Expert Review Report.pdf

Mount Lockyer

Primary School

June 2015

D15/0319915

© Department of Education 2015

Contents

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Background

1.2 Context

1.3 Performance Study Approach

2 Summary of findings 3

3 Study of findings 4

4 Conclusion 23

5 Appendix: student achievement data 24 The Expert Review Group team Rod Lowther Director, Schools Review, Expert Review Group Lisa Criddle Principal, Allendale School Primary Paul Neates Principal Consultant, Principal Advisory Team Judith King Coordinator Regional Services, Goldfields Education Region

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1: Introduction

1.1 BACKGROUND The Expert Review Group (ERG) has been established to strengthen the Department of Education’s quality assurance processes. The ERG provides authoritative studies of schools whose performance demonstrates exemplary practice. In July 2013, the Department of Educational Services conducted an independent review of Mount Lockyer Primary School to determine the extent to which it had met its commitments as outlined in its Delivery and Performance Agreement and associated Business Plan. On 8 June 2015, the Director General of the Department of Education invited the Principal to participate in a study of exemplary practice at the school. This performance report by the Expert Review Group was prepared as a result.

1.2 CONTEXT Mount Lockyer Primary School is located in Mount Lockyer, a suburb of the City of Albany and is situated some 420 km south of Perth, with a population of approximately 30,000 at the 2011 census. As at Semester 1, 2015, Mount Lockyer Primary School had a student population of 527 – Pre-primary to Year 6. The school is located in a growth area with a number of housing sub-divisions opening up within the school boundary, resulting in a significant increase of student enrolments, particularly in the early years. The majority of students are drawn from a five kilometre radius of the school, while a small proportion (6 per cent) come from the adjacent rural area. Twelve per cent are Aboriginal students and 4 per cent are English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) students, most of whom are from the Philippines and on 457 visas. Eighteen students attract additional funds through the student-centred funding model and, while the school has an Education Support Unit, students are integrated fully and withdrawn only for therapy sessions. Staff range from graduates to those with many years of experience. The overwhelming majority of staff appointments are full-time. There have been extended periods of leadership stability, with the current Principal assuming the position in 2005. The school has a National Index of Community Socio Educational Advantage value of 924.00, placing it in the State decile rank of 9.

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1.3 PERFORMANCE STUDY APPROACH Discussions were undertaken between the school and the ERG on how best to conduct the study. Broad lines of interest emerged and provided pathways to understanding the success achieved by Mount Lockyer Primary School. A study team of four, including an ERG Director and three experienced school leaders, visited the school for five days and met with the school community. Interviewees included: the Principal; two deputy principals; 30 teachers; nine education assistants (EAs); the registrar; two school officers; the library officer; the chaplain; the regional lead psychologist; the coordinator for regional speech and language development; the Aboriginal and Islander education officer (AIEO); the regional consultant – Aboriginal education; the coordinator of the child/parent centre; 10 Student Councillors and student representatives from Years 3-6; the cleaner-in-charge; the head gardener; the school canteen manager; representatives of the Aboriginal Support Group; seven parents and representatives of the School Board and Parents and Citizens’ Association (P&C).

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2: Summary of findings

1 The school leaders are fuelled by a desire to achieve a balance between public

accountability, personal responsibility and professional obligation. Consequently, the measures of school success are balanced intelligently between an expectation of high academic standards and a safe and orderly learning environment for all students.

2 The Principal’s approach to leadership exemplifies her vision, values, knowledge and

interpersonal skills and ensures that her mantra, ‘Every child is everyone’s responsibility’, is achieved. Together with other members of the leadership team, the Principal empowers staff to create the conditions for productive and engaging relationships between students, staff and the local community.

3 School-wide pedagogical beliefs about how students learn best are at the core of very

effective teaching practices. The emphasis placed on quality data analysis is a feature of the school’s mindset, which ensures a commitment to the correspondence between informed evidence and timely and appropriate decision making.

4 Individual student target setting is a highly sophisticated process at the school.

Accordingly, an astute alignment of curriculum design, delivery and monitoring is achieved. This ensures a well-developed, differentiated approach to the pursuit of high standards of student achievement.

5 In every class, all students are supported and challenged to do their best. By creating

a rich curriculum and applying innovative and motivating teaching practices, the school has capitalised on impressive levels of student engagement and delivered targeted learning programs for all students, particularly those at educational risk.

6 Collaborative meetings have created a compelling sense of ‘team’ and are a significant

factor in the school’s success. This forum for the sharing of knowledge, skills and experience has created a strong professional learning community that focuses on continuous school improvement.

7 Personal trust and professional respect are expressed through exceptionally supportive

relationships among all staff. This drives total staff commitment to the school’s vision, beliefs and values.

8 High quality relationships between the school and the local community are pre-eminent

in the minds of all those working at Mount Lockyer Primary School. The diverse community has responded with trust and respect for the school’s management of the students. Consequently, they are enthusiastic advocates for the school.

9 A well-crafted, highly effective program to respond to the behavioural needs of all

students has been achieved. Using leading research, support programs are designed and delivered in a consistent and coherent manner. Staff, parents and students understand and accept the model, expressing full confidence in the school’s approach.

10 The school has embraced its responsibility to ensure that all resources available are

utilised for the needs of all students. Open and transparent decision making is reflected in the judicious management of human and financial resources. A well-refined, strategic process is applied to workforce planning.

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3: Study of findings

1 The school leaders are fuelled by a desire to achieve a balance between public accountability, personal responsibility and professional obligation. Consequently, the measures of school success are balanced intelligently between an expectation of high academic standards and a safe and orderly learning environment for all students.

“In all schools performing better than expected, school leadership has an active presence that works openly with the school community, which collaboratively identifies their priorities, collaboratively designs expectations and structures to bring these to life and then collaboratively leads the process of ensuring collective collaborative learning and consistency across the school”. 1 The school’s leadership is an experienced and highly cohesive team that is defined by its strategic intent. The leadership team have worked together at the school for eight years and have significant collective educational and community knowledge. There is an atmosphere of trust, warmth and respect that is evident immediately upon entering the school. This is exemplified by the healthy interpersonal relationships among staff, students and community members that have been developed and sustained over a long period of time. A very strong well defined values base underpins these relationships, resulting in the existence of a tangible sense of ‘team’. The spirit of teamwork is prominent across all facets of the school’s strategic and operational activities. The school’s Business Plan is the unambiguous ‘blueprint’ for how it delivers its educational service to the community of Mount Lockyer. Beare, Caldwell and Milikan state that, “outstanding leaders have a vision of their schools – a mental picture of a preferred future – which is shared with all in the community.” 2

The vision for Mount Lockyer Primary School is underwritten by the moral purpose of its Business Plan priorities. In both words and actions, the leadership team has built a compelling commitment to the ‘preferred future’ of the school by all staff. This is captured by a fundamental belief that the future educational prospects of the students should not defined by disadvantage. The measures of school success are balanced astutely between academic performance and the social and emotional wellbeing of all students. Staff see the leadership team as having a clear and consistent purpose and appreciate their unity in delivery. With a strong team mantra reinforcing mutual accountability, the energy generated from individual personalities, opinions and experiences is instinctively channelled toward common goals and targets. A proactive approach to distributed leadership is evident, with the leaders always looking for opportunities to enhance staff capacity. Staff comment that the Principal’s support and belief

1 Avenall, GK. (2014). Innovation – don‘t be afraid. The Australian Educational Leader, 37(1), 39 2 Beare,H., Caldwell, B. & Millikan, R (1992). Creating an Excellent School. London: Routledge in School Leadership:

Concepts and Evidence. Summary Report, Spring 2003. National College for School Leadership, 4.

