4588
Northlakes Public School
Annual School Report
2011
+
The Cottage also ran a number of playgroup
sessions and parenting sessions throughout the
year which in total counted around 100 families.
Our school at a glance
Students
FRIENDS
At the end of 2011 our student enrolment was
459 students which was an increase of seven on
the census date for actual in mid February 2011.
Student enrolment has been on a slow decline
from just over 600 students in 2004 to the 2011
enrolment.
This is a cognitive behavioural program designed
to combat anxiety and depression by teaching
specific life skills. The program runs for 10 weeks,
1 hour per week, in small groups of 6 – 7 children.
The program is run by two of our School Learning
Support Officers (SLSOs) who have been trained
and accredited to implement the program.
On average 91.9% of students attended school
each day during the 2011 school year.
We run a group for children in Year 1 - 3, and
another age Group for Year 4 - 6. We do
sometimes invite an older child to “help” the
infants, as they increase their knowledge through
the incidental learning. We also invite children to
come back as helpers, if we think they are just
starting to get concept, but haven’t quite
mastered. Research says that up to 80% of
children showing signs of anxiety disorder no
longer display that disorder for up to six years
after completing the program. The Friends
program is set to continue for 2012 the only
mitigating factor being the level of funding the
school can afford.
The school had a total of 21 classes which
included three special education support classes.
Students in the special education classes are
integrated into mainstream groups for a number
of programs across the week.
Staff
The school is very fortunate to have a nice
balance of both early career and experienced
teachers who work very well together. There is a
culture of sharing and supporting each other in
order to achieve what is best for children. The
school was also very fortunate in being able to
retain a strong team of School Learning Support
Officers to implement a number of student
support programs including, WAGS, Quick Smart,
Friends and the Haven.
WAGS
This program was initiated a number of years ago
and has in more recent times become the pet
project of one of our SLSOs whose strength lies in
sports, games and team building.
Significant programs and initiatives
Students at risk are targeted to join the WAGS
program which is run at recess and lunch and
aimed at socially upskilling children and
supporting them in finding appropriate ways of
using their playtimes in healthy, fun activities
with their peers.
The School implemented a range of programs
and initiatives to support student welfare and
learning. Programs included:
Schools as Community Centres
The school has been fortunate to be one of the
Central Coast schools to be a part of the Schools
as Community Centres (SaCC) program. Our
Jabiru Cottage has certainly been a very well used
resource in 2011.
Smith Family Partnerships
The Smith Family has quite a strong presence in
the school through a number of partnerships and
this continued in 2011.
The centre was instrumental in coordinating with
our Kindy Start program by running partners in
print sessions as well as a number of other parent
workshops. This enabled children to participate
fully in their lessons whilst parents were also fully
occupied. Parent feedback was that they loved
these sessions and parents felt that they would
be better equipped to support their children at
home as a result.
We had families participating in the Learning for
Life program, supporting families through a
number of parenting programs and supporting
the school through a strong focus on regular
Monday to Friday attendance throughout the
year.
Our community was also supported through a
number of scholarships that the Smith Family
1
awards. The school nominates families who
would benefit under the scholarships.
In 2011 there was a great balance of early, middle
and later career teachers providing a well
balanced team of teachers with both the
expertise and energy to provide students with a
broad range of interesting and engaging tasks to
nurture student learning and achievement.
There was also a homework club running in
Terms 2 and 3 of 2011 to support children in
developing their organizational skills while
completing their homework in a supported
environment.
In 2011 the school became a National Partnership
Low SES Reform Extension school which came
with a certain level of support and funding at a
time when the school was on review for possible
reclassification to a PP3.
Student achievement in 2011
Literacy – NAPLAN Year 3
In 2011 52 Year 3 students sat for NAPLAN in
Grammar and Punctuation, Spelling and Writing
and 51 students sat for NAPLAN in Reading.
As a new arrival in term 4 I was impressed with
the lovely appearance of the school. I was also
able to witness the level of commitment of the
staff and P&C working together to provide
additional resources, funds and fun activities. It’s
the latter that are very important in providing
wonderful lasting memories for our children as
they venture onto high school, tertiary education
and/or work. Events such as the Spring Fair, the
Scooter-Thon and numerous discos seem to keep
students talking all year.
The school has continued to be over represented
in the bottom two bands and under-represented
in the top two bands in all aspects of literacy.
Numeracy - NAPLAN Year 3
51 Year 3 students sat for NAPLAN in numeracy in
2011. Again the school has a strong overrepresentation in the bottom two bands with
25.5% of students achieving in bands 1 and 2 as
compared to 14.6% for the state.
The school is implementing the You Can Do It
program focusing on the 5 Keys to success and
happiness; Persistence, Organisation, Confidence,
Getting Along and Emotional Resilience.
Literacy – NAPLAN Year 5
In 2011, 71 Year 5 students sat for NAPLAN in
Reading, Spelling, Writing, Grammar and
Punctuation. Our students were overrepresented in bands 3 and 4 and tended to be
under-represented in bands 7 and 8 as compared
to the state.
As a Reform Extension school under NP, the
challenge for Northlakes has been the
implementation of strategies and programs to
improve learning outcomes for students in the
areas of literacy and numeracy where
traditionally there has been an overrepresentation in the lower bands.
Numeracy – NAPLAN Year 5
In 2011 72 Year 5 students sat for NAPLAN in
numeracy. The school continues to be overrepresented in bands 3 and 4 with 28% of
students achieving these as compared to 14% for
the state. Student growth from Year to Year 5 is
just above 44 scaled points which is a long way
behind the state average of 72 scaled points.
In 2011 as part of the NP Low SES program, the
