys’high school, our motto is making learning our number one priority. Our Mission Statement focusses on participation,responsibility and quality teaching and our Code of Behaviour is based on Learning, Respect and Responsibility, alwaysmaintaining high expectations and values.

We believe in traditional values and have a record of producing outstanding student and community leaders. To achievethis we have developed a caring welfare–oriented approach to student management.

We have a highly dedicated staff who work together to provide an inclusive environment where all students are nurturedand encouraged to achieve their personal best. Our students are motivated to learn and participate in the whole range ofeducational opportunities provided for them at the school. East Hills Boys High School enjoys tremendous support fromour parents and the local community.

This report embodies the activities and achievements of our school in 2017. Our academic, sporting, cultural andextra–curricular activities make us proud to be a non–selective comprehensive boy’s high school in South WesternSydney. Our school results in external examinations are outstanding. I am proud of the academic achievement of ourstudents and the ongoing success of the strategies being implemented by the school to create high quality learningexperiences for our students.

A strong school focus on improving literacy standards has led to the development of a new multifaceted literacy program.This program has been embraced by teachers across the school and has led to the introduction of many new initiativessupporting students at all levels in each stage of learning. An outline of some of the more significant initiatives from thisprogram can be found later in this report. I certify that the information provided in this report is the result of a rigorousschool self–assessment and review process undertaken with staff, parent and student leaders and provides a genuineaccount of the school's achievements.


School background

School vision statement

Our focus at East Hills Boys High School continues to be on Quality Teaching leading to improved student outcomes inliteracy, numeracy and overall academic achievement through explicit teaching of 21st century mindsets, capabilities,learning habits and skills which will prepare our boys for life and work as global citizens in an ever changing world.

We promote excellence and equity by ensuring all students become successful learners, confident and creativeindividuals and active and informed citizens.

The school’s philosophy, Making Learning Our Number One Priority, is embedded in all aspects of school culture.

School context

East Hills Boys High School is a comprehensive boys’ high school situated in south–western Sydney. The schoolpopulation comprises of approximately 818 boys from diverse cultural, religious and socio–economic backgrounds. Morethan 50 cultural and language backgrounds are represented in our school population. Our school staff of over 60teachers is experienced and committed to engaging boys in meaningful learning experiences. The school wasestablished in 1955 and in 2015 the school reached the milestone of providing quality education for young men in thePanania and East Hills area for 60 years. Strong HSC results and growth rates in NAPLAN in numeracy characteriseacademic outcomes.

Key programs that have been established to meet the diverse social and learning needs of our students include: theimplementation of Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) that values Respectful, Responsible, and Safe Learners,Student Representative Council (SRC) leadership initiatives, sporting, music and debating programs, Year Camps andthe Year 7 Peer Support Program. Additionally, key focus areas include: improving literacy and numeracy outcomes inNAPLAN, HSC results that demonstrate increases in student performance in higher bands of achievement and wholeschool curriculum that is embedded with strategies that promote quality teaching and engaged learners.

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,school achievements and the next steps to be pursued.

This year, our school undertook self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework. The framework supportspublic schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practiceacross the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

In the domain of Learning, our efforts have focused on wellbeing, assessment and reporting and student performancemeasures. All teaching staff understand that student engagement and learning are related, with the school focusing onstrengthening both. Expectations of behaviour are explicitly taught to students through the Positive Behaviour forLearning Program. Students, staff and the broader school community understand the behaviours, attitudes andexpectations that enhance wellbeing and lead to improved student outcomes. Students are taught to acceptresponsibility for their own behaviours as appropriate to their age and level of understanding, as expressed in theBehaviour Code. Quality teaching and professional practice are evident in every learning environment, providingstudents with opportunities to succeed, that are relevant to their stages of learning and development. The schoolconsistently implements a whole–school approach to wellbeing that has clearly defined behavioural expectations andcreates a positive teaching and learning environment. The school has developed explicit processes to collect, analyseand report internal and external student and school performance data. The school has analysed school performancedata and a range of other contextual information and is aware of trends in student achievement levels. Assessment datato monitor achievements and gaps in individual learning are used to inform planning for students, with students showinghigher than expected growth on internal school performance measures.

Our major focus in the domain of Teaching has been on learning and development and effective classroom practice.Professional learning is aligned with the school plan, and its impact on the quality of teaching and student learningoutcomes is evaluated. Teachers participate in professional learning targeted to school priorities and their professionalneeds. The school has effective professional learning for induction, teaching quality, leadership preparation anddevelopment. Processes are in place to assess teachers’ performance and development. Beginning and early–careerteachers are provided with targeted support in the areas which have been identified as requiring support. There is aparticular focus on improved teaching methods in literacy and numeracy, with professional learning activities focused on


building teachers’ understanding of effective teaching strategies in these areas. All teachers are committed to identifying,understanding and implementing the most effective teaching methods, with a high priority given to evidence–basedteaching strategies. Teachers regularly use student performance data and other student feedback to evaluate theeffectiveness of their own teaching practices. Classrooms are well managed,with quality teaching taking place, so thatstudents can engage in learning productively.

In the domain of Leading, our priorities have been the promotion of leadership and the effective and strategic use ofschool resources to achieve improved student outcomes. The school leadership team supports a culture of highexpectations and community engagement, resulting in sustained and measurable whole–school improvement.

Leadership development is central to school capacity building. The school is committed to the development of leadershipskills in both staff, through strategies which promote succession planning, distributed leadership and organisational bestpractice, and students, with the on–going development of a structured student leadership team. This enables both staffand students to realise their potential to have input in their school. The school has productive relationships with externalagencies such as universities, businesses, and industry and community organisations to improve educationalopportunities for students. School facilities are used to meet a broad range of student learning interests and needs.

Strategic financial management is used to gain efficiencies and to maximise resources available to implement the schoolplan. Physical learning spaces are used flexibly, and technology is accessible to staff and students. Long–term financialplanning is integrated with school planning to drive whole–school improvement.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine our school plan, leading to further improvements in thedelivery 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/sef–evidence–guide


Strategic Direction 1

Innovative & Engaging Curriculum for 21st Century Learners

Purpose

To develop an accessible and diverse curriculum catering to the needs of all students.

To embed an ethos of high expectations and achievement by providing Quality Teaching and Learning environments.This will be achieved through regular dialogue and professional learning that is also informed by research and data toadd value to all students’ learning outcomes.

To ensure that students will be productive and ethical users of technology equipped with the skills required for the 21stcentury.

To develop students’ critical thinking to contextualise their learning beyond the classroom along with the ability to workindependently and in teams to become lifelong learners.

