3404
NSW Department of Education & Training
2010 Annual School Report
Wauchope Public School
NSW Public Schools – Leading the way
WAUCHOPE
P.S.
SCHOOL
RULES
BE
SAFE
FOLLOW
INSTRUCTIONS
SHOW
RESPECT
Our school at a glance

Choir participation in the NSW Choral
Concerts at the Opera House;
Students

Senior dance group participation in the NSW
Schools Spectacular held at the Sydney
Entertainment Centre;

Our girls Football team regaining the State
championship title in the Primary Schools
Sports Association knockout series. The team
included Chloe Houseman. Georgia White,
Olivia Burn, Georgia Williams, Larissa Ward,
Emily Lester, Samantha Mead, Georgia
Malcolm, Ashlea Kabowiak, Sheridan Ratko,
Kirra Ostler, Jordan Caller, Chloe Cooper and
Zoe Blair ;

Individual representation in sport as part of
North Coast teams in Diving, Swimming, AFL,
Football, Rugby League, Netball and Touch
Football;

Completing yet another building program
BER – School Hall);

Implementatingour Positive Behaviour for
Learning (PBL) program and a continued
focus on our school rules and consistency of
expectations;

Continuing a leading role in the Bago
Community of Schools (COS) educational cooperative and shared conduct of the
inaugural Bago COS Education Week Awards
ceremony; and