school appointed a Highly Accomplished Teacher
(HAT) to assist in leading the school’s teacher
professional learning (TPL) and focus on quality
teaching.
A number of wonderful initiatives have
commenced in 2011 and we look forward to the
continuation of these initiatives into the future.
Messages
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.
Principal’s message
I arrived at Northlakes PS in term 4 to take over
the reins and what a hectic time of year that was.
However, what I saw was a very dedicated staff
right across all aspects of school life who are
dedicated to do the very best they can for
children in their care.
Mr Larry Micevski
Principal
2
I would like to publicly thank our outstanding
P&C committee.
P & C and/or School Council message
In 2011 the Northlakes P&C had an extremely
successful year. We conducted 17 very successful
fundraising events which included; raffles,
Mother’s and Father’s day stalls, BBQ’s, pie drive,
scooter day and of course the wonderful and fun
filled Spring Fair. Through these events the P&C
has raised over $16,000.
You have managed to not only dedicate your time
but bring a lot of fun to our meetings making the
task at hand much more enjoyable. Without your
endless efforts we could not have achieved what
we have in 2011. I would also like to extend an
invitation to all parents to come along and join
our P&C and show your support for our school
and our children’s education.
This great effort is a credit to the fantastic
Northlakes staff, P&C committee and school
community. As the President of the Northlakes
P&C I’d like to say thank you to each and every
one of you for your support and contribution
throughout the year.
Michelle Whitehead
Northlakes P&C president
Student representative’s message
These funds have helped contribute to the
purchase of air conditioners for the new
classrooms, sports equipment, classroom
resources, presentation day and the year 6
farewell just to name a few. We have already
committed funds for 2012 to help install
Smartboards, giving our students at Northlakes
excellent opportunities to learn in modern
classrooms fitted with the access to modern
technology for learning.
Northlakes Public School Student Representative
Council (SRC) is comprised of 10 Councillors in
total two of whom are Presidents and two Vice
Presidents. This makes for a pretty large team
with a number of roles to be shared amongst us.
We have a lot of important roles in our school
which include raising the flags each day, setting
up play areas and activities for fundamental
movement, setting up weekly assemblies and
running assemblies on some occasions. Each
councillor has a group of Year 6 students to help
with the roles we need to complete each day.
The P&C has a purpose, and that is to work with
the school to assist with things that are needed
to make this school enjoyable for all and to
provide the important little extras that the global
budget cannot fund.
SRC also helped to organize events for the Year 6
fundraising efforts. In 2011, Year 6 was successful
in raising almost $2500 which will be spent on a
gift to be chosen by the school. This was a
fantastic effort for the year.
We were lucky enough to have the opportunity
to go to the leadership camp run by the Smith
Family at the Great Australian Bush Camp near
Tea Gardens which was great fun. We learnt to
cooperate and participate in activities that helped
us to build a great team.
The Northlakes P&C heavily rely on the help of
volunteers within the community and we have
been privileged to have help in 2011 not only
from dedicated parents and staff of Northlakes
Public School but students and teachers from our
partner high school and the San Remo Men’s
shed. This shows that we at Northlakes have a
wonderful community who are interested in
supporting our children’s education.
Year 6 participated in MEGS (Making Educational
Goals Sustainable). The highlight of this program
was the excursion to Newcastle University where
we found out about possible career choices and
setting career goals.
On behalf of the P&C I would like to thank our
teachers, parents and community members for
your support this year. Welcome to our new
Principal Mr Micevski, we all look forward to
working with you in 2012.
While there were a lot of responsibilities that
went along with being School Presidents, it was a
great opportunity for us to develop our
leadership skills.
3
Blake Foss and Breeanna Roberts
Enrolments
School context
600
500
It is a requirement that the reporting of
information for all students must be consistent
with privacy and personal information policies.
400
Students
Student information
Northlakes Public School is located at San Remo
on the Central Coast of New South Wales. The
success of all students is our major priority. Our
core business is to support students to achieve
academic, emotional and social skills, as well as
attitudes which will equip them for success in
their future lives as responsible adults.
300
200
100
0
2007
2008
Male
2009 2010
Year
Female
2011
Student attendance profile
School
Under the BER projects, school improvements
were achieved to the physical environment with
six demountable classrooms being replaced with
newly constructed permanent rooms housing the
computer Lab and six classes representing a total
value for the project of over $2M.
The school has had a change in Principal in
Semester 2, with very experienced staff
successfully supporting this transition.
Region
The school has a total staff of 35 teachers, 9
teacher learning support officers, 1 Aboriginal
Learning Support Officer and 3 administrative
support staff. Teaching positions include 8 parttime teachers, 1 Highly Accomplished Teacher,
1.5 Support Teacher Learning, 1 Early School
Support shared position and 1 Itinerant Teacher
Hearing position. 14% of staff would be
considered to be early career teachers with less
than 5 years’ experience. A part-time counselling
position of 2.5days per week exists in the school.
Year
K
1
2
3
4
5
6
Total
K
1
2
3
4
5
2008
92.8
6
Student enrolment profile
State DEC
The school has an enrolment in 2011 of 459
students in 21 classes. 53 students are Aboriginal
and 42 students are from families with languages
other than English.
The school has three special education classes (1
for students in K-2 with language disabilities and
two for students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities).
Total
K
1
2
3
4
5
6
Total
93.7
94.1
2009
92.4
92.7
92.2
92.1
90.2
91.7
91.0
91.7
94.3
93.6
93.7
93.7
93.5
93.4
2010
92.7
91.9
92.4
91.9
92.4
91.8
91.0
92.0
94.6
93.9
94.0
94.0
93.9
93.7
2011
92.8
91.7
92.4
93.1
90.1
92.8
90.1
91.9
94.7
93.9
94.0
93.8
93.9
93.6
93.0
93.3
93.2
91.5
94.3
93.7
94.0
94.1
94.0
94.0
93.6
92.1
93.9
94.7
94.2
94.4
94.5
94.5
94.4
94.0
94.4
93.9
94.7
94.2
94.2
94.4
94.3
94.2
