DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
ROSS PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL
Annual Performance Report to the
School Community
2014
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
School Overview
Our School
Ross Park continued its journey using Visible Learning as the basis for professional
development and improved teaching and learning. Using feedback received by the
Cognition team at the end of 2013, the school refocused its plan and put much effort
into helping staff, students and families understand the qualities of effective learners.
In keeping with the school’s values, the creative arts were at the forefront with weekly
classes in music and visual arts for students in addition to some major performances.
Our preschool, Rona Glynn, underwent assessment for the first time through the
National Quality Standards process.
Our Staff
Four teachers completed probation, having started at Ross Park in 2014. Three
teachers commenced parental leave and another three teachers returned from
parental leave. Two teachers resigned at the end of the year and another did not
renew her contract.
All teachers used the AITSL 360 self assessment tool as part of their own learning
plans, as a guide against the Australian Professional Teaching Standards.
The Maintenance Officer resigned and a new person was successfully recruited in a
very smooth handover.
All teaching staff met the professional standards for teachers in the Northern
Territory, including having obtained appropriate qualifications for teaching and
abiding by the Code of Ethics for Northern Territory teachers.
Our Students
School and preschool enrolments continued to be very high and the Priority
Enrolment Plan assisted the school to manage this. Enrolments at the beginning of
2014 were 444 students and at the end of the year had grown to 465. 61 children
arrived throughout the year and 47 left. 2 students left during the year to attend local
non government schools.
The school is situated in the Old Eastside and caters for students who reside in the
designated area. Of these, 59 students were Indigenous.
More than 16 students were identified as having Special Needs and were funded
accordingly. The Early Childhood Development Class catered for 5 of these children
alongside 10 typically developing children.
51 students were identified as having English as an Additional Language. 40 of these
children had origins in Europe, Zimbabwe, India, South East Asia, China and the
Pacific Islands.
Attendance of Ross Park students remained very high with an average attendance
throughout the year of 92%.
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
Principal's Report
One of the key decisions in 2014 was to replace the annual Spring Fair with a variety of
parent engagement activities while asking parents to make a voluntary contribution that
would equal the amount raised through the Spring Fair. It was recognised that the fair was a
lot of work, interrupted teaching time and required the support of the school community to
both donate and spend at the fair. Given that it had become a very well supported community
event, the commitment to School Council was to replace the fair with several events that
would engage families without the need to fundraise in order to balance the budget.
Community events were very well attended and gave students an opportunity to involve
families in their learning – they ranged from a Meet the Teacher night with food for sale, to a
whole school concert; from Alice Can Dance to Student Led conferences. Families came
along to school events and celebrated learning, without the need to constantly raise
additional funds.
The Visible Learning focus grew and a new character, Sparky, was introduced as the school
mascot. Sparky appears on posters in every teaching space, reminding students of the
characteristics of an effective learner and Sparky also makes appearances at assemblies,
where groups of students, with Sparky’s help, role play situations where learning
characteristics are modelled.
Rona Glynn preschool underwent its first assessment under the new Quality Standards.
While the lead-up was a lot of work for the preschool staff, the assessment process was a
good opportunity to review and modify practices to improve the services. The facilities
received some upgrades and new outdoor equipment with shade and softfall certainly gave
the playground a lift.
All staff attended a wide range of professional learning activities, most of this being held
outside school hours. Every staff member had an opportunity to listen to Professor John
Hattie, the Visible Learning creator, speak in Alice Springs. These excellent opportunities are
appreciated by staff as a way of building knowledge and keeping their currency of practice.
Students participated in a wide range of sporting activities, from Bluearth to Active After
School Communities. Many teams participated in local sporting competitions. Both Bluearth
and Active After School came to an end at the end of 2014 although Bluearth will continue in
a different form in 2015. It has been a very successful program over the past 5 years in terms
of supporting students and teachers to share the physical, social and emotional benefits as a
result of participating in physical activity.
The announcement that schools’ funding would change under Global Funding brought with it
some uncertainties. While senior staff attended several workshops, it was acknowledged that
it will not be until the new system is in place that the school will understand how the changes
to funding will impact on staffing and resources. It was agreed that the same number of staff
as in previous years would be employed even though it was predicted that student numbers
will increase in 2015.
March, 2015
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
Teaching and Learning
A wide range of assessment tools was used to measure student success. These included
standardised tests such as PAT Maths and PAT Reading, Running Records, PROBE
Reading and South Australia Spelling. Year 3 and 5 students participated at a very high rate
in NAPLAN and results were shared with staff and School Council. There were 50 Year 3
students and 59 Year 5 students in total. In Year 3, 1 student was withdrawn and 2 were
absent while in Year 5, 2 students were withdrawn and 1 was absent. Parents were strongly
encouraged to support participation in NAPLAN.