Implementing our National Partnerships
Mathematics programs (Taking off with
Numeracy and Quicksmart).
The school year commenced with 713 students
comprising 355 boys and 358 girls.
Staff
All teaching staff meet the professional
requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.
Our support staff is increased significantly by the
high level of Integration funds which assists
students with disabilities in mainstream classes
Significant programs and initiatives
During 2010, the school has been heavily
involved in the implementation of the Taking Off
With Numeracy (TOWN) program which is funded
by the National Partnerships program. The
QuickSmart program was also introduced to
support individual mathematics intervention.
A school hall was built under the Building
Education Revolution scheme.
The Parents and Citizens Association spent a
considerable sum of money to ensure all
classrooms and specialist learning areas had their
own Interactive Whiteboard.
Messages
Principal’s message
As a comprehensive community school, we take
great pride in our students’ achievements whilst
ensuring the values and traditions of our families
and the wider Wauchope community remain an
important part of our school’s direction. Our
purpose is to provide stimulating programs and
experiences which increase both functional and
quality basic skills; develop resilience and the
values required to engage successfully in society.
As this is my final report, I would like to thank the
community, parent, staff and student body for
the enormous amount of effort and support they
have provided in individual learning programs as
well as assisting with so many social, cultural,
sporting and fundraising activities.
The schools’ positive image continues to grow in
the wider community due to the considerable
efforts of all who are a part of our ‘educational
home’.
Varied educational, cultural and sporting
opportunities were provided by a professional
and caring staff.
I certify that the information in this report is the
result of a rigorous school self-evaluation process
and is a balanced and genuine account of the
school’s
achievements
and
areas
for
development.
2010 has proven to be another year of strong
achievement for WPS. Some of these include:
Diana Reynolds
1
continued investigation of options and strategies
toward addressing immediate and future
infrastructure and resource requirements.
P&C
I am pleased to present this report of the
activities of your association for 2010. Our year
has been somewhat quieter this year. With the
decision to run a fete for 2011, we have not held
a major fundraiser this year. We are anticipating
our fete to be a huge success and all members of
the fete committee are working tirelessly
towards that day. We have continued with our
usual fundraising activities such as the Easter
raffle, Mothers Day raffle and Christmas raffle. As
a direct result of these activities, we are in the
fortunate position to financially support the
students of the school who represent this
community at local, regional and state levels in
varied fields from the arts to sports.
I would like to take this opportunity to
acknowledge our sub committees (Canteen and
WOOSH) who play a vital role in the successful
functioning of their respective establishments.
The Interactive White Boards (IWB) have been
fully installed and functioning and have been a
wonderful asset to our school. Our school was
the first school in the area to have an IWB in
every classroom solely funded by the P & C.
I would also like to thank all committee members
for their efforts and commitment this year.
2010 saw the successful completion of capital
works programs including the new School Hall
under the BER funding.
I thank all those involved with School Council for
contribution and commitment during 2010. I
would particularly like to thank Principal Diana
Reynolds for the support she has provided School
Council over many years. On behalf of all School
Council members, I would like to wish her the
very best for retirement.
David Le Page - School Council President.
Student representative’s message
The SRC was successful in representing the
students at our school and raising money for
charities in a variety of ways. We organized 4
fund-raisers during the year for: Victorian
Bushfire Appeal, Life Education (Healthy Harold
Competition), Cystic Fibrosis (Crazy Hair Day) and
Jeans for Genes Day. As usual, our school
community gave generously and we received
certificates of appreciation.
Allison Jones - P&C President
Our school leaders, Chloe Houseman, Dean Hollis,
Maddi Parker, Angus Gill, Samantha Mead, Ashley
Karbowiak, Maddison Owen and Kirra Trotman
attended the state Student Leaders’ Conference
at the Entertainment Centre, Sydney. Here they
heard
inspiring
stories
and
received
encouragement to make the most of their
leadership roles from speakers such as James Roy
(children’s author) and Bridie Carter (actor). They
found this to be an exhilarating and motivating
learning experience.
School Council message
During 2010, the School Council assisted in policy
and decision making in the areas of community
education needs, school goals and directions,
school development planning, budgets, student
welfare policies, and major school resources.
The council provides a regular and effective
forum for consultation and interaction between
parents, staff and community members. Our
membership comprises community members,
parent and staff representatives and the
Principal.
SRC members also represented the school at local
functions, including the community ANZAC Day
ceremony and ‘march past’, NAIDOC Week
activities, Assemblies of Excellence, weekly
school assemblies and Quest activities.
Our achievements in 2010 included the
development and ratification of various policy
and procedure documents, surveys, the Annual
School Report and budget. We were involved in
communication with interested parties with
regard to school classification, the restructure of
School Student Leadership process, and
The SRC would like to thank the school
community for their support and I congratulate
all SRC members on their commitment.
Wendy McCue - SRC Co-ordinator
2
Student attendance profile
Student attendance rates
Attendance rate
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2007
2010 School Leaders – Dean Hollis, Angus Gill,
Maddison Parker and Chloe Houseman.
2008
2009
2010
Year
School
Region
State DET
School context
Management of non-attendance
Student information
Student attendance is recorded daily by
classroom teachers. Rolls are monitored each
term by a Deputy Principal,
It is a requirement that the reporting of
information for all students must be consistent
with privacy and personal information policies.
Poor attendance is followed up with personal
letters, phone calls and/or home visits. Meetings
are held with parents to establish reasons for
non-attendance and a personal plan is
established. The importance of good attendance
is highlighted at parent evenings, information
booklets and regularly in newsletters.
Student enrolment profile
Male
Female
2006
361
359
2007
371
367
2008
348
354
2009
364
359
2010
355
358
Should the attendance issue not be resolved,
support is sought from the Home School Liaison
Officer (HSLO).
Class sizes
In March 2003 the Government announced its
commitment to publish primary class sizes in
annual school reports in order to provide parents
with as much local information as possible.
The following table shows our class sizes as
reported at the 2010 class size audit conducted
on Wednesday 17 March 2010.
Roll
Class
KSB
KLE
KSW
KLF
1HL
1KB
1PM
1NP
K-1LM
As shown in the preceding graphs, enrolments
have remained relatively static at around 710
students over the past 5 years.
3
Year
Total
per Year
Total in
Class
K
K
K
K
1
1
1
1
K
20
21
20
21
21
22
21
22
12
20
21
20
21
21
22
21
22
22
K-1LM
2RD
2MG
3JB
3MJ
3MW
3-4MK
3-4MK
4WL
5MU
5RL
5-6JM
5-6JM
5-6WM
5-6WM
6KJ
6DW
2GH
4VM
1-2DB
1-2DB
4-5MB
4-5MB
3-4GI
3-4GI
1
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
5
5
5
6
5
6
6
6
2
4
1
2
4
5
3
4
10
24
23
29
29
30
15
15
30
27
30
15
16
14
17
31
31
24
30
9
15
11
20
10
20
Counsellor
School Administrative & Support Staff
Total
22
24
23
29
29
30
30
30
30
27
30
31
31
31
31
31
31
24
30
24
24
31
31
30
30
1
6.472
41.072
The National Education Agreement requires
schools to report on Indigenous composition of
their workforce.
Our school is fortunate to have the services of 2
permanent Indigenous workers – an Aboriginal
Education Officer and a School Support Assistant.
At set times during the year, the school also
engages several Aboriginal tutors who provide
targeted support for Literacy and Numeracy
programs. The school has 14 School Learning
Support Officers who assist children with
recognised disabilities integrate successfully in
curriculum, playground and wider school
activities.
During 2010, Mrs Megan Lee and Ms Wendy
McCue were recognised by the Australian College
of Education for their outstanding contribution to
education.
Structure of classes
The 28 established classes included 20 single
mainstream classes, 5 composite classes, 2 multiaged classes providing extension activities and 1
special education class catering for students with
moderate and severe intellectual disabilities. All
classes, with the exception of the 2 extension
classes and the Special Education class, were
organised on the basis of learning abilities,
gender balance and recommended class sizes.
Mrs Lee and Ms McCue.
Staff retention
This has been relatively stable up to 2010.
However, staff retirements in January 2011 will
see the departure of many staff members (Mrs
Margaret Barlin, Mrs Sue Beames, Mr Ray Lind,
Mrs Leonie McHugh and Mrs Pam McNeil). Mrs
Jennifer Mullin, Mrs Christine Gribble, Mrs
Wendy Laws and Mr Mark Groves also concluded
their teaching careers in 2010 and will take Long
Service Leave until their respective retirement
dates in 2011. All these valued teachers will be
sorely missed.
Staff information
It is a requirement that the reporting of
information for all staff must be consistent with
privacy and personal information policies
Staff establishment
Position
Principal
Deputy Principals
Assistant Principals
Teacher of Intellectual Disabilities
Classroom Teachers
Teacher of Reading Recovery
Support Teacher Learning Assistance
Teacher Librarian
Teacher of ESL
Number
1
2
4
1
23
0.5
1
1.2
0
Teacher qualifications
All teaching staff meet the professional
requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.
Qualifications
Degree or Diploma
Postgraduate
4
% of staff
74
26
Financial summary
School performance 2010
This summary covers funds for operating costs
and does not involve expenditure areas such as
permanent salaries, building and major
maintenance.
Achievements
Arts
Our highlights included:
Trust funds are not available for general school
use - they must be applied to the specific
program for which they were originally allocated.