93.8
94.3
Management of non-attendance
The enrolments have been in a decline for since
2009 when they were 533 then 458 in 2010 and
they look set to continue that trend with an
anticipated enrolment of 433 for 2012.
Student attendance is monitored on a daily basis.
Non-attendance is followed up by staff. Letters
4
are sent home requesting explanations for
absences.
Staff information
It is a requirement that the reporting of
information for all staff must be consistent with
privacy and personal information policies.
Regular attendance is encouraged and
acknowledged by class teachers and in
assemblies. A Community Liaison Officer is
employed 2 days per week and part of her role is
to support families where non-attendance is a
concern.
In 2011 staffing levels were at just over 29
teaching staff and almost 6 non-teaching staff.
The school also employed 5 SLSOs for
approximately 25hrs per week from global and
integration funding to support students with a
variety of support and intervention programs.
With a great deal of focus it seems that
attendance has remained quite static over the
last three years with a variance of within 1% over
this period.
Staff establishment
The National Education Agreement requires
schools to report on Indigenous composition of
their workforce.
However, even during this fairly stable period
there were a small but significant number of
students with very high periods of absence and
this only highlighted the fact that to achieve this
average a large number of children have very
good rates of attendance. Perhaps the school’s
focus in regards to attendance needs to change.
In 2011 Northlakes Public School had one
Aboriginal teacher and an Aboriginal Community
Liaison Officer for 3 days per week.
Whilst staff establishment levels meet the
staffing formula criteria, the challenge for the
school will come in 2012 when student numbers
are set to be around the mid 400s without the
services of a Deputy Principal. This looks set to
make the Assistant Principals’ roles far more
challenging as they will need to take on more
Executive roles and responsibilities with very little
time off class for carrying out those roles.
Class sizes
Primary class sizes are included in the annual
school report in order to provide parents with as
much local information as possible. The following
table shows our class sizes as reported at the
2011 Class Size Audit conducted on Monday 21
March 2011.
Structure of classes
Roll class
Year
Total per year
Total In class
KC
K
18
18
KG
K
19
19
KH
K
18
18
K-1K
K
12
17
K-1K
1
5
17
1G
1
19
19
1W
1
22
22
1/2B
1
10
21
1/2B
2
11
21
2G
2
24
24
2W
2
24
24
3M
3
29
29
3/4T
3
22
29
3/4T
4
7
29
4C
4
27
27
4S
4
28
28
4/5K
4
10
28
4/5K
5
18
28
5B
5
26
26
5C
5
30
30
6C
6
27
27
6S
6
24
24
Position
Principal
Deputy Principal(s)
Assistant Principal(s)
Primary AP Language Disorders
Classroom Teachers
Teacher Early School Support Program
Teacher of Mod Intellectual Disabilities
Teacher of Reading Recovery
Support Teacher Learning Assistance
Teacher Librarian
Teacher Learning Assistance
Counsellor
School Administrative & Support Staff
Total
Number
1.0
1.0
4.0
1.0
12.0
1.0
2.0
0.92
1.5
1.0
1.5
0.5
6.182
33.202
Staff retention
At the end of 2011, one teacher was on leave
pending retirement and two temporary teachers
had picked up permanent positions through the
merit selection process.
5
Also at the end of 2011 and following a review of
executive entitlements the school lost its Deputy
Principal. The challenge for 2012 will be to
maintain the same level of welfare programs
without a DP to oversee this portfolio.
A full copy of the school’s 2011 financial
statement is tabled at the annual general
meetings of the School Council and/or the parent
body. Further details concerning the statement
can be obtained by contacting the school.
Teacher qualifications
School performance 2011
All teaching staff meet the professional
requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.
Qualifications
Degree or Diploma
Postgraduate
Achievements
% of staff
100%
14%
Arts
Northlakes Public School has a strong focus on
the Arts and provides for its students numerous
opportunities for its students to explore both
social and cultural values.
Financial summary
This summary covers funds for operating costs
and does not involve expenditure areas such as
permanent salaries, building and major
maintenance.
In 2011 our students participated in numerous
events in both visual and performing Arts.
4S entered the 2011 GOATS festival in the mural,
artworks and the writing sections. Our students
were successful in achieving 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the
Writing competition, an individual 2nd in the Art
Competition and the Class Mural took out first
prize in the group section.
One reason for the larger balance brought
forward at the end of 2011, would be the NP Low
SES program. Funds from this program may not
have all been expended in the first year of the
program, but may have been earmarked for
expenditure early in 2012.
Date of financial summary:
Income
Balance brought forward
Global funds
Tied funds
School & community sources
Interest
Trust receipts
Canteen
Total income
Dance is also quite a popular performing art at
Northlakes. In 2011 the school managed to have
a boys and a girls group successfully audition for
the Central Coast Dance Festival and as a result
perform at the Laycock St Theatre. The groups
also performed at a number of school events
throughout the year including the Northlakes PS
presentation day.
30/11/2011
$
131772.03
297996.37
378407.83
91474.55
11465.16
11023.58
0.00
922139.52
Students really get into the performing arts
aspect with a large number of talent quests
organized by students throughout the year.
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
The school kiln gets quite a workout as numerous
clay creations from the 2011 NAIDOC day
activities adorn a section of the Library wall.
26277.71
24275.27
45672.45
6569.27
2100.09
334657.96
121160.16
50807.59
0.00
42599.45
27541.21
10929.25
24012.00
716602.41
205537.11
The school concert is another major focus for the
performing arts each year with every class
performing an item. This is also one of our best
attended events throughout the year.
6
Sport
The school sporting program engages students in
a wide range of sports aimed at encouraging
participation, healthy competition and an active
lifestyle.
All classes K-6 are taught fundamental movement
skills and as the students’ maturation level
increases, so too does the complexity of the skills
being taught and their application to a range of
sports.
Our students are provided with opportunities to
compete in a range of sports through the PSSA
competition and it is encouraging to see many of
them carry this over into weekend participation.
In 2011 we had;



