School Strategic Plan for Gordon Primary School
Tuggeranong Network
2013-2016 (Amended)
Endorsement by School Principal
Name: Murray Bruce
Signed
Date:
Endorsement by School Board Chair
Name: Jonathan Holt
Signed
Date:
Endorsement by School Network Leader
Name: Stephen Gwilliam
Signed
ACT Education and Training Directorate
Date:
School Context
Gordon Primary School is a preschool to year 6 school located in the Lanyon Valley in the south of the
Tuggeranong District. It is a member of the Lanyon Cluster of Schools and the Murrumbidgee Learning
Academy (MLA). Through these partnerships we seek to facilitate continuity, support, consistency and the
quality education for all students. Gordon Primary is also part of the Tuggeranong Network within the ACT
Education Directorate.
In recent years demographic trends in the Lanyon Valley have resulted in a decline in student numbers.
However, a reversal of this trend is evident at Gordon Primary with a growth in preschool enrolments from
128 in 2010 to 143 students in 2011. The total enrolment at Gordon Primary in October 2012 is 521,
including 21 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (ATSI), and 101 students with a Language
Background Other Than English (LBOTE). The school has Learning Support Centres that support the learning
needs of 22 students. In 2012, the school employed 41 staff comprising of 6 executive staff, 24 teachers and
11 administrative staff.
Over the past four years the work that Gordon Primary has undertaken, as part of the Lanyon Cluster of
Schools and the MLA, has yielded success, with improvements in student outcomes and student
engagement. The application of teacher planning through the Learning by Design (LbD) model, the
establishment of a common assessment language through the Quality Teaching model(QTm), and consistent
teaching practices through system endorsed resources, have contributed to improved student outcomes.
Change has come in the form of a greater emphasis on Assessment For Learning, the Australian Curriculum,
action research through Cluster projects and the detailed tracking of student achievement. The success of
this work has been recognised in the school being sought out to deliver a range of presentations at national
conferences, including the Australian Literacy Educators Association, in the past two years.
The school is also a National Partnership school with a Literacy and Numeracy Field Officer who works in
partnership with the executive and the Cluster Deputy Principal. As a result of the focus on professional
learning, coaching and mentoring, the cluster as a whole has been strengthened.
Gordon Primary School strives to enable students to be confident, respectful and tolerant individuals who
value learning. The school achieves this through social skills programs. These focus on instilling four basic
values across the school: responsibility, honesty, tolerance and respect. The school values personal best,
integrity and responsibility and respects the rights and needs of all stakeholders in the community. Students
are encouraged to delight in their school experiences, to build warm and positive social relationships and to
develop resilience.
The school reported against the previous strategic plan in August 2012. The external validation panel
commended the school for a strategic and targeted approach towards professional learning, instructional
leadership, staff commitment to improving literacy and numeracy, consistent use of LbD and QTm,
collaboration with cluster and MLA schools, and the commitment of all staff to the creation and
maintenance of a quality school environment which supports student needs academically, socially and
emotionally, leading to improved student engagement and resulting in high student satisfaction.
The panel also made the following recommendations to the school:
Develop, implement and celebrate a new strategic plan in consultation with the school community.
o Document all systems and processes to ensure continued and sustainable improvement.
o Embed principles of Assessment for Learning to further improve student outcomes. This
includes the continued refinement of learning intentions, quality success criteria and
feedback to students on their progress.
o Strengthen the nexus between student learning experiences, data interrogation and teacher
programming to support evidence based practice and school improvement.
o Capitalise on opportunities that exist for working with staff and students to improve in the
areas of communication, feedback on practice, and the celebrating of achievements.
Over the past two years there has been a significant focus on personalised learning at Gordon Primary
School. There has been a focus on differentiation in the classroom through professional learning from
Quality Learning Australia. Therefore the school has decided to amend its current plan to reflect the focus on
teaching and learning. Key Improvement Strategies that have been added are:
- Strengthen the personalised learning approach across the school.
- Implement Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT)
- Develop student agency regarding positive relationships and wellbeing
- Improve the effectiveness and use of open classrooms
ACT Education and Training Directorate
Strategic Priority 1: Build teacher capacity and collaboration
Performance Measures



Growth of teachers towards wisdom/coaching level in annual teacher confidence surveys
Proportion of teachers implementing whole school practice (as appropriate) as measured through
coaching records
Proportion of teachers meeting their Professional Pathways goals
Key Improvement Strategies


Provide differentiated and targeted system and school professional learning for teachers
Strengthen structures that cultivate staff collaboration
Directorate Priority Areas covered by this priority

Quality Learning, Inspirational teaching and leadership, High expectations, High performance
National Quality Standard Areas Covered


Quality Area 1: Educational Program and Practice - develop a cycle of planning and reflective
practice based on EYLF
Quality Area 7: Leadership and Service Management – strengthen leadership and management
practices that support the delivery of quality programs
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Strategic Priority 2: Improve student learning outcomes
Performance Measures


Growth of students in literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy (number) measured by NAPLAN
Growth of students in First Steps, PIPS, Di Siemon Benchmarks, Middle Years Mental Computation
and Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards
Key Improvement Strategies





Implement quality pedagogy with high expectations and intellectual quality using the Learning by
Design framework
Increase student ownership of their learning
Strengthen the nexus between data interpretation, planning, teaching and learning
Strengthen the Personalised Learning approach across the school
Implement Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT)
Directorate Priority Areas covered by this priority

Quality Learning, Inspirational teaching and leadership, High expectations, High
performance
ACT Education and Training Directorate
National Quality Standard Areas Covered





Quality Area 1: Educational Program and Practice – embed a framework of critical reflection and
systematic planning on students’ learning and progress to develop and implement programs
Quality Area 3: Physical Environment – ensure indoor/outdoor spaces are organised and managed to
engage all students in quality social experiences
Quality Area 4: Staffing Arrangements – develop a culture of mentoring to affirm, challenge and
support staff to improve practice and relationships
Quality Area 5: Relationships with children – through collaborative learning opportunities enhance
social skills
Quality Area 7: Leadership and service management - ensure that effective self-assessment and
quality improvement processes support teachers’ implementation of programs and learning
outcomes
_________________________________________________________________________________
Strategic Priority 3: Strengthen the positive culture for all members of the school
community
Performance Measures



School Satisfaction Surveys related to overall satisfaction with the school
Parental satisfaction as indicated by correlation charts from open day events
Student attendance
Key Improvement Strategies





Develop student agency regarding positive relationships and wellbeing
Build teacher agency
Improve effectiveness and use of open classrooms.
Build parent agency and community links
Celebrate success
Directorate Priority Areas covered by this priority

Quality Learning, Inspirational teaching and leadership, High expectations, High
performance
National Quality Standard Areas Covered by this priority

Quality Area 6: Collaborative partnerships with family and communities – review and adapt
communication processes to reflect the cultural diversity of the learning community
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ACT Education and Training Directorate