Mudgee High School Annual Report

2015

8128

Introduction The Annual Report for 2015 is provided to the community of Mudgee High School as an account of the school’s operations and achievements throughout the year. It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities for all students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self-assessment that reflect the impact of key school strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equity funding.

Wayne Eade Principal

School contact details: Mudgee High School 41 Douro Street MUDGEE 2850 http://www.mudgee-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/ [email protected] Ph: 02 6372 1533 Fax: 02 6372 6321

School background School vision statement Developing safe, respectful and responsible learners in a stimulating and inclusive environment.

School context Mudgee High School is a comprehensive, coeducational rural high school. It possesses a well-established staff base and excellent induction programs for new staff. At the beginning of 2015, student enrolments stood at 955, including 70 Aboriginal students. The school also includes a support unit that caters for more than 40 students with special needs. The school plays an important part within what is a very supportive community possessing a proud history in farming, viticulture, tourism and mining. Mudgee High School prides itself on providing high quality education in a stimulating, inclusive and caring environment. Facilities include five wellequipped computer laboratories, performance centre, gymnasium, technology workshops and creative and performing arts facilities, making Mudgee High School an environment for every student to explore their talents and potential. The school has a well-developed and effective student welfare policy founded on three Positive Behaviour for Learning focuses; safety, responsibility and respect. The Higher School Certificate results achieved by students who attend the school reflect the excellence in teaching and learning that takes place at Mudgee High School. The school enjoys the support of an active Parents and Citizens’ Association and the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG). Mudgee High School is also a member of the Cudgegong Learning Community, providing strong links between more than 20 primary and high schools in the Mudgee area and opportunities for enrichment and extension programs for students and staff.

Self-assessment and school achievements Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework, our school achievements and the next steps to be pursued. The Framework supports public schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practice across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading. This year, our school undertook self-assessment using the elements of the School Excellence Framework. As a result of the discussions and reflection undertaken as part of the self-assessment process, we are now in a better informed position to understand where we stand on what is the journey to excellence. In the domain of learning, staff identified that Mudgee High is sustaining and growing in the areas of wellbeing, curriculum and learning, and assessment and reporting. Our teachers also judged that we as a school have a well-established learning culture. The one area where the consensus was that further inroads could be made to lift us beyond delivering was the better use of student performance measures. While teachers were aware that the results achieved by students at Mudgee High demonstrated expected valueadding, there is still room for improvement. In the domain of teaching, our teachers identified that Mudgee High is sustaining and growing in the areas of effective classroom practice, collaborative practice, learning and development and the meeting of professional standards. An area identified overwhelmingly by all as one where we can further develop is the area of data skills and use. Mudgee High teachers certainly use assessment data to better understand the learning outcomes that are the result of their teaching, however, deep analysis across all faculties of the data available, including value-adding and the statistical significance of identifiable trends, was an area for improvement. In the domain of leadership, Mudgee High’s teachers judged the school to be sustaining and growing on our journey to excellence. Management practices and processes were identified as particular strengths in this domain. The area of school planning, implementation and reporting was identified as an area within this domain where further development is needed to reach the same standards as the other focus areas of leadership and resourcing. Our self-assessment process will further assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our School plan leading to further improvements in the delivery of education to our students.

Strategic Direction 1 High Expectations

Purpose The purpose of this Strategic Direction is to imbed high expectations of ALL at Mudgee High, both students and staff, as our first priority. Expecting high standards of educational delivery, providing systems that support great teaching and inspired learning, and fostering the involvement of parents and the wider community to enhance that learning lies at the heart of this strategic direction. High expectations encourage ALL to achieve their potential.

Overall summary of progress We planned to re-establish the Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL) leadership team and build the team’s understanding of PBL practice. This was achieved. By the year’s end, we also planned to have all teaching staff using Sentral (an on-line, school administration and student management software tool) to record both positive and negative incidents so data can be used to drive PBL direction in the school. By the end of 2015, all team members – including new team members – had been trained in PBL practice. All staff members have switched over to Sentral so as to record student behaviour to allow us better monitoring of those behaviours. This monitoring has allowed us to acknowledge the great majority of our students who do meet the high expectations we have of them. We planned to increase the use of ALARM (A Learning And Response Matrix) across the school so as to improve understanding and enhance academic success in extended response writing. In conjunction with this planned implementation was a greater focus on collegial programming and assessment, so as to better ensure that the teaching taking place in every classroom was both best-practice and comparable. During the year two members of the teaching staff had trained in ALARM implementation – the Head Teachers of English and HSIE. By the end of the year, both of these staff members had delivered professional learning to other staff in ALARM, as well as forging links with Gulgong High School, where staff are also keen to implement ALARM. It is too early to gauge the impact of ALARM in the classroom, but it certainly gaining momentum as both students and staff see the benefits to better understanding and improved writing it brings.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measure

Resources (annual)

Progress achieved this year

Better, productive positive behaviours and more than 70% of students reaching Gold Level, measured through Sentral statistics, at the conclusion of each semester.