Percentage in bands:
Year 3 Reading
Percentage of students
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
Bands
4
5
6
Percentage in Band
School Average 2008-2011
SSG % in Band 2011
State DEC % in Band 2011
Joshua compete in the regional Athletics
Carnival in 100m, 200m, 800m and the
shot put.
Main idea – concludes the main idea from details
in a narrative text and sequences a series of
events in a descriptive text.
Ellissa in the regional Cross Country
Carnival.
Inference – infers; the theme of a descriptive
text, a character’s attitude from details in a text,
the inference of a word in a text and makes an
inference from an instructional text.
Cristian, Blake, Jacob and Jonathon
travelled to Malaysia to compete in an
International Futsal competition.
Academic
Percentage in bands:
Year 3 Writing
In the National Assessment Program, the results
across the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and
numeracy assessments are reported on a scale
from Band 1 to Band 10.
Percentage of students
50
The achievement scale represents increasing
levels of skills and understandings demonstrated
in these assessments.
Yr 3: from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6 (highest for
Year 3)
40
30
20
10
0
Yr 5: from Band 3 (lowest) to Band 8 (highest for
Year 5).
1
2
3
Bands
4
5
6
Percentage in Band
SSG % in Band 2011
State DEC % in Band 2011
Literacy – NAPLAN Year 3
One pleasing aspect of our results in reading for
2011 is the decrease in the number of students
achieving band 1. The other positive is the
increase in the number of students achieving
bands 3 and 4.
The most pleasing aspect of our writing results
for 2011 is that all our students achieved from
band 2 to band 6 and no students achieving band
1. A great result, however we still need to focus
on moving more of our students into the top two
bands. Areas for focus include sentence
structure, complex and compound sentences,
audience and paragraphing.
Areas for improvement include;
Direct locate – locates detail in the presence of
competing information text, uses text
conventions to identify a character in the
narrative and identifies character’s motivation.
7
Percentage in bands:
Year 5 Reading
Percentage in bands:
Year 3 Grammar & Punctuation
40
30
Percentage of students
Percentage of students
35
25
20
15
10
5
30
20
10
0
3
0
1
2
3
Bands
4
5
6
4
5
Bands
6
7
8
Percentage in Band
School Average 2008-2011
SSG % in Band 2011
State DEC % in Band 2011
Percentage in Band
School Average 2008-2011
SSG % in Band 2011
State DEC % in Band 2011
The percentage of year 5 students achieving the
bottom two bands showed a decrease from just
over 52% in 2010 to just over 45% in 2011, a
decrease of 7%. Over the same period, the
percentage of year 5 students achieving the top
two bands showed an increase from just under
4% in 2010, to just over 14% in 2011, an increase
of over 10%.
Areas for improvement include; identify a simple
sentence, select correct punctuation of direct
speech with a quoting clause, select the correct
indefinite article to accord with the following
word, select the correct location for a full stop to
separate two simple sentences and identify the
correct capitalization of proper nouns in a simple
sentence.
Despite this good news, our year 5 students still
achieved results below the state average and
there are a number of areas for improvement.
Numeracy – NAPLAN Year 3
Percentage in bands:
Year 3 Numeracy
Percentage in bands:
Year 5 Writing
30
60
20
Percentage of students
Percentage of students
40
10
0
1
2
3
Bands
4
5
6
Percentage in Band
School Average 2008-2011
SSG % in Band 2011
State DEC % in Band 2011
Although the number of students achieving in
band 1 in Numeracy has decreased, the cause for
concern is the still very high percentage achieving
band 2 and the very low percentages achieving
bands 5 and 6.
50
40
30
20
10
0
3
4
5
Bands
6
7
8
Percentage in Band
SSG % in Band 2011
State DEC % in Band 2011
Areas for focus include addition and subtraction
with trading, area, units of measurement, length,
time and working mathematically.
In NAPLAN Writing the school’s major focus
needs to be on moving a larger percentage of
students into the top two bands. However we still
have a numerous areas of strength we need to
Literacy – NAPLAN Year 5
72 year 5 students sat for NAPLAN reading.
8
celebrate. The following are aspects in writing
where year 5 students have achieved results
better than the state;

