School Strategic Plan for Devon Meadows Primary School – 3924.

2016 - 2019

2

Endorsements

Endorsement by School Principal / Name: Wayne Lovie
Date February 2016
Endorsement by School Council / Name: Rebecca Griffiths
Date February 2016
School Council President’s endorsement represents endorsement of School Strategic Plan by School Council
Endorsement by the delegate of the Secretary / Name…Peter Greenwell
Date February 2016

2

School Profile

Purpose / At Devon Meadows Primary School we strive to support each child on their personal learning journey with a high expectation of individual success. Parents, Teachers and Children all work together to assist students progress in their learning and achieving their best. We want them to work towards becoming independent learners who possess the skills to ask questions, solve problems and make decisions about their own education.
We believe children learn in an environment that is safe, both physically and emotionally, and is engaging through the provision of innovative practice, resources and programs.
Values / 1.  Respect for self, others and the environment.
2.  Teamwork between students, teachers and parents to ensure learning continues throughout a child’s time at DMPS.
3.  Commitment to Learning – All children are able to achieve a level of success in the development of key skills throughout their learning journey in the areas of literacy, numeracy, learning (life) and social skills no matter how difficult the task.
4.  Friendship – students, teachers and parents work together to build lasting and shared friendships.
Environmental Context / Devon Meadows Primary School is situated in an attractive rural setting, approximately 7km south-east from Cranbourne. The school opened in 1916. The school will celebrate its centenary in March 2016.
In October 2015, the school has a student population of 215 students, organised into 9 classes. The student population has been declining in recent years. This trend is predicted to continue over the foreseeable future and this will pose challenges around staffing and programs. Students come from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and settings including rural acreages and urban areas of Cranbourne. Most students are driven to school as they reside outside of walking distance, many passing by other local schools to attend Devon Meadows. The majority of students do not live within our neighbourhood boundary and make a choice to attend our school as it has a small, community-based environment. A well- established Kinder to Prep transition program has been developed to encourage enrolments and help prepare students for their Primary School journey. Each year, students come to our school from up to 9 different local Kinder/Childcare programs.
The SFO for Devon Meadows Primary School is currently 0.5192 (in 2015). The number of students where English is a second language has remained low for the pre-ceding few years.
Devon Meadows Primary School is located two roads outside the urban growth corridor that extends south from Cranbourne, along Browns Rd. Future land development on Craig Rd is currently underway and could house new families within the next 3-5 years.
The school has an excellent BER building which has six classrooms as well as learning spaces which include kitchen areas. All other classes occur in relocatable classrooms. The Devon Meadows Community Hall is located on site and is run by a committee of management made up of the City of Casey, the Uniting Church of Australia, community members and the Devon Meadows Primary School Council. As managers of this facility, the students and parents of DMPS have great access to this large hall for sports, assemblies and other activities as required throughout the year. The grounds are extensive and each class has a garden area which they, along with teachers and parents maintain and develop as a class project each year.
Students are organised into classes around the AusVELS levels. Teachers work collaboratively to plan and deliver the curriculum in line with our School Strategic Plan and the key improvement strategies and targets therein. There is a Junior (Prep-2), Middle (3/4) and Senior (5/6) school team. Specialist classes offered include Physical Education, Performing Arts and Indonesian. The Visual Arts are incorporated into classroom learning programs and is taken by class teachers.
The teaching staff at Devon Meadows Primary School are a blend of experienced and teachers with a few years experience. There are a number of Education Support Staff working with students on the Program for Students with Disabilities and in administration roles.
The school is fortunate in having highly supportive parents who work with teachers and students in classrooms or as part of the Parents Association raising funds for school projects or on School Council.
Service Standards / ·  The school fosters close links with parents and the broader school community through its commitment to open and regular communications.
·  The school commits to the active sharing of its vision and goals to ensure school community engagement in the school’s strategic plan.
·  The school guarantees all students access to a broad, balanced and flexible curriculum including skills for learning and life.
·  The school provides a safe and stimulating learning environment to ensure all students can achieve their full potential.
·  All students will receive instruction that is adapted to their individual needs.
·  The school will respond to all communication by parents and caregivers within two working days.
·  Parents will be engaged regularly when their child does not behave in a socially acceptable manner.
·  Students will play an active part in the development and review of the school’s behaviour policies.
·  All teachers will provide timely and targeted feedback to students on their work.