By the year’s end, the PBL team had been expanded and undertaken significant training.

Better engagement and improved results.

Develop and support staff in order to continue and capitalise on ALARM in the senior school and introduce ALARM to junior school.

$9,000

Also by the year’s end, the number of students moving to the higher levels (Silver and Gold) of the positive behaviours recognition system had increased, while there were correspondingly fewer negative level referrals and suspensions in the second half of the year.

$2,880

Next steps 

Continue to expand the implementation of PBL with the enduring focus of “fidelity” balanced against the demands of timely implementation and review.



Continue to roll out ALARM and the benefits it brings in terms of both teaching and learning. This will involve delivering professional learning to a broader range of teaching staff and a corresponding implementation within classrooms.

Strategic Direction 2 Capacity Building

Purpose The purpose of this Strategic Direction is to develop the capacity of students and staff to “step up” and lead, whether amongst their peers, in the classroom, across the school or in the wider community, including the CLC. It is also a Strategic Direction for Mudgee High as the capacity of staff to deliver quality teaching and learning opportunities for ALL students through improved capacity is core to our business.

Overall summary of progress We planned to broaden and develop the capacity of students to lead groups as diverse as SRC, Leadership Group, and the developing junior AECG. The SRC continues to attract future leaders of the highest calibre. The SRC presidents – our captains – meet with the principal on a weekly basis to discuss the operation of the school and their evolving roles within that operation. The SRC presidents run whole school events, including a weekly assembly, and take an active leadership role at school carnivals and presentation events. SRC representatives also play an active and vital role in the running of events like school socials. Year 11 SRC representatives step up and take on the roles of their Year 12 elders when the latter are not available. The leadership group offers leadership opportunities to students with a desire “to do” but for whom electoral success is not guaranteed. The group has been encouraged to take on a more global perspective and regularly presents opportunities for students to get involved in extra-curricula activities at wholeschools assemblies. The group also stages awareness-raising presentations about matters of which many students may have only limited knowledge, an example from 2015 being what services are available to students suffering anxiety or depression. We planned to strengthen school-wide accreditation support structures and procedures as well as explore the demands of achieving the higher levels of accreditation so as to develop leadership capacity within and external to the school. The professional learning opportunities provided permitted many members of staff to undertake explicit training in roles that enhance and extend capacity. One impact of this has been that all school based professional learning opportunities since the beginning of Term 2 have been developed and registered with the BOSTES at a minimum of Proficient level. All registered sessions have been evaluated through survey also. Sustained and improved representation in CLC has also allowed Mudgee High executive staff the opportunity to lead the direction and development of educational community professional learning opportunities to build capacity of staff across several local schools including Mudgee High School.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Resources (annual)

Improvement measure

Progress achieved this year

Mudgee High School staff are active educational leaders of the Cudgegong Learning Community.

Mudgee High School staff members are key organisers in many of the of the Cudgegong Learning Community’s professional learning opportunities, as well as providing all of the administration services to maintain and update a digital professional library which can be accessed by all CLC staff.

$16,000

A greater number of students nominating for leadership roles.

SRC nominations increased in 2015. The role of “House Captain” is now recognised with a badge ceremony and has, as a result, lifted in profile. The Leadership Team, like the SRC, in 2015 has its own Roll Group so meets every day to discuss ways in which it can make a difference at Mudgee High. The Aboriginal Roll Group has expanded and students within that group now take turns to acknowledge country at all assemblies and school functions, as well as play leading roles in a number of school-events including our Aboriginal “welcome” barbecue for new and existing Aboriginal students and their parents, NAIDOC Week celebrations and Sorry Day commemoration.

$2,500

A greater number of staff prepared to step up into leadership roles at the SAM, YA, HT, DP and Principal level.

Several staff relieved in a number of roles during the course of the year, including SAM (one day a week on a rotational basis), HT (12 months in one situation), DP (12 months in one situation and five weeks in another) and within the Principal (6 months) roles. Individual Professional Development Plans developed and professional learning goals established for Mudgee High School teaching staff to support the development of great teaching and inspired learning, improving outcomes for students. All staff trained in NCI.

$>200,000 paid at a system level.