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enables this to occur – an authentic ‘can-do’ attitude is demonstrated by everyone in leadership positions. By extension, this is obvious in situations across the school involving staff from new graduates to experienced and senior teachers. Instructional leadership is evident and highly visible in the form of numerous class visits throughout the course of each week by the leadership team. Staff value the visits, which result in regular feedback on their teaching performance. When combined with weekly collaborative sessions, teachers are exposed to high quality, in-house, professional learning. The use of staff expertise to deliver collaborative learning develops leadership opportunities, enhancing the professional capacity of the teachers significantly. While instructional leadership is an important dimension of their work, at Mount Lockyer Primary School the leaders do not underestimate the importance of other aspects of their role. These include the astute management of resources, both human and financial, maintenance of the physical learning environment (buildings and grounds etc) and, importantly, the quality of the school’s relationship with the local community. As Bolman and Deal (1997) state, “leading and managing are distinct, but both are important. Organisations which are over managed but under led eventually lose any sense of spirit or purpose. Poorly managed organisations with strong charismatic leaders may soar temporarily only to crash shortly thereafter. The challenge of modern organisations…” (including schools) “…requires the objective perspective of the manager as well as the flashes of vision and commitment wise leadership provides”. 3 The school’s leaders, especially the Principal, understand and accept the managerial responsibility for leading the multi-million dollar public enterprise called ‘Mount Lockyer Primary School’ with passion and enthusiasm. The high levels of visibility and accessibility of the leadership team are remarked on frequently by staff. Combined with the strong belief that the leaders will not ask them to do something they are not prepared to do themselves, a culture of confidence and professional regard between the staff and the leadership team has flourished. It is therefore unsurprising to discover high levels of awareness among the staff that the school’s quality assurance framework includes an intelligent balance of public accountability, personal responsibility and professional obligation. Accountability is evident in the open and transparent sharing of school performance information with the local community. The leadership and staff accept personal responsibility for the standard of work they deliver and are fiercely determined to meet their professional obligations toward each other. Recognition of the interface between these three concepts places the school in a powerful position to achieve sustainable improvement from one Business Plan cycle to the next. 3 Bush, T. & Glover, D. (2003). School Leadership: Concepts and Evidence. Berkshire, UK: National College for School

Leadership, 5.

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2 The Principal’s approach to leadership exemplifies her vision, values, knowledge

and interpersonal skills and ensures that her mantra, ‘Every child is everyone’s responsibility’, is achieved. Together with other members of the leadership team, the Principal empowers staff to create the conditions for highly productive and engaging relationships between students, staff and the local community.

The Principal is held in high esteem by all members of the community. During our study, we were constantly made aware of the exceptional leadership she demonstrates. This corresponded with the observations made by the team. The school’s improvement agenda is masterfully driven using highly strategic planning mechanisms that feature sophisticated data collection with a rigorous focus on literacy and numeracy. Fine grained target setting, which provides clarity for staff, is a feature of the school and consistently produces higher than expected student achievement levels, especially in the early years. Contemporary academic literature describes the characteristics of good school leaders as possessing the ability to build a school vision, establish a commitment to agreed goals, provide intellectual stimulation, and explain and encourage high expectations for staff and offer individualised support. The Principal has been able to build staff consensus on what Mount Lockyer Primary School stands for and, importantly, how they can contribute meaningfully as a unified team. “Common commitment of this kind requires a conception of leadership that is neither linked to status nor embodied in the actions of any single individual, but rather dispersed or shared throughout the school and, as such, is available to everyone.” 4

Building a team with the appropriate balance of skill, knowledge and experience has been a priority of the Principal. Further, she takes very seriously the identification of the potential of individuals, by helping them to build their confidence in undertaking new and challenging roles. As one staff member commented, “I think the Principal has more faith in me, than I have in myself”. The genuine regard for the Principal and appreciation for the opportunities offered, have created a vibrant mix of staff in a range of leadership positions who are determined to do their best for the school and their Principal. Staff remarked on how the ‘little things’ they do are noticed by the Principal. One staff member mused, “I don’t know how she knows what she knows, but I know she knows”! When asked about this, the Principal explained that different people contribute to the success of the school in different ways: that some were more obvious than others, but they were all very important and deserved recognition. With a significant proportion of the school’s students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, the leadership team is committed to providing teachers with timely and researched based information to inform their decision making. This is first provided at the time of teacher induction and relates to the students’ background and home environments. One example of this practice is that each teacher receives a copy 4 Earley, P., Evans, J., Collarbone, P., Gold, A. & Halpin, D. (2002). Establishing the Current State of School Leadership in

England. Institute of Education, University of London Research Report RR336. London: Queen’s Printer, 80.

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of a paper prepared by a deputy, based on Ruby K. Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty (Baytown, TX: RFT, 1995). The ‘can do’ and ‘let’s see if it works’ attitude of the Principal and the leadership team creates the ideal conditions for innovation, initiative and opportunity. Reflective conversations, coupled with intentional role modelling by the leadership team, give staff the confidence to ‘have a go’ when contemplating new ideas. The leaders’ attitude also gives clarity, impetus and direction to the school’s approach to professional learning and development. A formal and detailed performance management process that includes mentoring to support graduate teachers has been established by the Principal. Senior staff are provided with further leadership and capacity-building opportunities by acting as mentors. All staff report that they enjoy and benefit from the processes and, in particular, value the detailed feedback received. There is a strong emphasis on the use of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Professional Standards for Teachers as a reference framework in the performance management process. As with all successful processes undertaken at the school, performance management is well resourced, comprehensive, and includes teaching and non-teaching staff. The Principal is also well known for responding to opportunities to advance the prospects for the school remaining at the leading edge of 21st century educational research and development. Staff express enthusiasm for being involved in a school culture in which professional development and capacity building are valued so highly as part of the school-wide improvement agenda. The feedback and follow through by the Principal on how professional learning has influenced their teaching practices are appreciated by staff, as is the comprehensive, personalised written feedback they receive at the end of each year. Numerous staff reported that receiving such quality feedback was the highlight of their careers. The school improvement agenda is reflected very clearly in the approach to target setting. At the individual student level, it is about moving students from one proficiency band level to the next or planning how to ensure students can achieve the next higher grade level. At the whole-school level, this improvement culture is reflected in the mantra ‘how can we make what is good, even better?’ The ‘hands on’ approach by the Principal in modelling the school’s motto ‘care – compassion – excellence’ is no more evident than in her practice of meeting with every student to discuss their end-of-semester reports. This is one of a number of ‘signature’ acts by the Principal that is admired and respected by students, staff and parents. A valued feature of the school has been the way in which the leadership team has engaged the Aboriginal parents. The respect held by the Aboriginal community for the Principal and other school leaders is apparent and significant. Numerous Aboriginal support groups have grown in partnership with the school to such an extent that the school is now a regular meeting place for community and allied health groups.

