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Annual Report 2006

CARLTON PRIMARY SCHOOL
4980

Annual Report to the School Community

School Overview

This is the second year of the Annual Report to the School Community. It is a simplified report that provides a clear picture of a school’s progress and achievements throughout 2006 as well as outlining future directions.  This report has been prepared in accordance with the Guidelines for Annual Reporting to the School Community.

The Department of Education has produced two documents to support Victorian schools in preparing the 2006 Annual Report. The graphs and tables that are presented in this report are from the Core School Performance Indicators Report. The information that has been used to determine the school’s progress is from the School Level Report.  A copy of the latter report is available to families upon request. 

It is hoped that the distribution of this report will promote further understanding of our commitment to providing an excellent education for all students within a caring, safe, and innovative learning environment.

This report is considered to reflect an accurate picture of the school’s progress and achievements during 2006 and I commend it to the school community.

Julie Large
Acting Principal

Carlton Primary School is a small, inner city school located close to Lygon Street and the University of Melbourne. Our school takes pride in its reputation as a welcoming, friendly, child-centred learning community, where children of the world learn in harmony.  Our school values are: Tolerance, Inclusiveness, Respect and Success. Reflecting the value we place on building strong, trusting relationships between home and school, our school motto is “Partnership in Learning – Home and School Working Together”.

A strength of Carlton Primary School is its ethnic diversity and strong sense of community, which contribute to a rich, cultural learning experience and understanding of others. Working in partnership with our families at Carlton Primary, we encourage our students to reflect on their values, cultural identity and beliefs, whilst celebrating the many benefits of living in our culturally diverse nation.

Our school services a vibrant, resilient community most of whom reside within the nearby Carlton Public Housing Estate. Our school families represent more than ten nationalities and over eleven languages. Over ninety percent of our students are from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. The majority of our families are  from the Horn of Africa, with most being from Somalia.  Student home languages include: Somali, Arabic, Turkish, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Oromo and Swahili. The demographic profile of our local community means that Carlton Primary School is a high-needs school, located at the extreme end of ‘Like Schools’ group 9.

As outlined in the Carlton Primary School Strategic Plan, the schools three main goals are:

• To improve student achievement in literacy across all levels
• To provide opportunities to establish the necessary social, intrapersonal and academic skills to ensure access to further educational opportunities
• To build a secure, stimulating and consistent learning environment for all students

Carlton Primary School is committed to implementing the Blueprint initiatives including the Victorian Essential Learning Standards, the Principles of Learning and Teaching and the Teacher Professional Learning and Performance and Development Culture. The New Student Report Cards will be introduced at Carlton Primary School during 2007.

Student Enrolments

The following graph shows our student enrolments between the years 2004-2006. Although the school continues to have a higher than average student mobility rate,   student enrolments have steadily increased over the past three years. During the August 2006 census there were 99 students; 45 males and 54 females. Demographic projections received from the Department of Education and Training in 2005 suggested that our student enrolments should increase over the next several years to around 150 students by 2010. Major redevelopment works on the Carlton Housing Estate are currently occurring and it is unclear as to how this will impact on future enrolments.

Staff Data

The average score for teacher satisfaction (morale) on the 2006 Staff Opinion Survey was 45%. This is significantly lower than the state average of 75% and can probably be attributed to changes in leadership (four Principals in a two and a half year period), and a lack of role clarity. A range of strategies have been implemented to address the issue of teacher satisfaction in 2007 and beyond.

The average number of days absent per teacher in 2006 was 7.19 days. This is slightly higher than the state average of 6.73 days but a marked improvement on the previous two years.

Of the 9 teaching staff at Carlton PS at June 2005 (including those on leave without pay), 7, or 78% were still at the school in June 2006. This figure across all Government schools was 87%.

Teaching staff participated in the following professional learning throughout the year;

• Australian Government Quality Teaching Program - ESL in Primary Schools
• Language Support Training Program
• Thinking Curriculum
• ACHPER - Physical Education in Schools Program
• QuickVic reporting
• Innovation & Excellence – Sustainable Schools

All teachers in Victorian Government schools are registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching. The requirements for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching can be found at; http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/content.asp?Document_ID=241

Parent Satisfaction

In an anonymous survey developed and scored by the Department of Education, parents were asked to what extent they agreed with the statement "Overall, I am satisfied with the education of my child". 
The average score for parent satisfaction at Carlton PS is 5.8 on a scale from 1-7, where 7 is the best possible score. The response rate for this sample group of randomly selected parents was 80%. This score indicates a high approval rating overall.

