School Council Update 

SCHOOL COUNCIL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – AUGUST 21st 2024

PRESIDENTS REPORT

2023 saw Clifton Hill Primary school continue to build upon the great progress from the previous year, when our school community returned to full-time on-site learning. The School Council again was focused on providing opportunities for the school community to reconnect, whilst the school and staff were focused on the key areas of learning and wellbeing. The school achieved a score of 97.7% endorsement from parents on the 2023 parent opinion survey for general school satisfaction, which is 13% higher than the state primary school average.

The Annual General Meeting is an opportunity to summarise our Council’s focus throughout the year, and also highlight the excellent progress of our students.

In 2023 we had 680 students, 40.5 full time equivalent (FTE) teaching staff, a principal, three assistant principals (2.8 FTE) and five leading teachers and learning specialists. Additional support was provided through the allocation of 7.05 Education Support (ES) staff, including classroom integration and office administration staff and 1.2 (FTE) tutors. 

Clifton Hill Primary School focuses on excellence in educational outcomes for all students, regardless of background and ability. The Annual Report demonstrated that the schools focus on learning outcomes was effective with NAPLAN results showing that CHPS had a higher percentage, in comparison to other state schools and similar schools average, of students achieving Strong or Exceeding for Year 3 and 5 Reading and Numeracy. This was supported by PAT-Reading and PAT-Maths results where; Pat-Reading adaptive assessment results indicated that 64% of students in Years 2 - 6 were working 1 year or more ahead of the expected level and 30% were working at the expected level, and Pat-Maths results indicated that 98% 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: Smiling Minds as a prevention and evidenced based mindfulness practice for all school staff which was then extended to the classroom, EIPulse a student wellbeing tracking tool for grade 4-6 students and the continued implementation of the Respectful Relationships curriculum. In 2023, year 5 students were involved in the election of leadership positions for 2024, with the appointment of 16 captains. Younger students in grade 2-5 were involved in Junior School Council, Peer Activity Leaders program and buddies to support leadership development, school connectedness and foster relationships. Support from a school-based psychologist assisted student social skills development. 

The Trivia Night, Colour Run and Comedy Night and the School Fair were the major fundraising events and provided the school community with opportunities to connect and celebrate. We acknowledge the role the school community plays in financially supporting our school through such events as this ensures we have state-of-the-art materials and equipment and quality teaching and learning opportunities for all students. In total, School Council raised approximately $157,000 over the course of 2023 through their fundraising efforts, which supported critical maintenance of the school buildings, and a stand-alone science program.

In August 2023, grade 5 and 6 cohorts moved into the state-of-the-art building, a $12.76 million dollar modernisation and upgrade, allowing much needed space for our growing classrooms. The teachers and students were extremely pleased with the new building and classrooms, which gave more flexibility for learning. The move into the new campus allowed the grade 3 and 4 cohorts to move back into the Organ Factory, allowing the reopening of the school library in 2024. 

School Council held an official building opening in December 2023, complete with a performance by the school string ensemble, conducted by Ross Henderson. Parents were offered smaller groups tours of the new campus by Principal Megan Smith. School Council began working closely with Yarra Council and local government to upgrade the Gold Street School Crossing, which will enable our students to safely and independently transition between our school campuses. This was raised by Victorian MP Ellen Sandell, and School Council will endeavour to have this important school crossing funded in 2024. 

In 2023 our school was again able to offer camps for our students in years 3-6, as well as a range of incursions and excursions for all children at the school. Expenditure for school camps has risen in the last two years, however, we understand that students greatly benefited from these experiences.  The School Council was committed to ensuring students were able to re-engage with these memorable experiences. 

Other highlights from the year included students from grades 4-6 participating in School Sports Victoria Regional events for swimming, cross-country and athletics. We also celebrated one student who represented the school at State athletics for long jump. Clifton Hill Primary School received sporting school funding throughout 2023. 

The school participated in the Alliance Française Berthe Mouchette Poetry competition (with several of our students competing as finalists), and in National Tree Day. Grade 5-6 students competed in the Math Olympiad and many of the high achieving mathematicians were recognized with Distinctions and High Distinctions in the Australian Mathematics competition. The school offered opportunities for testing major curriculum (numeracy, science and literacy) through the ICAS program. Regular school assemblies were held, and parents were treated to some terrific performances throughout the year from choirs, rock bands and classes across the school.   

The school finished with a net surplus of $230,681 for the year ending 2023, which was largely attributed to the fundraising from the school fair of almost $100,000. This money was allocated to a refurbishment of the Organ Factory – carpets and painting – in early 2024. The School was also required to pay $129,000 staffing deficit to the Department of Education in 2024. There was again a significant reduction in parent voluntary contributions, (~72% received in comparison to >90% in previous years), resulting in a reduction of ~$100,000 to the overall cash budget compared to previous years. 

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.