Recognising a NSW Public School’s commitment to teaching and learning outcomes, leadership, supporting their students and/or creating a sustainable learning environment via the delivery of a discreet program or initiative.

Ambarvale High School: Pods of Innovative Projects

Auburn North Public School: 2015-2017 K-6 Visible Learning Project

Bankstown Public School: Integrating STEM into Classroom Practice

Bellevue Hill Public School: Developing Teacher Capacity

Canterbury Boys High School: Enriching STEM Learning

Capertree, Hampton, Glen Alice, Euchareena Public Schools: One Schools Network

Chester Hill High School: Refugee Welcome Program

Forbes High School: Wellness Hub Project

Gymea Technology High School: Technology Centre

Lomandra School for Special Purpose: Kokoda – Outside Classroom Program

Rivers Secondary College, Lismore High Campus: New Choices

Sarah Redfern High School: The Learning Journey

Ulladulla High School: Authentic Deep Project Learning

Villawood East Public School: The Big School Explorers Initiative: An Early Intervention Strategy

Warialda Public School: Wider than Gwydir

 

RECIPIENT CITATIONS

Ambarvale High School: Pods of Innovative Projects

The school has committed to the development and implementation of authentic feedback practices as a powerful tool to drive and build student-learning outcomes. Internal data indicates student learning in 21st century learning skills have increased significantly including meta-cognition of the learning process. External bench mark data is not yet available to measure Year 7 to 9 Literacy and Numeracy growth as NAPLAN results are not yet available. The school also committed to “responsive curriculum patterns and structures to support pedagogy and student engagement” and the “pods of projects” initiative has very successfully achieved this outcome.

Auburn North Public School: 2015-2017 K-6 Visible Learning Project

The purpose of the project was to strategically use Hattie’s Visible Learning research to achieve outstanding learning outcomes.  It contributed to the development of a school plan, the development of a highly aspirational learning community, improvement of teacher pedagogical knowledge, development of excellent student learning programs and increased participation of parents in their children’s learning.  NAPLAN results for 2015 and 2016 indicate that this model has been highly successful in increases of student attainment.

Bankstown Public School: Effectively Integrating STEM Into Classroom Practice

This initiative has built a strong evidence base and encapsulated the importance of STEM education.  It has served as an exemplary model as it effectively integrated STEM lessons and projects across K-6 classroom programming. Students were given the skills to collaborate with their peers, follow the engineering design process and to utilise design thinking. The success of the STEM initiative resulted in increasing teacher capacity and STEM teaching quality and also the effective facilitation of partnerships with business and industry including the pilot of global STEM projects with a GAT school in the USA.

Bellevue Hill Public School: Developing Teacher Capacity

To prepare teachers and students for an exciting new educational facility housing 24 open learning environments, transformational and distributional leadership styles were employed. Three teams of teachers researched open plan flexible learning, developed action plans, consulted with colleagues, trialled open spaces, evaluated with students.  In June 2017, K-6 moved into the new open plan spaces with teachers confident and enthusiastic about taking their teaching to the next level.

Canterbury Boys High School: Enriching STEM Learning

Canterbury Boys High School has lifted the academic rigour and performance of students at its school and local primary schools through a relentless focus on ‘Enriching STEM Learning’ across 2016 and 2017.  Their achievements to date include partnerships with university enrichment programs, introduction of STEM transition programs for local primary schools, introduction of new STEM curriculum, establishment of an after-school coding and robotics club and government funding for STEM initiatives.

Capertree, Hampton, Glen Alice, Euchareena Public Schools: One Schools Network

The One Schools Networks is a developing collaboration between schools that consist of one K-6 multi-stage classes in isolated areas.  The network caters for the needs of teachers and students at these small schools which are in rural areas and very isolated.  The program aims to move students from isolation to collaboration and to provide quality support for both teachers and students.  By working in parallel across schools, students have formed meaningful relationships, participated in engaging learning and improved their own work by being exposed to the work of others.