Acting Principal's Report

I am very pleased and proud to have been the Acting Principal of Carlton Primary School since July 2006.  In presenting this report I would like to formally acknowledge the commitment and support of the staff, families and School Council at Carlton Primary School. 

Our highly skilled and dedicated staff are committed to tailoring learning programs to meet the needs of our students, with the aim of maximising student engagement and learning outcomes. During 2006 there were six classes comprising: one Prep grade, two Prep/1’s a Grade 2/3 a Grade 3/4 and a Grade 5/6.  The average number of students in grades Prep-Grade 2 was 18 and in Grades 3-6 it was 20.  Classes were supported by the following specialist programs: Science, Computers, English as a Second Language (ESL), Reading Recovery, Literacy Intervention, Art and   Music. Specialist support was also provided by speech pathologist Elizabeth Beilby and Guidance Officer Anthea Rees.

In February 2006 we welcomed a new School Council President, Quman Ali. We sincerely thank Quman and the other school council parent representatives for their valued contribution to our school. The school also had a change of Acting Principal during the year. Jane Screen was in this role between February and June 2006. Julie Large was appointed to the role in July and will be continuing throughout 2007.

During 2005 the Carlton Primary School participated in a Department of Education and Training’s Diagnostic Review.  Following the review, a Strategic Plan was implemented, outlining the school’s directions over the period 2006 – 2009. From this strategic Plan, an Annual Implementation Plan  for 2006 was developed by the school community and endorsed by School Council and the Region.

Throughout 2006 partnerships were strengthened with: the Carlton Family Resource Centre, the Church of All Nations, St Jude’s Church, the Carlton Housing Estate Residents’ Association, the Office of Housing, YMCA’s Carlton Parkville Youth Services YMCA, the Carlton Police, the City of Melbourne, Carlton Library, University High School and the University of Melbourne. These relationships assist to enrich the everyday lives of our students and their families, by providing a wide variety of educational support and learning experiences. 

In 2006 there was an extensive range of classroom and extra-curricular activities, aimed at providing the students at Carlton PS with a variety of rich experiences. Activities included: Harmony Day, Carlton “Blitz” grounds improvement day, Prep-Year 6 swimming program, Interschool Sports, sports clinics, Kinder-Prep Transition Programs, Year 5/6 Advance Program with University High School, Cottage by the Sea camp at Queenscliff, Year 6 Graduation dinner, Breakfast Club, After School Care, Parent/Teacher Information Sessions, an end of year whole school excursion and a University of Melbourne physical education program.

A high priority for the school is parent engagement and strengthening community partnerships. In 2006 the Carlton Community Lifelong Learning (CCLL) Hub, a partnership with the City of Melbourne, began to work to support this priority. An innovative project, it is aimed at encouraging Carlton residents - particularly our students’ families - to participate in lifelong learning activities. Bec Harris is the coordinator of our CCLL Hub.  The Sorghum Sisters are members of the CCLL Hub and are based at our school in a refurbished commercial kitchen. Sorghum Sisters is a catering business specialising in traditional African cuisine. It is an Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES) community based social enterprise, owned and operated by three local African-Australian women. In the latter part of 2006 the Sorghum Sisters began providing a nutritious lunch menu to the school population on a weekly basis. Both of these initiatives add value and vibrancy to what is truly a community school.

Student Progress & Achievements

Student Learning

There are a number of issues which need to be highlighted in relation to interpreting learning data for students at Carlton PS. Firstly, with the high level of mobility of families within the school, it can be difficult to track one cohort of students across a number of year levels. eg. From fifteen Year 3 students in 2004, with movement in and out of the school, fifteen Year 5 students in 2006 could be up to 1/3rd new to the school. Secondly, some groups of students are so small (ie. Year 5 2006 with 4 students) that for privacy reasons their results are not made available through the School Level Report. Finally, technical difficulties were reported to have occurred during the entering of 2004 assessment results therefore no 2004 CSF results are available for this report.

