Wee Waa Public School Annual · PDF fileWee Waa Public School Annual Report

Wee Waa Public School Annual Report

<School logo>

3416

2015

<hoto>

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2015 is provided to the community of Wee Waa 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.

Peter Carrett

Principal

School contact details:

Wee Waa Public School

41 Cowper St

Wee Waa 2388

[email protected]

0267954284

Message from the Principal

Wee Waa Public School is 145 years old and the school has been at the heart of education for our citizens since 1870. We have a proud history of student achievement. International sportsman stars such as footballer, Jamie Lyons have rubbed shoulders with lawyers of international repute such as Gavin Ingram and the head of World Vision in Africa, Anthea Dallimore who all called Wee Waa Public home during the last 25 years. Added to past alumni such as Dr Victor Coppleson who in the 1950s was responsible for the introduction of CPR as the accepted method of resuscitation the school has a strong claim for producing outstanding citizens who follow a simple mantra of being proud of who I am and of my school, that I do my best to be honest and responsible, to be a good friend, to learn and to enjoy my time at school. In 2015 the school continues this tradition offering a balanced curriculum of academic, sporting and cultural pursuits. Its innovative learning support programs in language and literacy are the envy of other schools and the school continues to produce students who have gone on to make a positive impact on the community they live in. The school boasts an outstanding staff and receives wonderful support from its parent body. 2015 has been a notable year. Being the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Anzac tradition the school took part with great distinction in our community celebration. In the classroom students have excelled and the results obtained by Year 3 in the annual NAPLAN assessment were amongst the best set of results in many years. Year 5s results were not as impressive but that is why we have employed support staff like former principal Carol Miller who brings not only many years of teaching practice but a deep knowledge of the curriculum to support her work with the students. Who could not be but impressed with the standard of the class performances in music and poetry at the Narrabri Eisteddfod, certainly the judges were. All year various groups and classes have performed at special assemblies, everyone to a very high standard. Our youngest students also showed off their talents in the district science competition earning rare praise. School doesn’t stop at 3:00pm for our students, and members of staff and a group of parents developed an afterschool netball program which involved not only students of Wee Waa Public but also students from other local schools who took advantage of the opportunity we provided for all children. It is no accident our school netball

mailto:[email protected]

team made the north west semi-finals of the state knockout for the first time this year when the girls have the support of staff like Sharon and Sarah and a wonderful group of parents behind them. The cricketers this year developed as a team and had a number of fine victories as a result. The team that eventually beat us, South Tamworth went on to make the last 8 teams in the state. Hard work in the nets practising also paid off for Dylan Smith and Zack Doring who gained selection in the North West cricket team, a first for Wee Waa Public boys. School isn’t just about sport. It’s not even just about the classroom. At the heart of our profession and our ethos as human beings is caring for children. Sometimes parents find it difficult raising their children. We are not here to judge parents but to help children so we will continue to provide food and clothing, get children medical care when needed and show compassion always. There are 160 sets of personal circumstance that members of staff grapple with daily. It is not only teachers and support staff who show compassion. Our students are copying what they see and when one of their class mates suffered a rare childhood stroke in August. His class started fund raising that eventually saw the whole school take part in a mini-fete that saw the total raised by Year 5, staff passing the hat around and fete activities reach several thousands of dollars. Only time and doctors will get him back to full health but if love and compassion are part of his healing then our school, your children have provided it in bucket loads. Wee Waa Public is a school any community would be proud of.

Peter Carrett

Principal

School background

School vision statement

At Wee Waa Public, children are offered an excellent all round education.

We believe as educators that learning should be challenging, exciting, surprising and fun. Our school should be a place where all children are expected to succeed with their learning. We believe our school should be a place where children wonder, puzzle, imagine, question and think, either alone or with others.

We believe our school should respect the past, value the present and aim for the future. It should be a place where everyone is courteous, respectful and safe where everyone, staff and students are happy to be at school.

Wee Waa Public should be a place where all children regardless of race, socio economic circumstance or natural ability can say “I’m proud of who I am and of my school, that I do my best to be honest and responsible, to be a good friend, to learn and to enjoy my time at school”.

