Principal's message

Welcome back to school! It was so lovely to see all students returning to class today and I'm continually impressed by the way in which our school community transitions between onsite and remote learning, despite the incredible challenges we've all faced. As you will see below, there were also some successes worth acknowledging.

I wish to thank staff who supported up to 28 F-6 students who were attending learning onsite over the last two weeks. The group consisted of a small handful of essential workers, with the bulk of students requiring face to face teaching to ensure continuity in their learning. Reflecting on our previous experiences with remote learning, this time around we were able to identify students whose learning would be seriously affected and encourage them to learn onsite. With all hands on deck, classroom and specialist staff plus Education Support staff and our tutor worked together to provide small group and 1:1 support to ensure that student learning continued for all students. Some classroom teachers were balancing online classes with onsite classroom supervision on a daily basis, which is testament to their commitment to student learning.

At lunchtime today I met with representatives from the Junior School Council and School Captains to gather insights from them about their experiences with remote learning over the last two weeks. Below is a summary of the challenges and successes they described from either their experience or the experiences of the peers in their class.

What were the successes that you experienced during remote learning?

'We were able to sleep in longer, have lots of breaks and I had more time to get ready for my learning'- Salma
Students were able to take control of their own learning and be more responsible'- Munira
'We were able build on our technology skills'- Ifa
'I believe that there was enough work set for the two weeks of lockdown'- Randy
'Teachers were really kind and calm when teaching' - Adil
Reading and writing was explicit.
This time around it was less stressful as teachers had appropriate expectations
'I like how Camelia gave use extra equipment in our home learning packs'- Ruby
'We spent more time with my family' Mabel
'Its good to meet up with friends and stay connected' Edie
'For most people it was easy to log on as we have done it before' Randy
The learning activities were fun- Whole group
Specialist lessons were easy to access and were posted on Compass .
There were some links to PE, Art and Performing Arts

What were some of the challenges you faced?

'I didn't like how we had to have like so many meetings' I only had ten minutes of rest!- Mabel
We really wanted two WebEx sessions rather than one
We wanted more learning tasks in Compass
How did teachers know that students weren't just copying?
'When students were at home they would be gaming/on YouTube instead of learning'- Ruby
Learning Maths online was tricky because we didn't have all the materials that we would normally have in the classroom
Another family member might be using the laptop
Family members being a distraction to my learning
The Internet connection dropping in and out
Having a loud background and not enough space in house
Signing in using compass and remembering the password
Some of us had trouble logging into Webex because the links didn't work
Waiting in the Lobby was annoying
Some people were silly and wasted learning time
Students procrastinated a lot

School review report for the next 2020 - 2024 cycle

Early this term the school undertook a review to mark the end of the 2016-2020 School Strategic Plan and prepare for the new SSP which is currently in the process of being developed. The next School Strategic Plan will be shared with the community via the newsletter, Compass and the website once it has been finalised.

The following information is from the report provided to the school by the panel and reviewer.

Performance against the School Strategic Plan (SSP) goals and targets

SSP Goal 1:

The 2016 to 2020 School Strategic Plan for Fitzroy Primary School set a goal to ensure learning success for all students, particularly in Literacy and Numeracy. The Panel found that the school partially met this goal, with the first two target sets being partially achieved.

SSP Goal 2:

The second goal was to create an environment where learning could flourish; with target sets related to increasing the positive endorsement levels across variables of each of the three state-wide opinion surveys, and a fourth target related to decreased absence levels. The Panel found the school had partially met this goal, with one of the four targets fully achieved and two target sets partially achieved.

SSP Goal 3:

The third goal set for the school was to enhance community relationships and confidence in the school, through enhancement of the physical environment and profile within the wider community. Targets for this goal included two measures from the Parent Opinion Survey related to school pride and confidence. The Panel agreed that the school had also partially met this goal, with one of the two targets achieved.

Findings against the Terms of Reference Focus Questions

Focus Question 1: To what extent are shared pedagogical approaches and practices embedded in all classrooms?

A calm and orderly learning environment; supported by consistent, positive school-wide approaches, was noted by the Panel. The Panel found that the school had developed and documented consistent curriculum planning and instructional models, and heard that the building of all teachers’ capability in using these models had been a key focus of professional learning. At the time of the review, the Panel found that the structures and expectations within these models were yet to be embedded in all areas of the school.

Focus Question 2: To what extent is authentic student voice and agency activated in learning across the school?

The Panel heard from staff and students that there had been some progress in the area of empowering students through recent work on setting of learning goals, and the use of teacher-student conferences to develop feedback and reflection on these goals. However, teachers and leaders at the school acknowledged that the activation of authentic student voice and agency in learning was an area of future development for the school.

Focus Question 3: To what extent are structures and processes at the school supporting effective analysis and use of data to inform teacher planning and practice?

Parents and students told the Panel that they had high levels of trust in the teachers’ professional knowledge and their understanding of each child as an individual learner. The school’s data collection processes and use of a revised assessment schedule were outlined to the Panel, along with the investment in building teacher capability to use assessments in curriculum planning that responded to students’ learning needs. The Panel recommended that the use of evidence-based approaches in planning for differentiation of teaching be a key improvement strategy in the next School Strategic Plan.

The School Review Panel recommends the following key directions for the next School Strategic Plan:

Student voice and agency in learning
Evidence-based high impact teaching strategies
Data-informed planning and teaching
A culture of high expectations for all learners

Proposed Goals for the next School Strategic Plan

Maximise the learning growth of all students in Literacy and Numeracy
Improve all students’ engagement and agency in their learning

Angela Richmond

Principal