Overall summary of progress

East Hills Boys High School has developed collaborative learning spaces to facilitate student orientated learningexperiences. This has promoted student focused curriculum delivery.

Literacy strategies have been embedded into all Stages of Teaching and Learning programs. Teachers are deliveringexplicit writing strategies through a variety of platforms including ALARM in Year 11 and Google classroom exercises inYear 8. Identified students are further supported through the employment of two specialist literacy teachers.

The Transition Coordinator role was expanded to include their presence at regular timetabled year meetings which hasresulted in transition programs being implemented, aimed at preparing students for new learning stages and post schoolpathways.

The re–deployment of Lenovo laptops provided bookable class sets to assist student with their e–learning.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

HSC goals – Exit outcomes.Students seeking an ATAR /University entrance achievegoals. Band 6 to be greater thanan average of 3% of students.Decrease student representationin Band 1 & 2.

Through existing staffingthe school has employed a0.3 transition coordinator toassist students with theirtransition from school towork or further education.Careers advisers haveprofiled Year 12 students toassist with their careeroptions. The schoolsubscribed to a vocationalsoftware program calledJob Jump.

From a cohort of 134 students completing Year 12in 2017 the following statistics have been gathered:87 students have gained entry into a University.This survey reveals that of the Year 12 Cohort in2017, 72% of students contacted will attend a NSWPublic University. Also, 15% of students will attendfurther education via NSW TAFE Institute orApprenticeship/Traineeship with TAFE training or ata private college. Students achieving Bands 1 and 2showed a significant decrease which is extremelypositive for East Hills Boys High School.

Naplan growth targets for year 9– Reading – 70% achievingexpected growth or higher,Writing and Spelling, 61%achieving expected growth orhigher, Grammar andPunctuation greater than 67%,Numeracy, greater than 77%.

An East Hills Boys HighSchool careers website wasestablished. Usingtargeted staffing the schoolengaged a strategic adviserto develop and implement awhole school Literacy andNumeracy program. Anadditional literacy teacherwas engaged to supportstudents who failed to reachthe National minimum

For Year 9, 2017, NAPLAN expected growth targets(between Year 7, 2015, and Year 9, 2017) weresubstantially met, or exceeded, in three of the fouridentified areas, as follows: • Reading and writing growth targets substantiallymet (69% and 61% of students, respectively,achieving expected growths, or higher); • Numeracy growth target exceeded (76% ofstudents achieving expected growths, or higher); • Language growth target not achieved (58% ofstudents achieving expected growths, or higher).Focus will be given to development of student






Naplan growth targets for year 9– Reading – 70% achievingexpected growth or higher,Writing and Spelling, 61%achieving expected growth orhigher, Grammar andPunctuation greater than 67%,Numeracy, greater than 77%.

standard in NAPLAN Year 72016. Support was alsoprovided through theintroduction of additionalliteracy lessons in Year 8and the Accelerated ReaderProgram in Year 7.

Socio–economicbackground ($114,524)

English languageproficiency ($41,645)

language skills (grammar and punctuation) in 2018,mainly through the timetabled Year 8 literacyclasses, and through periodic language–featureemphases in Year 7.

100% implementation ofIEP/PLASP targeted for students.Non ATAR 'HSC Plus' alternativepathways to be established forstudents seeking transition towork.

The introduction of Year 11and Year 12 meetings withguest speakers deliveringseminars on transitionpathways. Careers advisersprofiled Year 12 students toassist with their careeroptions. The developmentof a school based careerswebsite.

$8000 Low LevelAdjustment

Templates were designed by faculties to registernecessary adjustments for supported students.IEP/PLASP's developed and implemented for alltargeted students. HSC Plus pathway options fortargeted students were improved through explicitcommunication with the parent community.

Next Steps

Analyse available data from Year 9 NAPLAN 2018 in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Literacy initiatives bycomparing student expected growth rates between Year 7 2016 and Year 9 2018.

Explore Future Focused Learning opportunities such as Project Based Learning, flipped classroom and visible learning.

Expand on our VET opportunities by introducing Stage 5 VET courses, and through a shared curriculum with East HillsGirls Technology High School, Stage 6 VET courses.



Expert Educators and Leaders

Purpose

Staff will be high performing, collaborative and dynamic, through creating an engaged and collegial community oflearners.

Staff learning will be enhanced through the expansion and increased development of leadership capability andsuccession planning.


Staff and students have been explicitly engaged in leadership opportunities with staff delivering school basedProfessional Learning workshops and the student leadership team broadening their presence within the schoolby combining with the SRC for regular meeting times

All teaching and non teaching staff have completed PDP's which aligned to the school's 3 strategic directions. Beginningteachers utilised RAM funding to work collegially with a mentor teacher.

Opportunities for leadership were promoted within the school allowing staff to build capacity.





Staff apply their IndividualPerformance and DevelopmentPlan (PDP’S) to improve practice.

. Staff evaluated their PDPs in consultation with theirsupervisor, including lesson observation supportdocuments, to provide a basis for the developmentof their 2018 PDPs. The introduction of PDP's fornon–teaching staff occurred.

Evidence of succession planningpractices. Opportunities forrelieving positions andappropriate leadershipprofessional development andempowerment of staff to apply forleadership positions.

The use of InternationalStudent funds to support HTAdmin position separatingfrom HT CAPA. TPLfunding to developleadership potential.

HT Admin $30,000 (ISF)

TPL $15,000

Positions of leadership within the school are filledthrough a formal EOI process allowing staff theopportunity to develop their CV and interviewingskills.

All staff are active and effectivemembers of a learningcommunity throughself–evaluation and collaborativepractice.

TPL funding to upskill staffand promote professionaldevelopment. Beginningteacher funding to supportearly careerteachers/mentors.

Total TPL $143,000

Scheduled Staff Professional Learning afternoonsdisseminating information from professionallearning activities. Executive conference focusingon leadership development and strategic planning.Staff development evenings were used forcollaborative review and development of facultyT&L programs.


Next Steps

PDP's will be submitted by all staff electronically on e–TAMS.

Expanding existing links with the community of schools, through the sharing of resources.

Initiate collaboration between EHBHS and EHGTHS student leadership teams. Student feedback through TTFM surveysto shape SRC action plans.



Fostering Wellbeing and Community Relationships

Purpose

To develop community trust and support.

To ensure our students become active, respectful and informed citizens and future community leaders.

To further enhance our shared values of inclusivity, celebration of diversity and high expectations.

To enhance positive school experiences through effective wellbeing programs, as well as collaboration and engagementwith the wider community.


A successful partnership was developed with the School's Community and Engagement Team to initiate discussion andcommunication with local schools and families with a view to enhance the school's reputation.

The Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) program has continued to help integrate the school's core values of Respect,Responsibility and Learning into student life. This program has been embedded into the student diaries and a suite ofaccompanying wellbeing DVD's are being integrated into PBL lessons.

The school's embracement of social media has kept parents and the community informed of the opportunities offered tostudents as well as the daily organisational processes.





The school community has aclear understanding of the schoolvision and direction and its role indriving school change andimprovement. As a result staff,students, parents and communitymembers will have participated inthe process of developing theSchool Plan.

Social media–Facebook,twitter, Instagram. Skoolbagapp. TTFM survey. Monthlynewsletter, school website,electronic sign, SchoolsCommunity andEngagement team.

Electronic Sign $28,000

The 2018–2020 school plan was developed inconsultation with staff, students and parents. Threenew strategic directions were established and focusareas were identified to drive transformationalchange.

Increase the percentage ofparents and caregivers engagingpurposefully in supporting theirsons’ education and in the life ofthe school. Growth data usinganalysis of the Parent Teacherbooking system and P&Cattendance data.

TTFM survey, EDVALbooking system. Internalparent feedback.

EDVAL $5,000

Year 7 Meet the Teachers afternoon was wellattended. P/T night numbers improved. Increaseduse of electronic communication promoted parentinvolvement in the school. Parent focus groupswere established from local Primary Schools toprovide external perspectives of the school.

TTFM data. Students valuingschool outcomes needs toimprove to above 85%. Studentswho have positive H/W outcomesneeds to improve to above 70%.Students interested in leadershiproles and who are alwaysmotivated needs to increase toabove 35%. Perceived advocacyneeds to improve to over 35%.

TTFM survey. Studentdiaries and well beingpackage. Year meetingseminars and guestspeakers.

Diaries $6,000

The TTFM survey indicated that all targets werereached in this strategic direction. Students havebeen provided with a school diary to engage in theirlearning and homework outcomes.


Next Steps

Further expansion of the Sentral platform to include reporting and a parent portal.

Build student engagement in the local community by encouraging senior leaders to create links with communityorganisations.

Develop key messages to enhance public perceptions of the school.


Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

Aboriginal background loading Learning resources.Transportation to culturalevents. T–shirts forINSPIRE program.

Aboriginal backgroundloading ($8,753)

All students have a Personal Learning Plan(PLP) and are making progress across theliteracy and numeracy continuums. Studentswere engaged in the INSPIRE program andidentified with their culture through theGATHERING and BELONGING program. Arelationship was established with theAboriginal Student Liaison Officer to improvestudent attendance and engagement.

English language proficiency Professional learningactivities. Literacyresources. Specialistliteracy staff.

English languageproficiency ($86,885)

Staff were professionally developed to deliverthe ALARM writing strategy focusing on Stage6 students. Students applied the ALARMmatrix in subject specific writing tasksfocusing on the BOSTES directive terms.Implementing GOOGLE DRIVE, studentswere provided with a weekly homeworkliteracy activity. Staff were released fromteaching to develop literacy skills units.

Low level adjustment for disability SLSO's have beenemployed to assist targetedstudents. LAST coordinator.TPL funding to up skillteachers ability todifferentiate curriculum.

Low level adjustment fordisability ($188,380)

Disability Exam Provisions are provided andadhered to by all staff with the highest amountof support provided to all students. Supportedstudents have had the opportunity tocomplete tasks on time and to the best oftheir ability with the assistance of SLSO's andlearning support staff. The Special EducationFaculty has been successfully establishedand expanded, catering for the educationalneeds of their students.

Socio–economic background Literacy teachers employedabove established staffing.Strategic writingcoordinator. Professionallearning activities. Literacyresources.Thetransformation of the schoollibrary space into acollaborative multi–uselearning centre whichrequired the upgrading offacilities such as theinstallation of glasspetitions, movable bookshelves, interactive screensand furniture fosteringcollaborative learning.

Socio–economicbackground ($267,471)

Students were engaged in stand aloneliteracy lessons embedded in the timetable.Targeted Year 8 students worked in smallwithdrawal groups to improve their literacylevels. Implementing GOOGLE DRIVE,students were provided with a weeklyhomework literacy activity. Learning spaceswere developed allowing students toparticipate in collaborative learningopportunities and productive senior studyperiods.

Support for beginning teachers HT Teaching and Learningdelivering an Inductionprogram in Term 1.Release time for lessonobservations andmentoring. The completionof PDP's to establish careerpathways.

Support for beginningteachers ($32,700)

Staff members completed the process foraccreditation at Proficient Teacher level,meeting regularly with the accreditationsupervisor for support, assistance andfeedback. Teachers developed strategies formanaging difficult classes and worked onimplementing them in their teaching andlearning practices. Staff members whocontinued the process of Maintaining TeacherAccreditation worked collegially to logaccreditation hours and determined wherethere were areas for further professionalgrowth.


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2014 2015 2016 2017

Boys 846 807 818 792

Girls 0 0 0 0

It is a requirement that the reporting of information forall students be consistent with privacy and personalinformation policies.

East Hills Boys High School is enriched through itsethnic diversity and social harmony. A total of 75% ofthe students are from non–English speakingbackgrounds. There are over fifty nationalities thatrepresent our community. East Hills Boys High Schoolhad an enrolment of 792 students in 2017.

We attribute our enrolments to strong leadership,outstanding professional and caring staff, excellentresults, extensive opportunities for each student toexplore his individual talents, understanding andcatering for individual learning styles and the safeenvironment we provide.

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017

7 95.4 94.7 94.6 93

8 93.3 93.4 92.1 91.6

9 93.7 92 92.3 91.1

10 92.4 90.2 92 89.8

11 91.1 91.5 88 88.6

12 90.4 91 90.5 89.8

All Years 92.9 92.1 91.4 90.6

State DoE

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017

7 93.3 92.7 92.8 92.7

8 91.1 90.6 90.5 90.5

9 89.7 89.3 89.1 89.1

10 88.1 87.7 87.6 87.3

11 88.8 88.2 88.2 88.2

12 90.3 89.9 90.1 90.1

All Years 90.2 89.7 89.7 89.6

Management of non-attendance

As the table clearly shows, attendance at East HillsBoys HighSchool is well above state averageattendance. Student attendance is monitored by thewelfare team. Year Advisers, Head Teacher Welfare,the School Counsellor along with the Home SchoolLiaison Officer (HSLO) work together to takeappropriate action for students with attendanceconcerns. Students who are late to school withoutreason are placed on lunch detention that day. TheHead Teacher Welfare monitors this and continuedlateness leads to Head Teacher Detention and contactwith home. The school also uses SMS to communicatewith parents. An SMS is sent home if a student is late,absent or partially absent. Continued lateness over along period of time is referred on to the HSLO and astudent or parent meeting is scheduled.

