Snippets from our 2019-2023 Review

St Anne’s School has been successful in achieving the intent of the school improvement goals while managing the challenges presented by the pandemic. Improvement goals were directed towards deepening Catholic identity, ensuring clear and consistent behaviour management and improving student outcomes through evidence-informed practices. Building staff capacity through professional learning has been integral to each school improvement goal.

In the area of Religious Education (RE) the initial focus was to build a strong prayer culture. Exploration of the nature of prayer, facilitated through membership of a prayer collective, expanded teachers’ understanding. This led to enriched approaches to prayer in the classroom. Separating the delivery of RE curriculum into two streams addressed the school’s need to build staff content knowledge. Stand-alone lessons that focused on Scripture and Liturgy allowed far more specific teaching of Scripture that aligned with the Religious Calendar. The second stream, the integration of RE into inquiry allowed for explorations of Catholic social teaching. Within units of inquiry, students were encouraged to think deeply about their Religion to draw clearer connections between faith and their world. Teachers are now more confident in their own knowledge of Scripture. The school’s Catholic identity has been strengthened.

With the purpose of aligning teaching practice, a pedagogical plan was documented and this plan identifies expectations and desired practice in key learning areas. There is now a clear vision for teaching and learning across the school which is underpinned by evidence-based practice. A number of key strategies have contributed to the development of aligned practices. Professional learning centered around both curriculum content knowledge and building teachers’ data analysis skills. A structure of professional learning teams (PLTS) and the introduction of facilitated planning, resulted in the effective use of data walls, learning intentions and success criteria. A distributed model of leadership has empowered staff as teacher-leaders.

Improvements in Literacy appear to be the result of explicit teaching that addresses point of need. The school is achieving strong growth in Literacy. Literacy outcomes are stronger than those in Numeracy. More recently, the school reviewed its approach to Numeracy. As a result of engagement in regional opportunities which focused on both curriculum development and Numeracy leadership, staff are developing better understandings of best practice in Numeracy. The teaching strategies that have been introduced are already showing improvements in outcomes.

Professional learning and an emphasis on consistency has clarified a whole school approach to behaviour management. There are solid structures in place to support expected behaviours. The approach to wellbeing is a strength of the school. A comprehensive range of programs and interventions support the students with diverse learning needs. St Anne’s School has a warm relationship with its families and acknowledges parents as partners in the education of their children. Involvement in school life is actively encouraged. As a result, families are very supportive of the school and value the sense of community that is fostered. Reaching out to families through digital platforms has enhanced communication. Parental participation on site was impacted by the pandemic. The school is continuing to review, rebuild and nurture the range of opportunities for family engagement moving forward.

Strengths

-There is a strong focus on the wellbeing of each child. Students’ needs are at the core of decision-making and the school has an aligned approach to behaviour management that is embedded through its Be statement values.

-The school has a welcoming and inclusive culture; families value and trust the school. There is a strong sense of community.

-A caring, committed staff demonstrate high levels of teamwork and teach to the point of need.

-Instructional leadership is underpinned by rich curriculum knowledge that drives school

improvement.

Recommendations

As St Anne’s School engages in the process of strategic thinking and planning, manifesting in the development of its School Improvement Plan for the next four years, the reviewer recommends that the school:

-Continues to build staff capacity within a culture of high expectations through strengthened data Literacy, widespread adoption of high impact teaching strategies and peer observation.

-Embeds a whole school approach to the learning and teaching of Numeracy through coaching and facilitated planning.

-Strengthens student voice, agency and engagement by building staff capacity to facilitate student empowerment in learning and decision-making.

You will notice the three recommendations are journeys we have already commenced.

Well done to everyone!

Rod

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Kilbreda

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