Francis Greenway High School Annual School Report 2013 8439 School context Throughout 2013 the P & C of Francis Greenway High School has continued to thrive through strong parent commitment who continue to support our school and student programs financially through profits made from the school canteen sales. Francis Greenway High School is a co-educational high school located at Beresfield. Students come from a wide socio-economic area and Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander (ATSI) students make up over 10% of our student population. Our hardworking canteen team led by our fantastic canteen supervisors have continued to bring us a valued service for our students and teaching staff. We have seen some changes in our canteen throughout the year to try and achieve the most healthiest menu choices for our students and this will continue throughout 2014. By supporting our school canteen you are enabling the continued educational support of programs throughout the school and the reinforcement of high educational standards we expect for our children. Principal’s message During 2013 the school experienced many successes in the academic, cultural, creative arts and sporting arenas. The Creative and Performing Arts faculty hosted two significant events: Theatra del Greenway and Greenway Galaxy. The NAIDOC celebrations and connections with Murook Cultural Centre have strengthened our partnerships with the Aboriginal community. Our monthly meetings are always informative and friendly where we meet to discuss how best to spend our money and support programs within the school to best meet our children's needs. These meetings are attended by the Executive Team of Francis Greenway and their monthly reports on the school are always informative and a pleasure to hear about. Seventeen of our nineteen Year 12 students who applied for university were successful in gaining entry to their chosen course. In sport, our Junior Football team team were the State winners of the Combined High Schools Junior State Cup. The Gateway Learning Community The Gateway Learning Community continues to undertake initiatives which build upon already strong partnerships. 2013 saw the schools coming together to participate in the Stronger Smarter Program, continue transition development and embed Restorative Practices across the schools and community. 2014 will be an opportunity to broaden initiatives with the Woodberry Community Culture and Caring Project and the Aboriginal Career and Health Quest. Throughout 2013 we have seen the completion of the PE Rooms which would not have been possible without the joint efforts of school community and P & C funding of $40000 from 2012. We also supported: -Vivo Implementation and Ongoing Financial Support -Cheerleading Star Struck Uniforms 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. -Science Equipment -Touch Football Jerseys -Marine Studies Equipment -Maths Online Program Jo Edwards (Principal) -Desk/Chairs P & C Equipment P&C Along with the above we have been fortunate enough to start our upgrade of our canteen facilities with the new oven, pie warmer and cool room purchases. What a wonderful year our P & C has had and a wonderful first year experience on our P & C as President. I would also like to thank Jo Edwards for her fantastic year as Principal of Francis Greenway and her passion for our children's education. I wish to thank all the P & C members for their continued support and for turning up regularly to meetings. Our children's education is an important part of their lives and as parents we try 1 to give them the best start possible. Volunteering is very rewarding and without volunteers and community support the fantastic programs on offer just would not be available. Student attendance rates Attendance rate 100 Julia Mather P&C President Student Information 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 348 369 352 379 411 391 430 311 318 310 319 350 378 376 25 0 Management of non-attendance The management of non-attendance was a focus area in 2013. A Student Attendance Team was formed to develop strategic initiatives to address this issue. Roll Call was removed from the day’s structure resulting in less late arrivals and a more settled beginning to the day. Enrolments Students 1000 50 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Year School Region State DEC Student enrolment profile Gender Male Female 75 Students at risk were identified and referred to the Learning Support Team. Year Advisors undertook interviews with students and their families to identify attendance barriers. This was an effective measure in addressing poor attendance. 500 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Year Male Female Post-school destinations For Year 12, 17 students gained offers to university, with more students gaining places in alternative entry programs at Newcastle University. Four students gained pre-selection to The University of New England. Most of the students gained places in their first chosen area of study. Newcastle University was again the most popular destination, followed by The University of New England and Macquarie University with Business the most popular area of study, closely followed by Arts, Science, Social Work and Teaching. Enrolments have continued to steadily increase. This may be impacted on in the coming two years due to small numbers across years 5 and 6 in the primary schools. State DEC Region School Student attendance profile Year 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2008 86.7 88.9 89.9 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 90.2 89.8 89.3 89.9 