Within the constraints of the above mentioned issues, the following analysis can be made from a range of student achievement measures.

Achievement Improvement Monitor (AIM) Results

The Achievement Improvement Monitor (AIM) is a statewide assessment and reporting program in English and Mathematics for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. During these paper and pencil  tests students answer a number of questions, solve problems and write their answers, to show what they know and are able to do.

The following graph shows the percentage of Year 3 and Year 5 Carlton Primary students who, according to their AIM test results, would be considered to have achieved at or above expected levels. For privacy reasons, when there are less than ten students in a year level who sit the AIM test, the results are not presented. Hence, only some information about our Year 3 and Year 5 students’ AIM achievements during 2005 and 2006, is presented on the graph.

The graph below shows that there has been a significant decrease in our Year 3 Reading results from 2005 (65%) to 2006 (25%). It is difficult to ascertain reasons for this significant and concerning data which is not consistent with CSF data results or national benchmarks. There is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that the 2005 AIM testing was administered with more teacher support to students than is requested, thereby making the 2005 results unreliable. 

As there is no data for maths in 2005, no comparison can be made.    

The graph below shows the achievement of our 2006 Year 3 students in the areas of reading, maths & writing. In the area of writing all of our students achieved at or above the national benchmark.

* Please note that for privacy reasons when there are less than 10 students in a Year Level who sit the AIM test, the results are not presented on the graph. Our 2006 Year 5 cohort consisted of only four students.

Early Years Reading

In 2006 73% of Prep students were able to read at Level 1. This is an improvement from 53% in 2005. In 2006 69% of Prep students were able to read at Level 5 with 90-100% accuracy. This is above ‘like schools’ results. In Year 1 only 40% of students were able to read Level 15 text with 90-100% accuracy; which was significantly lower than ‘like schools’ results (75%). A reason to explain this would be that of the 2006 cohort of Year 1 students “deemed capable” (ten students), 5 have been diagnosed with a severe language disorder. It is expected that this will have an impact on school data as that cohort moves through the school. In Year 2 all students were able to read Level 15 text with 90-100% accuracy; which was better than ‘like schools’ results. During 2006 90% of our Year 2 students were able to read Level 20 text at 90-100% accuracy, this is a significant improvement since 2004, when only 61% of our Year 2 students were assessed as reading Level 20 texts at 90-100% accuracy and 2005 when 85% of our Year 2 students were assessed as reading Level 20 texts at 90-100% accuracy. We continue to build upon our Early Years strategies to continuously improve our students’ learning outcomes.

Curriculum Standards Framework Two (CSF 11) English and Maths

Another measure of students’ progress is our teachers’ assessment   of students’ achievements at the end of each year. It should again be noted that technical difficulties were reported to have occurred during the entering of 2004 assessment results, therefore trend data is not available for this report, only comparison data with 2005 student progress can be drawn. 

Teacher assessment of our students’ reading, writing speaking and listening skills during 2006, indicates that their progress approaches ‘like schools’ students’ results. Teacher assessments of our students’  progress in maths in the areas of number and measurement, indicates that their progress again approaches ‘like schools’ results; with higher than ‘like schools’ Mathematics results in one year level. Several year levels achieved above ‘like schools’ English results. The biggest discrepancy between our data and “like school” data was in Prep level across all curriculum areas measured. This indicates that our students beginning school are significantly behind their “like school” peers but during their time at school (not withstanding issues such as severe language disorders) our students do make gains in coming up to (and in some cases matching), their “like school’ peers in all areas measured.

We do however acknowledge that during 2006 Carlton Primary School students did not do as well as ‘like schools’ on some areas of the CSF assessments and we continue to work towards building student achievements across all levels to equal or better our ‘like schools’ group.  It seems reasonable to find that students entering school with limited English, need time to acquire early literacy skills.

Goal: 

To improve student achievement in literacy and numeracy across all year levels

Targets:

AIM results in Reading, Writing and Number to be between the 25th and 50th percentiles against the state benchmarks by 2009
At the end of Grade 2 at least 60% of students to be reading at Level 20 by 2009

Strategies:

Early Years Numeracy Co-ordinator teacher training
Early Years Numeracy testing
Early Years Literacy testing
Structured Literacy and Numeracy Programs
Reading Recovery and Literacy Intervention Programs

Student Pathways and Transitions

At Carlton Primary School we have a Kinder-Prep transition program. This program is being revised to enhance communication between home, kinder and school and promote a better understanding of our students’ developmental needs, prior to them commencing school.

