Strategic Improvement Plan

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Strategic Improvement Plan 2021-2024

Wentworth Point Public School 4662

Printed on: 1 April, 2021 Page 1 of 9 Wentworth Point Public School (4662) -2021-2024

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School vision and context

School vision statement

School context

Our Vision

Our vision is to expect nothing less than personal excellence from students, staff and our community through an unrelenting investment in ongoing improvement by placing children at the centre of their learning and well being, by developing positive relationships and by delivering a challenging and engaging curriculum in innovative learning environments which nurture and stretch all children.

Wentworth Point Public School is located in Wentworth Point, a suburb characterised by its high density living with only apartments and no houses. The school opened in January 2018 and has experienced significant and rapid changes, most notably with enrolments, staffing and site issues. The school serves a culturally and linguistically diverse community with families speaking in excess of 50 languages. For many families who have high aspirations for their children, starting at Wentworth Point Public School, is their first experience of schooling and schooling in Australia. Many children begin school with limited English proficiency and in light of this need, the school attracts significant English language proficiency loading funding and actively utilises interpreter services. Mobility is a factor with parents enrolling their children at the school for the duration of their post graduate studies at university and travelling overseas throughout the school year. It also appears that families use apartment style living as an interim until such time as they are able to purchase a house.

The school hosts a Support Unit and actively promotes authentic integration to enable students in the Support Unit to access academic and social opportunities commensurate with their peers. This also builds strong understanding of our students in mainstream and prepares them to learn alongside peers with diverse learning and social needs building respect and compassion for diversity which is reflected in our society.

The school features flexible learning spaces which reflect current research and support future ready teaching practices with 16 home bases (mainstream) and 3 home bases (special education). In 2019 the school exceeded its capacity and began the installation of demountable classrooms to accommodate increasing enrolments. This has impacted on the school's approach to collaborative teaching in open and shared learning spaces inviting us to consider how we can ensure that teaching practices in the new build are aligned with teaching practices in the demountable classrooms. Our facilities are shared with our community with ballet classes, piano classes, Chinese school, Before and After School Care, P&C Events and Share Our Space, although this sharing was obviously interrupted during COVID 19.

The school is led by a relatively new executive team which has grown and developed as enrolments have increased. The school employs dedicated and committed teachers, many of whom are in the early years of their teaching career. After almost three years the workforce has become more stable, demonstrating strong team work and an unrelenting focus on school improvement placing it in a strong position to design, implement, monitor and evaluate the 2021-2024 School Improvement Plan.

The situational analysis was informed by examination and analysis of the external validation panel report and a broad range of data including internal and external student performance data, attendance data, wellbeing data, Tell Them From Me Surveys, What Works Best Surveys, EAL/D School Evaluation Framework and the Sport and Physical Activity School Health Check, the school has identified its high level areas for improvement and further development which are evidenced in the 2021-2024 School Improvement Plan. These areas have been informed both by examination and analysis of school data but also by a range of research in particular CESE publications with a focus on What Works Best (NSW

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School vision and context

School vision statement

School context

Department of Education), High Impact Teaching Strategies (Victorian Government) and Clarity by Lyn Sharratt.

As the school enters the new planning cycle, the focus will be primarily to achieve its system negotiated targets in reading and numeracy. The focus will be on increasing the top two bands of NAPLAN given we are a new and developing school not yet having accrued growth data. Improved student performance is driven by a strong focus high impact teaching practices by building deep knowledge and understanding of syllabus requirements including differentiating the delivery of the curriculum, formative and summative

assessment, explicit teaching, effective feedback, data skills and use and collaborative practice. This further supports the development of personal, social and physical capabilities of all students. The school will continue to embed high expectations, community

engagement and participation and being responsive to a culturally and linguistically diverse community across all strategic directions

The school receives a base school allocation for staffing and operational funding. It also receives targeted funding and a range of equity loadings, primarily to support English language proficiency and low-level adjustment for disability. The school's budget is carefully aligned to ensure the delivery of the school's strategic directions and its expenditure is tabled in the School's Annual Report.

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Strategic Direction 1: Student growth and attainment

Purpose

To implement the highest quality, evidence informed instructional practices to ensure that all students develop proficiency in literacy and numeracy to provide the foundation for growth and attainment across all learning.