Identifying audience of a text and
adjusting the writing accordingly,

Recognising cohesive links in a text and
combining clauses by using a variety of
conjunctions,

Writing elementary persuasive texts,

Composing a basic persuasive text using
simple vocabulary and

Numeracy – NAPLAN Year 5
Stating the purpose and audience by
orienting the reader,
Percentage in bands:
Year 5 Numeracy
50
Percentage of students

sentence and selecting the correct verb form to
complete a conditional sentence.
Elaborate simple reasons to expand ideas
in relation to a statement of position.
30
20
10
0
3
In NAPLAN Grammar and Punctuation the
percentage of year 5 students achieving the
bottom two bands decreased from 38% in 2010
to 31% in 2011. Over the same period, the
percentage of year 5 students achieving the top
two bands went from 15% down to 13%. It is
worth noting however, that in 2010 no students
achieved band 8 whereas in 2011, 4% achieved
band 8.
4
5
Bands
6
7
8
Percentage in Band
School Average 2008-2011
SSG % in Band 2011
State DEC % in Band 2011
The most significant aspect of the year 5 student
achievement in NAPLAN numeracy is the
reduction of the number of students achieving
the bottom two bands. The percentage of
students achieving the bottom two bands
decreased from 49% in 2010 down to 28% in
2011.
Percentage in bands:
Year 5 Grammar & Punctuation
Over the same period, the percentage of students
achieving the top two bands increased from 7.8%
in 2010 to 8.4% in 2011.
40
Percentage of students
40
30
Major areas for improvement include; 3D shapes,
determining area and capacity using formal units,
fractions and decimals and multiplication and
division operations.
20
Progress in literacy
10
Our progress in literacy is tracked in the different
aspects of literacy.
0
3
4
5
Bands
6
7
In NAPLAN Reading, our students achieved an
average growth of 44 points which put us 26.7
and 28.2 points below the SEG and State
respectively.
8
Percentage in Band
School Average 2008-2011
SSG % in Band 2011
State DEC % in Band 2011
In NAPLAN Grammar and Punctuation, our
students achieved an average growth of 68.7
points which is 13.4 and 3.7 points below the
state and SEG respectively.
Areas for improvement include; Identifying
correct use of an apostrophe of contraction in a
simple sentence, a redundant word in a simple
sentence, a pronoun reference in a compound
9
In NAPLAN Spelling, our students achieved 76.9
points which is 1.2 points below the SEG and 2.7
above the state. The school’s best performed
aspect in Literacy is Spelling and the challenge is
now to focus on the aspects of Reading, Writing,
Grammar and Punctuation in order to improve
student achievement to similar levels as Spelling.
about the transition program. Three sessions
were offered per week where children would
attend school for 2hours per week from February
to December with a Northlakes PS teacher
engaging in Pre-Kindergarten activities to help
children become comfortable and familiar in the
school setting. During Semester 2 parents were
involved in a variety of workshops to develop
awareness and understanding of what the
expectations would be for their children when
they start school in 2012.
Progress in numeracy
In NAPLAN Numeracy, our students achieved an
average growth of 89.3 points and this is 5.0
points below the state and 0.4 above the SEG.
Language, Literacy and Learning (L3)
Whilst our students are still achieving below the
state, it is pleasing that we are keeping up with
our SEG. The challenge for the school is to focus
on the large number of students achieving the
middle two bands and focus on moving of them
into the two top bands.
In 2011 four dedicated teachers implemented L3
in their Kindergarten classrooms. Two were in
their first training year and two were in their
second year of L3 and involved with ongoing
professional learning.
L3 is a classroom based early intervention for
children in their first year of school. The program
aims to reduce the risk of children in low socioeconomic communities not achieving expected
literacy levels at the end of their first year of
school. The children are taught literacy skills to
equip them to understand what it means to be a
self-regulated learner. Teaching decisions are
based on ongoing, sensitive observation.
Minimum standards
The Commonwealth Government sets minimum
standards for reading, writing, grammar and
punctuation, spelling and numeracy for Years 3,
5, 7 and 9.
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.
40% of Kindergarten students achieved the L3
goal of being able to read at or above level 9 and
56% of children reached the national benchmark
target of reading at or above level 6. These are
the best results we have ever had in literacy.
Percentage of Year 3 students achieving at or
above minimum standard (exempt students
included)
Reading
Writing
Spelling
Grammar & Punctuation
Numeracy
Quicksmart
QuickSmart is a professional learning program
delivered by trained School Learning Support
Officers aimed at improving the learning
outcomes in basic mathematics for students in
years 4 to 6. Students worked in pairs with an
SLSO three times per week for 30 minutes over a
30 week period.
90.6
96.3
90.7
87.0
90.6
Significant programs and initiatives
The lessons include flash cards, worksheets, a
speed based computer progress chart as well as