The budget committee, with representatives
from the P & C, staff and School Council
members, allocated available funds for school
programs.
A full copy of the school’s 2010 financial
statement is tabled at the annual general
meetings of the School Council and/or the parent
body.
Jordan speaking at
WPS.
Further details concerning the statement can be
obtained by contacting the school.
Date of financial summary:
Income
30/11/2010
$
Balance brought forward
Global funds
Tied funds
School & community sources
Interest
Trust receipts
Canteen
Total income
386306.80
289752.78
537581.23
147545.25
19450.33
22023.37
0.00
1402659.76

Thirty six students performed in the NSW
Primary Choral concert series at the Opera
House. Trained by Mrs Fiona Brassey and
managed by Mrs Dignum, they also
performed at many community functions;

Performance opportunities for the junior and
senior choirs at school celebrations,
community events and the Port Macquarie
Eisteddfod;

Participation by our senior dance group in the
'Schools’ Spectacular' in Sydney;

Our senior and junior dance groups, coordinated by Mrs Laws and Mrs Domanski,
participated in district festivals and
eisteddfods;

Steady growth of the band program,
including tuition and rehearsal sessions;

Two teams participated in the Tournament of
Minds competition under the guidance of
Mrs Wendy McCue. The students
collaboratively solved a long term problem
prior to competition day and presented their
solution to a panel of judges. A spontaneous
challenge was also solved on the day; and

Participation in the Wauchope Show Society
Schools exhibition. Mrs Robyn Domanski is
congratulated for her organization.
Expenditure
Teaching & learning
Key l ea rni ng a rea s
Excurs i ons
Extra curri cul a r di s s ecti ons
Library
Training & development
Tied funds
Casual relief teachers
Administration & office
School-operated canteen
Utilities
Maintenance
Trust accounts
Capital programs
Total expenditure
Balance carried forward
Jordan Magnus-McCarthy competed in the
state finals of the Multi-cultural Public
Speaking competition;
41804.35
87552.70
37795.76
9928.44
6691.54
527548.00
95846.43
64163.42
0.00
53851.18
7814.76
23131.76
12483.36
968611.70
434048.06
Sport
5
As a school, one of our priorities is to provide an
extensive range of sporting opportunities. As
educators, we want parents to know that sport
can develop students' skills, confidence, fitness
and help their classroom learning.
Students in Years 3 to 6 participated in many
organised sports with students participating in a
water safety program at Wauchope Pool during
Terms 1 and 4.
The annual two week intensive learn-to-swim
program was conducted for approximately 100
Year 2 to 6 students.
Highlights in 2010 included:




School teams participated in the PSSA
Knockout competitions in the boys’ and girls’
football, boys’ cricket, rugby league; girls’
and boys’ touch football and basketball, and
girls’ netball;
Our students participated in three major school
carnivals - swimming, athletics and cross country.
Academic
Our girls’ Football team won the NSW
Primary
Schools
Sports
Association
competition. This talented team of girls went
through the knockout without conceding a
goal. They deserved the win after training
hard throughout the year under the coaching
of Mr John Baker;
In the National Assessment Program, the results
across the Years 3 and 5 literacy and numeracy
assessments are reported on a scale from Band 1
to Band 8.
The achievement scale represents increasing
levels of skills and understandings demonstrated
in these assessments.
The rugby league team achieved a place in
the semi-finals. They were coached by Mr
Austin Bell and Mr Brad Maggs. These
parents volunteered their time and expertise
to encourage the boys in their matches.
Thanks to Mrs Mullin for her organisation;
Yr 3: from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6 (highest for
Year 3)
Yr 5: from Band 3 (lowest) to Band 8 (highest for
Year 5)
In Swimming, 5 students qualified for the
State Championships, our junior girls relay
team (Danielle Stone, Courtney Newell,
Brittany Gray and Lorianna Taylor) and Chloe
Houseman;
Overall Student achievement in 2010
NAPLAN data in 2010 shows the following:
In Reading, Year 3 and Year 5 scored below the
School Education Group (SEG) and State average.
With students travelling many kilometres to
participate, sometimes as far as the Queensland
border, the parents efforts in transporting
students, their encouragement on and off the
field and their support of school staff is to be
highly commended.
In Writing, Year 3 and Year 5 scored above both
SEG but below the State average.
In Spelling, Year 3 and Year 5 scored above SEG
but below State average.
In Grammar & Punctuation, Year 3 and Year 5
scored below both SEG and State average.
Other results include:

The girls touch football team were North
Coast champions;

Mitchell Dixon was selected to represent the
North Coast region in AFL and Cricket;

Chloe Houseman was selected the North
Coast Swimming and Football teams;

Bryce Roache was selected to represent the
North Coast region in AFL;

