Farrer Primary School
Board Report
2014
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
This report supports the work being done in the ACT Education and Training Directorate, as
outlined in the Strategic Plan 2014-2017 “Educational capital: Leading the Nation”. It
complies with reporting requirements detailed within the Education ACT 2004 and the
National Education Agreement.
Accessibility
The ACT Government is committed to making its information services, events and venues
accessible to as many people as possible.
If you have difficulty reading a standard document and would like to receive this publication
in an alternate format, such as large print and audio, please telephone (02) 6247 4580.
If English is not your first language and you require the translating and interpreting service,
please telephone 13 14 50.
If you are deaf or hearing impaired and require the National Relay Service, please telephone
13 36 77.
© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, 2014
Material in this publication may be reproduced provided due acknowledgement is made.
The school website is http://www.farrerps.act.edu.au.
Inquiries about this publication should be directed to:
Farrer Primary School
Lambrigg St.
Farrer ACT 2607
General Inquiries:
Telephone (02) 6205 7911
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
About our school
Introduction to School
Farrer Primary School is a preschool to year 6 school in the suburb of Farrer in the ACT.
Farrer Primary offers a contemporary curriculum aligned with the Australian Curriculum in a
traditional setting. The school values their partnership with the school community and
encourages high levels of parental involvement. The school prides itself on being a school of
academic excellence that provides an inclusive and challenging school environment for all
students. Our current enrolment is approximately 300 students from kindergarten to year 6
with a further 50 students in the preschool. The school offers a supportive and caring
environment that meets and differentiates for the needs of all students.
The school's vision of ‘Educational success for a socially and environmentally sustainable
future’ is reflected in the specialist science and environment programs offered and the
purpose built classrooms from our preschool through to our Environment Centre. The
school prides itself on our successful environmental programs and the natural school
playground setting.
Farrer Primary School is focused on excellence in Literacy and Numeracy as its main
priorities and focuses on developing socially and environmentally literate students. The
school values inclusivity and provides a Learning Support Unit for students with autism and
successfully integrates students with disabilities. Our school demographic is steady but has a
small transient enrolment of defence families and diplomatic families. Farrer Primary School
is a school of choice with high demand for enrolment and a reputation for providing
excellent, quality teaching for all students.
Student Information
Student enrolment
In 2014 there was a total of 339 students enrolled at this school.
Table: 2014 Student Enrolment Breakdown
Group
Number of Students
Male
155
Female
184
Indigenous
LBOTE
0
101
Source: Planning and Performance, August 2014
Student attendance
The following table identifies the attendance rate of students by year level during 2014.
Student attendance rate is the percentage of school days attended by students in each year
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
level at the school. Student attendance is measured over two school terms; that is from the
first day of the school year for students in term one to the last day of term two.
Table: 2014 Semester 1 attendance rates
Year Level
Attendance Rate %
K
93.1
1
94.9
2
92.7
3
96.1
4
93.7
5
95.1
6
93.5
Source: Planning and Performance, July 2014
Farrer Primary School monitors non-attendance through a process of teachers notifying the
front office of absences each day, calling families and being alert to any patterns of nonattendance and following up personally with parents. The Deputy Principal and Principal
follow up on consistent or regular non-attendance and make contact with the family or
support organisations if required to support families and encourage attendance.
Staff Information
Teacher qualifications
All teachers meet the professional requirements for teaching in an ACT public school.
The proportion of teaching staff with certificates/degrees/diplomas and a postgraduate
qualification is shown below.
Table: 2014 Qualification of Teaching Staff
Qualifications
Teaching staff (%)
Certificate/Diploma/Degree
100%
Postgraduate
25%
Source: School Data, 15 December 2014
Workforce Composition
In 2014 the workforce composition of the school is highlighted in the following table. The
data is taken from the school’s verified August pay report. For reporting purposes It includes
all school staff including preschools if applicable, staff absent for a period of less than four
consecutive weeks, staff replacing staff absent for more than four consecutive weeks. It
does not include all casuals and staff who were not paid in this period and staff absent for a
period of four consecutive weeks or longer nor unfilled vacancies.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
Table: 2014 Workforce Composition Numbers
Role
Total
Administrative Service Officers
8
General Service Officers & Equivalent
1
School Leader A
1
School Leader B
1
School Leader C
1
Teachers
21
TOTAL
33
Source: Workforce Management, August census 2014
Note: This table includes pre-school staffing
There are no indigenous staff at this school.