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Elders are keen to endorse the work of the Principal noting, with genuine affection, her empathy for, and understanding of, Aboriginal culture. Further, they acknowledge her professional determination to deliver the best possible learning outcomes for all students at Mount Lockyer Primary School.

3 School-wide pedagogical beliefs about how students learn best are at the core of

highly effective teaching practices. The emphasis placed on quality data

analysis is a feature of the school’s mindset, which is a commitment to the

correspondence between informed evidence and timely and appropriate decision

making.

“It is a way of thinking: My role, as teacher, is to evaluate the effect I have on my students. It is to ‘know thy impact’, it is to understand this impact, and it is to act on this knowing and understanding.” 5 Mount Lockyer Primary School has a teaching establishment of 23 full-time equivalent staff that includes a leadership team of one Principal and two deputy principals. The school has a combination of experienced teachers and teachers who are in the early years of their careers. There are also a number of graduates and one Level 3 classroom teacher. As well as literacy and numeracy coordinators, the school has specialist teachers in physical education, science, music, Japanese and library/information and communication technology (ICT) who provide a broad range of quality programs that ensure a rich and balanced curriculum. A behaviour intervention specialist plays a leading role in supporting teachers with classroom management. The staff share their skills and knowledge collaboratively to enhance their collective expertise in order to exemplify the school adage, ‘a place to learn and grow’. The staff mantra is centred primarily on everyone having responsibility for every child. This is not only talked about but is also visible in practice. There is a widespread view among the staff that all students can achieve, given the opportunity. The corollary is that there are no excuses for students not being able to achieve their potential. Complementing the teaching staff are 13 EAs who provide support in the areas of early intervention, early years education, special needs and EAL/D. Additionally the school has access to a school psychologist, school chaplain and two AIEOs. The AIEOs simultaneously work in an alternative program called Our Place along with a child parent centre co-ordinator, Western Australian Institute for Deaf Education (WAIDE) hearing personnel and a speech pathologist. Teaching practices are based on the results of student achievement, which are discussed and analysed by teachers in weekly collaborative sessions. There is an exemplary level of collaboration exhibited, with a high level of curriculum understanding apparent among staff. Teachers are provided with a professional portfolio containing the school’s planning for the year and performance management documents. The portfolio is used in the weekly collaborative meetings. The format and agenda for these meetings are structured carefully, with a strong focus on exploring data, examining the most effective teaching practices and discussing ways of raising standards and improving student performance. This sophisticated process allows all 5 Hattie,J. (2009). Visible Learning. London: Routledge, 19-20

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staff to feel supported in planning lessons and units of work that meet the specific needs of students. With skilful management by the literacy and numeracy specialists, together with input from the Level 3 teacher and support from the Principal, these meetings ensure that all staff have a strong knowledge of how data informs teaching and the content of the Western Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline (WACAO). Many key staff lead curriculum delivery within the school and are able to model effective teaching practices for their colleagues. There is a high correlation between effective planning, targeted teaching and student success. Time and resources are allocated strategically to the process of data analysis to make certain that staff are supported in making judgements about student work samples and achievements. Cross-school moderation allows staff to interact with their year-level counterparts at other schools. Teachers understand and accept the legitimacy of data analysis as part of their teaching craft. Whole-school programs in literacy and numeracy are embedded in the teaching practice of every teacher. The School Development Plan (SDP) and Business Plan advocate a strong focus on literacy, both explicitly and in defining for staff the school priorities for the year. A professional, team-oriented approach is at the forefront of all teacher interactions and exerts a powerful impact on graduates and recently appointed teachers. Education assistants are highly regarded in the school. A comprehensive range of support options is deployed with thoughtfully planned and targeted precision. The leadership team and teaching staff consistently remark on the level of professionalism delivered by the team of EAs. The study team noted many examples of teachers and EAs combining expertly to deliver individual, specialised support to children with severe disabilities or to provide specialised programs for small groups within the classroom. The mutual professional respect and personal regard between teachers and EAs is very strong. Teachers and support staff are committed to ensuring that whole-school programs are taught explicitly, with robust features such as curriculum differentiation to meet the needs of individual learners evident. Guided Reading, Words Their Way, Phonological Awareness and First Steps are examples of whole-school programs that teachers use consistently across the phases of learning. Teachers have a commitment to Guided Reading. It is timetabled three times per week, with support staff taking small groups of students for reading sessions. The process is explicit and is followed by all staff and supported by parent volunteers. Careful selection of levelled reading resources supports staff to implement Guided Reading. Resources are organised well, labelled clearly and easily accessible to all. The literacy specialist plays an integral role in ensuring staff are well supported and offers regular feedback. First Steps resources are used for explicit teaching of skills and are clearly evident in literacy and numeracy tasks and activities. Using strategies associated with Guided Reading, the school is now trialling Guided Numeracy strategies. There is also a strong focus on integrated curriculum, with literacy being woven into science and history, allowing full curriculum coverage. The literacy team provides continuity in writing across the phases of learning, with two or three genre types being selected as a focus each term. The selected genre is then taught extensively for four to five weeks. Sharing of work samples through collaborative sessions is scheduled and judgements are made by teachers regarding levels of achievement.

