andrews farm community preschool

Andrews Farm Community Preschool

2020 annual report to the communityAndrews Farm Community Preschool Number: 2635Partnership: Peachey

Preschool director: Mrs Sue Tiver

Governing council chair: Alison Harrison

Date of endorsement: 11 March 2021

Signature

Context and highlightsAndrews Farm Community Preschool a stand-alone Department for Education (DfE) Preschool in the City of Playford north of Elizabeth, south of Gawler. Rapid growth has seen many families with young children moving in to the newly built houses. The highest percentage of people are in the younger age groups (0 to 5 years) reflecting the demand for services such as preschool. Geographical boundaries are in place for enrolment purposes. The majority of our families have at least one parent employed full time, many working part time. The preschool, St. Columba a private R- 12 College, several shops next to the schools form Andrews Farm. The preschool is very much part of the community, often the first point of call for families. We are the Peachey Partnership, local schools, preschools working together to provide improved outcomes for children.Andrews Farm a category 2 preschool 88 children enrolled. 25 % children with English as an Additional Dialect, 15 % children with disabilities, .05% Aboriginal childrenTeam: 14 included teachers, ECW's, speech, bi-lingual, support staff. Children in their preschool year can access up to 15 hours of preschool / week. Comprehensive enrolment process offering half days, full days, a combination of half and full days. Preschool funds provide extra hours of support, a teacher works in our Intervention programme. We employed a .2 speech therapist to work with children, families. Approximately 81% of people in Andrews Farm speak English, often the only language. Khmer, Swahili, Italian, Karundi, a larger number of Sudanese families make up the population. 2020, we accessed Dinka, Swahili, Karundi, Hazaraghi bi-lingual support. Bi-lingual workers were a huge support especially through accessing Immunisation History records, COVID regulations. We accessed the DfE speech therapist, Psychologist, Behaviour coach, Special Educator. Child Youth Health nurses visited providing vision / hearing checks for children prior to commencing school. Service was limited due to COVID restrictions. Highlights:Weekly borrowing of animals, resource kits from Nature Centre; Patch bus /Theatre excursion; Gardening: vegetables, flowers, herbs,sharing cuttings with community, STEM experiences 2020, working through COVID regulations provided a number of challenges. There were reviews, discussions changes which were required. This led to new ideas, routines which worked some of which we have continued to practice. The Department for Education and our local Education team provided support, direction The educators were well informed and equipped with information. Families were supportive of how we worked through the challenges through the year.

Governing council reportA different year for Governing Council. Even with COVID, we were able to progress with a range of works. We were fortunate to have grants from the Government, Department for Education to finance work to the adult bathroom / laundry. Firstly, the plumbing, drains needed checking due to trees in the carpark and behind the building and a number of blocked drains. A visit by an arborist early next year has been booked to record trees that may need removing / pruning. We had a number of projects in mind, so the added funding assisted this. We added storage space with cupboards and shelves to the laundry area and an adult bathroom upgrade. We were excited to be able to proceed with the plans and because of added Government funds the project could all be completed at one time. The end result looks good, we were pleased with the work and that we supported local business. We needed to reschedule meetings due to the COVID, work commitments, sickness but our small group was very interested in the curriculum, programmed work with the children, resources, focus areas of the Site Improvement Plan. The work all through the year on sustainability /recycling was amazing. Families were involved in taking recycle material to Bunnings for electrical, Coles /Woolworths for soft plastics, Scout depot for fruit box/ drink containers. The preschool bought a leather saddle with money from recycling which the children use in their pretend play. A parent wrote and published a hard cover book on recycling / sustainability -now in the Playford libraryWe enjoyed the opportunity to contribute on Governing Council and were involved in discussion /approval of:PQIP - Preschool Quality Improvement Plan, Philosophy Statement, Budget approval and monitoring, overseeing treasurer reports, financial audits, variances, outstanding fees, facilities improvements, repairs, outdoor maintenance, Closure day approvals, Development and approval of new policies /endorsement of existing policies maintenance of lawns /outdoor areas – there is a good working relationship with Rob (lawn maintenance,- mowing, fertilizing, pruning of trees, gutter cleaning). Due to COVID, fundraising was minimal.