More staff leading the development of QT within their KLAs Improved targeting and greater transparency in the allocation of resources to professional learning

$48,000

Next steps 

Redesignation of a Head Teacher classification so as to create the position of Head Teacher Teaching and Learning. The role of the person in this new position will include the co-ordination of professional development of teaching staff across the school and a leadership role within the expanded professional learning committee.



More authority to the SAM to develop and implement professional learning for all SASS, coordinated with the principal.



Sustaining and growing the dual student leadership groups; the elected Student Representative Council and the Leadership Team.



Continue to develop the capacity of staff to meet the demands of accreditation with additional support for those seeking to achieve the higher levels of accreditation.

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Strategic Direction 3 Communication and Organisational Effectiveness

Purpose The purpose of Strategic Direction 3 is to develop the communication processes used at Mudgee High to better ensure it is two way and informs planning and action. Strengthening the organisational effectiveness of whole school practices streamlines action and makes clear our purpose in all that we undertake.

Overall summary of progress We planned to have a greater percentage of staff using technology to effectively undertake their specific roles within the school. Hand-in-glove with this plan was to have a greater number of staff satisfied that the technology at their disposal met their needs. We planned to implement more flexible communication channels, including the use of social media, with the whole school community. We have established “closed group” Facebook pages with Years 10, 11 and 12. The success of these pages cannot be underestimated, with almost 100% take-up in each of the cohorts. In addition, several teachers have established “closed group” pages for their specific senior classes and these too have been highly successful. We planned to permit parents and carers accessing web communication better more timely access to school information. Parents are now able to pay for excursions on-line, explain absences on-line, and access both present and past newsletters on-line. We planned to put in place measures that would encourage a greater percentage of parents and carers to attend school events like formal presentations. Parent Teachers evenings have shown some improvement in attendance numbers through greater promotion on-line, but we still have a little way to go.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measure

Progress achieved this year

Improved Communication between Stakeholders.

Activated the parent portal on Sentral, permitting SMS messaging to parents re attendance, “POP” payments for excursions, on-line attendance monitoring. Imbedding Sentral usage has allowed us to replace older and, in some cases, no longer supported software. Implementation of electronic roll-marking, making attendance information virtually live. Used PL time after school to inform and train all staff in the use of Google Apps for Education, providing resources that make collaboration more effective between staff and staff, and staff and students.

The development and review of data, policies and reporting.

All vocational education training reporting moved to Sentral to trial the new system in Semester 2, 2015.

Resources (annual)

$18,000

Next steps 

In 2016, all student reporting will move to Sentral.



PL around the uses of Google Apps will continue, delivered by staff from within the school who are having success with this technology.



Mudgee High School’s BYOD policy will be finalised.

Next Steps

Key initiatives and other school focus areas

Key initiatives (annual)

Impact achieved this year

Resources (annual)

Aboriginal background funding

All Aboriginal students have an individual learning plan and are making progress across both the literacy and numeracy continuums. Aboriginal students with significant literacy and numeracy delays have been the specific target of intervention strategies including oneon-one tutoring in a school-based facility called The Learning Centre.

$72,320

Cultural events like participation in the Indigenous Games in Goodooga and NAIDOC Week celebrations were also part subsidised, making them more accessible to a greater number of Aboriginal students. English language proficiency funding

English language proficiency funding has been used to assist those students identified as experiencing delayed literacy and numeracy with specific intervention strategies including small group tutoring within our purpose-designed Learning Centre.

Targeted students support for refugees and new arrivals

No funding received in 2015.

Socio-economic funding

The provision of a Learning Centre within the school’s library, overseen by LAST staff and staffed by SLSOs, has been a great success and allowed us to both sustain and grow the QuickSmart literacy and numeracy initiatives. The impact these initiatives are having has been in improved results in reading comprehension, writing and numeracy, as well as improved attendance.

$95,519

Low level adjustment for disability funding

All of the students at Mudgee High School requiring adjustments and learning support are catered for within both class programs and via other whole school strategies. Adjustments were negotiated through the Learning Support Team and utilising the resources of LAST.

$92,365

Support for beginning teachers

In 2015 there were two permanent beginning (second year out) teachers at Mudgee High School. They both taught reduced loads and were assigned mentors so as to allow them to develop their respective crafts. They attended a network beginning teacher conference and engaged with addition PL opportunities so as to continue their professional development. Impact achieved this year

$16,080

Improved engagement and better attendance amongst Year 10 students identified as disengaged or potentially disengaging from school. See “Other School Programs” at the end of this report.