playing maths games. Most importantly the
program gives students the strategies for solving
number problems and number facts and aiming
to reach achieve automaticity in the recall of
number facts. The program has been a great
success in boosting student confidence and
engagement in maths.
Kindy Start
In 2011 the school made a commitment to
promote an extended transition to school
program which we named Kindy Start.
The Program kicked off in February with a “Picnic
in the Park”- an evening picnic with story time,
craft, games and fun. Families of children starting
Kindergarten in 2012 came together in a relaxed
social atmosphere to make connections and learn
10
Priority Schools Program
Songs from other cultures and Australia were
taught to students and sung at the assembly on
Harmony Day.
The school has been a part of the Priority Schools
Program (PSP) for a number of years and this has
been to the benefit of many of our children who
have particular learning needs but are not eligible
to receive any funding support.
Languages other than English (L.O.T.E.) were
incorporated into class programs.
Anti-racism issues were taught through child
protection and anti-bullying programs.
In 2011 the program provided 0.8FTE staffing
which equates to a teacher for 4 days per week
as well as approximately $56,000 which provided
a great deal of additional support for students
experiencing learning difficulties. PSP has been
instrumental in allowing the school to implement
such programs as Kindy Start and Quicksmart.
Year 4 and Year 5 students participated in
multicultural public speaking during Term 2.
Respect and responsibility
In 2010 the school participated in the Positive
Behaviour for Learning Initiative. The committee
conducted a review and a new school rule was
established; “Respect Rules at School”. Education
in this area of social competence was delivered
through the Steps to Respect Program in all
classes. Students in the choir recorded a school
song, “Respect”, which was then taught to all
students.
Aboriginal education
53 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
were enrolled at the school in 2011.
The school attracted funding from DET Targeted
Aboriginal Programs to address student
attendance, and literacy and numeracy needs of
lower achieving students. Norta Norta funds
supported tutorial support for students needing
additional support in Literacy and Numeracy.
In 2011 there was a real focus on the You Can Do
It Program with a focus on the five keys to
success and happiness: These being Organisation,
Getting along, Resilience, Respect, Confidence
and Persistence.
An Aboriginal School Learning Support Officer
was employed 3 days per week. Personal learning
plans were developed in consultation with
students and their parents.
National partnership programs
Over the past ten years the school achievement
level in Literacy and Numeracy, as measured by
BST and NAPLAN, has consistently been below
both regional and state averages. This is further
impacted by the school the school community
having some of the highest unemployment rates
and a very low ICSEA rating.
Five Indigenous students were presented with
academic, cultural and sporting achievement
awards by the Muru Bulbi AECG.
Two Indigenous students received the honour of
being elected as school councillors for 2010.
The parents and teachers on the Aboriginal
Education Committee have actively promoted
programs and events to enhance understanding
of history and culture. Activities included:
In 2010 the school became part of the National
Partnerships Low SES Reform Extension Initiative
(NP Low SES REI2) in the second round of reform
extension offers with a view to commencing the
program in 2011. The school has focused the
HAT responsibilities on Teacher Professional
Learning (TPL) in order to strengthen teacher
capacity to improve student learning outcomes in
literacy and numeracy.
• NAIDOC celebrations involved all students in
activities such as art, dreaming stories, music,
traditional food, drama and dance
• National Sorry Day and flag raising ceremonies
were conducted with invited guests.
The school’s strategic directions from the
previous school plan targeted three priority
areas; Literacy, Numeracy and Technology. These
were identified through state, regional and
school data collected and analysed for the
situational analysis.
Multicultural education
Multicultural perspectives were integrated into
units of work throughout the school and these
programs are ongoing. Activities to celebrate the
diversity of cultures within our school community
were implemented to support Harmony Day.
11
Improved Literacy and Numeracy outcomes for
all students
We have, in most cases, made good
improvements in raising children to above NMS
in NAPLAN, but the number of students we have
at proficiency level for both Years 3 and 5 is quite
a strong under–representation as compared to
the state and the challenge for the school is to
adequately cater for students right across the
spectrum of learning abilities.
Target 1
Improved literacy outcomes for all students

73% of Year 2 students are reading at
Reading Recovery level 26 or above.

94% of Year 3 students are achieving at or
above the National Minimum Standards
(NMS) in Reading.


Sufficient expertise on staff to have had
“techno tools” PL sessions running on a
regular basis.

