/ Peer Review Report
Ashwood College
North Eastern Victoria Region
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Contents
1. Executive Summary and Context 3
2. Terms of Reference 6
3. Evaluation of Performance 9
4. Registration Requirements: Summary Statement 20
1. Executive Summary and Context
Ashwood College has become a good school. Changes implemented over the past four years have been about raising the College’s performance to a higher level, providing successful outcomes for all students, including providing them with a broader range of pathways through and beyond the school.
Over the course of its current School Strategic Plan (SSP), Ashwood College embraced significant change across organisational, curriculum, pastoral care, information technology and physical dimensions. This includes: a changed school leadership structure; a Year 7 to Year 10 vertical curriculum; a Year 7 to Year 12 vertical House restructure with cross-age groupings; a changed daily lesson structure to 90 minutes each; iPads as one-to-one learning devices for Year 7 to Year 12 students; and a comprehensive new building program in line with the College Masterplan. The building program has delivered: a Federally funded and state of the art science facility; a State funded learning centre; both domestic and commercial-standard food technology facilities; a new gymnasium; an enhanced Performing Arts Centre; a new administration block; and an additional $5 million funding, as announced in the 2014 State Budget, is targeted for an additional, flexible learning centre.
All these transformations have been conducted to align the school's practices with the goals and directions of the SSP. The peer review panel expressed the view that the staff of Ashwood College should be congratulated for their energetic and enthusiastic commitment to these transformational changes for the benefit of their current and future students.
The school was faced with falling enrolments and residual negative perceptions within the local community, due partly to well-publicised but isolated events at the school, and partly to a decades old reputation as being more focused on hands-on skills rather than academic skills in this formerly lower socio-economic area. The school is moving rapidly away from its previous image due to the recent transformations. Its Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) results are one indicator of improvement and demonstrate excellent data that now regularly exceeds State means. Another indicator of success is the Student Teams of Action and Reflection (STAR) vertical home groups within the House system, which are designed to encourage cross-age support and mentoring and foster a sense of belonging. The success of these groupings is evident in the calm and orderly classrooms and the dramatic reduction in the number of student misdemeanours.
The panel was impressed with the nature and extent of the improvements in student outcomes over the last four years.
In particular, student learning achievements, as measured by National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) data indicate that teachers’ work to improve numeracy and literacy is taking effect. The rate of growth of student learning in Numeracy has improved markedly. Similarly, the rate of growth in Writing is greater than that of similar students in other schools, although improvements in Reading and Spelling do not yet match this.
In the VCE, more than 15% of students attain Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) scores above 90 (compared with 10% across the state) and almost 40% attain scores above 80 (compared with 20% across the state). Almost nine in ten students receive first or second preference tertiary offers and almost 80% of students go on to tertiary study. As the only school in the network to offer the Victorian Certificate - Applied Learning (VCAL), Ashwood College provides a valuable alternative pathway to further vocational studies and employment.
Student Attitudes to School Survey (ATS Survey) data has improved. Student responses to Teacher Effectiveness and Stimulating Learning rate higher than like cohorts in the region and across the State.
Student attendance rates at school have improved markedly over the last four years, as has retention of students, particularly in the transition from Year 10 to VCE or VCAL. This shows that students are engaged in their learning at Ashwood College and wish to continue their learning under the vertical curriculum and enhanced VCE and VCAL options.
The student representatives at a lunchtime meeting with the reviewer were clear that the strengths of the school lie in it being small and friendly, with strong individual support from quality teachers. They appreciate the levels of choice the vertical curriculum provides them and are vocal about the good friendships they have built across ages through both the vertical curriculum and the House STAR system. Students are respectful of each other, their teachers and the school, but are aware of the injudicious perceptions of the school in the wider community.
Parents have given positive feedback to the school and consider that the teachers are friendly, approachable and caring.
After discussing the School’s Self Evaluation (SSE) and other data, the review panel made the following recommendations for the future.