School context

Wee Waa Public School is situated in the north west of New South Wales, and is part of the Tamworth Principals Network. It serves the community of Wee Waa and the surrounding rural district. Only one quarter of the student population now travel to school by bus compared to previous eras, with the remaining students travelling to school by foot or car. This is a significant reduction on past numbers of students using bus transport and is indicative of where jobs have been lost in the community. With much of this century having been in drought the local economy has been in recession. This was reflected in declining enrolments at Wee Waa Public School until 2012 when number began to rise again. 2015 saw 176 students start the year

School vision statement

which is an increase of 17% over 3 years. This increase was due to the cheaper housing available in town with 90% of new enrolments coming from low SES families. In 2015 48% of students identified as Aboriginal with more than 20% of the total school population have identified additional education needs. 40% of families are single parents with some 95% of these being single mums. 25% of our families derive their total income from welfare payments. 2015 unfortunately saw significant changes to the school population as the year progressed. We started 2016 with only 130 students having had 46 students leave during the past 12 months. Most of this decrease was due to a drop in kindergarten enrolment in 2016 and over 25 children and their families leaving Wee Waa as a result of the economic downturn the community is currently experiencing. The whole community is hoping for flooding rains to bring back work, jobs and families to Wee Waa.

Self-assessment and school achievements

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework, our school achievements and the next steps to be pursued. Our staff used the School Excellence Framework to inform, monitor and validate the progress and impact of our teaching strategies used during 2015. The school plan was examined to determine the elements of the School Excellence Framework that the plan most strongly addressed. This provides an important opportunity to ensure our improvement efforts align with the expectations of the School Excellence Framework.

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.This year, our school undertook self-assessment using the elements of the School Excellence Framework.

The results of this process indicated that:

In the domain of Learning, our efforts have primarily focused on curriculum delivery, student assessment and measurement tools.

A more focused approach to individual learning needs has been a component of our progress throughout the year. Students with high learning needs are being identified early and their parents/carers are increasingly involved in planning and supporting their learning directions.

Our major focus in the domain of Teaching has been a particular focus on improved teaching methods in literacy and numeracy, with professional learning activities focused on building teachers’ understandings of effective teaching strategies in these areas. Staff have begun a journey of self-reflection using Formative Assessment tools.

In the domain of Leading, our priorities have been to build a trust with all stakeholders in our community. Parents and community members have had the opportunity to engage in a wide range of school-related activities. The school is committed to the development of leadership skills in staff and students and have established links with other schools, other educational providers and other organisations to support the school’s programs.

The new approach to school planning, supported by the new RAM funding model, is making a major difference to our progress as a school. The achievements and identification of next steps are outlined in the following pages of this report. Our self-assessment process will further assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our School plan leading to further improvements in the delivery of education to our students.

Strategic Direction 1

To ensure equality of opportunity for every student acknowledging the many pathways taken by our students to arrive at our school.

Purpose

To ensure equality of opportunity for every student acknowledging the many pathways taken by our students to arrive at our school. To promote a culture of excellence within the school by providing learning opportunities that build upon quality teaching in the classroom, Encourage students to be independent, yet disciplined, innovative and resourceful individuals able to make sense of the world around them.

Overall summary of progress

This section describes the school’s ongoing self-assessment, reflection processes and progress for Strategic Direction 1 of the School plan. It draws on a comprehensive range of evidence to demonstrate school achievements. The summary of progress should address the following questions:

We ran all of the programs outlined in the school plan with our NAPLAN results indicating the following changes to 2014 averages

Yr 3 2014 2015 Difference %

Reading 386.8 382.5 -4.3 -0.98%

Writing 368.4 401.3 +33.9 +1.08%

Spelling 366.0 365.6 -0.4 -0.99%

Grammar 370.4 398.7 +28.3 +1.07%

Numeracy 357.6 374.4 +16.8 +1.04%

Overall Improvement for Year 3 = +1.22 %

Yr 5 2014 2015 Difference %

Reading 430.7 426.2 -4.5 -0.98%

Writing 435.3 403.2 -32.1 -0.92%

Spelling 437.5 424.4 -13.1 -0.97%

Grammar 402.2 425.2 +23.0 +1.05%

Numeracy 438.6 445.4 +6.8 +1.01%

Overall Improvement for Year 5 = -0.05 %

Progress towards achieving improvement measures Resources (annual)

Improvement measure Progress achieved this year

Improved NAPLAN results using 2012-14 average results as a base line with a target of 5% overall improvement each year.