Over 60% of staff indicated a level of
confidence to use technology in their
teaching. All staff indicated a willingness
and commitment to undertake further
training.
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 2011 our
school carried out evaluations of Literacy and
Teacher Professional Learning (TPL).
Educational and management practice
Northlakes PS joined the ranks of NPLowSES REI2
schools in 2011. This initiative came with a
mandatory HAT as part of the deal. The HAT
mandate being to address Teacher Quality in
improving student outcomes, it seems natural
that TPL would be the focus of our management
practice.
Target 2
Improved numeracy outcomes for all students
Our achievements include:

15 out of 22 classrooms have IWBs
installed with the other seven classrooms
targeted for 2012.
Key evaluations
85% of Year 5 students are achieving at or
above NMS in Reading.


The challenge for the school remains to ensure
the availability and reliability of the technology
when teachers want to use it.
Our achievements include:
62% of Year 1 students are reading at
Reading Recovery level 16 or above.
An increase of year 5 students achieving
the top two bands from 7.8% in 2010 to
8.4% in 2011.
Our achievements include:
Progress on 2011 targets


Improved effectiveness of the use of technology
in connected learning
The first priority for the school needs to be
ensuring all classrooms have the technology and
then to ensure this is supported with professional
learning for all staff. Currently there are seven
classrooms in need of access to an IWB. The
intention is that these will be purchased and
installed by 2014 and sooner if funds are
available.
62% of Kindergarten students are reading at
Reading Recovery level 6 or above.
An 11.4% reduction in the number of
year 5 students achieving the bottom two
bands between 2010 and 2011.
Target 3
Connected Learning through technology


A decrease of 6.8% of year 3 students
achieving the bottom two bands when
compared to 2010.
Background
Whilst there has always been a strategic focus on
TPL in the school linked to the school
management plan, the implications of NPLowSES
were that this was indeed a mandate that the
school could not ignore and the two year
An increase of 18.2% of year 3 students
achieving band 6 in 2011 when compared
to 2010.
12
deadline is certainly a tight one that meant the
school needed to move quickly to get things
changes happening.
literacy has not been great as the school had
hoped.
Background
The HAT was charged with the responsibility to
develop the school’s TPL plan, link it to the school
priorities and management plan and then to
implement it during the course of 2011.
Findings and conclusions
L3 had been implemented into the Kindergarten
classrooms and has met with a good deal of
success and positive feedback from teachers
despite earlier criticism about the difficulty of
implementation.
The HAT mandate was a massive task considering
the fact that these positions had very loose roles
and responsibility statements and in reality no
predecessors upon whom to base the role.
Reading Recovery was again continuing as an
individual intervention as were a number of the
other literacy interventions such as STL and Early
School Support.
In hindsight it appears that little was achieved in
the first twelve months of the program, however
nothing could be further from the truth. Much of
the first twelve months were about developing
this role and promoting the appropriate culture
for the next steps in the process. Teachers and
executive needed to be prepared for what was to
come under NP Low SES.
However, apart from these and some specifically
focused courses there was not a great deal being
done as a whole school across Years 1-6.
Findings and conclusions
Teacher surveys indicated a need in the area of
literacy for PL particularly in the areas of CTJ. It
seemed that little had been done in the way of
whole school PL in literacy for quite some time.
By the end of the year teaching staff indicated;

They had begun to review their PL needs,

Begun to accept the idea of ‘deprivatising’
our classrooms,

Recognise the need
programming and,

Acknowledged the need to do things
differently to achieve different results and

Peer Coaching was the best PL activity in
which they had participated and this was
backed by a 100% positive response.
for
The HAT could again be a driving force in this and
also ensure a close link with TPL, Quality Teaching
and Literacy.
Future directions
collaborative
Planning late in 2011 has been focused on
developing the Peer Coaching model and
extending both into Literacy and Numeracy.
Literacy PL will be underpinned by the Focus On
Reading 3-6 training for the whole staff K-6,
whilst the Numeracy PL will be underpinned by
TNT and the Sara Rose regional Maths model also
K-6.
Future directions
Both areas will be the curriculum focus for our
2012 Peer Coaching, in which all staff will be
expected to participate.
It goes without saying that the next twelve
months would see a stronger focus on Peer
Coaching not only in Literacy but also in
Numeracy. The other difference for 2012 will be
that all staff would participate on both sides of
the equation, i.e. as the presenter of the lessons
as well as the viewer and critical friend.
Parent, student, and teacher
satisfaction
In 2011 the school sought the opinions of
parents, students and teachers about the school.
2012 will also see a much stronger focus on the
whole teaching cycle of planning with the end in
mind.
This took the form of a variety of surveys
undertaken throughout the year and focus group
discussions. These addressed school systems and
procedures as they relate to the delivery of
effective education at Northlakes. Also, informal
discussions at P&C meetings, staff meetings and
student meetings assisted the school in being
Curriculum
Literacy again appeared as a main focus as the
improvement in the data across all areas of
13

Increase the number of students in year 5
achieving at or above minimum standard
from 85% in 2011 to 92% in 2012 in NAPLAN
reading.

Increase the number of students in Year 5
achieving bands 7 and 8 from 14% in 2011 to
18% in 2012 in NAPLAN reading.

At least 48% of students will achieve
expected growth in NAPLAN reading (27.5%
2011).