Ella Monkley was selected as a member of
the North Coast Football team;
In Numeracy, both Years 3 and 5 scored below
both the SEG and State averages.
Literacy – NAPLAN Year 3
In the Reading section, 4 items in the test were
above state average with students showing
competency with Identifying a speaker's opinion
in a paired persuasive text. However, our
students performed poorly in recognising the
purpose of a text feature (pronunciation guide) in
a simple information text.
6
In Spelling, 4 items better than the state average
with our students showing mastery in correctly
spelling two-syllable words with the suffix ‘ly’
requiring a change to the base word (y to i).
Results showed that our students have yet to
master Identifying an error, then correctly
spelling a two-syllable word with the double
consonant -dd at the syllable juncture and also
correctly spelling a one-syllable word with the
consonant pattern gu-.
Writing
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 3 writing
40
Percentage of students
35
In Grammar and Punctuation, 3 items were above
state average with our students performing best
in identifying correct capitalisation of a
compound proper noun in a simple sentence.
NAPLAN results show a need for our students to
focus on Identifying the correct capitalisation for
an adjective and a proper noun in a simple
sentence; identifying the correct demonstrative
pronoun in a simple sentence and identifying the
correct placement of delineating commas to
avoid ambiguity in a complex sentence.
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
3
4
5
6
Band
Percentage in band
In Writing, students demonstrated proficiency in
using correct spelling but there is a need to focus
on improving students’ overall understanding of
text structure, vocabulary and paragraphing.
School average 2008 - 2010
SSG average 2010
State DET average 2010
Spelling
Reading
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 3 spelling
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 3 reading
30
30
25
Percentage of students
25
Percentage of students
2
20
15
10
20
15
10
5
5
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
1
6
2
3
4
Band
Band
Percentage in band
Percentage in band
School average 2008 - 2010
School average 2008 - 2010
SSG average 2010
SSG average 2010
State DET average 2010
State DET average 2010
7
5
6
In Numeracy, students showed competency with
solving problems using the face value of coins
and correctly calculating remainders and locating
position on a plan. Focus is needed with
identifying the division expression as a solution to
the problem; accurately solving a problem using
reasoning with addition and subtraction;
identifying a solution to a single step word
problem using multiplication and rounding;
understanding the correct use of informal units
to calculate area and identifying solutions to
problems relating to column graphs.
Grammar and Punctuation
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 3 grammar and punctuation
30
Percentage of students
25
20
15
10
Literacy – NAPLAN Year 5
In Reading, 4 items were above state average
with WPS students demonstrating proficiency in
connecting ideas between the text and a diagram
in an information text.
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Band
Special focus is needed to build students skills in
better identifying a speaker's opinion in a paired
persuasive text; how the writer wants readers to
feel about characters in an imaginative text;
identifying the strategy used to conclude an
argument in a paired persuasive text and also
identifying the first material used in a sequence
in a set of instructions.
Percentage in band
School average 2008 - 2010
SSG average 2010
State DET average 2010
Numeracy – NAPLAN Year 3
In Spelling, 6 items were above the state average
with students showing particular mastery in
correctly spelling a one-syllable word with the
consonant cluster ‘nch’.
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 3 numeracy
35
Percentage of students
30
In Grammar and Punctuation, 4 items were above
state average with students demonstrating
particular proficiency in identifying subject-verb
agreement in a simple sentence; the correct
determiner in a complex sentence and the
correct reflexive pronoun in a simple sentence.
Results showed that students need consistent
practice to master identifying the correct relative
pronoun in a complex sentence; the correct
predicate to complete a main clause in a complex
sentence and the correct use of parentheses.
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Band
Percentage in band
School average 2008 - 2010
In Writing, our Year 5 students demonstrated
proficiency in using correct spelling but there is a
need to focus on developing and elaborating on
SSG average 2010
State DET average 2010
8
ideas and characters and to use more complex
vocabulary.
Spelling
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 5 spelling
Reading
35
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 5 reading
30
Percentage of students
35
Percentage of students
30
25
20
15
25
20
15
10
5
10
0
5
3
4
5
6
7
8
Band
0
3
4
5
6
7
Percentage in band
8
School average 2008 - 2010
Band
SSG average 2010
Percentage in band
State DET average 2010
School average 2008 - 2010
SSG average 2010
State DET average 2010
Grammar and Punctuation
Writing
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 5 grammar and punctuation
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 5 writing
30
40
25
Percentage of students
Percentage of students
35
30
25
20
15
10
20
15
10
5
5
0
3
0
3
4
5
6
7
8
4
5
6
7
Band
Band
Percentage in band
Percentage in band
School average 2008 - 2010
School average 2008 - 2010
SSG average 2010
SSG average 2010
State DET average 2010
State DET average 2010
9
8
Numeracy – NAPLAN Year 5
Spelling
Percentage of students in bands:
Year 5 numeracy
School
SSG
State
DET
50
Percentage of students
45
40
2008 - 2010
77.1
82.6
84.5
Punctuation and Grammar
35
30
School
SSG
State
DET
25
20
15
2008 - 2010
93.8
95.2
95.7
10
Progress in numeracy
5
0
3
4
5
6
7
8
School
SSG
State
DET
Band
Percentage in band
School average 2008 - 2010
2006 - 2008
67.3
N/A
2007 - 2009
93.4
N/A
2008 - 2010
87.4
82.6
77.3
93.4
89.3
SSG average 2010
State DET average 2010
Minimum standards
The Commonwealth Government sets minimum
standards for reading, writing, grammar and
punctuation, spelling and numeracy for Years 3
and 5.
Students demonstrated competency with
completing an array to find a table; identifying
expanded notation; using reason to figure out 2D
shapes and identifying location on a map.
Sustained practice is required to build student
proficiency in solving word problems with
multiplication; identifying possible solutions to
solve multi step problems; correctly solving word
problems involving multiplication and division;
converting units and identifying greatest mass.
The performance of the students in our school in
the National Assessment Program – Literacy and
Numeracy is compared to these minimum
standards. The percentages of our students
achieving at or above these standards are
reported below.
Progress in literacy
Reading
School
SSG
State
DET
2006 - 2008
110.5
N/A
2007 - 2009
93.4
N/A
2008 - 2010
82.7
79.2
87.5
88.4
83.4
2006 - 2008
77.2
N/A
2007 - 2009
65.5
N/A
2008 - 2010
57.0
60.2
69.3
57.7
66.8
Writing
School
SSG
State
DET
10
Percentage of Year 3 students achieving at or
above minimum standard
Reading
91
Writing
96
Spelling
96
Punctuation and grammar
87
Numeracy
94
Percentage of Year 5 students achieving at or
above minimum standard
Reading
83
Writing
94
Spelling
92
Punctuation and grammar
89
Numeracy
92
Indigenous Students
On Monday, 19 July 2010, the Aboriginal
Education Committee at WPS, led by John Baker
(AP) in partnership with Helen ArchibaldSimmons (AEO) and PEO Aboriginal Education,
Muriel Kelly, hosted a very successful Cultural
Awareness Day for the Bago Community of
Schools members. This came about after the
committee had discussed the need for staff to
learn more about local Indigenous culture to
support our Indigenous students. With PLPs
completed for 91% of our Indigenous students,
this was another way we could benefit by inviting
members of the Indigenous community to share
their knowledge of our local Indigenous culture
and their experiences.
Significant programs and initiatives
Aboriginal education
Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs)
The Aboriginal Committee’s aim for 2010 was to
implement PLPs for all Aboriginal students
attending Wauchope Public School. To effectively
implement a PLP, teachers, parents and in many
cases the student met together and discussed the
student’s specific social, cultural and academic
needs. 91% of our Aboriginal students had their
families attend meetings and develop, in
cooperation with the teacher, specific learning
outcomes. At the end of the year, the level of
success achieved from these outcomes was
reported in each student’s end of year report.
NAIDOC Week
Wauchope Public School acknowledges the
importance of celebrating NAIDOC Week as a
means of educating all students about Aboriginal
culture, customs and history. We celebrated
NAIDOC Week 2010 with:
Over 150 staff members from Wauchope Public
School, Wauchope High and local small schools,
Byabarra, Comboyne, Long Flat, Rollands Plains
Upper, Beechwood and Huntingdon attended.
Throughout the day, staff were involved in a
variety of workshops from local Indigenous
presenters including stories from community
elders, the impact of Otitis Media on children’s
health and learning, PLPs, future directions for
school leavers, Aboriginal language in schools and
community involvement.