In 2015 we ran the following programs aimed at assisting individual students to build literacy and numeracy skills.

Reading Recovery

LAsT stage one support

MULTILIT

$210,000


Norta Norta

Language Support

Decreasing detention & Suspension data In 2015 there were 316 detentions spread across the

year. This was a reduction of 60% on 2014. Staff attribute this reduction to the fact that some of our more troubled students left the school in 2014 and the introduction of a code of conduct.

In 2015 there were 16 suspensions involving 13 students. This is a reduction of 7 suspensions on 2014 and represents a decrease of 34% on 2013 figures. Contributing factors leading to this decrease were the introduction of a clear set of school rules developed by staff in term 4 2013 and introduced in 2014 and the moving on of some very troubled itinerant students in late 2014.

$3,000

Improved attendance data with a target of reaching the state average by 2016 and maintaining at that level through 2017

This target continues to allude our school with the 2015 percentage of 89% amongst the lowest in the state. We will continue to implement our procedures as listed

$25,000

Next steps

This section includes future directions for 2016 and ensures the 3-year plan remains on track to provide high quality educational outcomes. What are the next steps required for 2016 to ensure Strategic Direction 3 is successfully implemented?

Offering students individual support only works if the children come to school regularly. Many of the students targeted for support also have the worst attendance so getting children to school regularly will become the highest priority for 2016. If more children have to be referred to the HSLO and prosecutions have to take place in order that parents take responsibility then so be it.

Introduction of PBL – Several staff have experience in working in schools that use the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) model as part of their student wellbeing framework. With the introduction of PBL across the network including Wee Waa High it is our intension to spend 2016 investigating the program and setting up a platform for the introduction of PBL into the school.


Teachers and the support staff within a school have the capacity to change lives for the better. As life-long learners they need to continually refine the art of teaching through engaging in professional studies and equip themselves with skills necessary for the safety and wellbeing of their students and the technological skills required for life in the 21st century.

Purpose

Teachers must provide a flexible curriculum designed around the needs of 21st learners. Teachers must have the capacity to implement the new National Standards and new NSW syllabi as they are progressively introduced during the next 3 years.


All Professional development was carried out with staff assisting by giving up some weekends to accommodate training opportunities. Formative Assessment has led to staff taking on a monthly average of 3 hours of professional training which is in addition to normal hours.The impact of formative Assessment upon the teaching of the staff has already shown itself to be positive. For example students are now exposed to a style of question presentation that is consistent across the school and understood by all students. Teachers use a similar language when talking about learning which assists students to adapt to different teachers. The professional development sessions have challenged teachers to think about their own skills and prove the old adage “You are never too old to learn something new”



Evidence of the implementation of the National Curriculum

An examination of all classroom programs by members of the school executive show that all teachers are implementing the current NSW syllabi.

$4,000

Evidence of involvement in all professional development offered by the school.

In 2015 the school offered the following professional development for all members of staff

Formative Assessment

Aboriginal Engagement Strategies

Mandatory Training in CPR/Anaphylaxis/First Aid

Sports Training

$16,000

Formative Assessment procedures embedded into teaching practice.

During 2015 Formative Assessment was introduced to the staff and all teachers began a journey exploring its potential to improve their teaching practice.

leadership scholarship to attend training. $12,000

Next steps

What are the next steps required for 2016 to ensure Strategic Direction 3 is successfully implemented?

Staff will continue to explore Formative Assessment with approximately 3 hours of professional study per month for the rest of the year.

Staff will continue to access training in skill areas that are appropriate to their individual needs eg. Staff have visited schools to acquire knowledge about teaching children with learning difficulties in the area of autism. Staff have completed level one cricket training during term 1 2016.


Building trust and respect within the school and beyond its walls to the community is absolutely vital if our students are to take their place in society and be equip to cope in the 21

st century.

Purpose

The school must reflect the community, culture and time it is living through. Living in the 21st

century demands 21st

century classrooms, technology and pedagogy. Looking to the past, living in the present with an eye for the future must be reflective of a constant search for quality engagement with our students using the most modern of tools. Positive, trusting and respectful School Community partnerships are the key to success.


Very significant progress in the physical improvements of the learning environments of the school

have been completed

Participation rates have risen significantly in sport and creative arts

Participation rates in AECG meetings have increased tenfold since 2014.