During Year 5 and Year 6, our students participate in a program to assist their transition to secondary school. The program spans two years to enhance students’ self-confidence and preparation for secondary education. In addition to visits to local secondary schools, sessions are presented on time management, social skill development and organisational skills. Parents are encouraged to attend the secondary school visits, as part of the transition process.

School Goal:

To provide opportunities to establish the necessary social, intrapersonal and academic skills to ensure access to further educational opportunities.

Targets:

Maintain current levels on Student Attitudes to School Survey for the variable of School Connectedness to School over the next four years
Increase student enrolments by 10% by 2009

Student Engagement and Wellbeing

Student Attendance

At Carlton Primary School we believe that maximum student attendance helps to consolidate student learning. Within a whole school approach we have endeavoured to address the issue of student absence. The following graph shows that the number of absences per student increased in 2005 but dropped slightly again in 2006. In 2006 the average number of absences per student was 16.4 days. The state average is 13 days. The school has high student mobility. The school also recognises that a fair portion of our average student absence rate, is also due to extended family  trips to visit families in their countries of origin . 

Punctuality remains an issue, with some students frequently arriving after the bell. We continue to remind parents that it is important for students to start school on time every day. Whilst monitoring all students’ attendance and time of arrival each morning, we carefully monitor the attendance patterns of “students at risk”  and  follow  up on students with irregular and/or late attendance.  We also promote the importance of consistent and timely school attendance, through our parent forums, school assemblies and newsletters. Student attendance data is also included on our twice yearly, Student Report forms.

School Goal:

To build a secure, stimulating and consistent learning environment for all students

Target:

Decrease student lateness  by 20% by 2008

Strategies:

Introduce P-6 Early Bird Attendance Cup Program
Introduce P-6 It’s Not Okay To Be Away Program

Student Connectedness To School

During the 2006 Student Attitude to School Survey, our Year 5 and Year 6 students  were asked how much they agreed with each of these five statements:

1. I feel good about being a student at this school
2. I like school this year
3. I am happy to be at this school
4. I feel I belong at this school
5. I look forward to going to school 

The following graph presents our students’ results.

Results from the 2006 Attitudes to School Survey indicate that our Year 5 and Year 6 students feel highly connected to Carlton Primary School. Results are in the “excellent” range in the areas of Wellbeing  (student morale) and Teaching & Learning ( teacher effectiveness, teacher empathy, school connectedness, student motivation and learning confidence). During 2006 students’ rating of student safety and classroom behaviour scored in the “needing improving” range. This was inconsistent with their ratings on all other aspects of school life. In the area of classroom behaviour there was a distinctive gender divide with boys significantly more concerned by the behaviour of their classmates than girls. All students showed significant concern about personal safety. On further discussion with students after the Attitudes to School Survey came back it would seem that students were referring to the wider Carlton Housing Estate as an area that they can feel unsafe rather than in the immediate school environment. At Carlton PS the boundaries between the school and the housing estate are not clearly defined. When questioned specifically about feelings of safety within the school all students expressed positive feelings around their safety within the school building and school grounds. Student well-being is a key area in our Strategic Plan and strategies are in place to address this aspect.

Goal:

To build a secure, stimulating and consistent learning environment for all students

Targets:

Increase the Year 5 and Year 6 results on the Student Attitudes to School Survey, Student Safety measure, by 2009

Strategies:

Introduce a Junior School Council
Provide more Student Leadership opportunities
Implement Safe Schools and Effective Schools strategies
Develop a whole school approach to enhancing students’ social competencies
Further develop the Student Welfare and Discipline Policy
Develop of Prep-Year 6 Values Program

Future Directions

The Carlton Primary School 2007 Annual Implementation Plan clearly outlines the future directions for the school in line with the Strategic Plan.

