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Plumpton High SchoolAnnual Report

2018

8514

Printed on: 30 May, 2019 of 24 Plumpton High School 8514 (2018)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2018 is provided to the community of Plumpton High School as an account of the school'soperations and achievements throughout the year.

It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities forall students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self–assessment that reflect the impact of keyschool strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equityfunding.

Timothy Lloyd

Principal

School contact details

Plumpton High SchoolHyatts RdPlumpton, 2761www.plumpton-h.schools.nsw.edu.auplumpton-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au9625 7020


Message from the Principal

Plumpton High School enjoyed another successful year in 2018 becoming one of the top 10 NSW schools for movingstudents into higher Bands in the HSC and the school achieved the highest HSC result in the Network. SchoolVice–Captain Jessica Szakacs, the Dux of the 2018 cohort received a Ministers Award for Excellence and won theWestern Sydney University Fast Forward Academic Excellence Scholarship that provides $20,000 over 4 years tosupport her at university. She also received the highly regarded Jim Anderson Memorial Scholarship. This achievementhas come on the back of the previous school Plan 2015–2017 where significant infrastructure across teaching, learning,leadership and wellbeing have been developed and implemented. Being the first year of the 2018–2020 School Planimplementation, it was pleasing to see staff, students, parents/carers collaborate to ensure the best possible outcomesfor our students. The three strategic directions of the School plan – Build and consolidate intellectual infrastructure, Buildand consolidate relationships (incorporating self–concept) and Build and nurture reflective practices have built upon theprevious School plan.

Average HSC marks have improved over time from 2014 –2018. Data demonstrates that in 2017 & 2018 schoolsaverage HSC mark was higher than the State average. 2018 Tell Them From Me data highlights strong connectednessof students at the school – high wellbeing and expectations (61%) above State evident. Exceptional 2018 HSC exit data– from a cohort of 100 students, 36 early offers of University placement prior to the HSC made to students and a total of63 University offers were made to students. These offers have been unconditional based on strong student academicrecords and engagement in other school and community based activities. Some of these include; representation as aStudent Executive Council member by being either a School Captain, Vice–Captain or Prefect, completion of Duke ofEdinburgh Award Scheme, Blacktown Youth Ambassador, NSW Government Youth Advisory Council, ProjectManagement, Volunteering, Charity work, Ministers Awards for Excellence, Leadership in school development.

All school staff are skilled with data expertise – currently all staff are devising individual learning profiles usingassessment, other data combined with relevant Teaching and Learning sequences that support student engagement,critical thinking and promote learning success.

The last four years has seen stability of the senior leadership team (principal, 3 deputy principals) that has assisted theschool to implement, realise and build on the improvement trajectory and is evidenced by: Identification and developmentof leadership depth, both with students and staff; Leadership journeys being supported, mapped and mentored; Studentand staff agency developed and embraced in all aspects of school operation and system review; Professional learning ofstaff based on research, intellectual rigor, syllabus and reflective classroom practice; Diversity of quality curriculumofferings for students – e.g. currently 10 VET frameworks linked to industry partnerships and expectations; Strongwellbeing – student voice & agency processes and systems underpin daily work of all students and teachers. The schoolembraces positive psychology, growth mindset and choice theory. Work with eminent researchers support work andprovide extensive opportunities. In addition, a school culture exists where every student is: Known, valued and cared for.

Supporting this significant growth and enabling priorities to be realised at Plumpton High School is the funding providedto the school through the Resouorce Allocation Model (RAM). Additional human resources with specific expertise hascomplimented previous staff capacity to improve teaching and learning, leading to improved outcomes. The addition of aSchool Chaplain, Pacific Islander Community Liaison Officer (PICLO), deputy principal, school psychologist, Technologylearning facilitator, has led to an enhancement in well–being and psychology support has improved the schools capacityto identify and meet the needs of specific groups of students. The school actively works with a raft of external providersacross a range of government agencies to support student needs and access to education. In 2018 the newly formedSupport Unit has assisted staff understanding and capacity to differentiate, make accommodations and adjustmentswhen both reverse integration and in mainstream classrooms. A very high functioning and in demand support program isevident.


School background

School vision statement

The school’s vision is based on the premise that excellence comes when students and staff commit to becoming the bestthey can be, contributing to the local and global community in a meaningful way. Plumpton believes this goal can be bestrealised within a supportive, innovative, creative and stimulating educational environment focussed on buildingintellectual capacity, positive relationships, strong self–concept, leadership capacity and high quality reflective practices.

School context

Plumpton High School is located in an urban area serving a diverse population within a low socio–economic context. In2018, 1022 students attended the school, representing over 65 different nationalities, including 102 Aboriginal students.

Our students are able to take advantage of a range of subjects that include elective choices from year 7 to 12 and a widevariety of VET courses. Extra–curricular opportunities include performing arts, student leadership, science, technologyengineering and mathematics (STEM), and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme. The school is widely recognised forits commitment to providing high quality support for Aboriginal programs and education.

Our strong community partnerships have been strengthened through our alliance with the Australian BusinessCommunity Network (ABCN), Citi Group, AMEX, the ABC, Blacktown City Council, Western Sydney University, theIndigenous AFL Academy, AIME and organisations such as Rotary, the Beacon Foundation and the local businesscommunity. With committed neighbourhood spirit, we work strategically with our local primary schools (PEC – PlumptonEducation Community) to deliver innovative, future–focussed teaching and learning projects and shared values.

As a result of our daily work students graduating in 2018 were rewarded overall with pleasing HSC results, with thehighest ATAR in the area. One third of the year 12 cohort received early offers from universities prior to the HSC. OurVice Captain was selected to join the NSW Government Youth Advisory Committee, and one of the Year 11 Prefectswas chosen as the 2018 Blacktown City Council Youth Ambassador following on from 2017. In 2018, three of our year 10students received national ABCN scholarships 2018–2020 (three of thirty–two across Australia) Plumpton High Schoolhas also been recognised in the past receiving the Director–General's Award for Outstanding School Achievement, theRegional Director's Award for School Achievement for our work with PEC and the Regional Director's Award forInnovation in Technology.