Improvement measures

Target year: 2022

• Increase the number of Year 3 and Year 5 students in the top 2 bands of NAPLAN numeracy, with an uplift of 8% from baseline data. (lower bound)

• Increase the number of Year 3 and Year 5 students in the top 2 bands of NAPLAN reading, with an uplift of 5% from baseline data. (lower bound )

• Uplift of 6% of students in NAPLAN numeracy from baseline data. (lower bound system negotiated target)

• Uplift of 4% of students in NAPLAN reading from baseline data. (lower bound system negotiated target)

• 25% or more of EAL/D students progressing along the ACARA EAL/D Learning Progression compared to state average. (school determined)

• School self-assessment of the elements 'Data skills and Use' and 'Assessment' indicates improvement from Delivering to Sustaining and Growing. (school determined)

Initiatives

High Impact EALD Practices

Embed evidence-based EAL/D practices K-6 for inclusive teaching and learning through;

• High impact professional learning for all staff for effective use of the EAL/D progressions;

• Embedding research-based assessment practices that utilise a range of strategies to collect and analyse data for English language learners; • Embedding dialogic EAL/D pedagogy in all teaching

and learning programs K-6;

• Strengthening ICT skills for all staff to enhance collaboration on a range of digital platforms.

Effective Data Skills and Use

Implement whole school plan for data collection, analysis and reflection for responsive curriculum delivery through; • High impact professional learning to increase teacher

knowledge and practice in using data to inform ongoing learning;

• Strengthening sustainable whole school processes for collecting and analysing student performance data in literacy and numeracy;

• Ongoing professional learning to increase staff knowledge, skills and use of a range of digital platforms for effective data collection and analysis.

Responsive Assessment Practices

Ensure high quality assessment practices are purposefully integrated into teaching and learning programs through;

• High impact professional learning on the literacy and numeracy progressions to personalise learning and develop consistent practice across the school; • Strengthening teacher knowledge and

implementation of assessment practice K-6 so that it is used responsively as an integral part of daily

Success criteria for this strategic direction

• Teachers use reliable assessment information to evaluate student learning over time and implement changes in teaching that lead to measurable improvement.

• Teaching and learning programs K-6 show evidence of adjustments to address individual student needs and all adjustments lead to improvements in student learning.

• Teachers use a variety of assessment strategies that allow EAL/D learners to demonstrate achievement of learning.

• Teachers routinely use the Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions and PLAN2 software to record and monitor students in literacy and numeracy.

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

Have our students achieved the system targets for numeracy and reading? The school will use a broad

range of data to monitor and analyse student growth and attainment such as;

• SCOUT, NAPLAN, Check-in and PLAN 2 • EAL/D Phase data (Annual survey) • Annotated student work samples • Student, Teacher and Parent feedback • SEF S-as and EAL/D SEF

Rigorous analysis of the data to determine impact will be achieved through;

• regular review of data sources to provide clarity around whether we are on track for achieving the intended improvement measures.

• robust professional discussion around the School Excellence Framework elements and themes. • Executive team and whole staff reflective sessions.

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Strategic Direction 1: Student growth and attainment

Initiatives

classroom instruction to inform continuous learning ; • Ongoing review of assessments to ensure they are

informative, valid, reliable, objective and inclusive.

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

This practice will guide both ongoing implementation as well as inform future school planning to provide

continuous improvement, ensuring students grow in their learning.

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Strategic Direction 2: High Impact Teaching Strategies

Purpose

To build capacity in all staff to purposefully and deliberately interrogate and adapt their professional practices in accordance with current research and evidence to ensure that professional practices have the greatest possible impact on improving student learning and wellbeing.

Improvement measures

• 20% increase or more of teachers will understand and employ effective questioning and feedback practices that move learning forward as indicated by CESE, What Works Best, from base-line. (school determined)

• 100% of educational programs demonstrate actionable steps for students to improve their learning process and enhance understanding and task performance as outline by CESE, What Works Best. (school determined)

• 80% or more of teachers will demonstrate increased understanding and application of co-teaching practices, from base-line. (school determined)

• School self-assessment of the elements 'Effective Classroom Practice' indicates improvement from Delivering to Sustaining and Growing. (school determined)

Initiatives

Effective Feedback

Build shared understanding and accountability across the school of the key elements of effective questioning and feedback through :

• Ongoing professional learning at stage and whole school levels in accordance with High Impact Professional Learning Principles;

• Collaborative Inquiry with questions which test pedagogical approaches;

• Active engagement with research ensuring that teachers test research in the classroom to establish the impact of questioning and effective feedback on student learning;

• Modelling of effective questioning and feedback by expert teachers of explicit teaching;

• Observations of effective questioning and feedback practices and provision of formative feedback to assist teachers to improve their practice.