Volunteers
Volunteers worked an estimated 420 hours in the school in 2014. This time included garden
volunteers, swimming and sports carnival helpers, reading and literacy support, canteen
volunteers, fundraising activities, mother’s day stalls, the school disco and community
barbeques. We highly value the work of all our volunteers in supporting our student
community.
School Review and Development
In 2014, the ACT Education and Training Directorates Strategic Plan 2014-2017 provided the
framework and strategic direction for the school’s plan. This is supported by the School
Improvement in ACT Public Schools Directions 2010-2014 and the School Improvement
Framework which are the overarching documents providing support to achieve high
standards in student learning, innovation and best practice in ACT public schools.
All ACT public schools participate in a four year cycle of school review and development.
Schools take part in a continuous cycle of review comprising annual self assessments against
their school plans. In the fourth year schools undergo an external validation process. This
process provides an independent and unbiased assessment of the school’s progress towards
achieving system and school priorities.
Farrer Primary School will be validated in 2017. A copy of their most recent validation report
can be found on the school website.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
School Satisfaction
Schools continually use a range of data collection tools to gain an understanding of the
satisfaction levels of their parents and carers, staff and students. In August/September
2014 the school undertook a survey to gain an understanding of school satisfaction at that
time. Staffs, parents and students from year 5, and above, with the exception of students in
special schools, were invited to take part in an online survey.
Overall Satisfaction
In 2014, 86 parents, 22 staff and 61 students responded to the survey. Where less than five
responses were received the results were not reported due to concerns about participant
privacy.
In 2014, 86% of parents and carers, 95% of staff, and 87% of students at this school
indicated they were satisfied with the education provided by the school.
As well in 2014, 14 national parent survey items and 12 national student survey items were
included in the surveys. These items were approved by the Standing Council on School
Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) for use from 2014. The following tables show the
percentage of parents and carers and students who agreed with each of the national items
at this school.
Table: Proportion of parents and carers in agreement with each national opinion item
Item
(%)
Teachers at this school expect my child to do his or her best.
91
Teachers at this school provide my child with useful feedback about his or her
school work.
84
Teachers at this school treat students fairly.
92
This school is well maintained.
92
My child feels safe at this school.
100
I can talk to my child’s teachers about my concerns.
91
Student behaviour is well managed at this school.
82
My child likes being at this school.
97
This school looks for ways to improve.
88
This school takes parents’ opinions seriously.
80
Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.
85
My child is making good progress at this school.
84
My child's learning needs are being met at this school.
82
This school works with me to support my child's learning.
79
Source: 2014 School Satisfaction Surveys, September 2014
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
Table: Proportion of students in agreement with each national opinion item
Item
(%)
My teachers expect me to do my best.
100
My teachers provide me with useful feedback about my school work.
82
Teachers at my school treat students fairly.
77
My school is well maintained.
77
I feel safe at my school.
82
I can talk to my teachers about my concerns.
70
Student behaviour is well managed at my school.
62
I like being at my school.
80
My school looks for ways to improve.
85
My school takes students’ opinions seriously.
59
My teachers motivate me to learn.
82
My school gives me opportunities to do interesting things.
79
Source: 2014 School Satisfaction Surveys, September 2014
This information can be considered alongside information available on the My School website
(http://www.myschool.edu.au).
These results as well as the continual review of school performance contributed to the
evaluation of our school plan and the development of annual operating plans. The school
plan is available on the school website.
Professional Learning
Whole school professional learning in 2014 was comprehensive and aligned with National,
system and school priorities, as reflected in the schools Strategic Plan and Operational Plan.
All teaching staff engaged in professional learning in Quality Teaching Rounds and
participated in eight rounds over the year.
At a National level, eight staff attended workshops on ‘Assessment and the Australian
Curriculum’ and Farrer Primary School was subsequently selected to work with ACARA to
develop a unit of work with assessment tools and work samples which were sent to ACARA
to examine validity and use to be placed on the website for A-E moderation across Australia.
New staff were supported with individualised coaching and mentoring support in the
implementation of whole school programs including First Steps, GradeXpert, Bee Spelling,
Guided reading and Count Me In Too.