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Curriculum leaders provide feedback to staff about student performance and moderation levels. The cycle of weekly collaborative literacy and numeracy meetings occur in alternate weeks ensuring teachers build mastery of both key areas of the curriculum. A key characteristic of Mount Lockyer Primary School is the practice of ‘class looping’, which involves a single year class staying with a teacher for two or more years. At the end of the second (or third) year in the pattern, the children move on to a new teacher, while the looping teacher returns to the lower year level to receive a new group of students. Staff comment favourably on the benefits of looping in terms of learning outcomes and the continuity of student and family relationships from one year to the next. The importance of a print-rich environment is clear. Student work surrounds the walls of classrooms with students’ writing displayed prominently in the front of classrooms. This strategy is highly successful in promoting student pride and provides staff with exemplars to follow. Literacy and numeracy workshops have enabled parents to follow the school’s directions and engage positively with their children. The teaching staff use the AITSL Standards to frame their discussions. They refer to the Standards frequently, reflecting upon and applying them to feedback and in performance management processes. Classroom observations and quality feedback are key components of the monitoring of staff performance. There is a positive approach to class observations as part of the cycle of feedback teachers receive about their teaching practices. The school has a well-developed self-reflection and performance management agreement incorporating the seven AITSL Standards that staff use to document evidence of goals and actions they need to achieve. Feedback from the Principal is presented in terms of the teachers’ professional knowledge, practice and professional engagement. A close relationship between the AITSL Standards and other key initiatives such as National Quality Standard (NQS) is emerging. The early childhood education phase has been proactive in advancing the professional learning of staff in this crucial area. Its programs are of high quality, with all staff sharing a common vision of what early childhood education should encompass. Focus 2015 priorities in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension are featured as clear directions in early childhood planning and teaching. Early intervention strategies, such as the establishment of a 0-3 playgroup, a Community School Partnership Agreement and a focus on Communities for Children Hub provide information, support and empowerment through education for parents. The Child Parent Learning Centre is a key link in fostering and nurturing partnerships with parents and the wider community. Digital learning options are a key feature of learning programs at Mount Lockyer Primary School, with students being challenged through problem solving, creative thinking and independent learning. Staff use classroom blogs to communicate with parents and to showcase individual and class achievements. All classrooms have interactive whiteboards, iPad®s and desktop computers. A specialist library/information and communication technology teacher provides support to classroom teachers to ensure they have reliable access to technology.

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4 Individual student target setting is a highly sophisticated process at the school.

Accordingly, an astute alignment of curriculum design, delivery and monitoring

is achieved. This ensures a well-developed, differentiated approach to the

pursuit of high standards of student achievement.

A high level of accountability is promoted at Mount Lockyer Primary School. Staff possess a strong sense of personal responsibility and a professional obligation to be the best they can be. There is a belief that each staff member will make a difference to every student in the school. Student performance is monitored against targets, with short, medium and long-term goals being set for individual, group and whole cohorts of students. Students with specific learning needs have individual documented plans. Moderation against the School Curriculum and Standards Authority Judging Standards is used to improve the reliability and validity of performance and grade allocations. Improvement targets are developed with staff in collaborative planning sessions. Targets are developed in the key areas of literacy, mathematics, science, Aboriginal education, behaviour management, attendance and pastoral care. Conversations among teachers about the monitoring of targets take place in weekly collaborative sessions and on professional development days. For many schools, target setting is a vexed issue, however, at Mount Lockyer Primary School it is an ‘art form’ that is at the core of its decision making processes. The Business Plan 2014-2016 states clearly what the student achievement improvement targets are by using a combination of National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) proficiency bands and National Minimum Standards statements. In science and history, grade allocations from student reports are used as a basis for target setting. In the areas of behaviour and attendance, targets are stated in terms of percentages. Aspirational targets are used for Aboriginal students in relation to achievement in NAPLAN. As one teacher articulated, “target setting is in our DNA!” Using the well-developed self-reflective instincts of the staff, the leadership team ensures that data analysis is augmented by teachers applying their knowledge and experience to interpret the data. This practice of deriving ‘meaning’ from data adds considerable weight to the overall quality of the school’s self-assessment processes. Detailed expectations for each term are communicated to staff in written form. The leaders advise staff what to focus on and help guide their planning. Included is information regarding assessments targeted for the term. A high level of accountability is associated with these expectations. The SDP exhibits an impressive degree of specificity, with identified individual targets. Student names are detailed and a combination of report grade allocations and NAPLAN proficiency bands is used to describe the improvement desired for each student. Teachers discuss how they will move students from a ‘C’ to a ‘B’ grade or how they will move groups of students from one proficiency band to the next. This shared common language enables teachers to create guided reading groups, spelling focus groups and mathematics groups according to individuals’ needs. Teachers then plan together and deliver a quality teaching and learning program based on the WACAO.

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System level assessments (primarily NAPLAN, Judging Standards and On-entry Assessment Program) and common assessment tasks are used to set targets. The NQS will soon be added to this suite of reflective tools. Staff also use classroom-based assessments, including Reading Recovery levels, PM Benchmark and Words Their Way diagnostic data, together with literacy and numeracy rubrics, to provide them with quality information about student performance. Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data are used to assist staff in selecting individual students for intervention as a result of the assessment information. This information has had a significantly positive impact on the work done with parents who have children aged under four years. There is a shared commitment to differentiating the curriculum for students. Weekly meetings allow staff to analyse achievement and make decisions about groupings. It is a fluid process, with students moving in and out of groups, depending on improvements and progress made. Experienced support staff are assigned to take small groups of students. Scope and sequence planning documents are well used by teachers in collaborative planning sessions. Teachers work alongside literacy and numeracy coordinators to decide what, when and how they will cover curriculum content. Staff meet regularly outside collaborative sessions to discuss individual and group performance in literacy and numeracy. Where needed, alternative learning programs and structures are used to cater for the diverse needs of students. Streaming is used as a planned strategy for the delivery mathematics in some year levels. This strategy, responding to the range of individual learning needs, is based on data, with teachers monitoring closely the performance of students in mathematics groups each fortnight. Classroom assessments and individual student information are recorded on a whole-school data tracking system. A well-structured, highly supportive mentoring program enhances the professional knowledge and skills of all those involved. Newly appointed teachers and graduates are assigned mentors and supported through a detailed induction program. This program is resourced to allow the mentor and mentee time to discuss goals and evidence using the teacher registration process and AITSL Professional Standards for Teachers. New teachers (those who commenced since 2013) remark that they have learned much about the craft of teaching, the importance of data and the power of collaboration since arriving at Mount Lockyer Primary School.

5 In every class, all students are supported and challenged to do their best. By

creating a rich curriculum and applying innovative and motivating teaching

practices, the school has capitalised on impressive levels of attendance and

delivered targeted learning programs for all students, particularly those at

educational risk.

Mount Lockyer Primary School provides a safe, calm and engaging learning environment that ensures all children are successful learners. All members of staff have a belief that all children can learn and that every child is the responsibility of every staff member. They therefore work collaboratively to ensure better outcomes for all children. There is a genuine passion for their work and their school among all members of staff.

