ILUKA PUBLIC SCHOOL
External Validation
LEARNING
Confident, creative and responsible students
In preparation for this meeting the required body of evidence has been prepared, reviewed and annotated. The Executive Summary synthesises the annotated information provided in the body of evidence. Click here to view Learning Elements executive summary.
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Select an element from the table below for summary and evidence
LEARNING ELEMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
LEARNING CULTURE
Iluka Public School is a larger small school with 131 students living in an identified low socio economic community. This year the school was reclassified as a P1 non teaching principal school. All teaching staff who live within the tight school community, respectfully understand and know the students, parents and carers from K-6 individually. Recently, a large majority of those students confirmed this alliance in the Tell Them From Me survey. Students told us that they felt supported in the positive, safe and secure school learning environment. This positive relationship enables teachers to be able to provide good conditions for producing high quality lessons. The school is also able to deliver on the learning priorities (school plan) and also enables students to actively engage on achieving learning outcomes. This year, staff collaboratively revised its School Wellbeing Policy which outlined explicit specific behaviour expectations. Under the umbrella of wellbeing, staff also produced the Student Recoginition Policy. The policy outlined proactive approaches to encourage good behaviour and good bookwork at school. This policy is used consistently to celebrate student success on our formal whole school assemblies, whilst also providing support for inappropriate behaviour (video). This year, 20% of the students have received special Principal Awards, recorded using the Sentral system. Sentral has also allowed IPS to monitor attendance, record incidents, communicate internally and to produce semester reports and Personalised Learning Plans. During weekly staff meetings, teachers discuss a range of issues from a variety of sources; including NAPLAN and internal data. Their professional teaching judgement is utilised to discuss student related issues and incidents, be it classroom or playground related. Staff strongly support all students to ensure their social, academic and emotional needs are considered. Staff work closely with the LaST team to ensure that the students educational needs are monitored. This also includes a social skills program organised for the Year 1 students.
WELLBEING
The school has a whole-school approach to wellbeing and IPS has received input from the community to support and ratify its revised School Wellbeing Policy in 2016. The policy was presented to the P&C to gain their feedback and support. The members of the P&C collaborated with the school to better understand all school values pertaining to expected behaviours and attitudes. The school provided all teachers with Professional Learning on Sentral, catering for the wellbeing needs in the playground and classroom. This resulted in teachers now using the program to report both positive and negative incidents in the school. All aspects of positive student behaviour is reinforced using the Behaviour Code during formal fortnightly whole school assemblies. The school has also ensured that its students have developed a well-rounded respect for Australia’s multicultural society and Aboriginal heritage through completing programs such as ‘River of Learning’ and experiencing special school activities for Harmony Day, Say No to Bullying Day and NAIDOC Week. The Peer Support Program has also been embedded within teaching and learning programs during Semester 2. The School has also provided the opportunity for students and parents to have their say through the Tell Them From Me surveys. This ‘snapshot’ supported the executive's views that classroom and playgrounds were being properly managed and that students were pleased to be at IPS. Students that require personalised learning programs are organised in a professional and sensitive manner with the child’s needs paramount. The school has been most ardent in ensuring that we meet our duty of care responsibilities. Many needs are addressed under the ‘Keeping Them Safe’ guidelines umbrella. These include an Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist who were accessed to further support the needs of students. A Social Skills program has been introduced providing significant opportunities and advantages for students that require this help and support. Similarly, a number of Stage 3 students spent two weeks at Stewart House allowing them to experience many opportunities that were new for them. Finally, to support and assist teachers encouraging positive interaction in the playground, a Chaplain was appointed. Her presence has further enabled small playground problems to be rectified as well as helping to improve student attendance and support and promote expectations of behaviour. Our Chaplain, importantly, gave all children ‘at risk’ the special care they needed and has worked closely with the Principal to notify immediately any child at risk to community services.