The Principal attended all system professional learning, Principal meetings, network
meetings, leadership and occasional forums, Leadership Conference and engaged with
schools at a network and system level. Four teaching staff attended the ‘Future Schools’
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
conference in Sydney. All teaching staff attended an ICT Masterclass- ‘Getting the best from
21st Century teaching & learning using the Flexible Learning Environment.’ The Executive
team attended all leadership forums held by the Directorate. The Business Manager
attended the Edutech conference in Brisbane. Staff participated in Mathletics, Spellodrome
and Reading Eggs learning along with Anaphylaxis, Asthma & CPR training.
Learning and Assessment
Performance in literacy and numeracy
Early Years Assessment
Students in kindergarten undertake an on-entry assessment of their early reading and
numeracy skills using the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) program. Student
results are reported against five performance bands at the end of semester one and two.
The following table shows the comparison of the school against the ACT on raw scores in
reading and mathematics.
Table: Farrer Primary School PIPS 2014 mean raw scores
Test Domain
School
Start
School
End
ACT
Start
ACT
End
Reading
50
159
51
124
Mathematics
40
62
39
54
Source: Planning and Performance December 2014
PIPS data for Farrer Primary School indicated that students made excellent progress in both
reading and mathematics. Both the reading and mathematics results were higher than the
ACT mean by the end of the year. The school was satisfied with these outcomes and will
continue to strive for significant progress in the kindergarten year. PIPS data will be utilised
to provide individualised support and programs in 2015 to improve student outcomes and
support the needs of every child.
A detailed analysis of our school’s academic achievement is incorporated into the
information related to reporting against our progress against our priorities. This is found
later in the report.
NAPLAN Assessment
Students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in all ACT schools participated in the National Assessment
Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). This program assesses skills in reading, writing,
spelling and grammar and punctuation and numeracy.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
In 2014, no students were exempt from testing based on nationally agreed criteria.
Results are not reported when there are fewer than five students with NAPLAN results. This
rule is applied to protect the privacy of students in small schools.
The following table shows the 2014 mean scores achieved by our students compared to the
ACT.
Table: Farrer Primary School 2014 NAPLAN Mean Scores
Test Domain
Year 3 School
Year 3 ACT
Year 5 School
Year 5 ACT
Reading
464
440
528
523
Writing
438
405
465
474
Spelling
445
413
516
502
Grammar & Punctuation
489
441
544
520
Numeracy
436
415
497
499
Source: Performance and Planning December 2014
2014 NAPLAN results indicate that the year 3 achieved above the ACT mean and met with
Directorate targets. Year 5 achieved above the ACT mean in Reading Spelling and Grammar
and Punctuation and fell within the confidence range for Writing and Numeracy.
Performance in other areas of the curriculum
Farrer Primary continues to offer a strong and rich academic curriculum. Farrer Primary’s
reporting to parents includes incorporating the achievement standards which align with all
curriculum planning.
Farrer Primary School offers Japanese from preschool through to year 6 as our Language
other than English. The school continues to be a leader in environmental sciences and
sustainability with all students accessing an exciting science program with specialist teachers
in an environment centre that leads the way in regards to sustainability and environmental
programs. Chess was provided across the school from year 1 to year 6 providing students
with enrichment and higher order thinking skills. Students from years 3 to 6 participated in
Rostrum, learning and refining the skills of public speaking. Students had the opportunity to
participate in a performing arts program with a specialist teacher, swimming lessons and
years 3 to 6 participated in an outdoor education experience.
Progress against School Priorities in 2014
Priority 1
To increase the performance of all students.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
Targets
By the end of 2014:


Achieve the Education and Training Directorate (the Directorate) targets which include a
four point loading and confidence intervals.
Increase the proportion of students achieving Minimum Achievement Standard (MAS) in
reading, writing and spelling as measured by school data as compared to previous year
growth in each area.

Establish a base line and data collation tool to measure the proportion of students
achieving growth in number as measured by Count Me In Too, Schedule for Early
Number Assessment – (CMIT SENA testing) and Middle Years Mental Computation
(MYMC).
 70% of Kindergarten students sitting the PIPS test to achieve above average growth in
maths and 45% in reading.
