Internal assessment data
Best Start and Progressive Achievement Testing (PAT) assessments indicate that student achievement in literacy and numeracy varies significantly, with some students exhibiting low-level skills and knowledge, and others excelling. We have concluded that our students require a high level of support in reading for meaning and developing their skills in inferential meaning and text analysis. Best Start Kindergarten Assessments demonstrate students are coming to school with an awareness of rhyme, book knowledge and simple counting and addition strategies.
More professional learning around progressions, learning intentions and success criteria is required and how to embed them into practice. There is no structured assessment schedule. Assessments are evident in programming including both summative and formative assessments.
School plan
From the two strong threads through the previous two school plans around continual whole school improvement and the whole school community working collaboratively to support the wellbeing of all, there has been significant improvement in classroom teacher pedagogy, with programs, lesson observations and professional discussions demonstrating an understanding of high impact teaching strategies. The need to move towards a reflective practice based on data analysis (QDAI) to make strategic decisions is required. Although we may not be meeting targets, we are seeing better growth indicators for students moving from S2 to S3. Our wellbeing practices are being developed and refined.
Embedding evidence informed practice
Feedback from teachers has overwhelmingly demonstrated the impact of the Instructional leader on teacher pedagogy. Staff work collaboratively to research, analyse, design, develop and reflect on classroom teaching practice. The implementation of evidence informed practices, including Teaching sprints, has supported staff with their explicit teaching practices, use of high impact teaching strategies and data analysis. A staff drive for changing spelling teaching has seen a whole school shift towards the teaching of spelling. As this is a new initiative, at this stage there is little evidence to support this change, other than student feedback on understanding how to spell words more effectively.
Teacher programs
Teacher programs for English reflect a strong understanding of student current learning needs based on information collected through assessment for, of and as learners. There is evidence of differentiation, deep reflections and the collection of data to inform practice. The reliance of textbooks for the teaching of maths and other subject areas still exists and needs reviewing to allow for better teaching of Working Mathematically and effective use of assessment for, of and as learners. Syllabus use is evident; however it is clear that learning is required in these areas, beginning with developing a conceptual understanding of mathematics. Scope and sequences are outdated in all areas except for science and technology and English.
Wellbeing
There is little evidence on data collected or used to inform wellbeing practices. All staff PDPs reflect a need to develop better understanding of effective wellbeing practices, with all staff developing a research project to inform changes at WTPS. Student voice, through TTFM, is in its early phase of implementation. Student sense of belonging is lowest, in Years 4 and 5.
Professional learning
Professional learning has been highly structured based on the needs of individual teachers, driven by the Instructional Leader (now retired) with a focus on English. As we move forward, significant learning around the teaching of mathematics and embedding the high impact strategies already learnt is the next step in learning. We also need support to better understand formative assessment, the use of learning intentions and success criteria.