Increase the percentage of students at the
end of Year 1 achieving Reading Recovery
level 16 or higher from 62% in 2011 to 75% in
2012).

This certainly was a key in laying the foundations
for TPL in the future and to creating a much more
collaborative
environment
for
planning,
programming and assessment.
Increase the percentage of students at the
end of year 2 achieving Reading Recovery
level 26 or higher from 70% in 2011 to 75% in
2012.

Increase the number of students in Year 3
achieving bands 5 and 6 from 12% in 2011 to
40% in 2012 in NAPLAN writing.
School planning 2012—2014

The school planning policy provides direction for
the preparation and implementation of school
plans including the identification of priority areas,
intended outcomes and targets that are
consistent with the NSW State Plan and the
Department’s planning documents.
Increase the number of student in year 5
achieving at or above minimum standard
from 89% in 2011 to 94% in 2012 in NAPLAN
writing.

Increase the number of students in Year 5
achieving bands 7 and 8 from 5% in 2011 to
18% in 2012 in NAPLAN writing.

Increase the percentage of Year 7 students
achieving at or above NMS from 90% in 2011
to 95% in 2012 in NAPLAN reading.
informed about the level of satisfaction with the
school and its programs.
Parent responses were generally high. Teacher
responses were very high as were responses from
students. Satisfaction with our transition to
school programs was very high with parents and
staff. Also commented on was the wide variety of
student welfare support opportunities offered at
Northlakes Public School.
Professional learning
Much of the TPL for 2011 was driven by the NP
Low SES agenda with a very strong focus on
Literacy, CTJ and writing.
The inclusion of a HAT on staff also saw a
dramatic change to how TPL was delivered and as
a result over 90% of TPL was delivered in-school.
School priority 1
Outcome for 2012–2014
Strategies to achieve these targets include:
Raise levels in reading, comprehension, spelling
and grammar and punctuation for all students
K-6
2012 Targets to achieve this outcome include:



Increase the percentage of students at the
end of the Kindergarten year achieving
Reading Recovery level 6 or higher from 62%
in 2011 to 75% in 2012.
Increase the number of students in Year 3
achieving at or above the national minimum
standard from 94% in 2011 to 98% in 2012 in
NAPLAN reading.

Professional learning
pedagogy in reading

Continue Peer Coaching sessions and build on
2011 success

Focus on explicit teaching of comprehension.

Develop CRT’s capacity to plan assessment
and CTJ.
focus
on
quality
School priority 2
Outcome for 2012–2014
Raise levels in all strands of numeracy for all
students K-6
Increase the number of students in Year 3
achieving bands 5 and 6 from 18% in 2011 to
35% in 2012 in NAPLAN reading.
2012 Targets to achieve this outcome include:
14




Increase the number of student in year 3
achieving at or above minimum standard
from 94% in 2011 to 96% in 2012 in NAPLAN
numeracy.
Increase the number of students in Year 3
achieving bands 5 and 6 from 10% in 2011 to
25% in 2012 in NAPLAN numeracy.
Increase the number of students in Year 5
achieving bands 7 and 8 from 9% in 2011 to
18% in 2012 in NAPLAN numeracy.
At least 50% of students will achieve
expected growth in NAPLAN numeracy.

Increase the percentage of Year 7 students
achieving at or above NMS from 84% in 2011
to 95% in 2012 in NAPLAN numeracy.
Strategies to achieve these targets include:

Coordinate staff with expertise to share in
differentiation in Maths

and assessment for learning.

Deliver TPL with a focus on effective lesson
models and

assessment of learning.

Lead TPL in cooperative programming in
Maths.

Consolidate 2011 learning and embed QT
principles and CTJ with a focus on high
expectations explicit criteria matched to
syllabus outcomes, higher order thinking and
differentiation.
School priority 3
Outcome for 2012–2014
Innovation in the use of interactive
technologies for learning, teaching and teacher
professional learning.
2012 Targets to achieve this outcome include:

Quality resources being accessed to engage
students.

All staff trained in the use new equipment
and allocation procedures established
Strategies to achieve these targets include:
Increase the number of student in Year 5
achieving at or above minimum standard
from 94% in 2011 to 97% in 2012 in NAPLAN
numeracy.


Enhance students’ access to digital
educational resources for learning and
teaching and professional learning for
teachers.
15

Install Interactive Whiteboards
classrooms (a total of 7).

Utilise staff expertise to provide in-school TPL
on IWB’s, one note and useful online
resources.

Audit current online learning programs in the
school and evaluate use.

Purchase
technology
resources
to
supplement student enrichment programs
and facilitate student engagement.

Staff shares expertise and experiences with
IWB with colleagues at scheduled staff
meetings.
in
all
About this report
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.
Larry Micevski
Monica Baigent
Jacqueline Buchanan
Donna Holohan
Cheryl Wasson
Rhonda Cook
Monika Luntungan
Michelle Whitehead
Principal
Deputy Principal
HAT
Assistant Principal
Assistant Principal
Assistant Principal
AssistantPrincipal
P&C President
School contact information
Northlakes Public School
69 Goorama Avenue, San Remo
Ph: 43992071
Fax: 43991935
Email: northlake-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Web: www.northlake-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
School Code: 4588
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
16