Directorate Priority Areas covered with this priority
Quality Learning, Inspirational teaching and leadership, Business innovation and
Improvement
Progress
Farrer Primary School attributes this year’s successful achievement to several strategies
implemented at the school over the past few years, which have continued in 2014. There
has been a significant human resourcing investment made through the implementation of
coaching and mentoring to further improve teaching practice. Coaching and mentoring has
focused on supporting differentiation and explicit modelling that teaches students about
using a range of reading and mental computation strategies. All teaching staff at Farrer
Primary engaged in Quality Teaching rounds throughout the year. This model enabled
teachers to engage in systematic observation and feedback on pedagogy to better support
all our teachers to produce high-quality teaching for all of their students. The majority of
teachers indicated on the system satisfaction survey that felt there were processes in place
to support their practice (82%). Sixty-five percent of teachers agreed that they get
constructive feedback about their practice which is three percentage points greater than the
previous year. The school intends to do further research to build on successful methods to
provide constructive feedback.
The provision of comprehensive literacy and numeracy support, particularly through the
targeted early invention for students in K-2 through the Literacy Support program, has been
an important feature at Farrer Primary School. Continued tracking and monitoring of
students reading and Schedule for Early Number Assessment (SENA) data has allowed for
targeted intervention for all students with demonstrated need. Teachers were provided
with the opportunity to scrutinise data and plan for the implementation of teaching
strategies to further support student learning.
With the support of the P&C the school has purchased the Mathletics, Reading Eggs,
Reading Express and Spellodrome programs to support student learning through
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
personalised online programming. These programs assess each student and provide
appropriate learning tasks for each child that they can access both at home and during
mathematics and literacy lessons. Students requiring support in mathematics or literacy are
identified by teachers using Special Needs referral forms and have been provided with ‘in
class’ and ‘withdrawal’ intervention support models.
Students who have Individualised Learning Plans, are part of our Learning Support Unit
Autism (LSU-A) or Inclusion Support program and are identified as benefiting from learning
support or assistance and receive individualised support.
School satisfaction data showed that 87% of students in 2014 agreed that they were
receiving a good education compared to 79% in 2013. Parent satisfaction data in relation to
their child's learning needs being met at this school indicated that 82% of parents agree or
highly agree, compared to 74% in 2013. Almost all teachers agree that the school focuses
on improving the quality of the school’s teaching and learning practices (94%) and 100% of
teachers agree that they cater for the different needs of all students.
Our whole school approach in literacy and numeracy had the following impact on our
identified targets for 2014.
1. Farrer Primary School achieved all the Directorate targets for NAPLAN in 2014 within
the confidence intervals for both reading and numeracy in year 3 and 5.
Table: Farrer Primary School NAPLAN results when compared to the Directorate targets
Year
Directorate
School Results
Domain
Summary
level
Target for 2014
2014
3
Reading
447±22
463.6
Achieved within confidence interval
3
Numeracy 429±20
436.0
Achieved within confidence interval
5
Reading
524±20
527.9
Achieved within confidence interval
5
Numeracy 513±18
496.5
Achieved within confidence interval
Source: Planning and Performance, April 2014; SMART data, January 2015.
2. PIPs data indicated 97% of kindergarten students achieved expected or better
growth in both reading and mathematics. Additional targets by the school for better
than expected growth were exceeded in both reading (81% of students) and in
mathematics (76%). This was an increase of 38 percentage points in reading and 11
percentage points in mathematics from the previous year. Both classes end raw
scores in both reading and mathematics were significantly above State/Cohort
averages.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
Table: Proportion of students achieving expected or better growth in PIPs data
2014
Reading
Maths
Less than
expected growth
3%
3%
Expected growth
16%
22%
Better than
expected growth
81%
76%
Expected or
better
97%
97%
Table: Proportion of students achieving minimum achievement standard or higher in
NAPLAN.
Year level Domain
2013
3
Reading
100%
3
Writing
100%
3
Spelling
95%
5
Reading
100%
5
Writing
97%
5
Spelling
95%
Source: SMART data, January 2015
2014
98%
100%
100%
100%
90%
100%
3. This year the school established ways to record and also gathered baseline data on
the Count Me In Too, Schedule for Early Number Assessment (SENA) and Middle
Years Mental Computation (MYMC).