Self-assessment and school achievement

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework,school achievements and the next steps to be pursued. This year, our school undertook self–assessment using theSchool Excellence Framework. The framework supports public schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence byproviding a clear description of high quality practice across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

In the domain of Learning we have continued to focus on student engagement and higher order thinking to buildstudents' intellectual capacity, whilst continuing the work of developing a safe and supportive learning culture,encouraging students to be courageous and take risks in their learning. With staff consultation and input thedifferentiation team adjusted the PHS teaching and learning framework that supports programming and the delivery ofagreed outcomes. The team has continued action learning within the school in 2018. This has resulted in furtherdevelopment and refining of high quality programs that identify surface, deep and transfer learning. Formative andsummative assessment are built into the programs to inform student learning and progress. Teachers have identified anddesigned appropriate tools for students to access the curriculum and are integral to our programs. Theseevidence–based practices are underpinned by Hattie's work on visible learning to focus students and teachers oncreating formative checkpoints ensuring student learning is evident and progressing thus enabling teachers to revisitconcepts not captured or move onto new work. The school continued to use the Instructional Inventory Practicesprogram to record levels of student engagement during 2018. Significant shifts of student engagement were evident fromthe data analysis that occurred each term. Further improvements from 2017 were evident with students engaging inhigher order thinking both collaboratively and individually resulting in higher levels of attainment at the HSC level and areduction in student management issues. The school's work on emotional and social development has continued throughour Positive Psychology program and our teachers use school developed frameworks to support learning, using beingthe best we can be, raising responsibility and choice theory practices to engage and manage student learning. A staffhandbook was produced to assist teachers in using the PHS agreed frameworks in order to maintain consistent, positivelanguage and the management of student behaviour across the school.


The leadership team has continued to develop school–wide practices for assessment and reporting, the collection of dataand testing to ensure that student progress is being tracked so that impact can be measured. This has occurred throughthe Accelerated Reader program (established in 2017) in stage 4 and 5 where students read during class every day inEnglish, HSIE and Science. Reading progress and levels continued to be analysed each term and show strong growth inReading across Year 7, 8 and 9. The data team has also set up systems for the monitoring and continuedself–assessment of learning programs in the school. The Tell Them From Me data indicates that lessons are effectiveand efficient and we are tracking above the state norm. Students have also indicated that lessons are relevant to life withthe school mean at 6.2 above the state norm of 5.8. Students feel that classroom instruction is well organised with clearpurpose and that immediate feedback helps them learn. Again the school has performed above the state norm.

In the domain of Teaching all teachers engaged in the Performance and Development Framework, where supervisors ledtheir faculties in conducting lesson observations, formal and informal conversations, reflection and analysis of teachingpractice in order to set goals that were aligned with their own needs and including an alignment with the school's visionand strategic directions. Goals were reviewed throughout the year and a second round of observations helped to informteachers and supervisors as to how teachers were performing in their craft. Once again our teacher mentors supported alarge cohort of beginning teachers through regular meetings and check ins, assistance with accreditation in alignmentwith the professional teaching standards. Twilight professional learning consolidated some of our practices in theprogramming model and staff consultation and feedback informed adjustments in its complexity throughout the year.New staff to Plumpton High School in 2018 who had not been through the process of development required mentoringand coaching to adjust to the model. We continued to focus on the development of staff knowledge and capability arounddeveloping teaching programs that are aligned with NESA compliance but utilise evidence based practices for bestpractice.

School–based professional learning time was spent in the latter half of the year on Project based learning for theteachers of stage 4, 2019. This professional learning was adjusted following the pilot and implementation in 2017 of year7 and informed our directions for the entire stage 4 curriculum. In term 4 teachers focussed on planning cross–curriculaprojects and working collaboratively in teams across faculty. Implementation across stage 4 meant that the number ofassessment tasks for year 7 and 8 were significantly reduced. Evaluation of the projects in 2018 informed thedevelopment of the 2019 programs. Twilight professional learning highlighted the use of Data in the classroom and how itinforms practice and the ability to track student learning. The school increased it's data analysis of student ability usingdiagnostic testing for literacy and numeracy. (PAT–R, PAT–M). The Learning and Support Faculty implemented Mac–Litfor students with special needs and significant shifts in reading occurred for the students engaged in the program.

The school engaged Teacher Mentors to support beginning teachers and staff new to the school in 2018. Systems are inplace enabling staff to collaborate on their practice within and across faculties. Mentors supported staff towards theirgaining their accreditation. All staff new to the school were trained in ENVoY to support positive relationships and ourwellbeing frameworks. In Term 4, the Mentors evaluated the current Mentor program to align with the School's strategicdirections for implementation in 2019. The Tell Them From Me data indicates the school is again tracking above the stateaverage in creating positive learning climates and setting expectations for success.

In the Leadership domain, the executive team worked rigorously to build the capability of staff to step into leadershiproles. The 2IC program continued and was highly successful in assisting Head Teachers to spread some of the workloadand build the confidence of some of our less experienced staff. in faculty and team management. The Leadership teamparticipated in further coaching and mentoring professional learning provided by Lead Management presenter RobStones and Judy Hatswell. In term 4, the school introduced the Heads of House position, offering four additionalleadership roles for staff to strengthen school culture and student engagement. This followed the successfuldevelopment and implementation of the new Merit system 'Celebrating Success'. The House and Merit systems are fullyintegrated across all facets of school life and also recognising the contributions and achievements in the broadercommunity.

Our school has developed and continues to recruit the assistance of outside agencies and business organisations toprovide extraordinary opportunities for students beyond our school. Resource management is led by the BusinessManager and the Principal and funds are used creatively to design and resource and source innovative programs thatwill promote student wellbeing, engagement and skill development, providing our students with the best possible exitoutcomes when they exit Plumpton High School. Our Administrative team regularly provide professional advice andlearning for school teams beyond our school and across the state. The Principal developed and delivered financecourses for all secondary school Principals across NSW in 2018. The Deputy Principal and Principal deliveredworkshops on Wellbeing and Change processes in schools at a State–wide conference on Innovative practices inschools.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine our school plan, leading to further improvements in thedelivery of education to our students. For more information about the School Excellence Framework:https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching–and–learning/school–excellence–and–accountability/sef–evidence–guide


Strategic Direction 1

Build and consolidate intellectual infrastructure

Purpose

We foster future focussed, adaptable and confident learners capable of flourishing and solving real world problemsthrough collaboration, innovation, creative and critical thinking.

Overall summary of progress

During 2018 we audited and evaluated our teaching and learning programming model to ensure clarity of process andunderstanding across the school. The evaluation included a staff survey and faculty focus groups. The data from thesurvey enabled us to adjust our timeline and reduce some of the complexity that existed in the current model. Facultieswere given more flexibility in how they used the Surface, Deep and Transfer model in their contexts. The year 7 rollout ofProject Based Learning saw an increase in student engagement and higher order thinking. New teachers reported thatthey would have liked more professional learning around PBL prior to the implementation, however that professionallearning took place during the year as time became available.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

Students are able to articulatetheir learning, the building ofcapability and ability to transferand apply their learning indifferent contexts.