A Flag raising ceremony;
A special assembly featuring our guest
speaker John Heath, Port MacquarieHastings Council’s Community and
Cultural Development officer;
 A presentation of awards to recognise
the outstanding efforts of indigenous
members of our local community;
 Steve Donovan’s musical performance,
teaching our indigenous boys to perform
traditional dances;
 The development of laminated white
boards for use in classroom mathematics
lessons; and
 face painting and whole school singing.
Bama Balas
In Term 3, Phil Geia and Dion Drummond who are
BAMA-BALAS (Far North Queensland 'brothers')
performed 3 shows for our school. In this
multimedia presentation, traditional Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Island culture was explored
through song and dance, instruments, weaponry,
stories, and included a video presentation of
elders sharing their stories.
Bridging the Gap between Indigenous and Non
Future Directions
Continued professional learning and the ongoing
development of community partnerships will be
our key focus to ensure all our Indigenous
students can experience future success through
accessing relevant education experiences.
PLPs are imbedded as part of the school
assessment, reporting and programming cycle.
Parents and carers of Aboriginal students will be
invited for three way interviews to set new
targets.
Professional development for all staff in
developing our knowledge and ability to
implement the new Aboriginal Education and
Training Policy, “Turning Policy into Action”.
11
The buddy class program and Kindergarten peer
support program continued to promote positive
relationships and provide opportunities for
mentoring between the younger and older
students of the school.
Multicultural education
Classroom programs incorporated a multicultural
perspective and staff ensured that culturally
inclusive teaching practices occur in their
classrooms.
National partnership programs
In the Human Society and Its Environment Key
Learning Area, students are immersed in aspects
of multiculturalism as part of a significant number
of mandatory units of learning.
Our school participated in the National
Partnership in Numeracy Program in 2010.
Taking Off With Numeracy (TOWN) is a program
designed to assist teachers to identify where
students’ solution methods in mathematics are
breaking down, and provide explicit guidance to
move the student beyond the identified hurdle.
In particular, as TOWN focuses on improving
numeracy in Stage 2 and Stage 3, greater
emphasis is given to the teaching sequence
related to developing place value, as it underpins
the four operations and decimals.
The Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking
competition drew interest again at the school
level.
Congratulations to Jordan MagnusMcCarthy on his success in being chosen to
compete at the state level in this prestigious
event.
We have trained anti racism and anti
discrimination contact officers (ARCOS) who deal
with issues related to cultural background. The
ARCOS monitor student behaviour in relation to
cultural harmony and offer advice.
Training and development was provided by Team
Leaders Mrs Maree Kemp and Miss Kristina Giorgi
with the support of Mrs Jann Salter, Mathematics
Consultant. Teachers were given 3 hours a week
in a collegial group to learn about the CMIT
and/or TOWN learning framework and student
assessment and analysis process. They also
developed teaching and learning programs that
reflected the TOWN learning framework
incorporating activities that can be differentiated
for different ability levels.
During 2010, new students learning English as a
Second Language (ESL) were enrolled. They were
provided with appropriate support to develop
their English language, literacy and numeracy
skills and enhance their ability to fully participate
in school activities.
Respect and responsibility
As part of encouraging our students to
demonstrate increasing respect and responsibility
we and expect our students to:

Demonstrate perseverance, application and
commitment to their learning;

Exhibit tolerance, respect, co-operation,
integrity and empathy in their social
interactions; and