Increasing levels of participation in Sport, Arts and extracurricular activities

The school now provides opportunities for student participation in 8 sports, in developing skills in painting, drawing, photography and singing and instrumental playing. Children have had attended performances and taken part in excursions beyond Wee Waa

$30,000

Improved classroom comfort and staff and student moral and wellbeing

In 2015 the following work was carried out

Additional bubblers were installed

Kidney desks were added to all classrooms

The installation of Portable sound systems was completed

There were 3 smartboards replaced in classrooms

reverse cycle air conditioners replace existing systems

$40,000

involvement level of the staff in Indigenous Awareness Training

There was no opportunity in 2015 for this training to be delivered.

Aboriginal perspectives embedded in all school practices and programs

NAIDOC week celebrations were organised this year by Ms Sharon Farrell with support. The five days were highly successful with increased community participation and a genuine partnership developing

$2,000

Visible signs of Indigenous culture within the school

As a result of NAIDOC week celebrations the school engaged an Aboriginal artist, Darrell Ferguson from Lightning Ridge to create a major art work celebrating the life journey of the 2015 Year 6 students

$2,000

Next steps

Continue developing positive involvement in the school through the P&C & AECG.

Continue to develop more visible indigenous artifacts within the school

Continue to involve the school in the wider community life of Wee Waa

Next St

Next Steps

Key initiatives and other school focus areas

This section includes: Key initiatives Policy requirements such as Aboriginal Education, Multicultural Education and Anti-Racism Education. Initiatives and other school focus areas which may not have been included in the school plan such as Early

Action for Success, student leadership, partnerships and projects.

Key initiatives (annual) Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

Aboriginal background funding

The school employed a A.E.O & two additional staff members to assist the students of Aboriginal background. We engaged a teacher to support at risk Aboriginal students We engage an Aboriginal tutor to support students with MULTILIT

$110,000

English language proficiency funding

Wee Waa Public does not have any students who do not speak English as their first language

zero

Targeted students support for refugees and new arrivals

Wee Waa Public does not have any students who are refugees or recent arrivals to Australia

zero

Socio-economic funding

Funding applied to

• Language Program

• Kindergarten Support

• Extension & Creative Arts program

• Attendance Intervention Officer

$217,207

Low level adjustment for disability funding

Funding to release Reading Recovery teacher from class all day. This funding is used as part of a total package of student support

$28,759

Support for beginning teachers

Wee Waa Public has staff in their first five years of employment but received no additional funding to support them

zero

Other school focus areas Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

Remote Funding used to provide opportunities for students by overcoming the tyranny of distance caused by the high cost of transport and low levels of car ownership amongst parents

$32,292

Student information

It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all students be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Student Enrolment Profile

As can be seen from the above enrolment profile the number of students in the school has fluctuated with the changing economic conditions. The floods of 2010 have been replaced by 5 lean years and jobs have become scarce resulting in families beginning to leave the district.

Student attendance profile

Class 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

K 89.0 86.7 91.2 85.9 89.8

1 88.7 90.9 87.6 90.3 87.8

2 91.8 87.9 91.8 89.2 90.6

3 94.0 90.8 87.6 91.3 88.3

4 93.5 92.7 88.3 85.2 88.3

5 90.6 95.0 88.5 89.2 89.7

6 92.4 90.5 88.1 90.8 91.6

% 91.5 90.7 89.1 88.9 89.6

State

%

94.3 94.2 94.7 94.8 94.0

Attendance remains a very significant issue for many students in the school and a full range of initiatives has been implemented over the past 5 years including

1. Monitoring of rolls on a daily basis with parents either contacted by phone or by home visit.

2. Awards given out weekly and each semester recognizing the importance of attendance

3. Newsletters highlighting the educational importance of regular attendance

4. Discussion at meetings of the AECG

5. Use of the student support funding to enable students to attend school

6. Use of the HSLO to follow up on individual students and families

7. Prosecution by the department of parents who refuse to send their children to school

Whilst options 6 and 7 are seen as a last resort they are used when parents are not supporting the school in getting their children to school.

Workforce information

Reporting of information for all staff must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

The school is fortunate in having a skilled and experienced staff ranging from early career teachers to experienced teachers and executive. Wee Waa Public has a staffing allocation of 13.676 teachers and administrative staff. The school used funding from the Resource Allocation Model to employ additional classroom teachers, additional part time support teachers and full time or part time Student Learning Support Officers.