IPI program Large numbers of changes to staff as well asfaculties being at different levels of progress in theprocess has highlighted the need for support to beongoing and differentiated and strategic. Someexamples of this include aligning HTs with otherswho have devised strategies for overcoming similarproblems, building all compliance and complianceplus processes into a formal induction program forthe following years.

Designing an evaluative tool based on the PBLprinciples identified in the initial phase of PBLdesign enabled staff to be reflective of theeffectiveness of their practices throughout PBLimplementation. It also enabled project leaders toidentify areas for further development in order tostrengthen PBL delivery in 2019

Student work samples show evidence of higherorder thinking and differentiated learning

Increased percentage of studentsachieving value–add and/orimproved band performance in NAPLAN, School–basedLiteracy/Numeracy initiatives andHSC.

Accelerated Reader –$8000 Socio–economicbackground funding

Senior Study Initiative1.25FTE – Socio–economicbackground funding$134000

Positive Psychology – 3staff 2 periods a fortnight

The Learning and Support team has collected twoyears of data on the Reading and Mathematicsability of our intake of year 7 students. Theintroduction of the Accelerated Reader programproved valuable with average growth of studentsfrom 1–3 years.

In 2018 the school average percentage of studentsin the top two bands for NAPLAN moved from 5.4%to 6.52%. In both Years' 7 & 9 the school trend hascontinued to shift students out of the middle tohigher bands. The baseline data established fromlooking at the Pat–R and Pat–M testing indicates

The school has been recognised as one of the topten schools in the state for moving students out ofthe bottom two bands at HSC.. From 2014 –2018.There has been a reduction in the number ofstudents in the bottom two bands from 22% in 2014






Increased percentage of studentsachieving value–add and/orimproved band performance in NAPLAN, School–basedLiteracy/Numeracy initiatives andHSC.

to 8.2% in 2018. One of our students achieved thehighest ATAR in the network of schools.

Next Steps

The PHS programming model is consolidated in stage 4 and 5 and teachers will be working towards implementationwithin the stage 6 curriculum over the next one to two years, whilst incorporating new syllabi as they are released. Nowthat the Stage 4 and 5 programs are compliant with NESA standards and Departmental requirements, the team hasevolved to incorporate the initiatives across the whole school plan to enhance teaching and learning programs. The teamwill work in conjunction with the Observation and Feedback, Assessment and Reporting and Literacy and NumeracyTeams to ensure alignment with the PHS Teaching and Learning Framework. It will also be responsible for developingcoaching/mentoring/leadership skills through alignment to the lead standards and school excellence framework.



Build and consolidate relationships

Purpose

We create and nurture a school community that is courageous, inclusive and supportive developingpositive self–concept. Advocating for positive and respectful relationships encourages our students to connect, succeedand thrive within and beyond school.


Data and evidence supports a significant positive shift in school learning and wellbeing cultures. The upward trend ofattendance from 2014 – 2018 has continued with our student attendance percentages now above state average.Subsequently the suspension data supports a downward trend from 2014 – 2018. The school has been recognised in thecommunity as a school of choice as evidenced by our increasing enrolment applications from year 6 into 7. OurPlumpton Education Community schools continue to support our GAT programs and attract students into the schoolfrom years' 5 and 6 and we have expanded from offering 3 programs in 2015 to 10 in 2018. The diversity of the GATcurriculum provides opportunities for both girls and boys and enrolments in year 7 would suggest that it has helped us tomaintain our gender balance. The Celebrating Success merit and House system has had a very positive impact onschool culture, sense of belonging and spirit.





School community articulates andcontributes to a positive culturereflecting positive relationshipsthat are measured by reducedreferrals, improved attendance,increased recognition ofachievement and success.

Operational Expenses

Choice Theory TrainingJudy

Judy Hatswell PositivePsychology

$3000

A Wellbeing Handbook was designed by thePositive Psychology team and rolled out as eachsection was created. All staff have access to thehandbook. Sign audit needed in 2019 andcontinued roll out of the additional frameworks.Goal settling was implemented in term 1 with year 7and 9, it was revisited informally in PP lessons.However, needed to have more staff engagement inthe process to ensure that these are used as a toolto build staff and student relationships.

Staff survey has been completed. This will guidethe staff Teacher Professional Learning for nextyear.

Parents were invited to consult with the school atParent/Teacher Night and at the Aboriginal Studentconference. Parents regularly contact the AEO andhave a good relationship with her. The AEOaddresses their concerns and feeds back to theteam. PATHE – continued its links with the WSUthroughout the year. A Fillipino cultural group wasformed with four staff attending Quirindi HSexcursion 3 days interacting with students fromother Western Sydney schools and across NSW.

The suspension data followed the decreasing trendfrom 258 in 2013 to 131 in 2018. Increased studentengagement is evidenced by our once a termsnapshot of student engagement InstructionalPractices Inventory (IPI) data. We began collectingthis data in 2016 and there has been a steadyincrease in observation of student engagementfrom the initial data collection. Observation ofclasses engaging in higher order thinking (the toptwo codes) has risen from 19.7% in August 2016 to36.8% in September 2018. The percentage of






School community articulates andcontributes to a positive culturereflecting positive relationshipsthat are measured by reducedreferrals, improved attendance,increased recognition ofachievement and success.

disengaged students has reduced from 25.7% to12.2% in the same time frame. This supports ourview that the teaching and learning and positivepsychology programs are having a significant affecton student engagement.

The Celebrating Success team researcheddeveloped and implemented a new model ofrecognising student achievement that focused onthe whole person and incorporating school–basedand community initiatives. The merit system wasrolled out in Semester two 2018 and has been verypositive in increasing school culture, sense ofbelonging and school spirit. The attendance datasupports this.

A new House structure was developed andimplemented in Term 4 and has created anotherlevel of student and staff leadership in the school.The students and staff have embraced the newsystem as can be seen on almost every schoolassembly, carnivals and sporting activities. The TellThem From Me Data confirms that Plumpton hashigher levels of advocacy and expectations (61%)in comparison to both the state (53%) and similarschool groups (50%).

Next Steps

More opportunities to be sought in 2019 with other cultures. It is our intention to expand Harmony Day Activities for 2019and the Multicultural Day. Continue to build the Sister City partnership with Blacktown City Council incorporating Filipinoand Indian communities.

An evaluation of the Positive Psychology curriculum will take place with the possibility of goal setting and expanding intoreporting and student self reflection. The House system to be consolidated and expanded to include community andwhole school projects.