91.3 85.2 89.8 87.1 86.1 86.8 85.9 86.1 86.5 83.2 83.7 86.7 85.5 85.8 81.7 79.3 86.5 84.9 83.2 80.4 83.6 88.1 84.5 82.1 84.4 87.0 86.9 87.2 86.2 84.5 85.1 91.5 88.9 87.8 87.6 88.2 88.4 88.7 92.3 90.0 88.8 88.7 89.4 89.4 89.7 91.7 89.6 87.6 87.2 87.5 88.7 88.7 92.6 90.5 89.1 88.3 89.1 89.8 89.9 91.2 88.8 87.5 85.7 85.5 87.4 87.7 92.5 90.1 88.8 87.1 87.6 89.2 89.2 91.7 89.0 87.5 85.9 85.6 88.3 88.0 92.4 90.1 88.7 87.0 87.6 89.3 89.1 92.1 89.4 87.8 85.8 85.9 88.3 88.2 93.2 90.9 89.4 87.7 88.3 90.1 89.9 Apprenticeships, traineeships and TAFE were again destinations for the majority of our students and included popular Childcare courses, Animal care, Event Management, Entertainment, Information Technology and Fitness. One student was accepted into the Early Education and Care Diploma, due to a high standard of work shown in her School TAFE class. With a sound knowledge of the benefits of these options, students looked once again to apprenticeships and traineeships in retail, hospitality, automotive, heavy vehicle, metals and engineering, electrical and sheet metal. 2 Some apprenticeships were taken up by Year 10. Students used the school work experience program to maximum benefit to achieve excellent references and gain skills. Some students more than one block of work experience and participated in many locally produced career events such as the Hunter Valley Career Expo, TryaSkill and National Skills Week. Information Technology Certificate II Statement of Attainment 0 towards Certificate II 12 Warehousing Operations Certificate II Statement of Attainment 0 towards Certificate II 1 Year 12 students undertaking vocational or trade training Of the 80 students in the Year 12 cohort completing the HSC in 2013, 59 students were enrolled in vocational education training (VET) delivered on site. Training areas included Hospitality (Food and Beverage), Construction, Retail Services and Metals and Engineering. SC06- SC07HSC08 HSC09 School SEG State Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalent Vocational educational qualification SC08HSC10 SC09- SC10HSC11 HSC12 SC11HSC13 37.0 41.6 33.9 43.8 45.7 51.5 61.7 60.7 60.5 63.5 49.1 47.8 60.3 61.0 62.7 64.7 63.4 64.5 Retention to Year 12 (SC to HSC) Of the 59 students undertaking VET courses the following achieved a vocational education qualification in conjunction with their HSC. 100.0 50.0 Course Qualification achieved 0.0 SC06-HSC08 SC08-HSC10 SC10-HSC12 Construction Certificate II School 6 Statement of Attainment 4 towards Certificate II Workforce composition Position Principal Deputy Principal(s) Head Teachers Classroom Teacher(s) Learning and Support Teacher(s) Teacher Librarian School Counsellor School Administrative & Support Staff 0 Statement of Attainment 17 towards Certificate II Metals & Engineering Certificate II Statement of Attainment towards Certificate II State Workforce information Hospitality Certificate II SEG 0 Number 1 2 8 44.7 2.5 1 1.6 13.48 9 Total 76.28 Retail Services Certificate II Statement of Attainment towards Certificate II 9 The school employed on a casual basis three Aboriginal Education worker as part of Norta Norta support. Additionally, an Aboriginal teacher is permanent employed. 3 3 Teacher qualifications Academic achievements All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools. NAPLAN Qualifications Degree or Diploma Postgraduate NSW Institute of Teachers Accreditation 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. % of staff 100 2 15 The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments. Financial summary Year 7: from Band 4 (lowest) to Band 9 (highest for Year 7) The information provided in the Financial Summary is current at the date shown. This is the latest financial information available for 2013, prior to the change-over in financial systems for our school. Date of financial summary Income Balance brought forward Global funds Tied funds School & community sources Interest Trust receipts Canteen Total income Year 9: from Band 5 (lowest) to Band 10 (highest for Year 9) The My School website provides detailed information and data for national literacy and numeracy testing (NAPLAN). 30/11/2013 Click on the link http://www.myschool.edu.au and enter the school name in the Find a school and select GO to access the school data. $ 565077.51 577911.43 618621.41 259879.64 21366.51 54155.85 0.00 2097012.35 Percentage in bands: Year 7 Reading Expenditure Teaching & learning Library Training & development Tied funds Casual relief teachers Administration & office School-operated canteen Utilities Maintenance Trust accounts Capital programs Total expenditure Balance carried forward 35 107403.81 92118.91 37938.61 3008.27 0.00 523336.07 155747.89 242355.17 0.00 125436.70 40892.38 71817.79 169086.87 1569142.47 527869.88 Percentage of students Key learning areas Excursions Extracurricular dissections 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 4 5 6 Bands 7 8 Percentage in Bands School Average 2009-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 A full copy of the school’s 2013 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the parent body. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school. 