Workforce composition

Position Number

Principal 1

Deputy Principal(s) 0

Assistant Principal(s) 2

Head Teacher(s) 0

Classroom Teacher(s) 5

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0.5

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 1.1

Teacher Librarian 0.4

Teacher of ESL 0

School Counsellor 0.2

School Administrative & Support Staff 3.86

Other positions 3.6

Total 17.66

The Australian Education Regulation, 2014 requires schools to report on Aboriginal composition of their workforce.

Wee Waa Public has a number of staff members who identify as being of Aboriginal heritage.

0

50

100

150

200

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Stu

den

ts

Year

Enrolments

Male Female

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100%

Postgraduate degree

Professional learning and teacher accreditation Significant amounts of professional learning were undertaken by Wee Waa Public School staff in 2015. With the release of a different funding model and research supporting teacher quality being the single largest indicator of student success, this was a focus area for us.

With a widely experienced staff the individual needs of teachers have been also taken account of with attendance at a variety of professional development courses in areas such as developing expertise in nominated sports, developing classroom skills and building capacity to engage Aboriginal students in content rich lesson.

Financial information

Financial summary

This summary covers funds for operating costs and does not involve expenditure areas such as permanent salaries, building and major maintenance.

A full copy of the school’s 2015 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the parent and/or community groups. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school.

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. Click on the link My School and insert the school name in the Find a school and select GO to access the school data.

NAPLAN - Literacy (including Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation)

As can be seen from the above tables when compared with similar schools to ours students from Wee Waa Public are performing significantly above average. A feature of the 2015 results were fewer students performing below National benchmark standards.

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 5 4 7 1 3

4.8 23.8 19.0 33.3 4.8 14.3

10.0 25.5 26.4 19.1 5.5 13.6

18.2 14.5 31.5 17.9 12.4 5.5

5.3 6.7 20.4 21.1 18.4 27.9

Year 3 NAPLAN Reading

Average score, 2015

Skill Band Distribution

Number in Bands

Percentage in Bands

School Average 2011-2015

SSG % in Bands 2015

State DoE % in Bands 2015

Band

422.4

State DoE

347.6

SSG

382.5

School

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 5 5 6 4 0

4.8 23.8 23.8 28.6 19.0 0.0

11.9 18.3 25.7 22.0 16.5 5.5

18.9 25.4 20.9 16.5 10.9 7.4

5.0 10.7 18.9 20.3 19.0 26.1

Band

Number in Bands

Percentage in Bands

State DoE

Average score, 2015 365.6 340.3 413.3

Year 3 NAPLAN Spelling

School SSG



SSG % in Bands 2015



1 2 3 4 5 6

1 0 7 2 10 1

4.8 0.0 33.3 9.5 47.6 4.8

7.3 11.9 26.6 19.3 31.2 3.7

11.0 17.1 32.6 22.1 15.1 2.2

2.3 5.1 18.5 23.6 36.3 14.2


State DoESSG

353.1 417.1

Band

Number in Bands

Percentage in Bands

SSG % in Bands 2015


School

Average score, 2015 401.3

Year 3 NAPLAN Writing


1 2 3 4 5 6

1 3 3 5 7 2

4.8 14.3 14.3 23.8 33.3 9.5

12.8 19.3 23.9 17.4 14.7 11.9

18.2 19.1 22.4 24.5 10.7 5.2

5.1 8.5 13.6 24.0 19.2 29.6

Year 3 NAPLAN Grammar and Punctuation


SSG % in Bands 2015

Percentage in Bands

Number in Bands

Band


SSG State DoE

Average score, 2015 398.7 347.3 431.7

School

Date of financial summary 30/11/2015

Income $

Balance brought forward 209985.23

Global funds 177007.13

Tied funds 426026.17

School & community sources 68539.82

Interest 6709.67

Trust receipts 8775.00

Canteen 0.00

Total income 897043.02

Expenditure

Teaching & learning

Key learning areas 38612.54

Excursions 4570.81

Extracurricular dissections 7443.23

Library 418.90

Training & development 6776.65

Tied funds 445854.42

Casual relief teachers 29532.75

Administration & office 46156.58

School-operated canteen 0.00

Utilities 39784.89

Maintenance 28120.14

Trust accounts 9759.71

Capital programs 12768.57

Total expenditure 669799.1900

Balance carried forward 227243.83

blank

http://www.myschool.edu.au/

As can be seen from the above tables when compared with similar schools to ours students from Wee Waa Public in 2015 have performed below average. However the significance for 2015 Year 5 students is in their average progress since Year 3 which is for many subject areas above similar schools and even above state average.