Student absenteeism is continually tracked anddiscussed fortnightly with the welfare team. The firststep includes making contact with the student todiscuss any issues. The next step is a conversationwith the parent and/or guardian if absenteeismcontinues. A student with continued absence will havea letter sent home outlining attendance concerns and ameeting with their parent/guardians, HSLO,YearAdviser, Head Teacher Welfare and Deputy Principal isscheduled. An attendance plan is devised in thismeeting to overcome barriers that are hindering thestudent from attending. If student attendance does notimprove after an agreed period of time a regionalattendance conference is scheduled by the HSLO atregional office with the student, parent and schoolrepresentative. Attendance issues are discussed in thismeeting and a failure to improve will lead to legalaction.

Post-school destinations

Proportion ofstudents movinginto post-schooleducation, trainingor employment

Year10%

Year11%

Year12%

SeekingEmployment

1.38 1.67 5.2

Employment 1.38 4.17 12.69

TAFE entry 0 2.5 9.7

University Entry 0 0 64.93

Other 0.69 0 3

Unknown 0.69 0 4.48

Students leaving East Hills Boys High School in Year12 2017 have been provided with guidance andinformation to assist them in securing further trainingand employment opportunities.


Career Education at East Hills Boys High Schoolprovides a framework for students to become equippedwith skills to make informed decisions about theirlearning and work options.

Career Education is an ongoing, integrated process,building on concepts taught to all Year 10 studentsthrough Work Education classes. The program assistsstudents to make decisions about their school and postschool education and training options and to discoveremployment opportunities in paid and unpaid work. Theprogram aims to develop key competencies of personalmanagement, learning and work exploration and careerbuilding.

Significant changes in the labour market, and theexpanding range of post school education and trainingpathways, make the requirements of effective careerseducation crucial. Our focus is continued developmentof a strong 'School to Work' philosophy within theschool, amongst staff and students alike.

Our Careers focus at East Hills Boys High Schoolcontinues throughout Years 11 and 12. All seniorstudents are interviewed individually to discuss and beprovided with assistance in making career choices.Further education and training options are researchedand discussed to encourage a smooth transition fromhigh school.

Senior students are provided with the opportunity toattend the Western Sydney Careers Expo during Year11 and the Career Search Expo at Western SydneyUniversity in Year 12. These opportunities assiststudents to create relevance between the skillsstudents acquire in the classroom, with the employerrelated skills sought after in the workplace.

VET (Vocational Education & Training) has beenembedded into the curriculum at East Hills Boys forstudents to have a wide variety of subjects available forselection as an elective in Year 9 and 10, or as a seniorsubject in years 11 and 12. VET subjects popular in2017 include Construction, Hospitality, Sports Coachingand Entertainment. In 2018 we will be introducing anew course Retail for Year 9 students.

By choosing to study a VET subject our students canleave school with a nationally recognized qualification.East Hills Boys are proud to have completed a VETaudit in 2017, which highlighted how effective theschool has implemented these courses andcommended the high standards and quality of teachingon display. VET students in Years 11 and 12 haveparticipated in 70 hours of mandatory work placementas part of their course requirements with many studentsreceiving their qualification and an offer of employment.

Year 12 students undertaking vocational or tradetraining

VET (Vocational Education & Training) has beenembedded into the curriculum at East Hills Boys forstudents to have a wide variety of subjects available forselection as an elective in Year 9 and 10, or as a seniorsubject in Years 11 and 12. VET subjects popular in

2017 include Construction, Hospitality, Sports Coachingand Entertainment. In 2018 we will be introducing anew course Retail for Year 9 students.

By choosing to study a VET subject our students canleave school with a nationally recognized qualification.East Hills Boys are proud to have completed a VETaudit in 2017, which highlighted how effective theschool has implemented these courses andcommended the high standards and quality of teachingon display. VET students in Years 11 and 12 haveparticipated in 70 hours of mandatory work placementas part of their course requirements with many studentsreceiving their qualification and an offer of employment.

Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalentvocational education qualification

East Hills Boys High School was above State averagein 18 courses in the 2017 Higher School Certificatewhich resulted in the school ascending from 405 to 177on the Higher School Certificate merit list of highschools. The boys excelled with 250 Band 5 and 6results, establishing the school as the topcomprehensive high school in South West Sydney. In2017 72% of the Year 12 cohort gained a position in aNew South Wales university.

In 2017, 131 Year 12 students out of 134 weresuccessful in achieving their HSC with 3 students failingto complete the required 10 units thus achieving aRoSA.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 1

Deputy Principal(s) 2

Assistant Principal(s) 0

Head Teacher(s) 10

Classroom Teacher(s) 43.2

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0

Learning & Support Teacher(s) 1.3

Teacher Librarian 1

Teacher of ESL 0.6

School Counsellor 1

School Administration & SupportStaff

13.08

Other Positions 1

*Full Time Equivalent

The teaching staff at EHBHS includes one staff


member of Indigenous heritage.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools.

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100

Postgraduate degree 38

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Significant amounts of professional learning wereundertaken by East Hills Boys High School staff in2017. All teachers participated in a wide range ofprofessional learning courses both at school and offsite. All teacher accreditation was supported andsupervised by the Head Teacher– Teaching andLearning.

East Hills Boys High has distributed its professionallearning funds across individual faculties and wholeschool initiatives in line with our strategic directions setin the school plan. Beginning teachers were allocatedtheir funding according to needs such as relief fromface–to–face teaching, mentoring opportunities and offsite professional learning. A total of $143,670 wasspent across areas such as syllabus implementation,career development, literacy and numeracy and qualityteaching.

Staff development days have provided opportunities forstaff to complete mandatory training such as CPR,anaphylaxis, emergency care, code of conduct andchild protection. Project based learning was deliveredby the gifted and talented team who introduced staff tothe concept of SOLE lessons at Stage 4 level.

Professional learning at an executive level focused onthe School Plan and an evaluation of our strategicdirections in our current plan. Coaching and mentoringwas also initiated at an executive level.

Financial information (for schoolsusing both OASIS and SAP/SALM)

Financial information

The three financial summary tables cover 13 months(from 1 December 2016 to 31 December 2017).

The financial summary consists of school incomebroken down by funding source and is derived from theschool Annual Financial Statement.