Display responsibility and self discipline in all
endeavours.
Lesson study was been used throughout the
training and development of teachers. The team
leaders gave a mathematics lesson to their own
classes, viewed by their team. These were
videoed and used as a teaching tool for other
teachers. Teachers had numerous opportunities
to view other colleague’s lessons. Teachers
discussed how their lesson went according to the
Quality Teaching Framework and the inclusion of
TOWN strategies within a balanced Numeracy
session. Sharing of lesson ideas was encouraged
and the lesson study model has been a very
successful tool within the training and
development process.
We focused on targeted social skills programs to
assist students develop strategies for building
skills in problem solving, assertiveness and
showing empathy for others. Explicitly taught anti
bullying lessons were conducted each term.
Monitoring student progress against the
framework using a data base and plotting
students on the mathematics continuum on the
staffroom wall occurred.
Academic and citizenship efforts were
acknowledged through the presentation of
weekly encouragement awards and conducting
Assemblies of Excellence.
These activities have proven invaluable in
promoting professional dialogue.
12
Personalised Learning Plans for all targeted
students identified in NAPLAN, Best Start, Count
Me In Too and TOWN testing were completed.
independent use. Key staff do have the capacity
to use the connected classroom and it is one of
the focus areas for our 2011 National
Partnerships Low Socio Economic Status (NP Low
SES) program.
The inclusion of an intervention program for
targeted Year 3, 4 and 5 students was
implemented. Class teachers involved in the
TOWN training were given three half hour
sessions a week for Semester Two to teach a
small group of students within their class that are
having difficulty with moving along the
framework. This program proved successful as
teachers enjoyed being given the opportunity to
work with a small group while a casual teacher
was employed to deliver lessons to their class for
the half hour. Teachers were able to practise
their newly learnt skills from TOWN training on a
small group. Quite often it was found that only
one or two concepts needed consolidation for
the child to move ahead with the rest of the class.
Due to the generosity of the P & C Association,
Interactive Whiteboards have now been obtained
and installed in all classrooms and specialist
learning areas. There will be extensive
professional learning for all staff as part of our NP
Low SES program targets. An increase in student
engagement has already been noted.
Special Education
Wauchope Public School’s Learning Support team
coordinates programs and resources for all
funding support students to enable these
students to have equitable access to the
curriculum. It also oversees the Special Education
class for moderately and severely intellectually
disabled students, the Reading Recovery
program, the Learning Assistance program and
various individual behaviour management plans.
The school is proud of its inclusive culture.
The introduction of the Quicksmart Program for
targeted Year 5 and 4 students provided one to
one intervention. Karen O’Reilly and Ros Fuhrer
were both trained to administer the program
which increases the speed and accuracy of
student’s abilities to complete computations in
the four Mathematics processes - addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division.
Funding Support of $200 000.00 supports
students with disabilities relating to physical,
mental health and autism.
Our growth in Numeracy from 2009 to 2010 was
89.8 which equates to 0.71 better than the state
average. The best responses to questions
involved finding change from face value of coins,
identifying missing shapes in a repeated pattern,
locating position on a plan and matching
numbers to tally marks.
Students with low support needs in either
language and/or intellectual disorders were ably
supported by the Learning Assistance Program
supported these students.
The Regional Student Services Support Program
(RSSSP) also supported students who were having
difficulties with managing classroom and/or
playground behaviour.
Overall results were as follows

In Year 3, the State mean was 51.3 and the
School mean was 51.7

In Year 4, the State mean was 56.6 and the
School mean was 57.0

In Year 5, the State mean was 58.1 and the
School mean was 58.9
Student Welfare
There are four areas of emphasis which have
dominated the work of student welfare at
Wauchope Public School in 2010. These include
aspects both new and ongoing.
The most important area of student welfare has
been the initial implementation process of
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL). After initial
training by a number of staff and led by Mrs Rose
Pelley, staff and parents (via a survey and
through the P & C and School Council) identified
Connected learning
Our Connected classroom was commissioned for
use early in the second semester of the year. As
such, there was been little opportunity to provide
the necessary professional learning to allow
13
3 school rules to be the focus of the program.
These are “Follow Instructions”, “Be Safe” and
“Show Respect”.
Progress on 2010 targets
Target 1
Beginning with the playground, staff and students
developed a series of PowerPoint presentations
to encourage students to follow playground
conventions. These will continue in 2011.
To provide grade based lessons that will improve
student growth in numeracy for all students.
The second area of emphasis is attendance. After
undertaking a review of procedures at the school
through a detailed attendance plan which
concluded in mid 2010, students achieved the
target of having better attendance than the
regional average. Attendance will continue to be
monitored closely to encourage maximum
attendance, ensure best practice in roll marking
and that follow up of absences is maintained.
Our achievements included:

As a result of targeted and regular
professional learning, staff showed greater
competency in accessing and utilizing SMART
DATA, including creating individual groupings
and accessing departmental links to create
meaningful learning activities specifically
targeted to the needs of students. Greater
staff competency in accessing and using
SMART Data and relevant links was noted.
The third area of emphasis is QuEST (Quality
Environments for Students and Teachers). After a
slow start to the year, students were very keen to
participate in both bully station and playground
activities contributing to a more positive
playground environment. In 2010, Year 6
returned to the practise of only training students
who were interested and applied to undertake
the training rather than training all students as
happened in 2009. This was a more beneficial
practice and the training day in early Term 2 was
a great success.

Student growth in Numeracy was well above
that recorded for the Statistically Similar
Group but was below that recorded for the
state.
Our other numeracy targets were not met. They
were highly aspirational and are perhaps best
measured over a 2 to 3 year period to ensure true
measurement of the new numeracy programs.
Results are as follows:
Lower bands
The fourth area was Year 6 Gold Pass program.
This initiative rewarded students for positive
behaviour across the school and wearing the full
school uniform was very well received again by
students. While budgetary constraints meant the
term rewards were somewhat more reserved
than in 2009 students still prized their badges.
Through a concerted effort, approximately 90%
of students achieved the criteria. This initiative
will be continued throughout 2011.

Year 5 – When combining Bands 3 & 4, there
were 14 students in 2009 as compared to 16
students in 2010. While this did not meet our
set target these results are on par with both
Regional and State results.

Year 3 – When looking at Band 1 only, a small
percentage of students were in this grouping.
There were 4% of students in this group in
both 2008 and 2009, while 5% were in this
group in 2010. While the target was not
realized, the actual number of students
remains very small.
Top bands

14
Year 5 – In Band 8, the percentage of
students in 2009 was 10% but in 2010 this fell
to 5%. The growth of 3 out of the 5 students
in this band was outstanding including one
student who improved by 276 points.