Improvement goals and strategies
Achievement
Goal: To enhance every student’s achievement, across all performance levels, and in all pathways, ensuring that each student is appropriately challenged to achieve excellence.
Key Improvement Strategies (KIS): Ashwood College plans to build teacher capacity in identifying and catering for individual learning needs by expanding their repertoire of teaching and learning activities which embody high expectations for all students. At the same time Ashwood College understands that the use of consistent approaches to assessment of individuals and groups of students across learning pathways and stages of learning is important. In undertaking these changes, the school will work to analyse progress of student cohorts such as VCE and international students.
In order to drive these changes, it is the school’s intention to enhance teachers’ data analysis skills to monitor, identify and target improvements and changes.
The school offers a strong VCAL program as an alternative to the VCE and improving its rigour is a focus for further work.
Engagement
Goal: To improve students’ motivation and learning confidence.
To improve the school’s enrolment and retention data.
KIS: In developing strategies to increase future enrolments and retain current students, the school will be working on a number of areas. These include empowering students to recognise and build on their strengths through appropriate levels of challenge and support. The school will be expanding its programs to build leadership capacity in students and embed a career development program across the curriculum for all students, Year 7 to Year 12.
Wellbeing
Goal: To improve students’ pride in, and connectedness to, the school and their peers.
KIS: Providing a range of experiences to foster student pride in their school and building a range of strategies to involve parents more actively in students' learning, educational experiences and school community will assist in further improving student wellbeing.
Productivity
Goal: To ensure that staffing, funding and resources are aligned with the strategic directions of the school.
KIS: In order to build a stronger and shared sense of identity, Ashwood College has undertaken broad community consultation regarding a proposed name change. Further collaboration with all stakeholders will be undertaken in the development of vision, values and the school’s philosophy.
Strong distributed leadership will provide for enhanced pedagogical capacity across all sections of the school. This will complement the synergy between curriculum, classroom practice and learning environments.
In using the SSP and Annual Implementation Plans (AIPs) as a guide for aligning staff professional learning with the school’s priorities, Ashwood College is managing its available finances to the best advantage of students.
Ashwood College is well set up for the next phase of its ongoing improvement program. It has the necessary staff with energy and commitment, the willingness of students to be positive ambassadors for their school in the community, and wonderful new facilities that are ideal for enhancing student outcomes.
2. Terms of Reference
Aim and Purpose
In discussion with the Principal, leadership team and the reviewer the following four aspects were the focus of the review:
· How well the school has improved student outcomes through the introduction of the vertical curriculum and house structures.
· The extent to which data is used to improve student outcomes and staff accountability.
· The effectiveness of school practices in developing student connectedness, motivation and school pride.
· The effectiveness of strategies used to improve community perceptions of the school and the impact on enrolments.
Methodology
This review aligned with the model outlined for Accountability and Improvement by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) for Peer Reviews and addressed performance in each of four inter-connected areas: Achievement; Engagement; Wellbeing; and Productivity. It sits within the overall framework of the four-year cycle of a SSP with AIPs followed by a SSE and external review in the fourth year of the cycle, leading to the development of a new SSP.
The preliminary visit conversations and data collected proved to be excellent resources for understanding the changes in the school’s student outcomes over the review period (2011-2014). The school’s Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) material was also collected on the preliminary visit and this enabled a thorough review of the material against the requirements.
The participants on the Review Panel day, on August 28, 2014, were:
Acting Principal: Anna Kukuruzovic
School Council representative: Peter Morgan (Parent representative)
Peer: John Albiston (Principal, Frankston High School)
Peer: Karen Green (Educational Consultant)
Assistant Principal Jo Henriksen
Acting Assistant Principal Debra Gibson
Senior Advisor Stuart Edwards
School Reviewer: Gaell Hildebrand (Monash University)
Morning sessions:
Four leading teachers: Karen Bares, Anastasia Moukas,
Natalie Same and Melissa Worth
Wellbeing session:
Student Welfare Coordinator: Chrissy Lynch
Four House Coordinators: Sandra Baker, Vicky Dernikos,
Dom Holloway and John Sheehan
Afternoon session:
Business Manager: Kelly Garret
Facilities Manager: Peter Forbes
The DEECD Victoria as a Learning Community Action Plan was used as an organising framework to elicit written responses from individual panel members in the first session. These responses were collated and scrutinised for additional insights into the school’s work.