Receipts $

Balance brought forward 776,409

Global funds 367,610

Tied funds 374,487

School & community sources 372,114

Interest 15,272

Trust receipts 4,710

Canteen 0

Total Receipts 1,134,193

Payments

Teaching & learning

Key Learning Areas 63,550

Excursions 40,925

Extracurricular dissections 79,596

Library 1,957

Training & Development 0

Tied Funds Payments 422,465

Short Term Relief 130,915

Administration & Office 227,406

Canteen Payments 0

Utilities 65,169

Maintenance 44,873

Trust Payments 11,554

Capital Programs 58,664

Total Payments 1,147,073

Balance carried forward 763,529

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding.

The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 1 January 2017 to 31December 2017.


2017 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 0

Revenue 1,687,470

Appropriation 1,367,878

Sale of Goods and Services 60,792

Grants and Contributions 212,097

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 44,976

Investment Income 1,727

Expenses -782,819

Recurrent Expenses -782,819

Employee Related -336,082

Operating Expenses -446,737

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

904,651

Balance Carried Forward 904,651

The Opening balance for the 2017 school financial yearis displayed in the OASIS table as Balance broughtforward. The financial summary table for the yearended 31 December 2017 shows the Opening balanceas $0.00 because the Opening balance for the 2017school financial year is reported in the OASIS table (asBalance brought forward).

The amount displayed in the Appropriation category ofthe financial summary table is drawn from the Balancecarried forward shown in the OASIS table and includesany financial transactions in SAP the school hasundertaken since migration from OASIS to SAP/SALM.For this reason the amount shown for Appropriation willnot equal the OASIS Balance carried forward amount.

Financial summary equity funding

The equity funding data is the main component of the'Appropriation' section of the financial summary above.

2017 Actual ($)

Base Total 7,208,553

Base Per Capita 126,589

Base Location 0

Other Base 7,081,964

Equity Total 551,490

Equity Aboriginal 8,753

Equity Socio economic 267,471

Equity Language 86,885

Equity Disability 188,380

Targeted Total 690,078

Other Total 107,569

Grand Total 8,557,689

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding.

A full copy of the school’s financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.

School performance

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results acrossthe Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy andnumeracy assessments are reported on a scale fromBand 1 to Band 10. The achievement scalerepresents increasing levels of skillsand understandings demonstrated in theseassessments.

Year 7 NAPLAN results show that intake cohortweaknesses continue to show similar patterns to recentyears – but in 2017, more so than in any previousrecent intake, across all areas assessed. This ismarked in literacy (especially in reading and language),but now also includes numeracy.

These weaknesses are spread across the intakecohort, but are now showing themselves moreparticularly in the bottom–band populations, notably inreading and writing. In Year 9, bottom–bandpopulations are minimal, and below State levels.

Growth data reflected in the Year 9 NAPLAN resultsare gratifying, and a vindication of the school’sliteracy/numeracy programs. Improvement–measuretargets were met in three of the four areas assessed,with average growth measures clearly above Statelevels – in the case of writing, substantially so.


The My School website provides detailedinformation and data for national literacy and numeracytesting. Go to http://www.myschool.edu.au to accessthe school data.

In response to this data, and in response to theschool’s own review and data–tracking processes,literacy and numeracy programs in the junior Years willbe strengthened and extended. Existing strongemphases on writing will be preserved, but a greaterfocus given to reading (mainly in Year 7), and also tonumeracy. These program enhancements are morefully detailed elsewhere in this Report.

Higher School Certificate (HSC)

The performance of students in the HSC is reported inbands ranging from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6(highest).


English Faculty

The creditable 2017 HSC results in English are theoutcome of conscientious emphasis the faculty hasplaced on the development of analytical and creativewriting skills for students undertaking the HSC. A futuredirective of the faculty will be to continue to elevatestudent writing outcomes by using a range of

differentiated strategies, so that all students mayachieve their potential.

English Advanced

In 2017, this course produced a substantial number ofstudents (64.44%) who achieved a Band 5, whilst onestudent attained a Band 6. These results are anexcellent accomplishment in a rigorous and competitivesubject such as English Advanced, and is a reflection ofthe quality teaching practices and the high standardsset by teachers of this course. Fifteen studentsachieved mid–range results, sitting in Bands 3 and 4,which is a significant improvement from previous years.The most outstanding achievement, however, is anabsence of students in the lower band ranges. Nostudent in the 2017 HSC achieved below a band 3 inEnglish Advanced, which is a credit to the cohort whosehigher–order thinking skills were built on, in order toaccess the higher band ranges.

English Standard

In the 2017 HSC, we achieved greater placement ofstudents in the Band 5 range than in the previous year.The attainment of Band 1 results (one student) wassignificantly lower than state average. Both of theseachievements are primarily due to the focus ondeveloping writing skills to improve studentachievement in this course.

English Extension I & II

All five students in Extension I attained an E3 band in2017, an average significantly higher than that of thestate. The single student who undertook Extension IIalso achieved an E3 band. The faculty sets a rigorousbase–line for achievement, so that results are alwayscommendable and no student sits below a mid–rangeband.

English as a Second Language

40% of students achieved a Band 5, which issignificantly higher than that of the state. The level ofgrowth in student achievement appears to be alignedwith previous years.

Mathematics Faculty

Mathematics Extension 2

Ten students completed the Mathematics Extension 2course in 2017. Eight candidates achieved a band E3or higher. This is equivalent to 80% of our studentsachieving in the top two bands.

Mathematics Extension 1

In 2017, sixteen students sat the MathematicsExtension 1 course. Every candidate achieved a bandE3 or above, with ten students achieving the highestband E4. This result placed the school 6.3% abovestate average overall, and 24% above state average inband E4.

Mathematics


Thirteen students completed the Mathematics course in2017. Every student achieved a band 5 or above,with six students achieving a band 6. This accounts for100% of the candidature for this course. Incomparison,the state average for band 5 or above was53%, placing our students 47% above state average.

Mathematics General 2

In 2017, ninety five students sat the MathematicsGeneral 2 course. 44% of candidates achieved a band5 or above, with nineteen students achieving a band 6.This is equivalent to 20% of the cohort receiving thehighest band in Mathematics General 2. In comparison,the state average for band 6 was 7%, placing ourstudents 13% above state average in just the top band.

Science Faculty

Biology

In Biology, 12% of students achieved a band 6, thiswas just above state average. 32% of studentsachieved a band 5, this was 5% above state average.Only 8% of students achieved a band 2, and this waslower than state average. No student received a band1.

Chemistry

In Chemistry, 21% of students achieved a band 5. 86%of Chemistry students achieved a Band 3 or higher. Nostudent received a band 1.