Continued expansion of the Student Executive Council structure, linking to the House system increasing and improvingleadership capacity of the students and staff.



Build and nurture reflective practices

Purpose

Our learning community engages in genuine reflection based on current research to bring about choice and change.


During semester two the observation and feedback team built on research from Nottingham to conceptualise a Feedbackand observation framework for the school. Development was halted on this project due to multiple competing prioritiesand staff leave. Significant work was undertaken by the Data team to establish an Evidence Bank for the collection,analysis and triangulation of data to inform impact and future directions. Staff meetings and professional learningestablished a system and this was rolled out to staff during two Twilight professional learning evenings. The Learningand Support team built on already established processes of collecting information about transition students and the datateam assisted with uploading this information onto Sentral increased staff accessibility. The evidence bank repositorywas utilised by the teams to store their analysis and proved useful in our ongoing self–assessment within the SchoolExcellence Framework.





Increased student engagement,higher order thinking

85% of students demonstrateincreased student engagementthrough progress of learning as aresult of reflective practices,feedback, assessmentsubmission and, acceleratedreader, IPI and externalsources. (examples of productdevelopment through a variety ofmediums)

See strategic direction 1 and 2 PBL, Relationshipsand Accelerated Reader data, IPI and results in theHSC. The reflective practices team has not begunthe development of processes to captureinformation for this improvement measure.

School community regularlyengages in reflective practicesthat demonstrate measureableimprovement in student learningoutcomes and teaching practice.(Professional learning, facultymeetings, PDPs, action learningteams, self–assessmentprocess).

Operational Expenses

Future Shaped Consultingfor Executive LeadManagement

$5 500

Leading Change Gonski

$1 800 four execuitve

Staff Development Days(3)and Twilight Sessions(3)

six at $1 311 = $7 864across all three strategicdirections

TTA – RegisteredProfessional Learning forstaff

$23 607

Contextualised Professional Learning wasdeveloped and delivered by school teams thatspecifically linked to the School Improvement Planand Strategic directions. This was delivered at acombination of three staff development days, threetwilights and various staff forums and mustersthroughout the year. Reflective practices are builtinto our professional learning and PDPs which haveat least on goal directly linked to the school plan.Professional Learning of the executive is the majorfocus every fortnight and links to school and statepriorities. The executive feed this professionallearning back into their faculties so that staff areabreast of current trends.

Leadership Capacity at the school takes a highpriority with a rigorous 2IC process in place, teamleadership, external providers, opportunities forstudents and staff to step into leadership roles andbe mentored by a combination of external andinternal leaders. Examples include PositivePsychology teachers, Student Executive Council(SEC) coordinators, Heads of House. Studentleadership examples include Team leadershipwithin the SEC, House captains, prefects, Junior






School community regularlyengages in reflective practicesthat demonstrate measureableimprovement in student learningoutcomes and teaching practice.(Professional learning, facultymeetings, PDPs, action learningteams, self–assessmentprocess).

Staff Conferences

$ 812

Other P/L

$21 224

SEC. These teams meet regularly and discusspriorities, evaluations of recent activities to informadjustments.

Next Steps

Continue development and implementation of an agreed observation and feedback framework that is linked to theteaching and learning model. Redevelop the Blackboard Configuration and reassess Learning Intentions and successcriteria. Build on the evidence bank by forming concepts to integrate our team projects that will capture the elements ofthe School Excellence Framework and reduce the number of data sets required for monitoring and self–assessing ourpractices. Continue our professional development on data informed and data driven learning in the structuring ofengaging lessons and quality teaching and learning programs.


Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

Aboriginal background loading 1.4 FTE AboriginalEducation Officers $83,922

operational expenses $587

Maintained Aboriginal attendance at wellabove state average and well above similarschool groups. In 2018 85.4% State is 83.7%and similar school groups are at 77%. Ourtrend data suggests that our attendancetrajectory has maintained its upward trendcompared to similar school groups that showa downward trend over time.

Our students participated in AIME, Pathwaysto Dreaming, AFL Indigenous Academies andare assisted by the Aboriginal EmploymentService. Our Aboriginal Dance troupeperformed once again at School Spectacularand in various community projects andprimary school events.

All students have a PDP that includes theirtotem and goals for their Learn2Learn Skills

English language proficiency Teacher (0.6 )FTE $70823 Taught ESL English HSC class, supportedstudents that were integrated into mainstreamclasses. Improved data systems for EALDstudents and International students.

Low level adjustment for disability Head Teacher T/L (1.0)FTE$129 675

Learning support teachers(4.0) FTE $489 913

The Learning Support Team was led by theHT Teaching and Learning and delivered fourlearning support classes in stage 4 and 5 thatwere supported by Student Learning SupportOfficers through strategic use of integrationfunding.

The team captured baseline data to measuregrowth of student numeracy and literacythrough Pat– R and Pat–M. They continuedthe Mac Lit program which supportedstudents with low ability to gain skills inreading and writing. They developed a systemto capture data for the NDDIS collation ofdata that was streamlined. All students wereissued with Collaborative learning plans tosupport teachers in differentiating thecurriculum. Management of Life Skillsstudents for the HSC continued and theymanaged the HSC Disability provisions for 24students.

Socio–economic background Staffing HumanResources

Deputy Principal (1.0) FTE$148251

SLSO and AEO (0.6) (0.2)$22 851

Business Manager (1.0) CL7/8 $62 098

SAO (1.2) $73 738

Para–professionalTechnology (0.4) $39 749

GA 90.4) $24 165

GAT and Positive Psychology – See Strategicdirection 2 overall summary of progress

50 % of year 9 achieved Bronze status in theDuke of Edinburgh program.

Contractor maintained school network incollaboration with DET and managed ourtechnology in the school.

SLSO supported groups of and individualstudents with Learning difficulties.

It Paraprofessional supports the LOTERobotics program, the IT contractor andwebsite development and digital school sign

GA supports the continued improvement and


Socio–economic backgroundSLSO (1.8) $115 248

GAT Clubs program

Operational Expenses$10 163

Engineering & Technology$16 630

Phone Apps & Coding $13469

Robotics & coding $13 469

Duke of Edinburgh $13 500

Dance $ 13 500

Music $1 595

Art & Design $18 520

Media and Communications$13 705

Forensic Science $13 080

Drama $13 535

Positive Psychology

1.47 FTE $353 046

IT Support – Contractor$42 131

Student Assistance

$9 400

Technology & Room 30 $62 315

maintenance of the physical environment ofthe school to benefit students and staff.

Purpose built Multimedia room to facilitatetechnology in the classroom and increasecollaboration in student learning.