4 9 Percentage in bands: Year 7 Spelling Percentage in bands: Year 7 Writing 50 25 Percentage of students Percentage of students 30 20 15 10 5 0 4 5 6 Bands 7 8 40 30 20 10 0 9 4 Percentage in Bands School Average 2009-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 6 Bands 7 8 9 Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 Percentage in bands: Year 7 Grammar & Punctuation Percentage in bands: Year 7 Numeracy 35 40 30 Percentage of students Percentage of students 5 25 20 15 10 5 30 20 10 0 0 4 5 6 Bands 7 8 4 9 5 6 Bands 7 8 Percentage in Bands School Average 2009-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 Percentage in Bands School Average 2009-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 5 9 NAPLAN Year 9 – Numeracy Percentage in bands: Year 9 Grammar & Punctuation Percentage in bands: Year 9 Reading 50 Percentage of students Percentage of students 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 40 30 20 10 0 5 0 5 6 7 Bands 8 9 10 7 Bands 8 9 10 Percentage in Bands School Average 2009-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 Percentage in Bands School Average 2009-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 Percentage in bands: Year 9 Spelling Percentage in bands: Year 9 Writing 35 50 30 Percentage of students Percentage of students 6 25 20 15 10 5 40 30 20 10 0 0 5 6 7 Bands 8 9 5 10 6 7 Bands 8 Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 Percentage in Bands School Average 2009-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 6 9 10 School 2013 School Average 2009-2013 Percentage in bands: Year 9 Numeracy 10 5 0 5 6 7 Bands 8 9 10 Percentage in Bands School Average 2009-2013 SSG % in Band 2013 State DEC % in Band 2013 Textiles and Design 15 Personal Development, Health and Physical… 20 Music 1 25 Modern History 30 Legal Studies Percentage of students 35 General Mathematics 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 40 Record of School Achievement (RoSA) Higher School Certificate (HSC) HSC: Relative performance from Year 10 (value-added) 0.0 Relative performance In the Higher School Certificate, the performance of students is reported in performance bands ranging from Performance Band 1 (lowest) to Performance Band 6 (highest). -5.0 -10.0 School 2013 School Average 2009-2013 -15.0 Low 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Middle High School 2013 School Average 2009-2013 SSG Average 2013 Other achievements At Francis Greenway High School in 2013 we conducted two successful sporting carnivals (Swimming and Athletics), unfortunately the Cross Country Carnival was cancelled due to poor weather. Despite this, a high number of students competed at zone and regional carnivals. Student representation at carnivals continues to be positive with a greater number of students attending and participating. Information Processes and Technology English (Advanced) English (Standard) Drama Chemistry Biology Sport 7 Regional and State representatives participated in Trampoline Sports, Athletics, Touch, Cross Country, Lawn Bowls, Rugby League and Swimming, with 17 students in total progressing to these impressive representative levels, including six Athlete with Disability athletes. At the Combined high schools State Trampoline Sports Championships FGHS placed 6th overall in NSW and 2nd overall in the Special Schools section. A group of Year 8 boys were given the opportunity to participate in a University of Newcastle program called ATLAS (Active Teen Leaders Avoiding Screen-time). The program was designed to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescent boys and to increase boys’ confidence and competence in non-traditional activities, such as resistance training. The eight month program was carried out in 14 schools in the Hunter and Central Coast region. A unique aspect of the ATLAS program is that it encouraged boys to become physical activity leaders in their schools and at home and they were provided with ATLAS accreditation to formalise their achievements. Whole school sport continued for students in Years 7-10. Students participated in many school based activities and accessed external venues. Sports included Ten Pin Bowling, Golf, Swimming, Beach Activities, Table Tennis, Indoor Fitness and many more. Significant programs and initiatives Combined high Schools knockout teams competed against Hunter schools in various sports, these included Rugby League, Touch, Tennis, Football, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Cricket, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Softball. Both male and female students competed, yielding some good results. The most successful team of 2013 was the Year 7 & 8 Boy’s Touch Team who took out the NSW All Schools Combined State Championships in Bathurst and were crowned State Champions. The Under 14 Boy’s Rugby League Team were also successful progressing to the semi-finals of the Buckley Shield and Knights Knockout, and the Open Boy’s progressed to the semi-finals of the University Shield. The Open Girl’s Rugby League were not to be outdone, they played a pre- game for the Knights and Bulldogs at Ausgrid Stadium. Mathematics Over the last two years the Math Faculty has implemented a Maths Facts Program for Stage 4 students who struggle with learning and remembering their multiplication facts. This program requires students to be withdrawn from class three times per week for intensive one-onone teacher guided support. Following the data evaluation of this program, the Maths Facts Program will continue in 2014, starting Term 2, with a focus on Year 7 and Year 8 students. Francis Greenway High School, with assistance from the P&C, has purchased the computer program ‘Mathsonline’ for every student in the school. This program has been previously used by the classroom teachers to assist in the explanation and reinforcement of key mathematical concepts during class lessons. Teachers are able to issue homework tasks, which give students instant feedback after their completion. The program gives extensive academic data for every student, based