The panel meeting provided an opportunity to consider the SSE, the available data and celebrate the many positive achievements over the last four years. The strengths and issues arising from the data were discussed in light of contextual factors affecting performance and areas for improvement were identified.
Over lunch, the reviewer met with a representative focus group of students who were helpful in providing responses to the two questions:
1. What are the great things about this school? (What you would say to a new neighbour to encourage them to come here?)
2. If you could change one thing to improve the school what would it be? (If you were the Principal, what would you do differently?)
The data gained from the student session was fed back to the review panel immediately after it occurred.
A review report was prepared by the reviewer and sent to the Principal and peers for comment prior to final submission to Monash University and the DEECD for quality assurance.
Table 1: Timeline for the Peer Review
Date / Activity / Resources / Action officerTerm 1, 2014 / Briefing to staff on upcoming review / Staff meeting time. / Anna Kukuruzovic.
Term 1, 2014 / Establishment of School Self Evaluation Committee / Staff commitment. / Anna Kukuruzovic and leadership team.
Terms 2 and 3, 2014 / Preparation of the SSE and school data package / School Portal data.
2011-2014 SSP and many data files. Multiple meeting times. Parent and student Forums. / Anna Kukuruzovic and school staff.
August 14, 2014 / Preliminary visit / Data files, VRQA folders. Discussion between External Reviewer and Leadership Team.
School tour and meeting key staff. / Anna Kukuruzovic and leadership team with Gaell Hildebrand.
August 14 to August 28, 2014 / Analysis of data and other information collected on the preliminary visit. / Reviewer’s time and data analysis skills.
VRQA detailed check. / Gaell Hildebrand
August 28, 2014 / Peer review panel day / SSE. Data files. Focus group of students.
Panel input. / Peer Review Panel and invited others.
August 28 to September 16, 2014 / Drafting of the review report and checking by the Principal. / Reviewer’s time.
Data analysis.
Peer review panel day evidence. / Gaell Hildebrand
Anna Kukuruzovic
September 16, 2014 / Submission of finalised
Peer Review Report. / Quality Assurance processes completed via Monash University and DEECD. / Gaell Hildebrand
Monash University
DEECD
TBC / Presentation to staff and School Council. / Review Report.
Time to prepare presentation. / Anna Kukuruzovic and Assistant Principals
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3. Evaluation of Performance
The panel’s recommended goals, KIS and actions for Ashwood College’s next SSP for 2015-2018, and the four-year cycle of improvement and accountability, are outlined in the table below for Achievement; Engagement; Wellbeing; and Productivity.
Panel view of school performance / Panel Recommendations for improvementStudent Achievement
Achievement refers to both the absolute levels of learning attainment and growth in student learning that schools strive to support.
While recognising that literacy and numeracy are essential foundations for students’ success, achievement outcomes encompass a broader view of learning, spanning the full range of curriculum domains, as well as students’ co-curricular achievements. / The panel noted that the vertical curriculum structure from Year 7 to Year10 has received enthusiastic support from students and parents - as reported in the panel, the SSE and student and parent forums.
The compulsory core additional units in Literacy and Numeracy in Year 7 to Year 9 are having an impact in Numeracy data, but not yet in all the Literacy data. The rate of growth for Ashwood College students in Numeracy and Writing is greater than that for similar students and shows that the school is adding value.
The relative growth of Ashwood College students in Numeracy is medium or high, with few students having a low relative growth, and the raw data shows that these students are catching up to their counterparts in other schools by Year 9, from a lower base in Year 7.