NAPLAN - Numeracy

3 4 5 6 7 8

5 10 1 4 3 0

21.7 43.5 4.3 17.4 13.0 0.0

15.9 37.2 18.6 17.7 8.0 2.7

18.8 33.4 23.1 15.0 6.4 3.3

5.8 17.3 21.4 20.9 18.7 15.9

426.2Average score, 2015

Year 5 NAPLAN Reading

State DoESSGSchool

494.3429.6

SSG % in Bands 2015


Band

Number in Bands

Percentage in Bands



3 4 5 6 7 8

5 6 8 2 2 0

21.7 26.1 34.8 8.7 8.7 0.0

18.4 22.8 28.9 17.5 12.3 0.0

21.2 23.4 21.3 17.7 13.4 3.0

5.7 11.6 20.4 24.3 25.5 12.4

Year 5 NAPLAN Spelling

441.4

Percentage in Bands


School SSG State DoE

Average score, 2015 424.4 501.4


Band

SSG % in Bands 2015


Number in Bands


3 4 5 6 7 8

6 5 8 2 2 0

26.1 21.7 34.8 8.7 8.7 0.0

20.2 23.7 28.1 12.3 10.5 5.3

25.8 23.5 25.8 14.5 7.3 3.0

8.2 12.3 23.5 20.7 18.8 16.5

SSG State DoE

500.9

School

425.2 428.5

Number in Bands

Percentage in Bands


SSG % in Bands 2015


Year 5 NAPLAN Grammar and Punctuation

Band

Average score, 2015


3 4 5 6 7 8

8 4 7 4 0 0

34.8 17.4 30.4 17.4 0.0 0.0

19.6 15.2 42.9 17.9 4.5 0.0

28.5 21.2 35.0 12.6 2.5 0.1

7.3 10.2 33.9 29.6 13.4 5.6


Year 5 NAPLAN Writing

411.5 476.9Average score, 2015

Number in Bands

Percentage in Bands

SSG % in Bands 2015


Band

School SSG State DoE

403.2

1 2 3 4 5 6

2 3 5 6 3 2

9.5 14.3 23.8 28.6 14.3 9.5

4.6 21.1 28.4 27.5 11.0 7.3

15.7 29.7 28.0 15.7 8.6 2.2

5.5 14.3 22.0 22.9 17.9 17.5



SSG % in Bands 2015


Percentage in Bands

Number in Bands

Band

SSG

331.6

School

374.4

Year 3 NAPLAN Numeracy

Average score, 2015

State DoE

395.9

3 4 5 6 7 8

1 11 7 1 2 1

4.3 47.8 30.4 4.3 8.7 4.3

6.2 40.7 28.3 15.9 6.2 2.7

13.8 36.2 27.8 16.5 3.5 2.2

3.8 17.6 26.0 23.9 15.0 13.6

Year 5 NAPLAN Numeracy

433.6445.4

School State DoE


Average score, 2015

SSG

SSG % in Bands 2015

Number in Bands

Percentage in Bands



Band

493.1

2009-2011 2010-2012 2011-2013 2012-2014 2013-2015

School 78.3 85.0 39.4 82.3 104.9

SSG 93.2 85.2 79.5 94.1 94.1

State DoE 95.8 98.2 89.7 89.1 94.1

Average progress in Numeracy

between Year 3 and 5*

As can be seen from the above tables when compared with similar schools to ours students from Wee Waa Public are performing significantly above average. A feature of the 2015 results were fewer students performing below National benchmark standards with less than 5% of Year 3 and less than 25% of Year 5 on average below minimum standards.

Parent/caregiver, student, teacher satisfaction

Each year schools are required to seek the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school. Their responses are presented below.

Parents acknowledged that support for those students experiencing difficulty accessing the curriculum is very high

Parents want to see better support for the implementation of ARTS across the school.

increased opportunities for the extension of more able students and strengthening of sporting opportunities so that talented students could excel in their chosen sport.