on topics completed. This data can be used by teachers to plan individual revision tasks for every student in their class and also generate reports for parents. The FGHS Stingers Cheerleaders squad continued to impress in 2013 with many stunning performances including a feature performance at Star Struck. At the Australian All Schools Cheerleading Federation State Championships the Stingers finished 3rd in High School Cheer Level 2 and 4th overall in High School Cheer. At the Kurri Kurri Community Festival the Stingers took out 1st place stunt and 1st place All Star Cheer. ‘Counting On’ methods have been used in the past at Francis Greenway High School to support lower ability students in Mathematics. In 2014, all Year 7 classes will have a dedicated weekly ‘Counting On’ lesson, with assistance from a support teacher and their class room teacher. This lesson will use ‘hands-on, concrete’ materials to improve students’ understanding of core concepts for Stage 4 Mathematics. Students at FGHS were provided the opportunity to attend many exciting sport related excursions in 2013, these included the Girl’s Footy Festival, Flip Out Trampoline / Gymnastics Centre and Pulse Climbing Centre. Our female footballers were spoilt with a visit from two female Newcastle Jets W League players to run them through a training session. 8 The Faculty encourages students to enter the annual University of NSW Mathematics competition to apply and extend their application of problem solving skills. The competition is designed to assess mathematical insight and ingenuity, rather than efficiency in tackling routine examples. The Da Vinci Mathematics Challenge is also offered to high achieving Year 9 and 10 students, with an emphasis on problem solving, number patterns and logic puzzles. The questions are designed to provide a stimulating and challenging competition against other schools, with students working in groups. A surveying excursion is run once a year to a select group of talented Year 10 students who show an interest in this area. grades in both class tests and end of term assignments. The Faculty has improved the formatting of their exams for all year groups and now use a common template and cover sheet for consistency. The Mathematics faculty focus areas for 2014 will be; Improving student involvement in group work and learning from each other Variations in program delivery and structure for quality feedback for learning More class-conferencing between teacher and class (RP conversations – circles) Greater challenges to stimulate the students’ passion for learning A Problem of the Week challenge (Brain Busters) was trialled in 2013 in an attempt to encourage students to improve their problem solving thinking strategies and skills. This was introduced across all junior years, but proved unsuccessful in its original format. The Faculty will be reintroducing the Brain Buster challenge to selected classes in 2014 as part of their regular assessment component. Greater scaffolding for sophisticated responses to a variety of tasks and classroom activities Negotiated projects learning and personal interest Aboriginal Education Currently the Mathematics staff is reviewing their assessment procedures and feedback offered to students. More explicit feedback to students after assessment tasks was identified as a key area of development. Collegial discussions regarding common assessment tasks and what outcomes they are assessing will be this year’s main focus. It was agreed that Mathematics assessments need to support assessment ‘of’, ‘for’ and ‘as’ learning. The Junior Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (JAECG) continues to be a success as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students gain leadership opportunities and experience within the school, as well as the wider community. This group is frequently involved in cultural decision making at school in order to achieve culturally appropriate educational and community outcomes for Aboriginal students and their families. The students are further involved in the Maitland AECG and this contribution is seen to advance overall outcomes and provide a pathway for leadership in post school life. The school online learning platform (FGHS Moodle) has been extensively used to supply students with an overview of their Mathematics course program, scope and sequence and Board of Studies requirements. Students are explicitly shown how to access this information at the beginning of the school year by their class teacher. The Moodle site contains a copy of the current textbooks being used, class exercises, revision exercises and study skill suggestions. Communication before an assessment task was improved by using the Moodle to inform students of their tasks and required due date. For Stage 4 and Stage 5 students a practice test is uploaded to the intranet site and there has been a substantial increase in the number of students now using this online resource to improve their 9 Multicultural education School evaluation processes Francis Greenway High School continues to celebrate the multicultural nature of our society. A trip to Italy in 2013 allowed students the opportunity to engage in different cultural practices and share those experiences with the wider student body. Harmony Day is always celebrated with an assembly where a guest speaker shares their cultural experience. Aboriginal and Asian perspectives are integrated into teaching programs and school activities. NSW public schools conduct evaluations to support the effective implementation of the school plan. The processes used include: Tell Them From Me Survey