Through the involvement in Visible Learning, a number of new tools became available and
were used to further develop data about student learning. These included classroom
observations, surveys about individual classrooms that provided teachers with feedback and
enabled them to better understand the students’ perspective and a formal visit to the school
undertaken by the Cognition team with a comprehensive report provided at the end of 2014.
It was most encouraging to see the progress.
Implementation of the Australian Curriculum expanded with History added to the list of Key
Learning Areas. All teachers continued to use the Multi Year Level units of work which
provided a common teaching focus, leading to stronger collaboration for planning and
assessment. New resources were purchased to support the teaching of new content.
ICT remained a focus and all classes were provided with a set of mini iPads that could be
used for small group and individual work. LCD screens and Apple TV enabled teachers to
share student work and show exemplars as the work was being created.
As a result of the increased focus on the use of data, a whole school data wall was
established with Year 1 – 6 results in PAT Maths being shared by staff and discussions
about best practice taking place. The school is committed to expanding this use of data so
that all teachers continue to increase their knowledge about the progress of our students.
In NAPLAN, almost every student achieved At or Above the National Minimum Standard in
Grammar, Numeracy, Reading, Spelling and Writing. Overall results were similar to the
previous year.
At or Above National
Minimum Standard
Grammar
Year 3
2013
89%
Year 3
2014
98%
Year 5
2013
98%
Year 5
2014
95%
Numeracy
100%
96%
97%
89%
Reading
100%
96%
100%
95%
Spelling
91%
100%
98%
95%
Writing
98%
98%
92%
84%
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
Wellbeing
The focus on student leadership was once again a priority with an active Student
Representative Council and Team Leaders putting in place sporting, social and
community programs for students.
Attendance targets were met, with students averaging 92% throughout the year. A
new SMS system was introduced to contact parents about unnotified absences and
for parents to contact the school. While unnotified absences are quite low in the
school, the system proved to be useful and potentially can be used as a way of
contacting families for more general purposes.
There were no student suspensions during 2014 and behaviour incidents were
minimal. A senior student was supported through a gradual return to school with a
highly successful outcome.
Through Visible Learning, there was a conscious effort to increase Student Voice.
This took the form of classroom surveys for all senior classes, and the results
discussed with senior staff with adjustments made where the need was identified.
Students lead the school assemblies and provided role plays about learning, through
Sparky the Effective Learning mascot.
Perception surveys were carried out with students, staff and families in Term 4.
Results were overwhelmingly positive in all three surveys. 100% of students who
completed the survey, a random selection using Survey Monkey online, reported that
they felt safe at school. Similarly, 100% of students reported that the school helps
them make the most of their talents and interests. There were no areas where the
result was negative from the student surveys.
A team of students commenced work on redesigning playground facilities and funds
have been set aside to develop the unused area of the playground.
All senior students had the chance to take part in school camps which are a highlight
of the year and greatly assist in team building for classes. Many projects were offered
inside the school including a school garden, Wearable Arts and Artists in Schools. A
wide variety of excursions to support student learning were also conducted, including
Bush Preschool at the Telegraph Station.
The project, Alice Can Dance, gave a group of students the chance to work with
professional dancers from the 2nd Toe Collective in Melbourne, to create a piece that
was performed with all the local government schools at Araluen. The self confidence
that events such as this, the Eisteddfod and The Beat provide are significant. It is in
keeping with the school’s values and is an alternative to sports and academics,
giving an additional opportunity for students to shine.
NT Police carried out sessions for students around the 3Rs for safety. All staff
participated twice in Mandatory Reporting professional development, a requirement
of the Department of Education.
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
Participation, Transitions and Pathways
Preschool was the key focus in this area of the school’s plan, with the preschool
undergoing assessment for the first time under National Quality Standards. A
comprehensive report, over 60 pages in length, was presented with ratings in 7
areas. The ratings for Rona Glynn were:
QA1
QA2
QA3
QA4
QA5
QA6
QA7
Educational program and practice
Children’s health and safety
Physical environment
Staffing arrangements
Relationships with children
Collaborative partnerships with families and
communities
Leadership and service management
Overall Rating
Working Towards
Working Towards
Meeting
Exceeding
Exceeding
Exceeding
Meeting
Working Towards
Extensive planning was done prior to the assessment and changes implemented
where needs were identified in the report. The process was found to be thorough and
useful. All staff hold the necessary Early Childhood qualifications and provide an
excellent educational program to the Ross Park community. The preschool has a
Priority Enrolment Plan in place to cater for the number of children on the waiting list.
Under Universal Access, all pre-schoolers were offered 15 hours of preschool each
week. Whole day sessions have proven to be popular with staff and families and it is
noted that the rhythm of the longer session is beneficial to learning, allowing more
extended play than the previous model of three hour sessions.