Support for beginning teachers Head Teacher (1.3) $167864

Operational ExpensesEnVoy Training for 25teachers $1250

Acted as mentor to beginning teachers, ranweekly support meetings for BTs thatincluded professional learning and opportunityfor dialogue about classroom practice andwhole school priorities.

Eight teachers gained their accreditation atproficient. Staff completing maintenance werealso supported.

Assessment and Reporting


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2015 2016 2017 2018

Boys 454 435 459 487

Girls 473 472 475 474

The schools presents a much more even spread acrossboth genders than in previous years. This can beattributed to the diversity of curriculum offerings at theschool.

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2015 2016 2017 2018

7 92.8 90.9 90.3 93.8

8 89.3 88.3 87.6 90.9

9 88.2 89 88.8 89

10 87.1 85.3 88.2 88.6

11 86.3 80.5 83.8 90.7

12 85.6 84.5 90.2 85.9

All Years 88.2 86.4 88.2 90

State DoE

Year 2015 2016 2017 2018

7 92.7 92.8 92.7 91.8

8 90.6 90.5 90.5 89.3

9 89.3 89.1 89.1 87.7

10 87.7 87.6 87.3 86.1

11 88.2 88.2 88.2 86.6

12 89.9 90.1 90.1 89

All Years 89.7 89.7 89.6 88.4

Management of non-attendance

As our positive school culture strengthens through ourthree strategic directions and students are challengedand supported in their learning and wellbeing theschool's attendance data is continuing the positivetrend and for the first time since 2015 we are abovestate average across the whole school.

The Head Teacher Administration meets regularly withthe Deputy Principals and Home School Liaison Officerto monitor attendance in year groups. Strategies areput in place to support students who are non–attendersand this is monitored by this team. Teachers use

electronic roll marking each period to record studentattendance. The school has a care and control processin place to monitor attendance and submission of tasks.This is led by the HT Teaching and Learning and theSenior Study team to support students to be at school.

The school introduced an across curricula, sport andcommunity recognised merit system in 2018 and that isintegrated with the newly formed Heads of Housesystem. These two initiatives strengthen school culture,a sense of belonging and increase engagement andmotivation for students to be at school.

Retention Year 10 to Year 12

In 2018, Plumpton continued its strong growth in postHSC student exit data. This reflects our dedicated focusin creating a curriculum that is based on student needsand interest. In stage 4 and 5, students are providedwith opportunities in electives that provide interest intheir learning beyond mandatory subjects. In stage 6students' curriculum offering is diverse offering alltraditional HSC and Preliminary courses with theinclusion of multiple School based VET courses (8),School Based Traineeships, e–vet TAFE courses andleadership programs. Stage 5 and 6 are supported byour innovative Futures Centre that is focussed onproviding opportunities and advice for students' futures,setting up work experience, traineeships,pre–apprenticeship courses and course advice.

Student leadership has continued to be transformedfrom a largely symbolic role to one that undertakessignificant actions to solve problems worth solving inthe world. It is standards based, ensuring any studentwho is willing to develop the skills and attributes can bepart of the Student Executive Council Leadership Teamand as such become a school leader. It involvesunderstanding and developing the capacity toimplement the Gazelle Project Management structure,a commercial program. Students then implementinitiatives/projects with a focus to improve lives at theschool/local community, state, national andinternational level. In 2018 there were 4 captains, 12School Prefects and 53 students across the school inyears 7–10 engaged in student leadership.

A Student Futures and Career strategy has beenimplemented, where all Year 10 students develop aCareer Path Plan linked to Senior Curriculum choicewhich develops students' capacity and includestargeted work experience and TAFE tasterprograms.,often leading to re–engagement andretention. An integral part of the Futures strategy is thesignificant corporate partnerships the school hasdeveloped with companies such as Citi Group, theABC, Microsoft, Amex, Commonwealth Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and TAL. These partnerships as anexample provide students in years 9–12 with theessential leadership skills and other capabilitiesrequired to engage in a successful, meaningful career.Executive role models from these companies mentorthe students developing their skills, building theirconfidence, encouraging them to aspire to senior rolesin business and in the community. Many of thesestudents hold leadership positions at Plumpton High


or members of the Student Executive Council already,and aspire to be School Captains and Prefects in Year12. Students in Years' 7 and 8 also benefit from thesecorporate partnerships, being engaged in significantprojects around various aspects of technology in areassuch as robotics, computer science, engineering andproblem solving.

Post-school destinations

Proportion ofstudents movinginto post-schooleducation, trainingor employment

Year 10%

Year 11%

Year 12%

SeekingEmployment

0 0 7

Employment 2 5 25

TAFE entry 22 15 28

University Entry 0 0 32

Other 1 1 3

Unknown 0 2 5

In 2018, Plumpton continued its strong growth in postHSC student exit data. This reflects our dedicated focusin creating a curriculum that is based on student needsand interest. In stage 4 and 5, students are providedwith opportunities in electives that provide interest intheir learning beyond mandatory subjects. In stage 6students curriculum offering is diverse offering alltraditional HSC and Preliminary courses with theinclusion of multiple School based VET courses (8),School Based Traineeships, e–vet TAFE courses, highquality teaching and learning, and leadership programs.Stage 5 and 6 are supported by our innovative FuturesCentre that is focussed on providing opportunities andadvice for students' futures, setting up work experience,traineeships, pre–apprenticeship courses and courseadvice.

Year 12 students undertaking vocational or tradetraining

Sixty–three students (63) out of a total of 98 studentsundertook at least one or more vocational or tradetraining during 2018. This included T–Vet, VET andS–Bat.

Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalentvocational education qualification

Ninety–eight (98) students attained an HSC orequivalent vocational education qualification.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal(s) 1

Deputy Principal(s) 2

Head Teacher(s) 12

Classroom Teacher(s) 51

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 3

Teacher Librarian 1

Teacher ESL 0.6

School Counsellor 2

School Administration and SupportStaff

16.77

Other Positions 1

*Full Time Equivalent

At Plumpton 3 Aboriginal people are employed to meetthe needs of our students in both teaching andadministrative roles. The school is supported by anAboriginal Education Officer (1.0) and oneadministrative officer (1.0). One teaching staff memberis also Aboriginal and has a very high profile in theschool being promoted to a Head of House leadershipposition in 2018.

The school has adjusted its workforce composition byengaging an additional above centrally identifiedDeputy Principal and an additional ten (10) teachingstaff engaged through equity funding. The schoolcontinues to employ an additional (1.0) schoolpsychologist to provide support to the schoolcounselling service and wellbeing team.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools.