Parent Interviews School planning 2012—2014: progress in 2013 National Partnerships -Literacy In 2013 Francis Greenway High School was selected to participate in a Federal government initiative called Improving Literacy & Numeracy national Partnerships. The school as required to nominate a specific area of need and Literacy was selected. School priority 1 To improve literacy results for all students Outcomes from 2012–2014 Year 9 student performance in Reading will improve from 92% of students achieving at or above minimum standard in 2012, to 93% in 2013 Year 9 student performance in Writing will improve from 71% of students achieving at or above minimum standard in 2012, to 72% in 2013 · Focus on Reading- 3 staff members were trained to establish a ‘train the trainer’ model to embed a wide range of literacy strategies across all subjects Year 9 student performance in Spelling will improve from 90% of students achieving at or above minimum standard in 2012, to 91% in 2013 · Reading program- students in 2 classes in year 7 participate in a trial program to improve their reading skills. They all completed a survey about their reading habits and the data form the survey and the program has been used to develop additional programs for 2014. Year 9 student performance in Grammar and Punctuation will improve from 79% of students achieving at or above minimum standard in 2012, to 80% in 2013 The funding received enabled the development of a third Deputy Principal position. This position enabled the school to develop a specific strategy and develop and implement plans to improve the Literacy results of students. Specific programs implemented over the year included: · Super Six program- this program specifically address 6 identified literacy strategies that have been well documented to improve the capacity of readers to comprehend what they are reading. The Super Six program was run as an intensive immersion program over 6 weeks with all students 7-10 participating in all subjects. The program has been reviewed and it will continue in a modified format in 2014. Strategies to achieve these outcomes in 2014 10 Focus on Reading implemented across the school Ongoing commitment to Super Six into pedagogy Build explicit writing strategies (PEEL) to whole essay writing integrating reduced in favour of on site, purpose built training and development. This approached enabled staff to focus specifically on the needs of the students, the school and their faculty. This also enabled staff to build upon their own professional learning skills and fostered a strong environment of collaborative learning. School priority 2 To improve numeracy results for all students Outcomes from 2012–2014 Year 9 student performance will improve from 84% in 2012, to 85% in 2013 Strategies to achieve these outcomes in 2014: Math Facts Program in Stage 4 Numeracy Audit of programs Numeracy week focus Parent/caregiver, student, and teacher satisfaction In 2013, the school sought the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school. Satisfaction with all aspects of the school is a continual process and discussed at each P&C meeting where open conversations occur between all stakeholders. The decision to alter the class structure for Year 7 in 2014 was done in consultation with parents as it involved removing both the Gifted And Talented and the Literacy class. A forum was undertaken to explain the research that this decision was based on and the rationale used to establish all mixed ability classes. Families were keen to listen and were given the opportunity to clarify and ask questions. The P&C identify areas needing to be evaluated and are proactive in achieving progress in regard to uniform and nutritious food in the canteen School priority 3 Student Well-being and Engagement-support structures and student responsibilities Outcomes from 2012–2014 To reduce the incidence of bullying from 11% in 2012, to 9% in 2013 To reduce suspension rates from 22.5 in 2012 to 17.9% in 2013 Strategies to achieve these outcomes in 2014: Revisit anti-bullying plan with all students Streamlined welfare and discipline process Professional learning 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. A major focus in 2013 was on the National Curriculum with additional funds being allocated from state resources to assist in the implementation. The additional TPL funds were used to enable faculties implementing new curriculum (English, Math, Science and History) to release staff to work on the development of programs and assessments to be ready to implement in 2014. The use of tools such as Program Builder assisted staff in their planning and development of programs. J Edwards- Principal S Xenos- Deputy Principal J Mather- P&C President Another focus area for TPL funds was in the development of staff aligned to the strategic plan. The number of staff leaving the site to attend externally presented, one off training and development activities, was greatly H Atwill- Aboriginal Education Committee J Harvey-Trappel- Head Teacher CAPA Kylie Burnett- Head Teacher Math N Conway- Head Teacher PDHPE (Rel) 11 School contact information Francis Greenway High School Lawson Ave Beresfield, NSW, 2322 Ph: 49641282 Fax: 49641147 Email: francisgre_h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Web: www.milleniumschools.net.au/fghs/ School Code: 8439 Parents can find more information about Annual School Reports, how to interpret information in the report and have the opportunity to provide feedback about the report at: https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/highperformance/annual-school-reports 12