Physics

In Physics, 27% of students achieved a Band 5, aremarkable improvement when compared to the 12%achieving this last year. 72% of students achieved aband 4 or higher, again a remarkable improvementwhen compared to the 35% achieving these bands lastyear. No student received a band 1.

HSIE Faculty

Modern History

Modern History performed extremely well in 2017with fourteen students (45%) receiving a band 5 orabove, exceeding the state average in this subject. Nostudents were positioned in the lowest band. Theseresults were outstanding in a challenging subject withheavy expectations on students’ abilities to writeanalytically in extended form. With a strong focus onsource analysis and ALARM in 2018, Modern Historyaims to consistently nurture students of all abilities inorder to add fluency and depth to their extended writingand continue to maximise the number of band 5 and 6'sin this subject.

Legal Studies

Legal Studies produced outstanding results in 2017with eleven students (50%) receiving a band 5 orabove, easily exceeding the state average. Therewere no students placed within a band 1. This course

has again made significant strides within the HSIEfaculty with another seven (32%) students receiving aband 4, displaying a solid middle cohort. One of theobjectives in 2018 for Legal Studies will be to continueto challenge the upper and middle cohorts in theiranalysis and extended writing to consistently improveupon their already impressive results.

Economics

Economics yielded excellent results with eleven students (61%) receiving a band 5 or above,comfortably exceeding the state average. These resultsare outstanding in a demanding subject requiring highlydeveloped literacy, numeracy and analytical skills.Targeting statistical analysis and the objectiveinterpretation of data will assist students in theirextended writing and will aid in further maximisingEconomics marks in the 2018 cohort.

Business Studies

Business Studies set the benchmark within the HSIEfaculty in 2017 with fifty five students completing thecourse and ten students (18%) receiving a band 6 andincredibly twenty seven students receiving a band 5 orhigher, easily exceeding the state average in thissubject. An outstanding result. The challenge forBusiness Studies in 2018 will be to continue to targetand motivate the middle cohort (49%) in order to pushthem into higher bands. With a strong focus on literacyand ALARM as a faculty we hope to maximise thenumber of students in our top bands and continue tosee a complete absence of band 1's and 2's.

Ancient History

Ancient History produced excellent results in 2017with twenty students completing the course. Onestudent received a band 6 and four (20%) studentsreceived a band 5 or above. A strong focus on sourceanalysis and ALARM has seen an improvement in theanalytical and extended writing of Ancient Historystudents. A major focus in 2018 will be to target themiddle cohort and equip them with the necessaryliteracy skills in order to build on these results andmaximise the number of students in our top bands.

PDHPE Faculty

The 2017 HSC PDHPE students achieved outstandingresults with all 26 students above the state average.PDHPE was 12.21% above the state average. Sevenstudents achieved a Band 6, eight students a Band 5and eleven students a Band 4. No PDHPE studentsachieved the bottom 3 bands.

For 62% of PDHPE students PDHPE was their highestHSC mark. For 88% of PDHPE students PDHPE wastheir top two HSC mark. All sections of the PDHPEexam were well above state average with the Section IIextended response questions being an impressive 20%above state average.

The focus of the PDHPE faculty for 2018 will be tryingto increase the number of students selecting andcompleting the HSC PDHPE course by targeting


students who excel in the Stage 5 PDHPE and PhysicalActivity and Sport Studies courses.

CAPA Faculty

Students in Visual Arts were involved in numerousprograms throughout the year, which helped themfurther develop their understanding of the arts. Theseincluded attending the Art Gallery of NSW for the ArtExpress 2017 and Biennale exhibition, the Street artmaking class at Casula Powerhouse Museum andtogether with the Creative Arts faculty; we hosted theNight of Excellence, where HSC works were displayed.In terms of the HSC, we had twenty four studentscompleting their Major Artworks in 2017.

In both senior art classes, we saw the majority ofstudents achieving their best results in this subjectarea. Our results continue to stand strong over theyears, with 37% achieving band 5 – 54% achievingband 4, which meant that overall 91% of our studentsachieved a band 4 or higher and none of our boysachieved lower than a band 3.

A special mention to Alvin Do, whose artwork wasselected to be displayed through three different ArtGalleries for the 2018 Art Express Exhibitions, which isa fantastic accomplishment in itself.

Music

In the Music 1 course, 80% of students achieve a Band5 or higher and no students received a result lower thana Band 4. On an individual note of excellence, ZacharyChong achieved an outstanding result in Music 2 andreceived an Encore nomination for his fourperformances on the Piano. For 75% of students, theirresult in Music was also their highest HSC result. Thisyear also saw the first time girls were enrolled in thecourse. This has brought a new dynamic to the class ascollaboration takes place between both male andfemale students.

Entertainment

In Entertainment, all students received a statement ofattainment towards a certificate III in Live Productionand Services. 80% of the class achieved a fullqualification, which can be used to seek work in theEntertainment industry. All students achieved theirWhite card, a safety induction card issued by thegovernment allowing them onto any worksite. For thefirst time ever, students from East Hills GirlsTechnology High School were enrolled in the coursehere at East Hills Boys. This has been a greatexperience for students to collaborate and learntogether.

Drama

Drama thrived in 2017 with both junior and seniorstudents expanding their skills and reaching successfulheights in the subject. Year 12 students showcasedtheir Individual Projects at our CAPA Night ofExcellence. The performances were outstanding andthe Poster and Promotional Materials had not beenseen before at East Hills Boys. The class displayed

vast improvements throughout the year, most notablythe improvements in their results between the HalfYearly examinations and their HSC results.

TAS Faculty

In 2017, six different courses were examined at theHSC in Technological and Applied Studies (TAS). Inkeeping with overall school results, the TAS facultyachieved excellent results with 5 of the 6 examinedcourses achieving above state average results.

Of the eighty six students who studied courses inTAS, thirty three students (38%) achieved Bands 5 or6. Across the faculty, fifty nine students (69%) achievedBand 4 or better in their selected courses.

Of particular note were the following courses abovestate average

Software Design and Development (SDD) +5.80,

Information Processes and Technology (IPT) +7.97

Engineering Studies +3.53

Hospitality – Kitchen Operations +2.31

Industrial Technology (Timber andFurniture/Multimedia) +2.67


Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Each year schools are required to seek the opinions ofparents, students and teachers about the school. In2017, 731 students at East Hills Boys High Schoolparticipated in the Tell Them From Me survey. Thesurvey found:

Students have a positive sense of belonging at EastHills Boys High School. They feel accepted and valuedby their peers and by others at their school. Across allyear groups, 70% of students at East Hills Boys HighSchool had a high sense of belonging. The NSWGovernment norm for these years is 66%. 71% ofstudents feel they can do well in their schoolwork compared to the NSW Government norm at 65%and 73% of students felt the school staff emphasisesacademic skills and hold high expectations for allstudents to succeed, compared to the NSWGovernment norm at 70%.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

At East Hills Boys High School, our School Plan andpolicies are inclusive of the needs of indigenousstudents and staff members.