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A range of programs and strategies is implemented across the school to cater for the diverse needs of all children. Eighteen students in the education support program are fully integrated and move from their mainstream classrooms only when additional therapy is required. A dedicated therapy room is provided to support these students. The school staff are valued and respected by members of the school community. They work closely with all members of the community, with families being very visible throughout the school on both formal and informal occasions. Highly effective relationships have been nurtured, particularly with the Aboriginal community. The school grounds are attractive and well maintained. The school community is proud of the school’s appearance and takes an active interest in projects designed to improve the learning environment to make it engaging and safe for the students. The learning environment provides a holistic approach to the development of the child. The deputy, who is responsible for students at educational risk (SAER), has played a major role in the development of successful whole-school policies and procedures. The staff acknowledge and appreciate the support they receive for the preparation of Individual Education Plans, which are monitored and reviewed regularly. There is a strong focus on the social and emotional wellbeing of students. ‘Bucket filling’ is evident in every classroom - students and teachers ‘fill each other’s buckets’ with positive comments and students’ enjoyment in sharing their comments with the study team was apparent. The school chaplain (‘Chappy’) is highly valued and is very effective in supporting a range of programs. Students can access a special area adjacent to the school called ‘Our Place’. This is where the chaplain is based, and provides a safe haven for those experiencing personal difficulties. Interagency support is well established and has been very strong over a long period of time. These partnerships augment the school-based supports and interventions. There is a strong sense of school pride among the students. They demonstrate ownership, enthusiasm and responsibility. In particular, they are very aware of the need to be supportive and encouraging of their fellow students. Games, whether part of a teacher-directed activity or playground initiated, are played in good spirit. The values of fairness and respect for other permeates student interactions. Visitors are greeted politely and peers show a genuine interest in ensuring new student arrivals feel welcome. When asked what would typically happen for a new student commencing at the school, the positive response was laced with unaffected enthusiasm. Pressed on how and why this culture exists at Mount Lockyer Primary School, the reply from a Student Councillor was disarmingly touching: “I don’t know, it’s just the way we are”. The relationships among the students appear to reflect the quality of those modelled by the staff. Staff relationships, publicly on display for the students, provide an ideal exemplar of how people can co-exist in a true sense of partnership. The school is perceived as a ‘good place to be’ and notably, students prefer being at school to staying at home. Similarly, staff report being energised by the work they do and this is reflected in the extremely high levels of job satisfaction reported to the study team.

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The impact of this culture has had a profound effect on school attendance levels. Daily monitoring of attendance is a whole-school activity. Staff see a strong correlation between what happens in the classroom and students’ motivation to attend. Not only does this drive them to ensure high levels of engaging learning experiences, they actively and very publicly celebrate the achievement of attendance improvement targets at both the individual and whole-class levels. Parents report being affected by the school’s positive tone, with teachers rarely missing an opportunity to have a chat about their child should they attend the school for any reason. This is very much part of the ‘hidden curriculum’ of Mount Lockyer Primary School. The learning environment culture of the school plays a dominant role in its exemplary performance. By fostering a motivating, rich curriculum and by promoting innovation and change, the school has created the ultimate capacity building environment. The superior level of school self-awareness also translates into a relentless pursuit of excellence, leaving no room for complacency. The staff at Mount Lockyer Primary School have determined to ‘not let the children fail’.

6 Collaborative meetings have created a compelling sense of ‘team’ and are a

significant factor in the school’s success. This forum for the sharing of knowledge, skills and experience has created a strong professional learning community that focuses on continuous school improvement.

“The research tells us that collaboration is the relational key exemplified as trusted sharing of ideas, processes and possibilities all of which encourages innovation.” 6 Through their words and actions during collaboration meetings, staff demonstrate their sense of professional obligation toward each other. Collaborative meetings are characterised by high levels of trust between participants irrespective of the variations in experience, knowledge or length of tenure at the school. Collaborative processes have had a profoundly positive influence on teacher efficacy at Mount Lockyer Primary School. The belief that staff can and do make a difference for all students is manifestly evident in the manner in which they approach the use of evidence, curriculum planning, assessment and reporting. Particularly noticeable during the collaborative meetings was the level of structure, purposeful intent and total engagement of all those present. The school leaders use their engagement with these sessions as a way of supporting the continuity of curriculum content delivery, assuring the quality and coherence of teaching practice and offering advice and counsel relating to whole-school vision and direction. While there is a range of collaborative options and opportunities for staff to engage in, the two-week cycle of literacy and numeracy meetings for each phase of learning takes centre stage. These meetings are led by the respective literacy and numeracy coordinators and, because they work across the phases of learning teams, the continuity of curriculum and consistency of teaching strategies is enhanced greatly. On numerous occasions, the study team observed skilled engagements between the 6 Avenall, K. (2015). Innovation – don‘t be afraid. The Australian Educational Leader, 37(1), 39.

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specialist coordinators and teachers, particularly among the graduates and those newly appointed to the school. Further, these engagements augment existing mentor processes. The collaborative meetings provide a rich forum for moderation discussions and an elite level of target setting for whole-school priorities and individual student performance improvement. Emerging also from these meetings is a clear indication of the professional learning needs of staff, both individually and collectively. While the school exercises the professional learning options made available at the systemic level, it frequently elects to develop the skills and abilities of its own staff to deliver professional learning. The study team observed an excellent presentation to the staff on aspects of the NQS reflection tool by two of their colleagues. The enthusiastic and respectful engagement of the staff was a credit to all concerned and a powerful illustration of how the school builds school-wide staff capacity and confidence. The high level of collegiality creates a pervasive sense of ‘Team Mount Lockyer’. This is most noticeable by the frequent use of the pronoun ‘we’ when staff refer to their roles in the school. Even relief teachers describe themselves as feeling valued members of the team. The loyalty toward each other is exceeded only by loyalty to the school as a whole. This means thoughts of ‘letting the team down’ can never be contemplated. The trust, respect and loyalty shown by the leaders toward the staff is reciprocated in such a way that a compelling bond has been created that sustains the school’s capacity to meet challenges, whether they are day-to-day ‘moments’, mid-range school process adjustments or big picture, strategic decision making. The pivotal role of the leadership team, in particular, that of the Principal, must be acknowledged in this respect. The spirit of collaboration at Mount Lockyer Primary School is not confined to internal school activity. It has built an enviable reputation across the community it serves for its authentic approach to consultation and collaboration. Parents and members of the broader community presented with numerous accounts of how the school has ‘gone the extra yard’ to ensure decisions affecting the students or families are shared and understood widely. Sub-groups in the community are particularly appreciative of the consideration given to the diverse range of interests and needs that characterise the Mount Lockyer community’s demographic. Joint school-community programs include the highly successful Aboriginal Support Group, the School Community Partnership Agreement and the breakfast program. These programs draw on the mutually respectful interrelations that have been developed between the school and other government agencies involved in supporting families with children at the school. Opportunities for collaboration and cooperation are pursued eagerly, not only to provide an improved learning environment for students, but also to contribute to the advancement of pre-service teacher preparation through university annexes located in Albany, hosting TAFE students completing the Certificate III in Education Support and high school students participating in Structured Workplace Learning. These collaborative programs are considered carefully and monitored by the school’s leadership to ensure that the benefits of involvement flow directly or indirectly to the students of Mount Lockyer Primary School.

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7 Personal trust and professional respect are expressed through highly supportive

relationships among all staff. This drives total staff commitment to the school’s vision, beliefs and values.