Table: Proportion of students in demonstrating growth in SENA
Year level
K
1
2
2014
90%
62%
100%
Source: School-based data
Table: Proportion of students in demonstrating growth in MYMC
Year level
3
4
5
6
2014
86%
97%
88%
64%
Source: School-based data
4. In the Schedule of Early Number Assessment which was conducted in the
kindergarten to year 2 classes, 85% of students demonstrated growth. In the Middle
Years Mental Computation testing, 84% of students demonstrated growth. So, as a
whole school, 85% of students demonstrated growth during the year as indicated by
SENA and MYMC testing.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
Priority 2
To connect families and strengthen parental and community engagement.
Targets
By the end of 2014:


Increase the percentage of parent satisfaction related to effective communication “this school
takes parents opinions seriously” from 66% in 2013 to 70% in 2014 and “community partnerships
are valued and maintained” from 66% in 2013 to 70% in 2014 in the School Satisfaction Survey.
Increase the percentage of parent satisfaction related to effective communication and around
connectedness to the school related to “the school encourages students and their families to
share ideas” from 77% in 2013 to 80% in 2014 and “the school communicates important
information in an effective way” from 81% in 2013 to 84% in 2014 as indicated in the Friendly
Schools Plus data.
Directorate Priority Areas covered with this priority
Connecting with Families and the Community
Progress
As a part of our 2014 priority to connect families and strengthen engagement it was decided
to focus on the clarity and consistency of communication with families. Farrer executive
surveyed the community to identify areas of need to improve communication and
connectedness to the School.
In term 1 of 2014 parents completed a Communication survey. The data from the term 1
survey outlined suggestions for improvement as indicated by the surveyed participants:

18% School App, 9% Facebook page, 36% Update Website, 5% Noticeboards.
It was also noted that:




94% of families surveyed indicated that the newsletter was an effective communication
tool between the school and home.
83% or parents surveyed indicated satisfaction with the way the school currently
distributes notes.
44% of parents surveyed indicated that the current school website was not user friendly
or informative.
39% of parents surveyed indicated that they found the notice board at the front of the
school useful.
In term 2, the Executive team conducted research into two different Apps and visited
schools to discuss the experiences they had with both a Facebook Page and an App. It was
decided that it would be in the school’s best interest to have a School App. This was
implemented in term 2 and 3. Informal feedback from the community has been excellent.
During the term 4 Preschool and Kindergarten Information sessions, the Deputy shared with
the parent community how to download the App and how to use its features and get the
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
best experience from the App. From those two information sessions, 39 users downloaded
the App. As of the 9th of December 2014 there are 206 people using the Farrer School App,
Skoolbag.
A need for only online Newsletters through the App has been identified by some members
of the parent community and administration staff. This may be an area of consideration for
2015. Farrer Primary School is on the upgrade list with the ACT Education and Training
Directorate to update the school website. Farrer Primary School is looking forward to
working with the community in 2015 around website upgrade.
In Term 4, the school asked the parent community to complete a Post Survey regarding the
communication after the implementation of the App and the noticeboards. The Post Survey
Data Analysis indicated the following:

100% of people surveyed indicated that the Newsletter was an effective communication
tool between the school and home. Communication via newsletter effectiveness
improved by 6 percentage points.
 87% surveyed indicated satisfaction with the way the school currently distributes notes.
Satisfaction of note distribution increased by 4percentage points.
 44% percent of parents surveyed indicated that they found the notice board at the front
of the school useful.
 There was a 17 percentage point increase in satisfaction indicated by the post survey
regarding the use of the school notice boards.
In relation to our targets in this priority parent school satisfaction data indicates that 79% of
parents agree or highly agree that community partnerships are valued and maintained,
compared to 66% in 2013. 80% of parents survey agreed or highly agreed that this school
takes parents’ opinions seriously, compared to 66% in 2013.
In term 1 of 2014 parents completed a ‘Communication’ survey. The data analysis indicated
that the Newsletter was an effective communication tool between the school and
home.83% or parents surveyed indicated satisfaction with the way the school currently
distributes notes. 39% of parents surveyed indicated that they found the notice board at the
front of the school useful. In term 2, the Executive team conducted research into two
different Apps and visited a couple of school to discuss the experiences with both a
Facebook Page and an App. The Executive Team implemented a trail of a School App in
Term 2 and 3. Feedback from the community has been excellent. As of the 9th of December
2014 there are 206 people using the School App, Skoolbag. A need for only online
Newsletters through the App has been identified by some members of the parent
community and administration staff. This may be an area of consideration for 2015.