All staff have completed the Aboriginal PedagogyFramework: 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning. Eachfaculty embedded this strategy into teaching programsacross all Key Learning Areas. Elders and AECGmembers from the local community assisted in thisprocess and gave greater perspective to all staff aboutthe importance of incorporating this pedagogy into ourteaching strategies.

KARI SCHOLARSHIPS

Successful recipients of $500 KARI Scholarships are:

Kirby Pearson Year 12 and Tyrell Hofman Year 11

Tyrell has been selected to receive mentoring fromKARI ambassador and former NRL player BeauChampion.

GATHERING & CLOSE THE GAP MEETING

The purpose of the Gathering Meetings is for the juniorAboriginal students and their parents to meet theAboriginal community of the school. We elect a Juniorand Senior Aboriginal Representative for the SRC. For2017 the successful candidates were Kirby PearsonYear 12, Vice Captain and Elijah Taala Year 10, JuniorAboriginal SRC.

There was an opportunity to meet Mr K Elgood, MrsLyn Martin VP Bankstown AECG, Mrs Carol Brown(Aunty Carol) the school’s ACLO and AECG and MrsTurnbull the Aboriginal coordinator. Ainslie Regan andShaun Humphries, the School2Workrepresentatives also outlined their program for 2017.Mrs Pettit and Mr Stefanis utilized this time to discussPLPs. Parents and community also had an opportunityto meet other members of the teaching staff who areinvolved in the education and well–being of theAboriginal students.

BELONGING PROGRAM

The purpose of The Belonging Program is to enhanceAboriginal students to their community and culture bybringing them together for rich learning experiencesand cultural events. Term 2’s Belonging Program washeld at Panania Public School where over a 100Aboriginal students from local Primary and HighSchools participated in a day of Diji, dance, weavingand games.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

East Hills Boys High School is very proud of the widediversity of its students’ backgrounds. The percentageof culturally and linguistically diverse students hasremained steady over the past few years. Respect forall cultures underpins the school’s guiding principlesand plays an integral role in the school’s welfareprograms.

The School's Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)program incorporates our values of Respect,Responsibility and Learning. This includes promoting


inclusivity of all individuals and respecting each othersbackgrounds and beliefs. Discrimination and racism arediscussed and model behaviour is always taught in ourschool environment no matter our gender, age, race orreligion.

Other school programs

Literacy/numeracy program, 2017.

In 2017, the school continued and augmented theprogram responses commenced the previous year, inresponse to external and internal data identifying intakecohort weaknesses in literacy and, to some extent,numeracy.

During the past year: • The Accelerated Reader program was introduced

in Year 7, following decisions and planningundertaken the previous year. This programinvolves silent reading by each Year 7 class,timetabled for three periods per fortnight.Students are first assessed for reading levels,then matched with library books at an appropriatelevel. At the end of each book, students completean on–line assessment to check understanding ofwhat has been read. The program generatesreports to show how each student’s reading levelsare progressing, and students can also borrowbooks and continue their reading at home. Anend–year evaluation confirmed nearly 2,000books read, with broad growth in readingcomprehension demonstrated across all classes.Some students were acknowledged with awards,and student participation and progress in theprogram reported on in semester reports.

• The across–school Year 8/11 writing strategyentered its second year of implementation,requiring formal assessment tasks in each ofthese Years to include extended writing, then themarking of these tasks using a common markingscale, and reporting of standardised writinggrades (A–E) in Semester reports. A strategyreview indicated the need to continue to “touchbase” with consistency of judgement issues.

• “Catch–up” literacy classes were introduced,timetabled for three periods per fortnight.Additionally, some students who were assessedto have particular literacy needs continued to bewithdrawn from some classes, and these studentsshowed strong gains across targeted areas.

• After–school “Homework Help” classes continuedin 2017, on three afternoons in the week. Teacherfeedback indicated that the program wasreasonably supported on Wednesdays andThursdays, but to a lesser extent on Tuesdays.Homework Help will therefore run on twoafternoons during 2018.

• Google Classroom literacy/numeracy supportcontinued to operate during 2017, providingadditional out–of–hours practice in skills–relatedexercises principally to students in Years 8 and 9.Modest cohort participation was recorded, interms of timely weekly completion, and increasingthis level will be the focus of the 2018 program. A

significant number of students completed theexercises as “catch–up”, prior to the Year 9NAPLAN tests.

• A central tracking system gathered data fromacross–school literacy/numeracy programs during2017, responding to student progress informationas it became available. Specifically, interventionsincluded student interviews, phone–calls toparents, presentation of remedial material andreferral to Homework Help. Depending on theirresponse to earlier interventions, some studentswere withdrawn for intensive support.

• “Skills units” were developed during the latter partof 2017, to provide additional certainty andstructure in the development of student skills inYears 8, 10, 11 and 12, with the focus beingwriting in the junior Years, and skills of analysis inthe senior Years. Implementation of these unitswill begin in 2018.

All across–school literacy/numeracy programs arebased on significant and focussed training of staff andstudents, embedding in teaching programs, gatheringand analysing of student progress information, highexpectations of parent support and students takingresponsibility for their own learning. The 2017 Year 9NAPLAN tests showed this cohort making above–Statelevel gains in all areas of literacy and numeracy, butwith the outstanding gains in writing providing truevindication of the school’s programs to date.

Sport 2017

Sport is an integral part of a student’s life and itprovides young people with a great opportunity to bephysically active and forge lifelong friendships. Sport isa whole school operation and without the assistance ofthe entire staff of East Hills Boys High School, ourstudents would miss a vital component of theireducation. I would like to thank all staff for theirinvolvement in a variety of capacities throughout 2017,which proved to be yet another successful year in sportfor East Hills Boys High School. I would also like tothank the parents and families of the East Hills Boyscommunity for your continued support of sport here atour school.

In the weekly Bankstown Zone grade competition, wefielded 30 teams and had over 250 students compete inthe grade competitions this year. The Bankstown Zoneis the largest sporting zone in the Sydney South WestRegion and with eleven schools in the zone providingstrong competition, it enables the boys to participate ina quality sporting program each week. I would like tocongratulate the following teams, who won theirrespective grand finals this year: • Junior Touch Football • Senior Touch Football • Senior 8–a–side Soccer • Senior Oz Tag team • Junior 8–a–side soccer

At Zone level, we finished in 3rd place at the swimmingcarnival, and 2nd place in both the cross–country andathletics carnivals out of the eleven schools in the


Bankstown Zone. I would like to congratulate DanielFediakov of Year 11 and Jackson Topine of Year 10,who were named Zone Age Champions for CrossCountry and Athletics respectively. Additionally, we alsohad teams compete at the inaugural Bankstown ZoneOz Tag and Futsal Gala Days, providing the perfectplatform for our talented students to test their skillsagainst some strong opposition.