At the core of the professional respect that exists at Mount Lockyer Primary School is the interpersonal intelligence exhibited by the Principal. “Interpersonal intelligence is the authentic range of intuitive behaviours derived from sophisticated self-awareness, which facilitates effective engagement with others.” 7

Throughout the course of the study process, the profound influence of the Principal in the embedding of a set of values and beliefs about how people should be treated, be they students, family or staff, became increasingly apparent. With the support of the other members of the executive leadership team, the Principal has created a culture of trust, respect and fairness that underpins the actions the school undertakes each day. A fundamental test applied to all decision making is, ‘will this decision add value to students’ learning and/or their health and wellbeing?’ By extension, the leadership team models the same set of values in considering both the professional and personal wellbeing of staff. This has engendered an extraordinary level of trust and loyalty from staff. They describe the leadership team as highly ethical in terms of the students - ‘every child has a right to a high standard of education’ - with the corollary that ‘every teacher is entitled to be provided with the best enabling conditions to deliver their craft.’ “I would like to go each day to a school to be with other adults who genuinely wanted to be there, who really chose to be there because of the importance of their work to others and to themselves.” 8 It is apparent from the interactions and behaviours of staff that they not only feel a great deal personal responsibility toward the work they do, but they also demonstrate a professional trust and obligation toward their fellow staff members. This spirit is captured also by sentiments expressed by the school gardener wanting Mount Lockyer Primary School to be regarded as the best school in Albany. Similarly, teachers are known to say that ‘there is nowhere to hide’ in terms of meeting their professional obligations to each other and the leadership team. Commitment to the school vision, values and beliefs is intensely genuine and highly authentic. “Relational trust entails much more than just making school staff feel good about their work environment and colleagues.” 9

Trust at Mount Lockyer Primary School has grown through the mutuality of staff exchanges that validate leadership expectations for continuous school improvement. Their words and 7 West-Burnham, J. (2001). Interpersonal leadership, NCSL Leading Edge Seminar. Nottingham. National College for School

Leadership, 2. 8 Barth, R.S. (1990). Improving Schools from Within. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 9 Bryk, A.S. & Schneider, B.L. (2002). Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for Improvement. New York: Russell Sage

Foundation.

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actions exemplify the school ethos and leadership mantra, ‘every child is everyone’s responsibility’. Even simple staff interactions with students during recess periods are seen as opportunities to proactively engage educationally with students. At one level these interactions could be seen as random, but the intent is far from arbitrary. This means that the constant flow of information exchanged between staff is not confined to the children directly in their care. The staffroom discussions during recess and lunchtime are weighted more heavily toward exchanges about student performance than the social activities of the staff. Such is the depth of the culture of high expectations that the school exhibits a carefully crafted alignment between the focus on high academic standards and the social and emotional wellbeing of students. The school’s leadership asserts that a safe and caring learning environment has a positive effect on academic performance only when there is an unambiguous focus on high standards of student achievement. In this respect, trust is the binding ingredient that ensures staff share ideas, experiences and problems without fear of being judged critically. This non-judgemental trust is evident across many facets of the school. Parents remarked warmly on the welcoming demeanour of the front office reception staff. For some parents or carers, a visit to their local school can be an anxiety-laden experience. This has been recognised by the Mount Lockyer Primary School reception team and every effort is made to make them feel welcome and valued. ‘You have my time’ is the intonation characteristic of the reception staff when engaging with school visitors. This is a powerful factor in creating a positive first impression and assists future interactions greatly.

8 High quality relationships between the school and the local community are pre-

eminent in the minds of all those working at Mount Lockyer Primary School. The diverse community has responded with trust and respect for the school’s management of the students. Consequently, they are highly enthusiastic advocates for the school.

“Through my experience …, I’ve found that there is one main obstacle to communication: people’s tendency to evaluate. Fortunately, I’ve also discovered that if people can learn to listen with understanding, they can mitigate their evaluative impulses and greatly improve their communication with others.” 10 Carl Rogers goes on to say, “we can achieve real communication and avoid this evaluative tendency when we listen with understanding. This means seeing the expressed idea and attitude from the other person’s point of view, sensing how it feels to the person, achieving his or frame of reference about the subject being discussed.” 11 In many respects, Mount Lockyer Primary School’s success is due to its well-developed instinct for listening to members of the local community, both individually and collectively, with understanding and compassion. 10 Rogers, C.R. & Roethlisberger, F.J. (1952). Barriers and Gateways to Communication. Harvard Business Review, July-

August. 11 Rogers, C.R. & Roethlisberger, F.J. (1952).

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The accounts from parents of how the leadership team in particular and the staff in general have responded to their anxieties and concerns with empathy and sympathy are quite poignant. The wisdom that lies behind this approach is both simple and complex. Optimal, trusting relationships between the school and the community help the school to support the children. The complexity lies in meeting the ever-increasing demands being placed on the school through the many challenges confronting its local community. Mount Lockyer Primary School does not shy from these challenging moments. In the words of a deputy, “such challenges provide the opportunity for it to become a better school”. School traditions and routines are built from the shared values that underpin the school’s academic and social standards. Everything from the school’s Locky Legends student reward strategy to the number of incentive and personal development programs has been pitched to achieve maximum engagement by the students and the local community. The school ‘code of character’ is couched in ‘we’ terms, reflecting joint school and community commitment. This became patently obvious during the various occasions on which we met with the Aboriginal community representatives. The Elders Circle, Scrapbooking workshop and Aboriginal Support Group are avenues providing powerful influence in the building of positive and productive relationships between the school and the local community. A dedicated room in the school ensures that meetings are conducted in a safe and respectful environment. During the study team’s meetings with the Aboriginal community representatives, it emerged that the building of relationships was being predominantly and purposefully led by the Principal in partnership with the AIEO and supported strongly by other members of staff. Collectively the school has built an intimate knowledge of family histories and networks. The quality of respect and trust between the school and community has engendered such a strong belief in the school, and therefore in education, that attendance rates are superior to those in like schools, as are student achievement levels. The Elders Circle, which was essentially a family mentor program to support the school’s attendance strategies, is currently in recess due to its success in lifting attendance levels. As a school with a proud public education ethos, it understands and accepts its mission to provide quality education programs to all students. Our meetings with parents, some of whom have children with learning disabilities, provided further insights into the school’s vigorous commitment to students at educational risk. Parents’ powerful endorsement of, and advocacy for, the school was tangible as they gave personal accounts of the lengths to which the school has gone to support their children. While the school can be proud of its many achievements, its advocacy and support of its most vulnerable students is a badge it can wear with pride. It is due to these and many other reasons that the image and reputation of Mount Lockyer Primary School have improved dramatically over the last 10 years. It is the school of choice for those living within the catchment area and, in some cases, beyond. It is also the school of choice for the children of a number of staff members and is held in high regard by other government and non-government agencies who work with the school.