In term 2, Farrer Executive inserted a range of notice boards at the Preschool and around
the school. Informal feedback from the preschool parent community indicated that this was
a positive change for the preschool. Farrer Primary School is looking forward to working
with the community in 2015 to update the school website. This has been identified as an
action for the 2015 Annual Operating Plan. The term 4 survey data analysis indicated 100%
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
of people surveyed indicated that the Newsletter was an effective communication tool
between the school and home. Communication via newsletter (effectiveness) improved by
6%. 44% percent of parents surveyed indicated that they found the notice board at the front
of the school useful. There was a 17% increase in satisfaction indicated by the post survey
regarding the use of the school notice boards for communication purposes.
In 2014 a new climate survey was completed by parents at the school and this along with
the Parent Satisfaction survey has replaced previous data collection from Friendly Schools
Plus survey.
In relation to our targets in this priority parent school satisfaction data indicates:


79% of parents agree or highly agree that community partnerships are valued and
maintained, compared to 66% in 2013.
80% of parents survey agreed or highly agreed that this school takes parents’
opinions seriously, compared to 66% in 2013
Priority 3
To provide high quality educational service to preschool students of a National Quality
Standard.
Targets
By the end of 2014:
 achieve accreditation
 parent satisfaction with preschool service provided is evidenced in 70% or more of
parents indicating satisfaction with the preschool.
Directorate Priority Areas covered with this priority
Quality Learning
Progress
Farrer Primary School Preschool Unit has been working over 2014 to implement the
National Quality Framework for Early Childhood. In term 3, Farrer Primary School received
a pre-assessment visit from the Children's Policy and Regulation Unit (CPRU). We will
continue to work on the implementation of the National Quality Framework and the preassessment visit indicated we were well situated for ACECQA accreditation in the near
future. The Pre-Assessment report indicated the following:
All key checks were sighted, including Responsible person on premises, Laws and
Regulations were available, policies and procedures were available, medical and
allergy action plans were available, Staff records (Reg 145) was available, Current P/L
insurance was sighted and documentation of assessments/ evaluations were sighted.
All necessary information was displayed accordingly including provider approval,
service approval, NQF rating, nominated supervisor, educational leader, CPRU
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
contact details, service contact for complaints, emergency instructions and floor
plans and educational program. The 2015 Annual Operating Plan has outlined the
continuation of implementation of the NQS to ensure accreditation.
When considering our target examining the proportion of parent satisfaction related to
services being provided at the preschool, 70% of parents strongly agreed that they were
satisfied with their child’s education at the school. In both 2014 and 2013, 100% of parents
agreed or strongly agreed with this survey item, which exceeds the target set at the
beginning of the year. In 2013 half the parents surveyed strongly agreed, and in 2014 70%
strongly agreed that they were satisfied with their child’s education at the school.
Preschool Unit- Quality Improvement
The National Quality Framework which has been agreed by the Council of Australian
Governments (COAG) has put in place a new National Quality Standard to ensure high
quality and consistent early childhood education and care across Australia. The National
Quality Standard assists the school in identifying preschool unit strengths, and areas that
require improvement. The school has identified the following preschool unit strengths using
the National Quality Standard. Areas for improvement will be identified in the School’s
Operating Plan.
Preschool Unit- Quality Improvement
The National Quality Framework, which has been agreed by the Council of Australian
Governments (COAG), has put in place a new National Quality Standard to ensure high
quality and consistent early childhood education and care across Australia. The National
Quality Standard assists the school in identifying preschool unit strengths and areas that
require improvement. The school has identified the following preschool unit strengths using
the National Quality Standard. Areas for improvement will be identified in the School’s
Operating Plan.
Education program and practice
Positive and respectful relationships with the students in preschool form the basis of all
learning at Farrer preschool. Carefully designed learning episodes and activities encourage
positive communication and time is invested in ensuring that the children feel heard and
valued. All interactions with preschool children are nurturing, warm and friendly to ensure
that students first introduction to schooling life is successful and positive.
