Strategic Improvement Plan

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Strategic Improvement Plan 2021-2024

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School vision and context

School vision statement

School context

To provide an inclusive, caring and safe learning environment that:

• supports all students to develop skills and talents that will foster their individual success.

• encourages independence, personal aspiration and enjoyment of learning. • prioritises high quality teaching practice through a culture of collaboration, high

expectations and evidenced based professional learning. • builds strong foundations in literacy and numeracy.

Georges Hall Public School is a large school with an enrolment of over 760 students and a community that has high expectations. It is located in South Western Sydney in a low density residential zone in the Canterbury/Bankstown Local Government area. The school is set in expansive grounds serving an increasingly diverse, urban population. Currently over 88% of our students come from a language background other than English. The school has an ongoing commitment to the development and delivery of quality teaching and learning programs, with an emphasis on Literacy and Numeracy. This is achieved through a solid, strategic professional development plan for all teaching staff. The integration of technology into all areas of teaching and learning helps create a rich, engaging learning environment for students. A Support Unit which consists of three classes caters for students with an autism diagnosis and mild intellectual disability. An Opportunity Class in Stage 3 and school based enrichment classes in Stages 2 and 3 support High Potential and Gifted students. Strong analysis of internal and external data sources is an essential part of school evaluation and planning processes. Georges Hall Public School is a happy and caring school community where the Positive Behaviour for Learning Program plays an integral role.

A situational analysis was developed after a comprehensive evaluation of school programs and processes utilising surveys, focus groups and the analysis of data. As a result the school priorities will be:

• the explicit teaching of reading with an emphasis on phonics and textual concepts • comprehension including the building of vocabulary across all curriculum areas • working mathematically

• wellbeing, particularly building a sense of belonging and self-regulation • high expectations

• explicit teaching and differentiation to meet the needs of all learners

• strategic intervention to support students who have been identified as needing additional support.

The school will continue to consider the strategic resourcing which is needed to achieve its targets. This will include the employment of:

• a speech therapist

• an intervention teacher to work with students on the MacLit and MiniLit programs • School Learning and Support Officers

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Strategic Direction 1: Student growth and attainment

Purpose

In order to maximise student learning outcomes in reading and numeracy we will further develop and refine data driven and evidence based teaching practices.

Improvement measures

Target year: 2023

The percentage of students achieving expected growth in NAPLAN reading increases by 4.7% from baseline.

The percentage of students achieving in the top 2 bands of NAPLAN reading increases by 6.2% from baseline.

The percentage of students achieving expected growth in NAPLAN numeracy increases by 2.6% from baseline.

The percentage of students achieving in the top 2 bands of NAPLAN numeracy increases by 5% from baseline.

Initiatives

Reading

Embed the elements of effective reading instruction into the teaching and learning culture of the school. Explicit instruction will include: oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

Professional learning in Phonics and Phonemic

awareness to support the explicit teaching of reading K-2. Professional learning to support the embedding of vocabulary building in literacy practices across K-6. Professional learning and cross stage coaching to support the implementation of Textual Concepts across the school.

Whole school focus on Comprehension and Explicit instruction in Reading.

Mathematics

Ensure effective strategies and processes for data analysis and reflection are used to support the teaching and learning of numeracy across the school.

Professional learning to support the embedding of vocabulary building in working mathematically across K-6. Explicit teaching of problem solving and transferring knowledge to online/IT testing procedures. Adept at using skills across a spectrum: hands on, manipulating

numbers/objects/written problem solving etc. Continued analysis of student data to identify content gaps and planning for future learning (measurement and geometry).

Success criteria for this strategic direction

Regular assessment data collected and analysed to support student's personalised goals.

Evidence of students accessing a wider vocabulary to exhibit increased understanding in writing and comprehension of texts.

Teaching sprints implemented in terms 2 and 3 each year including review resulting in an observable change in practice.

Daily, explicit phonological and phonics instruction in all K-2 classes.

Evidence of students verbalising their mathematical thinking with extended and specific mathematical vocabulary.

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

Question: Does the explicit teaching of the fundamentals

of reading and mathematics (eg. phonics and number) support student growth?

Data: The school will use the following data sources to

regularly analyse the effectiveness of the initiatives in achieving the purpose and improvement measure of the strategic direction.

• NAPLAN data • Scout - Value added

• Reading data/Phonics assessments • Progressive Achievement Test (PAT) • Teaching sprint data analysis • Student work samples • Literacy and numeracy data

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Strategic Direction 1: Student growth and attainment

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

review impact of phonics/phonemic awareness on reading and writing K-2 to determine progress towards

improvement measures.

Implications: The analysis will inform future directions of

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Strategic Direction 2: Wellbeing

Purpose

The school recognises the importance of addressing the needs of the whole child and fostering a positive home -school relationship to maximise the learning potential of all students.