CURRICULUM AND LEARNING
There is a strategic and planned approach to support the cognitive, emotional, social, physical and spiritual wellbeing of all students. In 2016 IPS focussed its attention on strengthening and re energising its relationship with the Iluka Pre-School. The redeveloped transition program was successfully presented to the Iluka Preschool Director by the school’s early stage 1 teacher. A new unit of work was completed in Term 3, an exchange of identified outcomes between the two schools and an informative ‘expo’ night was implemented to make the transition into ‘big school’ stress free and successful. Preschool students with special needs were also identified early and IPS worked closely with outside agencies and the school counsellor to accommodate individual needs. The senior students also have a similar transition to high school program. Students attend Maclean High School once a term and a meeting is held between the Year 6 and Year 7 High School teachers to discuss student placement. Parents are also invited to attend a meeting at the high school. IPS has identified in the 2015-2017 School Plan, ‘differentiation’ as a strategic direction. All new students have their reading level benchmarks recorded with the Learning and Support Teacher. The (LaST) also provides support for teachers to help and accommodate programs to meet student learning needs. The LaST has also assisted teachers in developing Personalised Learning Plans using Sentral software. This is combined with regular contact with the classroom teacher and end of semester benchmarking. The PLP’s are collaboratively developed between teachers, LaST and parents. These are discussed in further detail around class meetings that occur at the end of Term 1, 2 and 4. Staff professional learning has been focussed around their Personal Development Plans (PDPs) ensuring for deep sustained learning. Teachers have visited several public schools in the area, collecting, talking and interpreting what would work best for them. The professional learning undertaken has built capacity to change or improve practice. Staff have also initiated peer observations that focus on agreed outcomes. By carefully considering the resources from our RAM, extra time has been provided for the LaST and Student Learning Support Officers to assist students under National Minimum Standards. The literacy and numeracy continuums are also used across ES1, S1 and Stage 2. The continuums inform the teaching and learning cycle. Teachers and the Principal use this data to monitor student growth. The school has created a positive relationship with the Maclean Community Health agency, whereby a Speech Therapist and Occupational Therapist work with the students to coordinate a social skills program among the Year 1 students. The program sets out clear expectations as to how students should behave and interact with one another and that peer relationships should be caring and respectful.
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING
To monitor and evaluate literacy and numeracy strengths and weaknesses, (Strategic Direction 1) the principal and staff analyse external data sources such as PLAN, NAPLAN, and daily attendance rates. Importantly, both negative and positive results, performance and the clarification of the IPS marking system are announced at appropriate times through the school newsletter and prior to reports being sent home. As well, the school has focussed on improving its internal assessment and reporting practices. Teachers have created a detailed literacy assessment such as the literacy continuum ‘I Can' booklet, while other teachers use a class Rubrics system to assess I.C.T videos and class art and drawing work. The school uses all data to report back to parents about their child’s progress through twice yearly reports and during PLP interviews. An extra informal parent interview is held at the end of Term 1 providing the opportunity for staff and parents to discuss their child’s strengths and weaknesses. This can lead to greater opportunities for IPS to provide the best learning experience for students. In 2017, a ‘meet the teacher BBQ night’ will be held to attract more people to come along and meet their teachers.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE MEASURES
As a low socioeconomic community, with an ICSEA score of 947 and a high FOEI of 119 , with varying numbers and abilities in yearly cohorts and with a high transient rate of 20%, the school staff have worked very hard over many years to achieve pleasing NAPLAN results. Again in 2016, excellent Year 3 NAPLAN results show IPS are continuing upon our previous year's successes. In 2016 SMART Data indicates that the growth rate of our Year 5 students is greater than or equal to expected growth in reading and numeracy. Pleasingly, 50% of Aboriginal students at IPS were in the two top bands for Year 5 Reading. We look forward to continued growth in NAPLAN 2017 and will be introducing into our school plan, the Premier’s mandatory NAPLAN statements. Similarly, the majority of Kindergarten students are also showing significant achievements on the PLAN Assessment Tool.