Documentation, portfolios and progress reports are sent home to families to ensure clear
communication about student progress and achievement. We host beginning of year
interviews to ensure that the teacher has a clear understanding of the learning, social and
developmental needs of each child. Both the preschool teacher and preschool assistant
work with individual students and encourage all student participation in all aspects of the
preschool program.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
During 2014 our preschool students and educators were involved in many learning
experiences. The water fun day was an opportunity to invite parents into the school to
promote water safety and water awareness skills. In term 1, the school hosted a welcome to
Farrer Primary School barbeque and invited parents and volunteers from preschool to join
us. We also hosted the preschool cluster meeting with educators from our network to
discuss pedagogy and best practice.
As a part of the whole school ‘book week’ activities the pre-schoolers dressed up as their
favourite book character and joined the primary school for the ‘book week’ celebrations.
During Book Week students and parents enjoyed a ‘Bedtime story’ with a local storyteller,
Patsy Allen. The echidnas and possums also enjoyed Japanese lessons, learning how to talk
about their families in Japanese. Duncan Smith a local Indigenous Educator visited the preschoolers to teach them about local tradition Indigenous culture and artefacts.
Children’s health and safety
Educator to child ratios and qualification requirements are maintained at all times.
Educators, coordinators and staff members are caring, friendly, respectful, ethical and
demonstrate a high level of professionalism.
This year the preschool team have worked methodically through Standard 2 of the National
Quality framework to ensure that all health and safety requirements are met. Each child’s
heath is promoted, healthy eating and physical activity are embedded in the program for all
students.
The preschool educators have been working with families around healthy food, promoting
healthy eating and healthy lunch boxes. Sustainable practices have also been a focus at the
school in 2014. The children have been learning about recycling practices and the children
have been learning to care for the environment and living creatures. Kenny Koala visited the
preschool to teach the students about safety. The pre-schoolers attended the school
canteen as a part of their transition to primary school program with a focus on healthy
eating.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
Relationships with children
The following was noted in the CPRU pre-assessment report,
“The service is encouraged to continue to work on the items they have identified in
the quality improvement plan and to continue to increase their knowledge of the
Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations. The team is encouraged
to continue to reflect on their practices against the National Quality Standard and
the Early Years Learning Framework. At the time of the visit the children appeared
happy and confident in their environment, communicating effectively, offering ideas
and asking questions. The children were given opportunities to show agency and
leadership and were supported to develop a sense of belonging. For example, the
children had their own placemats, there was a belonging tree, and each child had a
small container with name tags that they could place on their artwork.”
Buddies run all year with the Year 3 students buddying up with the preschool students. Year
3 buddies supported preschool students participating in the cross country carnival.
Connectedness to the school environment was enhanced with the preschool being part of
all programs delivered to Farrer Primary students. This included our concert where Mr Tim,
a performing arts director, ran a whole school concert including our preschool families.
Staffing arrangements
Farrer Primary School operated two preschool programs in 2014. These preschool programs
were delivered over a 30 hour fortnight. The programs were delivered three days one week,
two days the next. There was one early-childhood trained teacher and one preschool
assistant for both programs, who are both employed on a full time basis. The Wednesday
was covered each week by a second, early-childhood trained teacher.
The staffing arrangements and the approach of all staff, including relief and release staff,
enhance children’s learning and development and ensures that student and staff safety and
wellbeing is considered at all times.
Educator to child ratios and qualification requirements are maintained at all times.
Educators, coordinators and staff members are caring, friendly, respectful and ethical at all
times. The highest level of professionalism is demonstrated by all staff members and
professional standards guide practice, interactions and relationships.
The Junior Team Leader and Preschool Educators have coordinated team meetings to share
knowledge, policies, processes and procedures with all staff (including LSAs, Japanese
teacher and duty roster teachers) that are related to the preschool and this will continue in
2015. Farrer Primary School’s Junior Team Leader and the Preschool Educator have been
working on increasing their knowledge of the Education and Care services National Law and
Regulations. The team is continuing to reflect on the practice against the National Quality
Standards and the Early Years Learning Framework.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
Leadership and management
The executive have been working with the educators at the preschool unit holding regular
team meetings, updating policies and working through the standards. The Junior Team
Leader and Preschool Educator worked with Executive to update the Farrer Primary School’s
Preschool Unit Handbook and philosophy statement. The Preschool Unit consulted with the
community about the philosophy statement and received positive feedback. The CPRU spotcheck report, Preschool Handbook, Preschool Unit Philosophy Statement and Policies,
Procedures and Practices were shared with the Farrer School Board.