Improvement measures

The percentage of students attending school greater than 90% of the time increases by 4% from baseline.

The percentage of students reporting positive outcomes across the three wellbeing measures of the Tell Them From Me survey increases by 4.5% from baseline. These include: a positive sense of belonging, expectations for success and advocacy at school.

A year on year measurable increase in positive student engagement through wellbeing.

Initiatives

Attendance

Reintroduction of reward system for consistent student attendance.

Identification of students at risk and formulating a traffic light identification system which feeds into the attendance intervention program. (This will include identified teachers as targeted mentors to support individual students with their attendance, an "I am" sheet included in casual folder and program).

Refine attendance systems.

Establishment of an automated SMS messaging system to support the identification of student absences and the timely response from parents. This system will also be used to manage ongoing parental explanation of absences.

Wellbeing

Re-launch of Positive Behaviour for Learning Program (PBL) across the school incorporating students' sense of belonging within the school community.

Evaluate and refine the Zones of Regulation Program across the school.

Identification of students at risk and formulating a traffic light identification system for staff which supports consistent implementation of specific management strategies for student wellbeing.

Develop and embed extra-curricular opportunities that support a sense of belonging for all students.

Explicit lessons across the school in the areas of: • Advocacy at school

• Expectations for success

Success criteria for this strategic direction

Regular attendance data collected and analysed at stage and executive levels to identify at risk students and encourage consistent and punctual attendance.

Teachers implement attendance interventions in a timely and consistent manner.

Evidence of consistent expectations, processes and language across the school.

Whole school "tiered fidelity" evaluation completed yearly. Regular wellbeing data collected and analysed at stage and executive levels to identify at risk students and support their individual needs.

Initial baseline data collected across a sample of years 4-6 showing students' understanding of "sense of

belonging". Improvement in student understanding of "sense of belonging" is evident.

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

Question: Has the emphasis on attendance, wellbeing

and home school partnerships improved student

engagement in learning and student outcomes in Literacy and Numeracy?

Data: The school will use the following data sources to

regularly analyse the effectiveness of the initiatives in achieving the purpose and improvement measure of the strategic direction.

• Attendance data

• Tell Them From Me Surveys

• Targeted school developed student surveys • Tiered Fidelity" assessment

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Strategic Direction 2: Wellbeing

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

• Wellbeing Data

• Extra curricular activity data

Analysis: Relevant data will be collected and analysed to

determine progress towards improvement measures.

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Strategic Direction 3: Effective Classroom Practice

Purpose

To embed evidence based high quality teaching practice school wide which supports responsive and equitable access to curriculum for all students.

Improvement measures

An increase in observed consistent and effective differentiation practices as seen through the triangulation of programs, student work samples and classroom observations.

An increased percentage of students in the top two bands of NAPLAN literacy and numeracy from the school's baseline.

An increased percentage of students achieving a band 3 or higher (Year 3) and a band 5 or higher (Year 5) of NAPLAN literacy and numeracy from the school's baseline.

Initiatives

Differentiation

Professional Learning on the High Potential and Gifted Education Policy (HPGE) for all staff.

Implementation of the HPGE across all classes. School wide Professional Development Plan (PDP) goal on differentiation.

Formative and summative assessment is utilised by teachers to identify the individual needs of students in order to provide appropriately differentiated instruction in all Key Learning Areas.

Establish and use Assistant Principal Quality Teaching Successful Students (QTSS) to work with teachers to monitor, assess and support differentiation practices within the classroom.

Assessment

Develop and embed a school assessment schedule. Establish and maintain a digital data wall monitoring students using a traffic light system. Highlighting red, amber and blue students.

Success criteria for this strategic direction

Identification of and strategic intervention for HPGE students across all Key Learning Areas (KLAs).

Student learning is appropriately differentiated at point of need.

Collation of reflections of teachers' PDP goals.

A school wide schedule of QTSS intervention specifically targeting differentiation.

All teachers articulate and implement effective learning goals and interventions for students identified as red, amber or blue.

The data wall informs strategic intervention, teaching practice and professional learning.

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

Question:

Have the school's new structures (assessment schedule, 5 weekly meetings, traffic light system) supported differentiation and the tailoring of student learning? Has the professional learning focus on assessment and differentiation improved the quality of teaching?

Data: Corroborate conclusions through term by term

review and triangulation of data sources including the following quantitative and qualitative, internal and external data:

• Class programs • Annotations/reflections

• QTSS and executive reflections, annotations and observations

• Student work samples

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Strategic Direction 3: Effective Classroom Practice

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

• Data Wall

• Surveys/Feedback from teams

Regular professional dialogue, executive and whole staff reflective sessions on the operation and viability of the data walls and school assessment schedule.

Analysis: Relevant data will be collected and analysed to

determine progress towards improvement measures.