$59,481

Other school focus areas Link

$3,759

Resources (annual)

Mandatory and optional reporting requirements Student information It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all students be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Student enrolment profile

Post-school destinations Proportion of students moving into post-school education, training or employment

Year 10

Year 11

Year 12

%

%

%

seeking employment

N/A

0%

3%

employment

4%

11.8%

18%

TAFE entry

4.3%

11.8%

17%

university entry

N/A

N/A

40%

other

0%

0.7%

3%

0.5%

6.9%

19%

unknown

Student attendance profile

Year 12 students undertaking vocational or trade training 27 students in Year 12 undertook vocational or trade training in 2015.

Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalent vocational educational qualification Of the 121 student who were enrolled in Year 12 in 2015, 93.4% achieved an HSC.

Workforce information Retention Year 10 to Year 12

Reporting of information for all staff must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Workforce composition Position

Number

Principal

1

Deputy Principal(s)

2

Head Teacher(s)

11

Classroom Teacher(s)

49.7

Teacher Librarian

1

Itinerant Sec. Teacher - Hearing

1.4

Learning and Support Teacher(s)

2.3

Teacher Librarian

1

Careers Adviser

1

School Counsellor

1

School Administrative & Support Staff

17.372

Total

88.772

The Australian Education Regulation, 2014 requires schools to report on Aboriginal composition of their workforce. Mudgee High school has one SLSO who works closely and effectively with our teachers and students in the support unit. MHS also enjoys a close working relationship with the Mudgee Aboriginal Educational Consultative Group

Teacher qualifications All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools. Qualifications

% of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma

100

Postgraduate degree

100

Professional learning and teacher accreditation As a registered provider of professional learning, Mudgee High embarked in 2015 on a wellorchestrated program of delivering teacher-centred professional learning four Thursday afternoons in each term, beginning in Term 2. This is in addition to the significant funds the Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) team allocated strategically to professional learning across the school. Whole-school TPL occurred in child protection, CPR and anaphylaxis response training, as well as in the areas of technology and non-violent crisis intervention.

Financial information This summary covers funds for operating costs and does not involve expenditure areas such as permanent salaries, building and major maintenance. A full copy of the school’s 2015 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the parent and/or community groups. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school. Date of financial summary Income Balance brought forward Global funds Tied funds School & community sources Interest Trust receipts Canteen Total income

30/11/2015 $ 152454.70 868471.57 640591.74 448632.43 7057.43 109485.75 0.00 2226693.62

NAPLAN - Literacy (including Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation)

Percentage in bands: Year 7 Reading 35 Percentage of students

Financial summary

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 4

School performance NAPLAN 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. The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments.

7

8

9

Percentage in bands: Year 7 Writing 35 Percentage of students

66762.11 170477.51 129568.78 4781.89 1908.93 694859.27 360672.37 212359.42 0.00 233969.34 101253.40 127702.23 27582.20 2131897.45 94796.17

6 Bands

Percentage in Bands School Average 2010-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

Expenditure Teaching & learning Key learning areas Excursions Extracurricular dissections Library Training & development Tied funds Casual relief teachers Administration & office School-operated canteen Utilities Maintenance Trust accounts Capital programs Total expenditure Balance carried forward

5

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 4

5

6 Bands

7

Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

8

9

Percentage in bands: Year 9 Reading

40

35

35

30

Percentage of students

Percentage of students

Percentage in bands: Year 7 Spelling

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

25 20 15 10 5 0

4

5

6 Bands

7

8

9

5

Percentage in Bands School Average 2010-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

7 Bands

8

9

10

Percentage in Bands School Average 2010-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

Percentage in bands: Year 7 Grammar & Punctuation

Percentage in bands: Year 9 Writing

35

40

30

35

Percentage of students

Percentage of students

6

25 20 15 10 5 0

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

4

5

6 Bands

7

8

Percentage in Bands School Average 2010-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

9

5

6

7 Bands

8

Percentage in Bands School Average 2011-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

9

10

NAPLAN - Numeracy Percentage in bands: Year 7 Numeracy

35

40

30

35

Percentage of students

Percentage of students

Percentage in bands: Year 9 Spelling

25 20 15 10 5

30 25 20 15 10 5

0

0 5

6

7 Bands

8

9

10

4

Percentage in Bands School Average 2010-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

6 Bands

7

8

9

Percentage in Bands School Average 2010-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

Percentage in bands: Year 9 Grammar & Punctuation

Percentage in bands: Year 9 Numeracy

35

45

30

40

Percentage of students

Percentage of students

5

25 20 15 10 5

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

0 5

6

7 Bands

8

9

Percentage in Bands School Average 2010-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

10

5

6

7 Bands

8

9

Percentage in Bands School Average 2010-2015 SSG % in Band 2015 State DoE % in Band 2015

10

Higher School Certificate (HSC) In the Higher School Certificate, the performance of students is reported in bands ranging from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6 (highest).