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Working with similar commitment in partnership with the school is its School Board. Apart from being outspoken advocates for the school, they make a material contribution through direct involvement in strategic direction and priority setting. The development of the school Business Plan and the endorsement of the SDP provide important forums for parents to respond to suggestions from staff or offer advice on the introduction of new initiatives. Policy developments, together with discussions relating to resource deployment, are frequent items noted on the School Board’s record of meetings. Board members are extremely complimentary toward the staff and leaders for the respect accorded to the role of the parents on the School Board. They note the open and transparent availability of school performance information and the honest interpretation presented by the leadership team. While being proud of the school’s achievements over the years, they feel that this performance study, commissioned by the Department’s Director General, is testimony to the work of everyone on the staff at Mount Lockyer Primary School. Interagency relations are respectful partnerships and deliver productive two-way exchanges that add value for individual students and the school as a whole. As previously mentioned, the engagement with local tertiary institutions has helped widen the base of research evidence upon which it undertakes school improvement decision making.

9 A well-crafted, highly effective program to respond to the behavioural needs of

all students has been achieved. Using leading research, support programs are

designed and delivered in a consistent and coherent manner. Staff, parents and

students understand and accept the model, expressing full confidence in the

school’s approach.

The school ethos and leadership mantra at Mount Lockyer Primary School, ‘Every child is everyone’s responsibility’, sets the scene for a highly engaging, stimulating and exciting learning environment, in which children are challenged and nurtured to develop the skills to be successful academically, socially and emotionally. The school takes the view that it is more productive to be proactive than reactive. The focus on behaviour intervention and strategies to ensure children are engaged and successful is to be commended. Whole-school behaviour policies are adhered to by all members of the school, are articulated clearly and understood by parents and carers. The supportive role assumed by parents if their children are suspended or spend time in the school behaviour intervention centre is noteworthy. The Positive Behaviours Support (PBS) program is used in conjunction with the school’s values-based approach to managing student behaviour. The 1,2,3 Magic strategy is also utilised at the classroom level. With the expectations for student behaviour defined and understood by staff, students and parents, it is rare for decisions relating to misbehavior to be challenged by parents. The level of consistency from class to class and among specialist teachers is a feature of the school’s behaviour management processes. If a child is being persistently disruptive in the classroom, they report to Room 20. This dedicated behaviour intervention room in which an experienced teacher, reputed for her

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student management skills, provides research-based intervention strategies and support for students and teachers. The strategy provides an opportunity for the student to calm down and reflect on their behaviour. The student completes their work in Room 20, a graduated return to class program is undertaken and, with regular discussions between the class teacher, customised strategies designed for the student are shared, ensuring a smooth transition back to their class. The highly respected Room 20 teacher works with all members of staff to develop individualised behaviour plans (IBPs) for students ‘at risk’. Staff value greatly the layer of support that Room 20 offers, as they not only get to focus on their teaching but are accumulating a suite of strategies they can apply in their classrooms. This successful program continues to be refined through research to meet the contemporary needs of students. Parents and carers are informed promptly when behaviour expectations are not met. They are invited to the school to support the student with their re-entry into the classroom. Feedback from parents is extremely positive and supportive of the school’s approach. In many instances, EAs are the staff most directly confronted with the challenging behaviours of students. The steady stream of positive acknowledgements by the leadership team, staff and parents is a strong endorsement of their work. Behaviour data is analysed and presented regularly to staff to ensure the program’s continued success. Suspensions rates across the school have decreased dramatically. The school also offers to develop the capacity of parents who express a need for extra assistance. Any parent who has a child on an IBP is supported with take-home kits to implement similar behavior strategies at home, thus complementing and reinforcing the behaviours preferred at school. Relief teachers and new staff participate in a thorough induction program, ensuring the consistent and coherent approach to behavior management is followed. The students know that all teachers follow the same processes and express confidence in the way in which the school manages behaviour. Students interviewed along with those the study team met in the playground or in class, showed a remarkably sophisticated understanding of the school’s behaviour management processes. A commendable feature of these processes is the extent to which they have received universal acceptance among an extremely diverse community. By going to exceptional lengths to build relationships with the local Aboriginal community, the school has succeeded in minimising, if not eliminating entirely, tensions arising from decisions and actions relating to behaviour. Aboriginal family trees are mapped to provide an extra layer of knowledge to assist the provision of community-family support and promote community-school involvement. The AIEO has been invaluable in creating sustainable connections and communication between the Aboriginal community and the school, ensuring that Aboriginal families are involved and are heard and respected.

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The Principal is held in high esteem by the Aboriginal community and is to be commended for her role in striving to ensure that all members of this community feel they are important and valued members of the Mount Lockyer Primary School ‘family’. The Dreamtime Group, made up of Aboriginal community members, has developed a School Community Partnership Agreement in consultation with school staff. The Agreement is important, not only in a formal sense but because it symbolises the authentic relationship between the school and its Aboriginal community. Mount Lockyer Primary School celebrates success, big and small. There are many opportunities for a child to be rewarded for academic achievement or personal development of social/emotional skills. Various forms of recognition, including honour certificates, commendation notes, Locky Legends awards and the Rippaboards incentive, have been initiated and utilised to promote positive behaviours. They are said to be a ‘currency’ for the children, triggering a perpetual sense of goodwill between each other and the staff. The children challenge themselves and strive to take up the opportunities provided for them. They express their opinions confidently and convey that they are heard and listened to. Pride in the school is evident to the visitor walking through its well-kept grounds. This environment and the attractive displays of children’s work around the school help to create a true ethos of ownership of what the school stands for and delivers. The positive, happy, caring, friendly feelings evident throughout the school represent the outcomes of the many programs provided to engage the students. In many instances, these programs are tailored to the students’ individual needs and provide the foundation for the successful and engaging learning environment that all schools should strive to achieve. Mount Lockyer Primary School is not simply seen as a ‘school’ by the community but rather as a ‘family’. While the community appreciates the school’s approach to supporting, guiding and nurturing the children, it also recognises its commitment to giving central importance to the development of high standards of literacy and numeracy in particular and of education in general.

10 The school has embraced its responsibility to ensure that all resources available

to it are utilised for the needs of all students. Open and transparent decision

making is reflected in the judicious management of human and financial

resources. A well refined, strategic process is applied to workforce planning.

“In one way or another, every resource available for deployment at Mount Lockyer Primary School is linked, either directly or indirectly, to literacy and numeracy outcomes.” 12

Resource allocations, both financial and human, are strategically astute and operationally agile. With a number of funding streams to manage, the school could be tempted to deploy them in isolation from one another. However, the leadership has been resolute in ensuring a strong alignment between priorities and resource allocations. This has the effect of aggregating the resource ‘bucket’ before final decisions are made. 12 Augustson, M. Principal, Mount Lockyer Primary School. Day 1 Principal interview statement during performance study

interview.