• AIM results in Reading and Writing to be between the 25th and 50th percentiles against state benchmarks by 2009
• At the end of Grade 2, 60% of students deemed as capable to be reading at Level 20 by 2009
• Staff Opinion in the variable of  Professional Growth to be at or above the state mean by 2009
• Staff to identify by April each year which students will be assessed using the ESL Companion
• Incidences of lateness to decrease by 20% from 2006 to 2009
• Increase the Year 5 and 6 results on the student safety measure on the Student Attitudes to School survey from 2005 to 2009
• Reduce incident reports by 20% by 2009
• Staff Opinion in the variables of student misbehaviour and student motivation to be at or above the state benchmarks by 2009
• Maintain current levels on Student Attitudes to Schooling survey for the variable of connectedness to school over the next four years
• Increase enrolments by 10% by 2009

Carlton Primary School will continue to work hard toward meeting the needs of our students, and engaging our parent community. We are also committed to achieving expectations and embracing future challenges and opportunities.

2007 will see the introduction of a range of programs and strategies including the following:

• Increased number of curriculum focussed meetings
• Termly planning days for all staff
• Developmental play based curriculum trialled in the early years
•  “It’s Not Ok To Be Away” attendance program
• Improved newsletters
• Redesigned School’s Website
• Environmental Education Specialist Teacher
• Rain Garden environmental project
• Multicultural Schools Garden project
• Physical Education Specialist Teacher
• Bluearth physical education & wellbeing program
• P-6 Multi-Age Clubs Program
• Active After-School Program
• Playgroup and Parents’ English Language Classes
• Sewing group for mothers
• “Understanding Schooling in Victoria” parent sessions

During 2006 a successful application was made for a  Federal Government “Investing In Our Schools”  grant, to assist in the upgrading of our school facilities, grounds and library.

Financial Performance

The total operating budget below includes only the cash transactions of the school. The operating statements are monitored twice termly by School Council.

During 2006 a range of excursions and physical education programs (e.g. swimming, gymnastics and tennis) were provided for students at minimal or no cost to their families. These programs form an important part of the school’s extra-curricular activities, beyond regular classroom programs, and are an integral part of a child’s comprehensive education at Carlton Primary School. 

At times during the year, some casual relief teachers were employed to cover staff absences, or whilst staff attended a range of professional development programs. 

Some classroom furniture and teaching resources were upgraded in 2006.  Educational Maintenance Allowance assisted in the provision of students’ everyday classroom needs (e.g., pencils, pens, paper) and learning program materials. Other than salaries to pay casual relief teachers, the balance of the expenditure was on materials and equipment to support the school’s goals and targets as outlined in the Strategic Plan and on the administration, upkeep and maintenance of our school.

 

Financial Performance for the year ending 31st December, 2006		Financial Position as at 31st December, 2006
Revenue	2006 Actual	Funds Available	2006 Actual
DE&T Grants	114,979	High Yield Investment Account	89.643
Commonwealth Government Grants		Official Account	3,636
State Government Grants	9,686
Other	45,236
Locally Raised Funds	83,893	Term Deposit	40,684
Total Operating Revenue	253,794
		Total Funds Available	133,963
Expenditure		Financial Commitments	2006 Actual
Salaries and Allowances	22,216	Accounts Payable Control
Bank Charges		Camps/Excursions
Consumables	25,205	Building/Grounds including SMS	10,000
Books and Publications	4,289	Special Programs inc Student Services
Communication Costs	7,305	Region /Clusters Funds
Furniture and Equipment	24,734	Professional Development	5,150
Utilities	23,498	Other ( please list)
Property Services	40,839	School Operating Reserve	10,000
Travel and Subsistence		Total Financial  Commitments	25,150
Motor Vehicle Expenses
Administration	53,436
Health and Personal Development
Professional Development	3,548
Trading and Fundraising	4,217
Support/Service
Miscellaneous
Total Operating Expenditure	209,287
Net Operating Surplus/-Deficit	44,507
Capital Expenditure  ( Cases 21 Finance Only)	6,413
Please note that the above amounts do not include any credit revenue or expenditure allocated or spent by the school through its Student Resource Package

 

School Contact Information

Address:	Cnr Palmerston & Drummond Streets Carlton 3053
Principal:	Julie Large
School Council President:	Quman Ali
Telephone:	9347 6022
Email:	carlton.ps.neil@edumail.vic.gov.au
Web site:	vicnet.net.au/~carlcomm/

 

This report contains summary data extracted from the School Level Report. If you would like to access the School Level Report, please contact Jane Spiers