Thank you to the Governing Council, it was a good opportunity to meet others, to learn more about how the committee works. Processes through COVID.19, were very smooth and the children responded very well to walking in to kindy alone with their backpacks. We were fortunate to have John (accountant) and Sue (director) to manage finances, oversee operations and guide the Governing Council. We are in a healthy financial position which allows us to allocate funds were required to support all children to learn

2020 Annual Report to the Community1 | Andrews Farm Community Preschool

Improvement planning - review and evaluateFocus on sustainability, responsibility, caring for the environment had positive outcomes with children, families, educators learning, communicating, working together. Discussions developed understandings on sustainable practice, respect for our environment. We set the 5 bin system, using visuals/cards for the items to be placed in a bin, this became embedded. Children volunteered families to take bags of recycling to a depot. Photos of the children’s involvement form part of our documentation. For some families, this was a new experience, taking soft plastics, refundable items, non-working electrical items which children used to tinker for recycling. Refunds from fruit boxes, drink containers used to purchase items children chose. The children’s interest in caring for the environment and modelling from educators spread. A child commented, ‘Mum is going to buy me a real life bin and I’m going to put it next to my bed so I can put paper and tissues in it. I’m going to use my real life bin for recycling.” The words recycling, reusing, composting, landfill, green organics, soft plastics, added to our vocabulary and were used in conversations. Children related conversations from home about recycling. Professor Planet visited, used a variety of machines to illustrate recycling. Caring for the environment extended to borrowing animals from Nature Education Centre at Urrbrae Agricultural School - what, how to feed, care for and handle each animal. Why some animals could be stroked, others we see through glass. The children made connections between home experiences and visiting animals. A child found a bearded dragon at home, brought the photo to preschool, she remembered one visiting earlier in the term. We observed eggs, caterpillars, spinning cocoons, butterflies hatching, flying. Children related this to the story the Hungry Caterpillar-children connecting with their world. A child, “I found eggs on a leaf on the tree, when they hatch they will be slugs. In eight minutes they will hatch and I will keep them safe in a tank.” Respect for country, resources reinforced with a visit from Trent Hill indigenous storyteller, educator. Group times included Kaurna greeting song Ninna Marni. A child commented "Ninna Marni people were here first, we need to look after the kindy". Gardening was amazing, children preparing beds, choosing, caring for the plants, sharing cuttings with the community.Focus on persisting, persevering for deep involvement in learning was an opportunity to reflect and build our capacity as educators to observe, interpret children's persistence and involvement. We worked with the resource Reflect, Relate, Respect to identify actions to improve practices, learning objectives. The children identified experiences for little spaces that we created in the outdoors. We reflected on whether our interactions supported children's ongoing involvement in play. National Quality Framework: self-review identified 4 priorities. Improve documentation, analysis of children’s development- daily reflecting collaboratively- work samples, photos, observations used. Performance Development- ensure work aligned to preschool goals/ priorities the outcomes to benefit children, families. Outdoor space- planting bamboo created spaces for children to walk, discover. A large gum tree was removed, this created space, the logs used for seating, climbing, imaginative play, gross motor experiences. Conversations, visual strategies were in place to promote healthy eating. information shared with families. COVID presented challenges, also opportunities to be creative, with some new ideas we continue to use, including technology to communicate with families. Opportunities to explore, be challenged, persist on the learning journey


Enrolment

NOTE: The data is based on person counts in the two week reference period each term. Excludes pre-entry. Data Source: Preschool Data Collection, Data Reporting and Analytics directorate. Term 2 2020 data may not be available for all preschools.

Enrolment commentTerm 1, 2020 families relocated due to private rental and work circumstances changing.Families needing to look at alternative arrangements due to hours and family situationsTerm 2: we increased enrolments from the waiting list and new arrivals to Andrews FarmTerm 3: several children took up mid year private school intake

2020: An increase with families now wanting to access the full 15 hours of preschool per week(previously many families opted for the 12 hours which allowed enrolments to be higher)We are offering families several ways to access the 15 hours per week or 30 hours per fortnight which has suited many families

Children attending 2 days ie:12 hours per week will increase to 3 days ie: 18 hours per week in terms 3 and 4They will therefore have accessed their eligible preschool hours

Enrolment by TermYear Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 42017 87 87 85 84

2018 81 81 83 80

2019 79 84 83 83

2020 76 81 78 78

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 42017 centre 92.7% 89.1% 86.5% 86.2%

2018 centre 91.1% 88.4% 91.2% 87.3%

2019 centre 93.1% 85.4% 86.9% 89.3%

2020 centre 92.7% 79.3% 83.4% 87%

2017 state 90.5% 88.2% 85.9% 87.2%

2018 state 90.7% 88.3% 87.0% 87.2%

2019 state 90.3% 87.4% 85.8% 86.4%

2020 state 89.3% 82.0% 84.8% 85.9%

Attendance

Based on attendances recorded in the two week reference period each term. Data for eligible enrolments as described in the department's Enrolment policy.Attendance rates may differ to previous reporting with the transfer from calculations based on deemed attendance to actual attendance using booked hours divided by attended hours.*Note: Term 2 2020 data may not be available for all preschools.