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 44

Postgraduate degree 56

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

In 2018, Plumpton High School continued to providehigh quality professional learning for staff to build theircapacity as practitioners and leaders in education. Ourprofessional learning is based on learning fromevidenced–based practice and experts in their field,planned and contextualised for our school.


Our professional learning takes place in a variety offormats and is closely aligned to the school's strategicdirections. In 2018 our teachers participated in threeschool development days (Terms 1 , 2, 3) threetwilights after school (3:30–7:30 –Terms' 1, 2, 3) andforums (3–4) after school, provided staff opportunitiesto develop their skills as designers and presenters ofcontextualised professional learning and to participatein professional learning that assisted them to developtheir skills as practitioners.

Our school partnership with the Teacher TrainingAustralia (TTA continued in 2018). Teachers were ableto access online courses that suited their needs to indeveloping their skills and maintaining theiraccreditation hours.

Our Mentor Head Teachers support our BeginningTeachers and Induction programs through fortnightlymeetings to support and provide in depth support andunderstanding for our school frameworks. BeginningTeachers are also assisted to develop their portfolios togain accreditation at proficient.

Professional learning at the beginning of the yearincluded a two hour session by Dr Richard Allen on theMemory Miracle. This session was also rolled out to allof our students in order to gain an understanding ofhow we can use memory pegs, visuals and stories totag our learning and improved retention of information.The whole school found this informative and useful forassisting students in their learning journeys. Theevaluation of the 2015–2017 plan informed thedevelopment of the 2018–2020 plan strategic directionsand projects Head Teachers worked with their facultiesto set the plan for the year. Our second SchoolDevelopment Day focused on the Performance andDevelopment Framework, so that teachers could workwith their supervisors to plan goals for their professionalgrowth aligned with the school plan and their ownindividual needs. We worked on teacher and studentfeedback to inform the development of the newlydeveloped Merit System "Celebrating Success" andthere was a focus on our whole school programmingmodel and Project Based Learning. The focus ofSchool Development Day in Term 3 was on mentalhealth and cultural awareness with expert speakersfrom Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD),Headspace and the local Churches.

Our Twilight professional learning linked directly to thework of the project teams within the school plan andwas contextualized to our setting at Plumpton. Furtherwork was completed on the programming modelincluding clarification of the surface, deep and transferand using tools for differentiation of learning. The datateam ran a session on collating evidence from theanalysis of data with the view to creating an evidencebank. Project teams got started on their work for thenext three years and developing milestones to ensurethe teams' direction. The second twilight includedprofessional learning on accreditation and ourWellbeing frameworks and work towards creating aWellbeing Handbook. The PACE team also worked onthe further development of the Learn2Learn Skills. TheTerm 3 twilight included the launching of theCelebrating Success merit system and the the

introductory lesson for the students so it could be rolledout across the school and the PACE team worked ondeveloping a school statement about what doesinclusivity and diversity look like in our school. Thissession was also repeated for the students in term 4 toinclude their ideas before a school statement could belaunched in 2019.

Financial information

Financial summary

The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 1 January 2018 to 31December 2018.

2018 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 3,391,314

Revenue 12,262,459

Appropriation 11,951,439

Sale of Goods and Services 54,308

Grants and Contributions 217,067

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 10,605

Investment Income 29,040

Expenses -13,868,299

Recurrent Expenses -13,868,299

Employee Related -10,319,760

Operating Expenses -3,548,539

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

-1,605,840

Balance Carried Forward 1,785,474

The Principal in conjunction with the senior executive,Business manager and Senior Administrative Managermake budget allocations based on the school planstrategic directions. An operational budget to plan andaccount for utilities and other fixed costs is based onthe previous year's expenses and allocated ahead oftime.

Formulae developed from previous budgets wereutilised to make allocations to faculties in an equitablemanner, ensuring enough funding is available forteaching and learning resources.

Special project submissions from faculties are alsoassessed based on their links with the school plan andthe learning outcomes for students. Special projects


and action learning opportunities are encouraged andsupported. In 2018 to improve learning opportunities forstudents with Industry based technologies a laser cutterwas purchased for the Technology and Applied Studiesfaculty. This supports our strong focus on keepingabreast of global industry based technologies.

As the Support Unit size increased from one to threeclasses, the school funded the purchase of anadditional 14 desk top computers and two interactivewhiteboards to enhance learning opportunities for ourstudents with a disability.

The school has over the past four years been saving forsignificant infrastructure projects. The COLA coveringthe basketball courts was completed in 2017. In 2018the library upgrade began and is expected to becompleted in the first half of 2019. Work will commencein 2019 on the upgrade and renovation of theAdministrative building to create a more open planspace for students and staff, hospitality, facilities forparents and students, interview rooms and officespace. In 2018 the school became fully air–conditionedso that learning environments were made morecomfortable for students and staff.

A full copy of the school's financial statement is alsomade available at meetings of the parent/and orcommunity groups.

Financial summary equity funding

The equity funding data is the main component of the'Appropriation' section of the financial summary above.

2018 Actual ($)

Base Total 8,792,480

Base Per Capita 181,848

Base Location 0

Other Base 8,610,631

Equity Total 1,544,169

Equity Aboriginal 91,568

Equity Socio economic 878,599

Equity Language 99,772

Equity Disability 474,230

Targeted Total 754,575

Other Total 340,614

Grand Total 11,431,837

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding.

A full copy of the school's financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/or

community groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.

School performance

School-based assessment

In stage 4 our in–school assessment and exam datahighlight the beginnings of a shift upwards from 2017mixed ability results to 2018 Project Based Learning(PBL). Submission rates are strengthening across theschool and is particularly evident in PDHPE. PBL'sfuture focus is strong as the collaborative nature of theprojects facilitates student participation, buildingstudent capability to truly collaborate and problemsolve. Formative checkpoints enable student thinking tovisible to the teachers. Our aim is for students to reallybe able to articulate their own thinking and learning.

In stage 5 and 6 out Senior Study continued to supportstudents in the submission of draft and finalassessment tasks. Consequently in 2018, there wereless numbers of students with N determinations forcourses than in the past for both the Rosa and theHSC. The number of students accessing the seniorstudy has grown significantly since its introduction in2015. The senior study is purpose built providingsupport across the curriculum for Years 10–12.

