School Council - Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting is an opportunity to communicate our Council’s focus throughout the year and highlight the excellent progress of our students.
In 2024 we had 699 students, 33.2 full time equivalent (FTE) teaching staff, a principal, three assistant principals (2.8 FTE) and seven leading teachers and learning specialists. Additional support was provided through the allocation of 9.26 FTE Education Support (ES) staff, including classroom integration and office administration staff and 0.6 (FTE) tutors.
Clifton Hill Primary School (CHPS) focuses on excellence in educational outcomes for all students, regardless of background and ability. The Annual Report demonstrated that the school’s focus on learning outcomes was effective with NAPLAN results showing that CHPS had a higher percentage, in comparison to other state schools, of students achieving Strong or Exceeding for Year 3 and 5 Reading. We continue to perform well above the State average in Numeracy for Year 3 and 5. This was supported by PAT-Reading and PAT-Maths results where; Pat-Reading adaptive assessment results indicated that 65% of students in Years 2 - 6 were working 1 year or more ahead of the expected level and 27% were working at the expected level, and Pat-Maths results indicated that 57% of students were working at or above the age expected level.
School Council recognised the importance of focusing on student and staff wellbeing and supported the school’s ongoing initiatives including: Smiling Minds – prevention and evidence-based mindfulness practice, EI Pulse - a student wellbeing tracking tool for grade 4-6 students and the continued implementation of the Respectful Relationships curriculum. In 2024, a selection of grade 6 students became student leaders in the Stand Up Project which is a whole-school approach that aims to reduce discrimination, harassment, and bullying within the school community. The grade 6 students were trained to run sessions for parents, teachers and grade 4 students. Younger students in grade prep - 4 attended an incursion facilitated by Brainstorm Productions to inspire and empower students to be respectful, responsible, assertive and resilient. In addition, School captains and Junior School Council, PALs and buddies operate to develop student leadership, school connectedness and foster relationships. Support from a school-based psychologist assisted student social skills development. In addition, in 2024 students in grades 3 – 6 participated in camping programs and a range of incursions and excursions were run for all children at the school.
In 2024 staff engaged in professional learning around the Berry Street Model. The model assists staff in developing an understanding of how to increase the engagement of students with complex, unmet learning needs and successfully improve all students’ self-regulation and wellbeing with strategies that incorporate trauma-informed teaching and positive education practices.
A highlight of 2024 was the 150th celebration of CHPS. CHPS opened in April 1874. The school took a ‘150’ themed whole school photo, hosted a 150th afternoon tea, offered tours, a photo exhibition and an evening event to celebrate this milestone. Other highlights from the year included students from grades 4-6 participating in Regional and State events for swimming, cross-country and athletics, student participation in the Alliance Française Berthe Mouchette Poetry competition, National Tree Day and regular school assemblies.
In terms of overall financial position, the school finished with a net operating deficit of $128, 783 for 2024 which can be attributed to:
· High staff retention rates; in 2024, 60% of teaching staff were at the highest classification level of CT2-6 or above.
· A significant reduction in voluntary parent contributions and fundraising contributions – a reduction of $192,255 compared to 2023.
· Increased utility and property service costs with the addition of the new Senior Campus.
The Parent Trivia and Comedy nights, Colour Run and the School Fair were the major fundraising events and provided the school community with opportunities to connect and celebrate. In total, School Council raised over $150,000 over the course of 2024 through their fundraising efforts, which supported critical maintenance of the school buildings, a stand-alone science program and supported the offering of two LOTE programs. We acknowledge the role the school community plays in financially supporting our school through fundraising contributions to ensure we can provide quality teaching and learning opportunities for all students.
The School has contract agreements with Team Kids (Out of Hours School Care Provider), German Saturday School, UJEB, Creative Music and the Merri Creek Anglican Church.
As a Council we are proud of the progress we have made in fundraising for the school community, and we are grateful for the fantastic teachers who consistently aim to sustain and improve educational outcomes for our children.
Mary-Helen McIlroy
President
Post Meeting Discussion: How does the school motivate the community to contribute the full amount of voluntary contributions? This will be a focus of future council meetings.