East Hills Boys had 65 students qualify to represent theBankstown Zone at regional level this year across widevariety of sports, including athletics, swimming,cross–country, basketball, soccer, rugby league, touchfootball and tennis.

In knockout sport at regional level, we continue to becompetitive at both regional and state level. We wererunners up at the regional table tennis championships,regional finalists in the opens cricket knockout, andsemi–finalists at both the regional touch footballcarnival and the NSW Futsal competition.

East Hills Boys also had nine students represent ourschool and the SSW region at NSW Combined HighSchool (CHS) level this year. Matthew Nimmett(Tennis), Jason Edwards (Basketball), CampbellMcLaren & Pascal Jungo (Swimming), Tanveer Sangha(Cricket), and Herley Nguyen, Jhiiem McIlvenna Petai,Sakarin Aller & Malek El Masry (Athletics). We are veryfortunate to have so many gifted and talented athletesin a variety of sports here at East Hills Boys.

All of Year 7 were involved in a weekly Integrated SportProgram where they participated in a number of sportsthroughout the year. These included a 10–week RugbyLeague program run by the National Rugby Leagueand a 10–week Swimming program, coordinated by MsWheatley, a national swim coach.

Welfare

East Hills Boys High School has gradually implementeda greater number of welfare initiatives in 2017. TheWelfare Team has included initiatives with theintroduction of programs and partnerships. These haveincreased the likelihood of positive experiences for theboys as well as increasing their knowledge and skills inavariety of areas.

Programs included: • The Fast Forward Program for Years 9 –12 in

partnership Western Sydney University enablingstudents to experience university and providecareer pathways.

• The introduction of the Sky High Program throughUTS which enables students in Year 8 to be ininvolved in a variety of programs and activitiesthat are offered by the university.

• Presentations and workshops by companies inregards to bullying, stress and study skills areorganised that will cater to the needs of yeargroups.

• The Positive Behaviour for Learning Schemewhich includes lessons that attend to welfareissues and reinforces the core values of Respect,Responsibility and Learning not just in school but

also the wider community. • Transition Week for Year 7 during their first week

of the school year. This provided a positiveexperience for students to engage with eachother, senior students and their teachers, whilstlearning about the school expectations andpolicies. This assists in the transition into highschool and enables our Year 11 students to bePeer Support Leaders

• The Reconnect Program run by Mission Australiato provide Year 10 students life skills andopportunities to refine their job skills that they canapply in daily life.

• The introduction of scheduled fortnightly yearmeetings for Years 11 and 12, allowing forpresentations, support and regularcommunication with students. This includedpresentations by the Police, Headspace, WhiteRibbon Australia and Western Sydney University.

• The introduction of scheduled appointments forsenior students with the Careers Advisers to helpmentor and devise a plan for tertiary studies andtransitioning into the workforce.

• The continuation of Peer Support for Years 7 and8. This provides the opportunity for students tospeakup about the issues they face. It alsoprovides our senior students leadershipopportunities to mentor the younger students byproviding strategies to deal with barriers atschool.

• The running of ROSE assemblies whichrecognises student excellence in all subjectareas.

In 2018 some new initiatives will be introducedincluding: • The RAGE workshop targeting students who

need work on their anger management andimproved their ability to make informed decisions.

• The development of the Indigenous Team withstaff that cater for the needs of students such asin Learning Support, Welfare, WorkplaceOpportunities and Transition and CommunityPrograms.

•Student Representative Council

In 2017, the Student Representative Council continuedto proudly and enthusiastically uphold the school’s corevalues of respect, responsibility and learning within andoutside the school.

The SRC participated in charitable events and raisedfunds to assist the underprivileged members of thecommunity. Events were organised to support anumber of worthwhile causes including the World’sGreatest Shave, Movember, Jeans for Genes and theRed Shield Appeal. These events highlight thecharitable nature of the students in the school. TheSchool Prefects were active participants ofteacher–student activities and organised, led, assistedand chaired school assemblies throughout the year.

2017 provided students with many opportunities toenhance their leadership skills. These opportunitiesincluded participating with other student leadership


groups in regular regional ‘Student Voice’ meetings,attending the Young Leader’s Day conference andsharing ideas at the Bankstown Youth Forum. The SRCeven found time to organise and participate in a zoneTug–O–War competition, a wonderful way to enhancepride and morale.

The Senior Leadership team also embarked on a brandnew leadership initiative co–ordinated by P&Cpresident Kim Pearson, entitled ‘Managing Your OwnBrand.’ This brilliant new program enabled students inthe Senior SRC to give and receive constructive,peer–centred feedback on their leadership capabilitiesin the hope of unlocking their leadership potential.

East Hills Boys High School is a school committed tonurturing student leadership and connecting withstudents and the wider community. The leadershipexperiences offered by our school provide an excellentplatform for students to become active and productivemembers of the community. As a school we hope touncover the leadership potential of many more of ourboys in 2018.

Mind Marathon 2017

The Mind Marathon is an East Hills Boys High Schooleducation initiative, which challenges students within ateam environment to find solutions to problems from avariety of topic areas including Mathematics, Science,English, History, Geography and General Knowledge.

In 2017 East Hills Boys High School again proudlywelcomed girls to compete and will look to continue thisinitiative so that all students have the opportunity tochallenge themselves in a fun and challengingacademic and hands–on environment.

The East Hills Mind Marathon is one of the largestGifted and Talented programs in Australia aimed atextending the minds of gifted and talented studentsfrom around NSW.

In 2017, the Mind Marathon Competition ran over fourdays with a fifth day dedicated to a ChampionshipRound. What began as two days of fun has grown intoa competition that schools from around NSW anticipateeach year. Students travelled from as far as Manly,Kambora and Lake Munmorah with over 600 studentsattending the competition in total.

The top six teams from each competition day returnedto East Hills Boys High School to compete for the MindMarathon Championship Trophy with Kotara HighSchool taking out the Secondary Division and DuralPublic School being crowned Primary Schoolchampions.

The Mind Marathon evolves every year, as does thepassion of East Hills Boys High school to host it. We

look forward to seeing even higher participation andeven greater teamwork and creativity in 2018.


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