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In a similar way, the leadership recognises the dynamic nature of budget management over the course of any year and therefore has built in capacity for flexibility and point-in-time discretionary allocations. This allows for a responsive approach to financial or human resource adjustments when and as required. The leadership’s confidence in delivering quality outcomes for students is underwritten by the excellent work of the school business manager who, with the support of her school officers, manages the school’s budget with commendable integrity and probity. As a strategic asset, the school buildings and surrounding grounds require intelligent and timely management for maintenance and upgrades. It was clear to the study team that the school’s leadership (including the business manager), gardener and cleaning staff, take this aspect of school asset management very seriously. The school grounds are a credit to all involved, with a high level of professional pride clearly evident. Built in 1954, the school reflects the traditional linear style of the time. Over the years, wear and tear have been inevitable. There have been a number of additions over time, with the latest being part of a national school buildings improvement program. Despite the challenges of managing the ageing premises, staff and parents state that the school’s appearance has improved markedly over the past ten years and, most particularly, since 2012. The grounds are very well maintained and provide learning and recreational spaces that are aesthetically pleasing and functional. A thriving school garden provides a whole-school activity area to support science, environmental and civic responsibility programs. Facility improvements continue to be factored into the school budget, the most recent being an upgrading of the scope and functionality of the school’s ICT platform. In setting the budget, the Principal and business manager consult with the Finance Committee, the School Board and cost centre managers separate to Committee. The budget forecast is shared more widely before final sign-off is completed. Cost centre managers are provided with the necessary advice and guidelines to manage their budgets, including expenditure milestones to be achieved through the course of the year. Under the student-centred funding model, human resources management at Mount Lockyer Primary School is tight, targeted and transformational. The Principal’s position is unambiguous when it comes to providing the best conditions for students to flourish. The integration of available human resources ensures staff are deployed in a manner that gives maximal effect to achieving the best outcome for students. Given the number of programs requiring funding and human resources, the leadership has built in monitoring and review processes that ensure programs remain only while they are demonstrably effective. This standard requires regular updates and feedback on the impact and viability of programs to be presented to all concerned to ensure they will not be surprised if the decision is taken to retire a program. It is evident from our discussions with parents and School Board representatives that they appreciate being consulted over aspects of the school’s expenditure. They are very satisfied with the functioning of the school and are keen to contribute their support for it.

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4: Conclusion

Given the complexity and diversity of the Mount Lockyer Primary School community, the leadership team and staff provide an outstanding example of the unremitting pursuit of what is possible. By using a commendable blend of intelligence, compassion and fierce determination to deliver high quality education to its students, Mount Lockyer Primary School stands out among the many good schools in Western Australia’s public education system. “One area of leadership that is less common in the literature is that of leadership ‘mind-set’. Strongly linked with mind-set is self-awareness.” 13 It is rare to find leaders who can successfully “…walk the tight-rope of leadership: projecting conviction while simultaneously remaining humble enough to open [sic] to new ideas and opposing opinions...” 14

The leaders at Mount Lockyer Primary School, led by the Principal, are very aware of the mindset required to deliver a quality education to the community they serve. The school is clear about its purpose but it also understands the need to achieve congruence between its fundamental mission and its partnership with the community in the educational process. The tangible, compelling and productive relationships among staff, reinforced by superior levels of trust and collaboration, yield their greatest dividend in the quality of teaching and learning. The students at Mount Lockyer Primary School are the beneficiaries of outstanding teaching and leadership. The Expert Review Group’s performance study of Mount Lockyer Primary School, an Independent Public School demonstrating exemplary performance, is designed to acknowledge this example of outstanding school practice and share the findings for the benefit of all public schools in Western Australia. 13 Tjan, A., Harrington, R. and Hsieh, T. (2012). Heart, Smarts, Guts and Luck: What it takes to be an Entrepreneur and Build

a Great Business. Harvard University Review Press in Briefings, Vol 18, Issue 10, (2014). Independent Schools Queensland, 1.

14 Tjan, A., Harrington, R. and Hsieh, T. (2012).

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5: Appendix: student achievement data

Figure 1 provides an analysis of progress and achievement in National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) from 2012 to 2014 by Mount Lockyer Primary School students. Comparative measurements (represented by the 0 axes) are based on all students tested in the respective cohorts. Compared with like schools, the progress and achievement of the Mount Lockyer Primary School students was higher in Years 5 to 7, particularly in numeracy, reading and grammar and punctuation. For Years 3 to 5, achievement in all areas was strong. Figure 1: Progress and achievement of students at Mount Lockyer Primary School and like schools in Western Australia in Years 3 to 5 and Years 5 to 7 in reading, numeracy, writing, spelling and grammar and punctuation, NAPLAN 2012 to 2014

Figure 2 shows the mean reading, numeracy and writing scores of Year 3, 5 and 7 students at Mount Lockyer Primary School in NAPLAN 2010-14. In most instances, these scores were equal to or above those of students at like Western Australian schools. Year 3 students’ mean scores in all areas have been consistently above those of students at like schools. Figure 2: Mean scores in reading, numeracy and writing of Year 3, 5 and 7 students, Mount Lockyer Primary School and like Western Australian schools, NAPLAN 2010-14

Reading Numeracy Writing

Key

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Students who score at or below the National Minimum Standards in NAPLAN are considered to be at educational risk. In all tests, Mount Lockyer Primary School had significantly fewer students performing at or below the National Minimum Standards than like schools in Western Australia. These results are exceptional. Table 1: Percentages of Year 3, 5 and 7 students at Mount Lockyer Primary School and like schools scoring at or below the National Minimum Standards, NAPLAN 2014

Test Year 3 Year 5 Year 7

Mount Lockyer Primary School

Like schools


Like schools


Like schools

Numeracy 18 37 36 47 10 39

Reading 19 42 31 42 24 34

Writing 7 30 23 41 38 50

Spelling 22 39 21 31 41 35

Grammar and Punctuation

18 39 26 42 29 44

Key At least 10 per cent fewer students performing at or below the NMS, compared with like schools At least 5 per cent fewer students performing at or below the NMS, compared with like schools Within a range of plus or minus 5 per cent At least 5 per cent more students performing at or below the NMS, compared with like schools At least 10 per cent more students performing at or below the NMS, compared with like schools

The analysis of student performance in relation to NAPLAN 2014 higher proficiency bands shown in Table 2 indicates that with one exception, the percentage of students at Mount Lockyer Primary School was equal to, or exceeded those in like schools in all areas assessed. The results for Year 3 were exceptional. Table 2: Percentages of Year 3, 5 and 7 students at Mount Lockyer Primary School and like schools in Western Australia scoring in the two top proficiency bands, NAPLAN 2014

Test Year 3 (Bands 5, 6 or above)

Year 5 (Bands 7, 8 or above)

Year 7 (Bands 8, 9 or above)


Like schools


Like schools


Like schools

Numeracy 38 14 9 7 16 12

Reading 35 18 14 9 10 10

Writing 34 22 5 2 7 8

Spelling 45 24 26 19 19 19

Punctuation and Grammar

40 22 28 18 20 14

Key At least 10 per cent more students performing at the two top proficiency bands, compared with like schools At least 5 per cent more students performing at the two top proficiency bands, compared with like schools Within a range of plus or minus 5 per cent At least 5 per cent fewer students performing at the two top proficiency bands, compared with like schools At least 10 per cent fewer students performing at the two top proficiency bands, compared with like schools

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