Support from the P&C is at an all-time high with significant numbers of parents attending meetings and taking part in organized events.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

At Wee Waa Public students are exposed to experiences that deepen their awareness of and connection to Aboriginal Australia, so that

Australia’s indigenous heritage is understood and celebrated appropriately.

Wee Waa Public School has 52% of students who identify as Aboriginal. The academic progress of these students is monitored and supported.

The school values, respects and appreciates Aboriginal identity as an intrinsic part of the school’s culture. The Aboriginal flag, along with the Australian flag, are flown each day.

In partnership with the local AECG and Aboriginal community, we value and acknowledge the identities of Aboriginal students, provide supportive and culturally inclusive learning environments and develop high expectations for all students.

We send school representatives to all AECG meetings where we are informed about initiatives and directions in Aboriginal education in our local area. At these meetings we seek input from the group on improving outcomes for students and report on the strategies in place for our Aboriginal students.

During 2015 our annual NAIDOC week celebration was expanded to include events with other community schools and to undertake activities which built upon the experience of local elders telling of their life journey to the children in a powerful narrative.

During term 4 the school employed Mr Darryl Ferguson, a noted artist from Lightning Ridge to develop an artifact featuring Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal symbols which showed the life journey of the 2015 Year 6 students.

Multicultural Education and Anti-racism

In line with the School plan, the school has reviewed its teaching and learning programs this year to ensure that culturally inclusive classroom and school practices are embedded for all students. Further to this our programs foster students’ understandings of culture, cultural diversity, racism and active citizenship within a democratic, multicultural society.

Our Anti-Racism Contact Officer (ARCO) is available for students, staff and families if the need arises. They are supported through resources supplied by the Department of Education and Communities.

Other school programs

We continue to focus on whole school programs, supported by professional learning for staff, which will lead to positive growth in students’ results.

95.2

95.2

95.2

95.2

90.5

Percentage of Year 3 students achieving at or

above minimum standard (exempt students

included)

Reading

Writing

Spelling

Grammar & Punctuation

Numeracy

78.3

65.2

78.3

73.9

95.7

Grammar & Punctuation

Reading

Writing

Spelling

Numeracy

Percentage of Year 5 students achieving at or

above minimum standard (exempt students

included)

During 2015 the staff successfully introduced the new English and Mathematics syllabus into their programs.

Creative Arts The Art Extension program organized by Mrs. Merre Watts achieved outstanding results. The whole program culminated in an art exhibition where all work was displayed in our hall.

Students once again successfully took part the Narrabri Eisteddfod in the verse speaking competition.

There were many other achievements during 2015 including success at the Wee Waa Show with many first prizes and second prizes.

The weekly radio broadcasts continued and students from Year 2 and upwards had the opportunity to read news items on 2MaxFM. The social program ‘Drumbeat’ was conducted by Mrs. Anne Cain with assistance from Mr. Clifford Toomey. Each term the group performed at school assemblies and a video of the performances can be seen on the school website. During 2015 a drum team was developed which took part with distinction in the 100th anniversary ANZAC day community services then followed up by performing at the Wee Waa Show in May. In term 4 a school band program took its first steps with about 14 students beginning to learn to play musical instruments. Both of these initiatives will be developed further in 2016. Sport Sport in 2015 at Wee Waa Public was once again very successful. As always the focus for our sporting programs was on enjoying competition, learning new skills and working together as a team. At our carnivals for Athletics, Cross Country and Swimming there is an emphasis on participation by all students as well as the competitive experience for those children who compete at higher levels.

Team sports are extremely well catered for at Wee Waa Public. We have representative teams across a number of sports including cricket, netball, soccer, rugby league and touch football. The most outstanding results were achieved by our girls netball team which reached the regional semi-final in the PSSA knockout and boys cricket team that also made the regional semi-final stage. In addition 6

students gained North West representation across a variety of sports including for the first time boys cricket. The school once again intensified our term four swimming program. Two staff members with Auswim accreditation and an instructor were employed. This is having a measured effect, reducing the number of students who cannot swim and improving the swimming stroke and breathing techniques of many of our students.

Wee Waa Public School Annual · PDF fileWee Waa Public School Annual Report

Documents

Transcript of Wee Waa Public School Annual · PDF fileWee Waa Public School Annual Report