Strategic Direction

/
Achievement
Achievement refers to both the absolute levels of learning attainment and growth in student learning that schools strive to support.
While recognising that literacy and numeracy are essential foundations for students’ success, achievement outcomes encompass a broader view of learning, spanning the full range of curriculum domains, as well as students’ co-curricular achievements. / Key improvement strategies
Key improvement strategies are the high-level actions that the school will undertake to achieve its goals and targets. They represent the sequential process of change that will need to occur if the goals and targets are to be realised. Key improvement strategies are broad and are likely to take several years to implement successfully and sustainably. Implementation of the key improvement strategies will be documented in detail through the school’s Annual Implementation Planning process.
Goals
Goals are aspirational statements. They define what outcomes the school is striving to achieve. Goals evolve from the school’s purpose, values and context and build on the analysis of student outcomes undertaken through the self-evaluation and review processes. / To achieve high quality educational outcomes for all students, with a particular focus on English and
Mathematics. / Implement an evidence-based teaching and learning model across the school.
Embed whole school pedagogical practices in the teaching of English and Mathematics.
Streamline Mathematics Learning Ladders to provide a guaranteed and viable curriculum.
Targets
Targets are defined measures of the successful achievement of the school’s goals. Targets can take a number of forms and may focus on the outcomes achieved by all students, such as the learning growth all students will be expected to achieve, or on the outcomes of a smaller group of students. / ·  By 2019, 90% of students will be performing at the expected level or above based on teacher judgement of student achievement against AusVELS in Reading, Writing and Mathematics.
·  By 2019, to have at least 75% of students achieving in the medium and high relative growth category in NAPLAN, Reading, Writing and Numeracy.
Actions
Actions are the specific activities to be undertaken in each year to progress the key improvement strategies. There may be more than one action for each strategy. Schools will choose to describe actions with different levels of detail. / Success criteria
Success criteria are markers of success. They are useful in demonstrating whether the strategies and actions have been successful. Success criteria often reflect observable changes in practice or behaviour. To simplify and focus the school’s monitoring of progress, only a limited number of success criteria should be set.
Year 1 / ·  Enhance teacher practice by implementing an agreed teaching and learning model in line with the Victorian Curriculum.
·  Teachers participate in quality professional development in areas of literacy and numeracy that link back directly to classroom practice.
·  Embed CAFÉ across the school.
·  Identify appropriate teaching and learning strategies that foster differentiation.
·  Review whole school assessment schedule. / An Action Research Project will be set in place by the end of term 1, 2016, which will monitor the implementation and progress of the Fitzroy Readers throughout the Junior School. Data will be entered regularly into a data storage program as part of the project.
An audit will be conducted and completed as to the understandings of teachers in using the CAFÉ approach. Gaps in understandings will be identified and professional development will be provided for teachers.
The school’s approach to using the CAFÉ model to teaching reading comprehension will be documented.
Common literacy and numeracy planning documents P-6 which reflect AusVELS and provision for teaching oral literacies and vocabulary.
Data collected about student progress and used regularly by PLTs to identify student cohorts, to plan, implement and monitor intervention strategies to improve learning outcomes for all students.
Investigation of whole school writing approach completed and professional development for staff is complete.
All teachers following revised assessment schedule, completing a range of quality assessments to inform teaching and planning.
Year 2 / ·  Document whole school approaches to teaching English and Mathematics.
·  Strengthen and embed the capacity of Learning Teams to plan and use data from a variety of sources to plan for differentiation.
·  Embed writing approach across the school.
·  Focus on collegiate reflection and peer mentoring across the school.
·  Further develop teacher capacity to cater for the learning needs of individual students. / An assessment of the Action Research project into the implementation of the Fitzroy Readers in the Junior School will have taken place and be presented to staff. Refinements will be made as necessary to maximise student achievement.
Implementation of Fitzroy Readers in Middle School.
Evidence in team and teacher planning documentation of the use of CAFÉ reading.
A school wide pedagogical approach to teaching writing being used across the school.
Improved student outcomes in English and Mathematics.
Year 3 / ·  Continue best practice in teaching English and Mathematics using agreed pedagogical approaches across the school.
·  Continue collaborative approach to planning and assessment.
·  Continue with peer observation and feedback. / Implementation of the use of the Fitzroy Readers into the Senior School.
Embedded differentiation in English and Mathematics planning and teaching.
Improved student outcomes in English and Mathematics.
Year 4 / ·  Continue to monitor the progress of the implementation of the Fitzroy Readers across the school.
·  Continue to refine teacher practises in the use of the CAFÉ reading model for teaching reading comprehension.
·  Continue to refine teacher practises in school wide approach to teaching writing. / School Strategic Plan targets met.
Engagement
Engagement refers to the extent to which students feel connected to and engaged in their learning and with the broader school community.
Engagement spans students’ motivation to learn, as well as their active involvement in learning.
Engagement also refers to students engagement as they make critical transitions through school and beyond into further education and work. / Key improvement strategies
Key improvement strategies are the high-level actions that the school will undertake to achieve its goals and targets. They represent the sequential process of change that will need to occur if the goals and targets are to be realised. Key improvement strategies are broad and are likely to take several years to implement successfully and sustainably. Implementation of the key improvement strategies will be documented in detail through the school’s Annual Implementation Planning process.
Goals
Goals are aspirational statements. They define what outcomes the school is striving to achieve. Goals evolve from the school’s purpose, values and context and build on the analysis of student outcomes undertaken through the self-evaluation and review processes. / To have highly motivated, inspired and engaged students who understand what they are learning and who strive to do their best.
To improve student attendance across the school and reduce student lateness. / Develop a set of understandings with students, parents, and teachers about what a successful learner looks like.
Investigate low student engagement in writing.
Educate parents and students about the impact of student absences and lateness using the Every Day Counts resources.
To create a school-wide consistent approach to recording and following up on and improving student attendance.
Targets
Targets are defined measures of the successful achievement of the school’s goals. Targets can take a number of forms and may focus on the outcomes achieved by all students, such as the learning growth all students will be expected to achieve, or on the outcomes of a smaller group of students. / Increase the school means for the student Attitude to School survey in the following variables:
·  Learning Confidence
·  Stimulating Learning
To be at or above the State mean by 2019.
Student attendance mean score in Prep to Year 6 to reduce to 14.5 days by 2019.
Actions
Actions are the specific activities to be undertaken in each year to progress the key improvement strategies. There may be more than one action for each strategy. Schools will choose to describe actions with different levels of detail. / Success criteria
Success criteria are markers of success. They are useful in demonstrating whether the strategies and actions have been successful. Success criteria often reflect observable changes in practice or behaviour. To simplify and focus the school’s monitoring of progress, only a limited number of success criteria should be set.
Year 1 / ·  Teachers, students and parents participate in process to identify what a successful learner looks like.
·  Establish learning intentions and succuss criteria in each classroom.