Target 2
Year 3 – Less students were in Band 6 in 2010
than 2009 with only 5% achieving those
results in 2010 as opposed to 10% in 2009.
To improve the school’s learning environment
by
consistently
reinforcing
expected
behaviour in students.
The following graph shows the numeracy
growth for students tested over a 14 month
period. State testing was conducted as part
of the National Partnerships program. This
shows the positive impact the TOWN
program is having on improving student
outcomes.
Our achievements include:

Wauchope PS NPLN
Assessment
Round 1 - Round 3
Classroom programs contain explicit teaching
strategies that reinforce expected behaviour
throughout the school. This has resulted in
less disruption to learning opportunities and
a safer and happier school environment;

Growth in Band Levels- matched
students
RISC (behaviour monitoring program) data
reflects a decrease in students on ‘time out’;
and

The School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET) shows
a 10% improvement in the areas of defined
expectations, responding to behaviour
problems and monitoring.
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Year
Year
Year
3 4 5
add 4 levels 4 1 0
add 3 levels 12 4 4
Target 3
add 2 levels 31 14 6
To bridge the achievement gap between
Aboriginal and non Aboriginal students.
add 1 level 31 27 34

maintain
17 20 33
negative
2 12 6
Our achievements include:
The development of Personalised Learning
Plans for all targeted students as identified in
NAPLAN, Best Start, Count Me In Too and
TOWN state testing occurred. The inclusion
of an intervention program for targeted Year
3, 4 and 5 students and the introduction of
the Quicksmart Numeracy Program for
targeted Year 5 students has ensured that
problem solving and the use of mental
strategies has been explicitly taught.
15

Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) have been
developed at combined parent, student and
teacher interviews for 91%
Aboriginal
students;

Communication links with our Aboriginal
community have been strengthened as
witnessed in the NAIDOC and Reconciliation
weeks and also through the Cultural
Awareness day hosted by W.P.S.; and

The School Development Day on Cultural
Awareness held in Term 3 enhanced staff
understanding of Aboriginal Cultural issues.

The school did not meet the targets hoped
for in decreasing the number of students
whose results place them in the bottom
NAPLAN bands of all areas We did achieve
this in Writing, Spelling.

Similarly we did not realize the target of
increasing the percentage of Aboriginal
students being placed in the higher of all
Literacy and Numeracy bands by 10%. We did
achieve this in Writing
Key evaluations
Curriculum
It is a requirement for all NSW public schools to
conduct at least two annual evaluations – one
related to educational and management practice
and the other related to curriculum. In 2010 our
school carried out evaluations of Enter text here
Literacy
Background
This evaluation sought varied information from
each survey group with a view to establishing
target areas for the National Partnerships Low
Socio Economic Status program due to
commence in 2011. Students were asked to
respond to questions about their progress,
enjoyment and participation in Literacy. Parents
were asked to make a response about their
overall awareness of Literacy programs and
practices. Teachers commented on additional
items relating to teaching practice, broad syllabus
knowledge and professional development. The
survey sample size was smaller than that for
previous years.
Educational and management practice
Teaching
Background
A survey of students, parents and staff which
focused on key aspects of teaching processes,
practices and catering for individual learning
needs was conducted in Term 3.
Findings and conclusions

39% of staff regularly check work samples
with individual students and share with them
how much they have improved;
71% of teachers feel confident in
implementing the English syllabus at their
stage level;

45% of staff feel confident in implementing
the English syllabus across all stages;

36% of students indicated that their teacher
tells them how they can improve;

77% of staff explicitly address the Reading
and Writing strands;

50 % of students indicated that their teachers
inform them of what they are learning and
why;

53% of staff explicitly address the Talking &
Listening strand;

41% of students indicated they were given
help by the teacher when needed;

32% of staff provide a balance between
‘Learning To’ and ‘Learning About’ outcomes
in English;

42% of parents indicated teacher informs
them if their child needs help;

36% of students find Literacy activities
interesting and useful;

25% of students indicated they were able to
talk about their own learning;

13% of staff fully understand how to
interpret NAPLAN/Best Start data;

43% of staff provide a balance between
individual and group activities; and


22% of students indicated there was a
balance between group/individual work in
the classroom.
32% of parents indicated they had basic
awareness of Literacy programs operating in
classrooms; and

52% of parents indicated they would be
interested in participating in Literacy
workshops.
Findings and conclusions

Future directions
The survey results showed that the school needs
to encourage staff to explicitly address the
Future directions
student involvement issues in general program
and curriculum planning. The Student
Representative Council should be involved in
these discussions

16
Teachers will be encouraged to transpose the
quality teaching strategies used in numeracy
to literacy sessions;

All teachers will be trained in the use NAPLAN
data to ensure they critically analyse the
results for their group and individuals, then
identify and utilise the appropriate teaching
strategies to cater for individual needs;

Classroom Literacy continuums will be used
to track and monitor student performance;

To ensure the Best Start program for K, 1 &
2 is supported through consistent T & D and
in class support; and

To conduct Literacy workshops for parents.
Professional learning
Professional learning was linked to the School
Management Plan and the mandatory
Department of Education and Training
professional learning requirements,
All teachers attended fortnightly professional
learning sessions after school and School
Development days which covered curriculum
updates, technology and Interactive Whiteboard
training, PBL, CPR/Asthma/ Anaphylaxis updates
and QT. Aspects of the school management plan
and targets were also a focus.
Parent, student, and teacher
satisfaction
Teachers attended courses and network meetings
relating to Aboriginal Education, Accelerated
Literacy, Best Start, Interactive whiteboard
teaching/learning programs, action research and
English/Mathematics syllabus implementation.
In 2010 the school sought the opinions of
parents, students and teachers about the school.
This survey was conducted as part of the broader
National Partnerships survey and was a smaller
sample size than that for previous surveys.
In 2010, $25,756.90 in Tied Professional Learning
Funds was expended. The school received a grant
of $25,992.40 for professional learning in 2010.
Their responses are presented below.