Physical environment
This year the school purchased new community notice boards at the Preschool site and
around the school. Informal feedback from the parent community indicated that this was a
positive change. New signage for our Preschool gates were installed. Parents donated and
helped establish vegetable gardens. The children have been learning about taking an active
role in caring for their environment and contributing to a sustainable future whilst exploring
independently and learning through play.
Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
The school uses an APP for iPhones and Androids to send notes to families. Families have
been encouraged to sign up so they can receive notes about excursions, what is happening
and submit absences through their smart device.
‘Getting to know you’ parent interviews were held to provide parents with an interview to
talk about their child with the Preschool Educator. Parents could outline the strengths and
weaknesses of their child and the educational goals that they would like to see developed
over the preschool year.
Parents have regular information sessions over the year. Some of these included ‘Becoming
Numerate’ where parents had the opportunity to attend and engage in activities to assist
their child to become numerate. A brochure was produced by the school for parents to
utilise at home. This provided strategies and ideas on how to support your child to become
numerate and online resources they may wish to access.
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
Financial Summary
The school has provided the Directorate with an end of year financial statement that was
approved by the school board. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by
contacting the school.
The following summary covers use of funds for operating costs and does not include
expenditure in areas such as permanent salaries, buildings and major maintenance.
At: https://index.ed.act.edu.au/school-services/school-finance.html
Financial Summary
31-Dec-14
Professional learning
INCOME
The average expenditure at the school level per fulltime
equivalent teacher on professional learning was $388.
Voluntary contributions
Self management funds
Voluntary contributions
Contributions & donations
Subject contributions
External income (including
community use)
268072
19340
15333
7896
26852
Proceeds from sale of assets
This school received $19,340 in voluntary contributions
in 2014. These funds were used to support the general
operations of the school. The spending of voluntary
contributions is in line with the approved budget for
2014.
6759
344252
Bank Interest
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE
Utilities and general overheads
Cleaning
Security
Maintenance
92447
79289
941
11097
Mandatory Maintenance
6984
Administration
Staffing
Reserves
Name and purpose
11793
17884
Communication
Amount
Expected
Completion
Assets
Leases
General office expenditure
Educational
Subject consumables
Future Projects 2015
30,000
2017
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
Staffing 2015
30,000
2016
Actual Accumulated Funds
OPERATING RESULT
7951
8735
7513
244634
99618
22068
Outstanding commitments (minus) 20165
BALANCE
101521
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Farrer Primary Annual School Board Report 2014
Endorsement Page
I declare that the Farrer Primary School Board has operated in accordance with the
provisions of the Education Act 2004 including the following sections.
39 (4) The school board must give effect to the chief executive’s directions.
44 (2) The chief executive must end the appointment of a member of the school board of a
public school, other than the principal of the school ifa) The member is absent from 3 consecutive meetings of the board without reasonable
excuse or leave given by the board or
b) Contravenes section 49 (disclosure of interests by members of school boards)
without reasonable excuse.
46
47 (2)
The members of the school board of a public school must, whenever is necessary,
nominate a member of the board as a member of any selection panel established by
the chief executive to make recommendations to the chief executive about the
appointment of the principal to the school.
However, the school board must meet at least four times a year.
48 (10) The school board must keep minutes of its meeting.
49
Disclosure of interests by members of school boards.
49 (3) The disclosure must be reported in the school board’s minutes and, unless the board
otherwise decides, the member (The first member) must nota) be present when the board considers the issue or
b) take part in any decision of the board on the issue.
49 (5) Within 14 days after the end of each financial year, the chairperson of the school
board must give the chief executive a statement of any disclosure of interest under this
section in relation to the school board during the financial year.
MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD
Parent Representative:
Community Representative
Teacher Representative
Student Representative:
Board Chair:
Principal:
Arron Scolnik
Judy Pettiford
Trish Foster
Kevin Robinson
Jerry Schwab
Jodie Cochrane
Arron Scolnik
Linda Heath
I certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief the data and information reported in
this Annual School Board Report represents an accurate record of the school’s operations in
2014.