Attendance commentOur attendance in term 1 was very good. The number was higher than the State average. However, in term 2, it dropped significantly. This could have been due to sickness, but we also had a number of families who chose to remain at home for differing periods due to the COVID19 virus. Many families were able to work from home, therefore their children were at home with them. By week 3, most of the families had returned to preschool. The data collection is for weeks 1 and 2 which is earlier in the term. Term 3 showed a marked improvement and attendance was very similar to that of the state average. In terms 2, 3 attendance was lower than previous years. This also showed in the State figures. COVID impacted on attendance with families choosing to have their children at home for those few weeks to be sure the situation although not over, but had settled down.


Destination schoolsFeeder Schools (Site number - Name) 2017 2018 2019 2020

255 - Angle Vale Primary School 10.0% 11.0% 5.2% 4.9%8033 - St Columba College 68.0% 66.0% 72.4% 78.1%

NOTE: The data is collected in Term 3. It does not reflect actual schools enrolled in by exiting preschool children. Only schools that are a destination for 3% or more of students are shown.Data Source: Site Performance Reporting System (SPER), Term 3 2020 collection.

Angle Vale Primary has been a preferred option with many families for public education as reflected in the percentage of exiting children enrolled at the school. However, as enrolments at Angle Vale rose, geographical boundaries were put in place. Many families who would have had Angle Vale as their first choice looked for alternative places for school enrolment. Percentage of children exiting to St Columba had declined for several years. When Angle Vale was not an option, the numbers of children exiting to St Columba College have risen in the past 2 years to former numbers. John Hartley is unable to take our children due to high numbers. As the figures indicate, the enrolments at Angle Vale and St Columba the school next door have risen and declined proportionately. The children exited preschool to 11 destinations. 4 children enrolled at John Hartley, with single figures at other local public schools. First time, a number of children enrolled at Garden College, Elizabeth

Destination schools comment

Client opinion summaryStrongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

Education Program & Practice 0.0 0.0 0.3 5.3 8.3Children's Health & Safety 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.3 10.7Physical Environment 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.5 10.5Staffing 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 11.0Relationships with Children 0.0 0.0 0.3 3.5 10.3Partnerships & Community 0.0 0.3 0.7 3.0 10.0Leadership & Management 0.0 0.0 1.3 2.7 10.0

All families were given the preschool annual survey and asked to rate the 7 areas of the NQS and invited to provide written feedback. As the The graph reflects very positive responses, predominantly strongly agree and agree.Our focus on the areas of sustainability, involvement, reflective practice and planning were well received. We also had a focus on children's involvement, healthy eating, planning, outdoor areasComments written by families: This preschool is amazing, staff go above and beyond in everyway our family loves everything about this place always recommend to family, friendsAmazing response to COVID So happy to see recycling taught to children all amazingGreat educational program...loved everyday thank you for all you have doneI have enjoyed seeing all the knowledge my child has brought home about the world around her & the natural world

The preschool complies with the DfE requirements in relation to the relevant screening procedures and has a system in place for recording, monitoring and reporting processes. Relevant History Checks are obtained, checked, filed for the following:

•All employees of a part-time, full-time or casual basis, employed by the department.•Registered teachers need to get a new working with children check before their current teacher registration expires.

The new process for screening is the WWCC with DHS looking at relevant history, courts, child protection information and other information

Relevant history screening


Funding Source AmountGrants: State $596,805Grants: Commonwealth $0Parent Contributions $35,370Other $9,882

Financial statement


2020 Preschool annual report: Improved outcomes funding

Improved outcomes category (where applicable to the site)

Briefly describe how the 2020 funding was used to improve the relevant department's standard of educational achievement outcomes (where applicable):*

Outcomes achieved or progress towards these outcomes:

Improved outcomes for numeracy and literacy

Use Numeracy Literacy guidebooks, Indicators - plan oral language experiences, build educator capacityEmbedded processes to monitor, track progress in numeracy / literacyFunded .2 speech therapist, human, physical supportExplicit teaching extending vocab / language through STEM

Improved educator capacity, reflectionsAlso: use of NL Indicators, oral language skills, self-esteem, confidenceTraining

Improved ECD and parenting outcomes (children's centres only)

N/A N/A

Inclusive Education Support Program

11 children received supportAccessed psychologist, speech, special educatorEd. Dept. and site funds used for cluster, small groups, 1:1 - personal health, toileting, hygiene- ASD including speech therapy- developmental concerns- challenging behaviours- sensory difficulties- language, articulation

Involvement local schoolsCommunication, well-being, group / social skills Confidence, self-esteemHome-school / transitions

Improved outcomes for non-English speaking children who received bilingual support

21 children received support from preschool 4 bi-lingual support workers visited weekly - Dinka, Hazaraghi, Swahili, ArabicUsing visuals, stories, song, games, play, structured small / larger groups Focus on social development group skills, engagement with peers Interacting with the families Transition visits

Positive for families – with COVID, Immunization / attendance well-being of allOral language skills, confidenceSense of belonging

* The department's standard of educational achievement is defined as children and young people progressing and achieving at or above their appropriate year level.

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