School 2015

School Average 2011-2015

SSG 2015

State DoE 2015

School 2015

School Average 2011-2015

SSG 2015

Engineering Studies

Community and Family Studies

Business Studies

Biology

Ancient History

Agriculture

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

State DoE 2015

Mathematics General 2

Legal Studies

Industrial Technology

Food Technology

English (Advanced)

English (Standard)

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

School 2015

School Average 2011-2015

SSG 2015

State DoE 2015

School 2015

Visual Arts

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

School Average 2011-2015

SSG 2015

State DoE 2015

Textiles and Design

Society and Culture

Physics

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education

Mathematics Extension 1

Mathematics

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Parent/caregiver, student, teacher satisfaction Each year schools are required to seek the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school. Their responses are presented below. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and the positive environment that is the focus of the welfare strategies in place and being refined in 2015. Parents and carers support the acknowledgement of all student achievement in academic, cultural and sporting pursuits. Feedback provided by parents and carers in 205 has informed and focused school-based improvements to the ways in which the school communicates with the wider community. Students are aware of the roles played by their SRC and that SRC continues to flourish as a vocal advocate for improvement at school. Teacher satisfaction with whole-school performance can be best gauged looking at their responses to the School Excellence Framework self-assessment on page 3 of this report.

Policy requirements Aboriginal education Mudgee High School is committed to improving the educational outcomes and wellbeing of Aboriginal students so that they excel and achieve in every aspect of their education and training. Mudgee High School is committed to increasing knowledge and understanding of the histories, cultures and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of Australia, and this is reflected in our educational programs. The strength, diversity, ownership and richness of Aboriginal cultures and Custodianship of Country are respected, valued and promoted at Mudgee High School. Issues affecting Aboriginal students are addressed through collaborative decision making with Aboriginal parents, caregivers, families and their communities, and our AECG. The commitments we make to Aboriginal students and their parents and carers affirms the inherent right of those students to fair, equitable, culturally inclusive and significant educational opportunities so that all students obtain a high quality education as a

platform for enriching their life chances and achieving their full potential. Aboriginal education and training is a core business for all staff. Aboriginal education and training, like all of the instruction and skills development that occurs at Mudgee High, involves continuous, lifelong learning. It includes. In 2015, Aboriginal students at Mudgee High have been the beneficiaries of significant funding through RAM Norta Norta and additional Aboriginal background funding. Many of our Aboriginal students excel at school, achieving above average results. Many also fall into the lower bands of achievement in state-wide testing like NAPLAN. There are very few Aboriginal students who achieve in the middle bands. The key to success, in addition to the programs in place, is on-going liaison with parents and carers. The development of students specific ILPs for all Aboriginal students has allowed Mudgee High to make significant inroads developing school-home partnerships.

Multicultural Education and Anti-racism Mudgee High School’s teaching and learning programs are designed so as to be culturally inclusive. They foster the understanding of all students of what constitutes culture, cultural diversity and good citizenship in a democratic, multicultural society. The school has three trained Anti-Racism Contact Officers but such is the success of our teaching and learning programs that they are seldom called upon.

Other school programs  The Link Program.

The Link Program is an alternative education program that provides mentoring, training and employment opportunities for a group of approximately twenty five year 10 students at Mudgee High School who have been identified as disengaged or likely to become disengaged from education. The participants are primarily from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. The program is flexible, practical, stimulating and relevant, and promotes pathway options into years 11 and 12 at Mudgee High School; TAFE; an apprenticeship/traineeship or; traditional employment. The program assists selected students to enjoy their learning, set goals for themselves, improve

their self-esteem and confidence, and prepare for the transition to the workforce. Students in this program are offered the chance to learn both within and outside the traditional classroom. At times their “school week” may involve three days at school, one day at TAFE and one day at Work Experience or at an activity run by Youth Connections, the PCYC or with our school-employed Community Mentor. The mining company Glencore has provided significant financial support for this project. TAFE has provided a very different skills style of learning to which students often relate very well. Local Youth Support Agencies have provided special skills to assist students on an individual level. Local employers have been very willing to provide work experience and on-thejob training. A key aspect of the whole program has been the employment of a Community Mentor to work directly with the students. Mudgee High and Glencore have been very pleased with the work that Mr David Payne has done in this position. David has had a long association with the youth of Mudgee and has close links with both the business community and local government. He has special skills and experiences in relating to students of all age groups. The Link Program has: 

re-engaged students in school activities



provided pathways for transition into further study or work, and



built self-esteem and confidence to continue in training and education, including successful engagement in HSC studies.