To support the school community with informationabout student capability in the areas of literacy andnumeracy the school undertakes a testing regime thatcaptures baseline data at the end of year 6 and tracksprogress through year 7 and 8. This data is madeavailable for staff to access centrally and is crucial forteachers to differentiate their lessons based on studentability. The introduction and continuation of theAccelerated Reading program has impacted on studentgrowth in accessing and improving their results in thesetests. During 2018 students that participated in theprogram demonstrated steady growth with Year 7growth at 2 years; Year 8 growth at 1 year 2 months;Year 9 2 years 3 months; Year 10 growth 6 months.Students have improved their options to access ahigher degree of difficulty of texts and a larger variety oftexts. The introduction of these programs has providedour students with a much better opportunity to accessthe broader curriculum and thus complete and submitassessment tasks leading to better overall results,improved engagement. and a sense of achievement.

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results acrossthe Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracyassessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 toBand 10. The achievement scale represents increasinglevels of skills and understandings demonstrated inthese assessments.

From 2018 to 2020 NAPLAN is moving from a papertest to an online test. Individual schools are migrating tothe online test, with some schools attempting NAPLANon paper and others online.


Results for both online and paper formats are reportedon the same NAPLAN assessment scale. Anycomparison of NAPLAN results – such as comparisonsto previous NAPLAN results or to results for studentswho did the assessment in a different format – shouldtake into consideration the different test formats andare discouraged during these transition years.

The Year 7 cohort performed above expectations in the2018 NAPLAN literacy tests. In Reading the resultshighlighted the cohort was above the state average by4.6 points. In Writing 4.4 points above the state. InSpelling the group were 8.1 points above state averagewith Grammar and Punctuation at 8.3 points above thestate. There has been a slight increase in the numbersof students achieving in the higher bands, in 2018.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders studentsperformed well above expected growth in grammar andpunctuation spelling (11 points above state average)and writing (22.8 points above state average).

The Year 9 NAPLAN results show the influence of theAccelerated Reader program with higher percentagesof students in the higher bands for Reading and 9.6points above the state average. They have alsoperformed just above state average. However in writingand grammar and punctuation the cohort hasperformed just below the state average. In comparisonto our similar school groups the cohort has performed2.7 points above in Writing. Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslanders students performed above the state averagein expected growth in reading (2.8 points) and writing(3.4 points) .


In Numeracy our Year 7 students performed just abovethe state average (0.7 points). This trend has notimproved over the last three years. Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander students performed 24.5 % pointabove state average for expected growth.

The Year 9 results indicate that whilst we sit below thestate average and similar schools, there is a shift overthe last three years to higher bands by our students. Acombination of factors has led to the RMF program notbeing as effective as it has been in previous years. Arenewed focus in 2019 will address the results ofprevious years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderstudents performed 5.6 points above the state foraverage scaled score growth.

In terms of the State priorities the school haschannelled much of its energy into a focus on thegrowth of students in NAPLAN rather than just the toptwo bands. Eighty percent of our students come fromthe bottom two quarters of socio–economicdisadvantage in Australia. With regard to the Premier'spriority the school trend has shown growth from 3.9% in


2015 to 6.5% in 2018. For Aboriginal students therehas been significant growth from 1.9% in 2017 to 5% in2018.

In both Years' 7 and 9 our Aboriginal students haveshown well above average scaled growth incomparison to the state and similar schools in all areasof NAPLAN with the exception of reading.

Higher School Certificate (HSC)

The performance of students in the HSC is reported inbands ranging from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6(highest).

In 2018, the school was recognised as being one of thetop ten schools in the state for shifting students into thehigher bands in the Higher School Certificate. The trendsince 2014 indicates that the performance of studentsat the HSC has continued to improve where the schoolhas moved from an average course mark of 56 in 2014below the similar school groups, to 70 in 2017 and 67 in2018. In 2017, we were above the state and equal withthe state in 2018. This improvement can be attributedto the school's focus on building intellectual capacity ofstudents and staff, the building of positive psychologystrategies to support wellbeing through growth mindsetand choice theory. The continued focus on surfacedeep and transfer of learning and on studentengagement and higher order thinking have alsocontributed to these results. The school has workedtirelessly to provide students with increasedopportunities for leadership and mentoring through itscorporate partners and structures within the school.The Futures program continues to provide studentswith meaningful access to alternate learning pathwaysthat cater to individual difference and needs. Thebroadening of the curriculum incorporates nine VETframeworks and provides students with opportunities tobe successful and gain accreditation without having tosit the HSC.


Subject School2018 SSSG State

SchoolAverage

2014-2018

Ancient History 57.4 65.3 69.5 61.4

Biology 60.2 67.8 70.7 63.8

BusinessStudies

57.6 65.8 69.3 60.7

Community andFamily Studies

68.8 67.3 69.9 64.3

English(Standard)

67.4 62.4 65.0 65.3

FoodTechnology

60.8 64.7 70.7 62.0

Legal Studies 54.7 67.5 71.2 63.5

MathematicsGeneral 2

51.7 61.9 65.1 52.6

Modern History 53.9 60.9 69.5 62.0

PersonalDevelopment,Health andPhysicalEducation

69.4 64.7 69.5 69.4

Senior Science 63.8 64.3 68.2 65.4

Society andCulture

69.6 70.7 76.1 70.2

Visual Arts 75.1 76.1 78.0 75.3

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

The school uses the Tell Them From Me Survey eachyear to gauge overall satisfaction with our school.Throughout the year school surveys students, staff andparents about a range of topics and the informationgained from these smaller surveys provide us with datato inform adjustments to our school improvement planand or programs.

Between 2016 and 2018 there has been an increase inadvocacy at school reported by students in the TellThem From Me Survey. Above both similar schoolgroups and the state. Overall expectations for successsits at 78% above that of the state and similar schoolgroups.

Students' sense of Belonging is above that of similarschool groups.

The combination of high advocacy high expectationsindicates that Plumpton High School is 8% pointsabove the state and 11% points above our similarschool groups.

Parent engagement has been strong and we have beenwell supported for our Information evenings that ranthroughout 2018. Examples included Year 6 into 7orientation, stage 4, 5 and 6 curriculum choice, Year7–12 reporting, Year 7 Meet and Greet and variousProject Based Learning events and Showcases.

Attendance at Parent Teacher evenings has beenincreasing each year with online bookings available forparents. The total number of bookings has increased byapproximately 400 from 1 419 in 2017 to 1 822 in 2018.

The school has continued its focus on the promotion ofachievements to the community through the Linked InNewsletter and social media accounts, studentnewsletter The Howler and a student led online blog.The school has also taken the opportunity to supportthe Local Press by placing regular advertisementshighlighting the achievements of the students and staffat the school.

During 2018 we increased opportunities for students tobe involved in leadership increasing the numbers in theStudent Executive Council and Prefect elect. TheHouse system was evaluated in Term 2 and 3 in linewith the introduction of the Celebrating Success meritsystem and the led to the implementation of a newHouse structure that was rolled out in Term 4.