Year 6 students had many opportunities to participate in transition programs with
CMS throughout the year. They also participated in transition activities with high
schools of their choice. These activities help students to make successful transitions
into middle schooling and the school is very supportive of these opportunities.
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
Partnerships
A number of events were held during the year to engage the broader community.
These included Meet the Teacher Night, Harmony Day activity, Reading Sessions for
parents after school and in the evening; a parent session for ESL families, a
Literacy/Numeracy evening, Transition Information evening and an Effective Learners
event. In addition, the Year 5/6 class presented a play a number of times to enable
parents to attend and the whole school concert, although interrupted by a severe
weather storm, drew many families into the school.
All students have been involved in setting learning goals in literacy and numeracy,
developing personal learning plans that were shared with families during Student Led
conferences mid year. Over 300 students shared these with families. The After
School Study Centre continued to attract up to 30 students once a week.
Communication with parents was a priority, with a weekly newsletter available as
hard copies or online, a Facebook page and a website. These are regularly updated
and well used. The new SMS system is an additional means of communication that
should save time and reduce the number of phone calls to the front office, particularly
for reporting student absences.
Several groups in the community used the school facilities on a regular basis
including Weightwatchers, Hamilton Downs, Zumba and Card-Making classes.
School Council meetings were held on a monthly basis and always attracted a
quorum. Meetings were productive and positive, with feedback sought from Council
members and a high degree of satisfaction expressed. All members are provided with
an information package about their role and COGSO addressed a meeting to provide
additional information.
This school continued its role with CDU as a Teaching School, providing a number of
preservice teachers with placements. Three of these students were offered teaching
positions at the completion of the placements in 2014.
Perception surveys were carried out with families, staff and students in Term 4. The
consultant who analysed the results noted “Staff, parent and student surveys were
overwhelmingly positive and an outstanding affirmation of the staff at Ross Park
School.” Families were chosen at random and hard copies of the survey were sent
home. Of the families who responded, 50% do not access the Facebook page.
Overall, 71% of responses stated they are Very Satisfied while the other 29% were
Satisfied. There were no negative responses to this question. Results were displayed
in the front office.
The staff survey similarly showed very high levels of overall satisfaction with the
school. According to the consultant, “Staff analysis indicated there was much to be
proud of.” 71 % of staff stated they were Very Satisfied and 26% stated they were
Satisfied. The consultant worked with staff to analyse the results and to plan for
areas that could be improved in 2015.
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
Leadership
The goal for 2014 was to recruit and retain high quality staff, and to build a
professional learning community that offers ongoing staff development to build
teacher knowledge and skills.
There was a very high level; of staff retention. Two teachers left in Semester 1 to
commence parental leave. There was no other turnover of teachers during the year.
The Assistant Principal had a temporary placement at another primary school for
Term 4 at the request of the Department. A Senior Teacher was placed at the school
for a term. These short term appointments are excellent opportunities for staff
development and give leadership experience to others as a flow on effect. A long
term Senior Teacher was successful in her application as Assistant Principal at
another government school and left mid-year.
All staff engaged in professional learning, with Visible Learning the key area.
However, in addition, staff attended many learning sessions, covering such areas as
First Aid, Special Education and Mandatory Reporting.
Two support staff successfully completed Certificate 3 in Education Support, funded
in part by the school.
43% of teachers are Early Career teachers, in their first 5 years of teaching. Four
were involved in the probation process while three others participated in the CT5CT6 assessment required after 5 years of teaching. Mentoring is part of the school’s
process to ensure teachers are well supported.
Every member of the Leadership Team attended workshops with Professor Lynn
Sharratt from Ontario. The focus, in line with Visible Learning, was Putting Faces on
the Data and further developed the school’s understanding of the importance of using
data at the whole school level. The data wall was a direct result of this professional
learning.
16 staff were nominated in the Teaching in the Territory awards and were presented
with certificates at assembly on World Teachers Day. The school community
supported staff by providing morning tea and helping with playground duty that day.
The introduction of the Global Budget brought about many workshops for the
Administration Manager and Senior Staff. It will require significant change and new
skills in upcoming years as the implications become more apparent. It is hoped that
this will offer the school improved opportunities for directing funds in a more flexible
way, with the school having responsibility for staff salaries for the first time in 2015.
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
ATTACHMENT A
Audited Financial Statements
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
ATTACHMENT B
NAPLAN data
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Ross Park Primary School
2014 Annual Performance Report to the School Community
ATTACHMENT C
Student Enrolment, Attendance and
Learning
All students were engaged in goal setting in 2014 and these goals were shared with
families during Student Led conferences, attended by families of over 300 students.
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