Professional collaboration with a focus on co-teaching practices

Design and develop effective strategies for each stage of the co-teaching cycle.

• Ongoing professional learning at stage and whole school levels in accordance with current research. • Collaborative Inquiry with questions which test co

teaching.

• Active engagement with research ensuring that teachers test research in the classroom to establish the impact of co -teaching on professional practice and on student learning;

• Modelling of effective co teaching by expert teachers of co teaching;

• Observations of effective co-teaching and provision of formative feedback to assist teachers to improve their practice.

Success criteria for this strategic direction

• Teachers employ explicit teaching practices with a focus on understanding cognitive overload theory. • Teachers apply high order learning intentions and success criteria, use worked examples and provide multiple exposures for learning and assessment. • Teachers provide feedback about process and effort

ensuring that they articulate what students need to do to improve their learning

• Students report and demonstrate increased motivation and engagement with their learning. • Teachers adopt and embrace planing,

co-teaching, co-debriefing and co-reflecting to increase inclusion and strengthen integrated pedagogical practice.

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

What has been the impact of effective questioning, feedback and co teaching practices on student performance? The school will use the following data

sources to analyse the effectiveness of the initiatives: • SCOUT, NAPLAN, Check-in and PLAN 2 student

data

• CESE What Works Best Survey

• PDP and Observation of Professional Practice • Teacher Feedback at Individual Conference • Parent feedback at conferences (Term 1, 2 & 3) • SEF S-as

• robust professional discussion around the School Excellence Framework elements and themes.

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Strategic Direction 2: High Impact Teaching Strategies

Initiatives

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

• Executive team and whole staff reflective sessions. This practice will guide both ongoing implementation as well as inform future school planning to provide

continuous improvement, ensuring teachers consistently embed high impact teaching practices for improved student outcomes.

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Strategic Direction 3: Personal, social and physical capability

Purpose

To foster student agency and wellbeing through the development of personal, social and physical capabilities as foundations for successful learning and responsible living.

Improvement measures

• Increase the number of students with an attendance rate of 90% or more with an uplift from the baseline by 8%. (lower bound system target)

• Uplift of 20% or more of students reporting a sense of belonging in the Tell The From Me student survey, from base-line. (school determined)

• 100% of teachers demonstrate use of the ACARA Personal and Social Capability learning continuum in their teaching and learning program.

• School self-assessment of the Sports and Physical Activity Health Check indicates Sustaining and Growing for the themes 'Organisation, Teaching and Learning, and Partnerships. (school determined)

Initiatives

Strengths Based Approach

Build a shared understanding across the school of the key elements of a strengths based approach through;

• Ongoing professional learning and active engagement with research;

• Implementation of the Growing Strong Minds program;

• Revising and facilitating a whole school approach in embedding intrinsic motivation as outlined in the school's well-being procedures.

Personal and Social Capability

Build shared understanding and accountability across the school of the key elements of the ACARA Personal and Social Capability learning continuum through;

• High impact professional learning at stage and whole school level to increase teacher knowledge and use of the continuum.

• Review of teaching and learning programs to embed the elements of the ACARA Personal and Social Capability learning continuum in teaching practice.

Sport and Physical Activity

Develop and implement a sport and physical activity plan that outlines how the school will comply with the Sport and Physical Activity Policy through;

• Engaging teachers with professional learning which builds awareness of Departmental policies and procedures related to physical activity;

• Building teacher capacity to develop explicit and purposeful learning that meets the individual learning needs of all students.

Success criteria for this strategic direction

• All classrooms and other learning spaces are well managed so that students can engage in productive learning with minimal disruptions.

• Teaching and learning programs show evidence of explicit teaching that build students understanding of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social management.

• Teachers, parents and the community work together to support consistent and systematic processes that ensure student absences do not impact on learning outcomes.

• The school has systems in place to meet the requirements as outlined in the Sport and Physical Activity Policy.

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

Have our initiatives increased student attendance and their sense of belonging? The school will use the

following data sources to regularly analyse the effectiveness of the initiatives in achieving the performance measures:

• SCOUT and Sentral attendance data

• LST Database including PLaSP & PLP review data • Sentral Incident Report

• Tell Them From Me Student Survey • Sport and Physical Activity Checklist

• robust professional discussion around the School Excellence Framework elements and themes. • Executive team, LST and whole staff reflective

sessions.

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Strategic Direction 3: Personal, social and physical capability

Evaluation plan for this strategic direction

This practice will guide ongoing implementation as well as inform future school planning to provide continuous improvement ensuring student well-being is paramount.