Chester Hill High School: Refugee Welcome Program

The Refugee Welcome Program is an intensive multi-faceted approach supporting students who are new to the school and to the country.  The school harnesses a range of resources, support systems and initiatives with external partners to develop a holistic approach to wellbeing as the foundation for academic and personal success and to close the equity gap at the school.  The program has improved academic results for this cohort and enabled many students to continue to post-school study.

Forbes High School: Wellness Hub Project

The Wellness Hub builds a strong partnership between the school, community and families and supports student success at school by offering holistic support.  In order to focus on their learning Forbes High School has provided a range of confidential services including family, friends, mental health, child welfare, nutrition, and drugs and alcohol counselling. Since its inception access to the program has rapidly increased, resulting in more than 1000 appointments per year.  The Wellness Hub also allows for visitors from local schools, extending the impact of the project to the wider community.

Gymea Technology High School: Technology Centre

As an extension of existing activities, a school-wide initiative saw the design and development of a new state-of-the-art Technology Centre.  This innovative design which accommodates four classes simultaneously and was built on the research of Dr Ken Fisher, has allowed for engagement and excitement from students to learn in a space they value.  Activities range from robotics and coding, CAD design and multimedia projects.  Students within the centre are engaged in a diverse range of activities that may be part of class activity or individualised learning.

Lomandra School for Special Purpose: Kokoda – Outside Classroom Program

Kokoka – The Outside Classroom is a two-year program that culminates in staff and students walking the Kokoda Track.  Through this program students, many of whom are from disadvantaged and marginalised communities, become dynamic members of the school community; participating in TAFE programs, raising funds, organising travel documents and liaising with the Department and NGOs.  The Kokoda project is an authentic learning experience that has resulted in participating students transition to full-time employment, moving to TAFE traineeships, obtaining their drivers licence and undertaking public speaking engagements.

Rivers Secondary College, Lismore High Campus: New Choices

The New Choices program works with the most complex and disengaged young people and their families and provides support, structure and links to re-engage into education and work pathways.  The pilot program in 2016 saw attendance rates for the students involved increase from 20% to 85% and suspensions dropped from 26 to 1. All students involved have now gained a year 10 qualification and are working towards their Certificate III qualification ‘skills for work and education.’  The program has also enhanced the College’s positive standing within the community by demonstrating their ability to engage with all students irrespective of their complexities.

Sarah Redfern High School: The Learning Journey

The Learning Journey at Sarah Redfern High School aimed to address the image of the school within the community and to ensure that staff can focus on how to support, engage and motivate students to be successful in their learning and to prepare them for the part they will play in their community. By implementing a school improvement agenda and an innovative management structure the school has been successful in increasing enrolments to the school, improving NAPLAN results and increasing student attendance.

Ulladulla High School: Authentic Deep Project Learning

In 2013, through a partnership with Oregon University, Ulladulla High School implemented authentic project based learning along with several structural changes including integration of sport into the timetable and the creation of context based courses including robotics.  The upward trend in student data is significant. Students verify and demonstrate their positive attitude to the school, their teachers and to their intention to transition to post-school study.   In 2016 the Robotics team raised $50,000 and subsequently attended the International Robotics championships in Illinois.

Villawood East Public School, Big School Explorers Initiative: Early Intervention Strategy

The Big School Explorers Initiative works towards strengthening early intervention, enhancing student opportunity and improves learning outcomes in the early years.  The program has seen significant improvements in learning outcomes including 75% of kindergarten achieving benchmarks in reading as opposed to 35% in recent years.  Additionally, the Villawood East Public Preschool has been assessed against the National Quality Standards as exceeding in all 7 quality areas.

Warialda Public School: Wider than Gwydir

Wider than Gwydir is a middle years initiative aimed at students in rural and remote areas.  Each fortnight, students from Years 5-8 from a variety of schools in North West NSW meet via videoconferencing to listen to selected guest speakers and engage in a Q&A session. Guest speakers are sourced carefully and with great effort to focus on careers and to model transition options for students to move to post-school education.  Career aspirations for the students involved has widened significantly to include occupations such as drone pilots, filmmakers, rural veterinarians and physiotherapists.