A staff survey was conducted as part of our mid yearself evaluation and assessment to gauge the level ofsatisfaction with school processes and procedures. Arigorous analysis was conducted by the schoolexecutive over a number of weeks to ensure that staffvoice was incorporated into adjustments that weremade to the school plan. The analysis and feedbackwas reported at faculty meetings to ensure that all staffwere part of the process. The result of this evaluationwas that staff felt heard and valued for their input. As aresult changes were made to meeting times to avoid


staff overload and workload of the teams was reviewed,celebrated and adjusted for the latter part of 2018 andbeyond.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

Over the past three years our Aboriginal studentattendance has been significantly higher than thoseschools similar to ours. In 2018 the attendance ratewas 8.4% higher than similar schools groups and 1.7%above the state average. This indicates the significanceof support and engagement opportunities offered toAboriginal students at Plumpton High School. We areindebted to our Aboriginal Education Officer, KarleneRex and her offsider Taryn Beatty who workedtirelessly in our community to ensure our students andtheir families were well supported throughout 2018..

The work of the PACE team is recognised region andstate wide. Our students participate in AIME, Pathwaysto Dreaming, AFL Indigenous Academies and areassisted by the Aboriginal Employment service intraineeships. Fifteen students participated in Gamaradawhere they explored cultural and community aspects ofAboriginality. Our Aboriginal dance troupe performed atSchool Spectacular and in a number of communityprojects and primary school events during 2017.

In order to engage and support our Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander students and their peers theschool held its second Aboriginal Student Conferencein Term 2 2018. . Our school partners, AIME, AFLIndigenous Academies and Aboriginal Elders UncleWes and Uncle Greg who once again provided richlearning opportunities about culture, history/art, identityand sport. As with 2017, the students invited anon–aboriginal student friend to join with them inbuilding intercultural understanding across the schoolcommunity. The conference material was well regardedby students and reflection and feedback questionsindicated strong support for the conference to continueas an annual event.

Year 7 and 8 Aboriginal students participate with RootyHill and Doonside High Schools in a weekly program ofexposure to sport and cultural activities provided by theAFL Indigenous Academies. This program has a highattendance rate and students are engaged and lookforward to it every week. The coordinators meet withthe schools in the program each year to evaluate theprogram and research further opportunities for ourstudents.

The engagement of our Aboriginal students in ourprograms is a key indicator of our success backed upby our Aboriginal attendance rate which is well abovestate average.

The staff at Plumpton are acutely aware of the need toensure equity for all students and have embraced theschool developed Learn2Learn skills and incorporateelements of 8 ways pedagogy to underpin their lessonsand planning. Staff are able to access the students'PLPs to assist them with their planning and for

engaging students in their classrooms.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

Underpinning our professional learning is a strongfocus on managing and meeting the needs of ourmulticultural school. The school communityacknowledges the need to be respectful with regard tomulticultural diversity. Our current school plan hasbroadened the focus to incorporate interculturalunderstanding and diversity. The Interculturalunderstanding team met five times each term toensure that our focus on building interculturalunderstanding was kept at the forefront of our dailywork. The team planned and led professional learningfor staff highlighting the Learn2 Learn skills to continuethe building of teachers' knowledge and understandingof how to incorporate these into lessons on a regularbasis. We also began work with the staff and studentson a mission statement of what inclusivity and diversitymean for our school community. This occurred throughTwilight sessions and a 100 student strong focus groupthat have contributed to the development of thosestatements to be rolled out during 2019.

The Student Executive Council formed a Diversity teamthat has begun to work with the whole schoolIntercultural Understanding team in order to bring astudent focus to decision making and eventcoordination.

In 2018, the school community celebrated HarmonyDay, Sorry Day, NAIDOC, and ANZAC day. The schoolcommenced the process to engage the services of aPacific Islander community liaison officer for a fulltimefunded position to work with students, addressing thelearning, cultural and wellbeing needs. Staffparticipated in professional learning to gain greaterinsight and understanding into Pacific Islander culturesin Term 3. These were delivered in consultation withlocal church leaders.

Our three Deputy Principals fulfilled the joint role ofARCO ensuring that cultural differences and conflictswere mediated and managed appropriately.

Other school programs

Gifted and Talented at Plumpton

In 2018 the school consolidated the PlumptonEducation Community (PEC) eleven gifted and talentedprograms with twelve classes across years' 5–9. Thesecourses included; Art and Design, Dance (2 classes),Drama, The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme,Engineering Studies, Media and Communications,Student Executive Council, Forensic Science,Computer Science, Robotics and Music Tuition. In2018, 257 students applied to gain access to this widelypopular PEC program. One hundred and seventy–eightstudents were offered a place in our program. studentswere distributed across the 11 courses with an averageof 15 per course. Eighty–six primary students fromWilliam Dean, Glendenning and Plumpton Public


Schools took the opportunity to apply and weresuccessful in gaining a place to work alongside 92 ofour secondary students. The achievements of the yearwere celebrated with the Gifted and Talented ClubPresentation evening in the Performing Arts Centre onsite. This event was attended by over 250 parents andstudents for a presentation and showcase of theproducts and artworks of this significant program.

Library upgrade

In Term 4, 2018 School Infrastructure NSWcommenced the school funded Library upgrade. Thisproject divided the library into four separate, soundproofing the learning areas featuring glass partitioningto maintain the aesthetics of the library whilst providinga modernised and more functional learningenvironment for staff and students. In 2019, it will berecarpeted and painted. The cost of the upgrade whencarpeted and painted will be approximately $200,000

Air Conditioning

During March 2018 the school funded air conditioningproject was completed by Schools Infrastructure NSWat a cost of approximately $125,000. As a result, theschool is now fully air conditioned, this in turn hasimproved the learning environment across the school.

Sister Cities

Plumpton continues to build its Sister Cities programwith Blacktown City Council and our Filipinocommunity. In 2018 the community identified two citiesin the Philippines to build a relationship with inconjunction with Blacktown City Council. In Term 4 ourSchool Captains, a group of prefects and students fromour Filipino community travelled to Quirindi to join othersister city schools. We enjoyed an outstanding learningexperience being immersed in Australian countryculture and those of New Zealand, the Philippines, andKorea through the Blacktown City Council Sister Cityinitiative. Students participated in various sports and aYouth Leadership Forum with special guest JessicaWatson who facilitated the forum. Ms Ramos, MsParry–Ridolfo and Mr Valero attended the weekendsupporting our students.


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