70% of parents indicated they can talk to
their child’s teacher about his/her progress;

74% of staff feel they are kept up to date
about school events through notes,
whiteboards, newsletters, emails and daily
notices;

72% of parents indicated they feel welcomed
in the school;

63% of parents indicated they receive
information about how the school is
performing;

50% of parents indicated teachers provide
helpful information about their child's
progress;

Targets for 2011
All targets for 2011 are tied to the National
Partnerships Low Socio Economic Status program.
46% of students feel they are kept up to date
about school events through notes,
newsletters and daily notices;


School development 2009 – 2011
Target 1
All staff members are to explicitly teach an equal
balance of ‘Learning To’ and ‘Learning About’
outcomes in the English syllabus to ensure
improved NAPLAN Literacy results by 5% in 2013
Strategies to achieve this target include:
26% of parents indicated they felt
encouraged to attend P and C meetings; and

Explicit teaching of the reading, writing,
grammar and punctuation outcomes will be
implemented in all classrooms;

Best Start – K, 1 & 2 will be implemented
with a School team Leader to provide in class
support;

Best Start professional learning will be
provided by an appointed consultant; and
28% of parents indicated they have regular
communication with their child’s teacher.
It is evident that the school will need to review
current communication modes to ensure all
groups are provided with the required
information promptly and that notification
timelines are being met.
17

Target 3
Focus on the balanced literacy (‘Learning To’
and ‘Learning About’ outcomes) in collegial
sharing sessions and program monitoring.
Reduce the percentage of students in the
minimal standard band, by 50% between Year 3
and Year 5 Numeracy on NAPLAN.
Our success will be measured by:

Student growth in Literacy will be equal to or
greater than national growth by 2013;
Strategies to achieve this target include:

Decrease the percentage of Year 3 students
in Bands 1 & 2 for Reading to state level or
lower from the 9% in 2010;

Teachers to use the TOWN and CMIT
program as their Mathematics teaching
program;

Decrease the percentage of Year 5 students
in Band 3 for Reading to state level or lower
from the 17% in 2010; and

Students assessed using the SENA and
teachers are delivering integrated lessons
with CMIT;

10% more students being placed in the
higher Literacy bands when tested in 2013.

Teacher programs are to show intermittent
use of NAPLAN questions as a teaching focus
in their classrooms;

Past and sample NAPLAN papers are to be
completed under test conditions. Teachers
deconstruct/model NAPLAN questions;

Explicit training and development continued
for staff using the TOWN (Taking Off With
Numeracy), CMIT (Count Me In Too) and
Counting On programs;

Grade based lessons will be continually
developed and evaluated;

Explicit analysis of the National Testing
results using SMART Data and the Australian
Early Development Index survey (AEDI) for
Kindergarten by all teaching staff; and

PLPs, Quicksmart and/or class based
intervention programs are to remain a focus
for students performing below the national
benchmark.
Target 2
To develop refined practices to ensure a
consistent approach is applied to Student
Welfare and Discipline issues.
Strategies to achieve this target include:

Student Welfare Team Leader to develop
T&D sessions for the implementation of PBL;

PBL team to be trained in next phase of PBL
relating to classroom expectations;

Local artist to be commissioned to design
three posters to support school rules; and

Develop a levelled system where all staff can
access and interpret RISC data base.
Our success will be measured by:


Our success will be measured by:
PBL T&D sessions delivered and strategies
enacted;
Staff and students familiar with the processes
and consequences relating to classroom
expectations;

Posters to support school rules completed
and displayed;

Development and trialling of the system
where all staff can access and interpret RISC
data base finalized;

School server being operational with the
resource base established; and

Executive staff accessing RISC data.
18

Decrease the percentage of Year 3 students
in Band 1 for Numeracy to state level or
lower from the 6% in 2010

Decrease the percentage of Year 5 students
in Band 3 for Numeracy to state level or
lower from the 8% in 2010

Student growth in Numeracy will be equal to
or greater than national growth;

Greater staff competency recorded in
accessing and using SMART Data and
relevant links when surveyed in 2011.
About this report
School contact information
In preparing this report, the self-evaluation
committee has gathered information from
evaluations conducted during the year and
analysed other information about the school's
practices and student learning outcomes. The
self-evaluation committee and school planning
committee have determined targets for the
school's future development.
Wauchope Public School
In 2010, this committee was changed in its
composition due to the planning protocols for
commencing our National Partnerships Low SES
program in 2011. As significant surveying was
required to write the situational analysis required
prior to funding being released, it was
determined that the National Partnerships team
would oversee the evaluations and setting of
targets.
School Code: 3404
Waugh Street Wauchope
Ph: 65852277
Fax: 65852449
Email: wauchope-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Web: www.wauchope-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
Parents can find out more information about
Annual School Reports, how to interpret
information in the reports and have the
opportunity to provide feedback about these
reports at:
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/asr
Diana Reynolds Principal
Rose Pelley Deputy Principal
Kevin Jones Deputy Principal
Darren Beard Assistant Principal
Brenda Watkins Teacher
Annette McCudden Teacher/Librarian
Tracey Bellangary – Community Member
Helen Archibald-Simmons – Aboriginal Education
Officer
Linda Olive – Aboriginal Education
Muriel Kelly – Senior Education Officer 2
Annette Cordell – Parent Representative
Brenda Wright – Parent Representative
19