2016 Bankstown Girls High School Annual Report...Bankstown Girls High School Annual Report 2016 8254...

Bankstown Girls High SchoolAnnual Report

2016

8254

Printed on: 1 May, 2017 of 21 Bankstown Girls High School 8254 (2016)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2016 is provided to the community of Bankstown Girls High School as an account of the school'soperations and achievements throughout the year.

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

In 2016 our student population was 548. The diversity of the school’s population continues to be our greatest strength.The girls share a range of experiences both culturally and spiritually which enhances the learning of the whole schoolcommunity.

As a school our focus continues to be on adding value to our girls’ results and providing them with opportunities to growacademically, through sport, the performing arts or leadership. The majority of our girls do not speak English at home astheir first language and many have disrupted learning experiences before they have arrived in Australia. The impact ofthis is clearly reflected in the girls NAPLAN results when they arrive at our school. Our school works hard to maximisethe growth of the girls who come under our care and it is these results which stand out as strong indicators of success.

This is a credit to the teaching and learning strategies employed by the teachers, reinforced by a coordinated andsupportive welfare program. It makes me proud to see the successes of our teachers and school administrative supportstaff who work tirelessly for the girls through their exemplary practice and their dedication to their own self developmentand the provision of the very best learning opportunities for our girls.

In 2016 we have seen substantial growth in the NAPLAN results for our year 9 girls compared to their performance atyear 7. Our value added data which indicates how much growth the girls have achieved above expected growth is high.Our growth for girls from year 7 to year 9 shows a 3.5% increase over previous years and is 2% higher than the averagefor similar schools. Combined with our results for low SES students compared to high SES students saw an 18.3 pointincrease and this is 16.1 points higher than similar schools highlights the strength of programs running in the school. Thislevel of growth is a credit to the hard work of the literacy and numeracy teams and the teachers who integrate a range ofliteracy and numeracy strategies that are targeted the specific needs of the girls in their classes.

100% of students who completed Year 12 were awarded the HSC credential and every student in that cohort whoapplied, was offered a placement at university. Once again in 2016 all Year 12 students achieved their goals whetherthey were university placement, TAFE offers or offers of fulltime work.

The enrichment and guided inquiry program continues to be strong and fosters in the girls important skills of self–directedlearning, problem solving, critical and creative thinking and reflective learning.

Students at Bankstown Girls High School have access to a broad range of extra–curricular activities and our girls haveexcelled in sporting competitions; dance, visual arts and music events; debating and public speaking; student leadershipopportunities; and volunteering. We have a very high participation rate and for these activities. We have to credit ourteachers who dedicate much of their time to ensure the girls are provided with a wide range of learning opportunities andengage in activities that provide them with very rewarding experiences. The combination of formal and informal real lifeexperiences aptly prepare them for the world beyond school by ensuring that the real world learning is part of thestudents’ experiences. The whole school community is extremely proud of the achievements of our girls, academically,socially and in the wider community.

Betty Harper

Principal

School contact details

Bankstown Girls High SchoolMona StBankstown, 2200www.bankstowng-h.schools.nsw.edu.aubankstowng-h.School@det.nsw.edu.au9709 6788


School background

School vision statement

At Bankstown Girls High School we are committed to developing empowered, creative, thoughtful young women who exitour school as proud, responsible, active local and global citizens. We will achieve this through the provision ofchallenging learning programs delivered by high performing staff in an inclusive, safe and supportive learning community.

STUDENT EXIT OUTCOMES

Social Outcomes A young adult who is:

• An effective, ethical and responsible communicator: will appropriately convey information clearly and successfully. • Cooperative and Resilient: will willingly and persistently work in harmony with others towards a common goal. • Civic Minded: will have a sense of belonging to the wider Australian and global community and participate as a

constructive, conscientious member. • Respectful: will display positive regard based on awareness and/or knowledge of someone or something. • Generous of spirit: will embody empathy, acceptance and understanding. • Courteous: will be polite, well mannered, attentive and considerate of others. • Responsible: will accept moral accountability for her actions to people and the environment • Motivated: will be determined, inspired and energetic, with drive and desire. • Honest: will be fair to others, truthful and trustworthy.

Academic Outcomes A young adult who is: • Literate: will be able to write, read, listen, and speak appropriately in a range of contexts using critical analysis in

order to meaningfully function in society. • Numerate: will be able to think mathematically and apply mathematical tools confidently for different purposes and

contexts. • A critical thinker: will be able to analyse and evaluate options, make judgments and employ sound reasoning. • Technological: will be an ethical, proficient and creative digital citizen. • A problem solver: will be able to identify relevant facts, plan appropriate strategies and operations, solve the

problem and review the process and solution. • An inquisitive learner: will actively seek knowledge by being an interested and curious learner. • An independent learner: will take responsibility for their learning and show initiative. • Demonstrating achievement of KLA outcomes: will have an understanding of subject content, skills, and values.

School context

Bankstown Girls High School is a comprehensive girls’ high school established in 1960 situated in south–westernSydney.

The school population comprises of approximately 548 girls from diverse cultural, religious and socio–economicbackgrounds, with 97% of the girls from a language background other than English, predominantly Middle Eastern,South–East Asian, Pacific Islander, Chinese, and African.

The school NSW FOEI (family occupation and employment index) for 2016 is 157 which is higher than the average of100 and the ICSEA (Australian Index of Community Socio–Educational Advantage) is 929 which is lower than theaverage of 1000, indicating significant socioeconomic disadvantage.

The school places importance on high quality and engaging instruction by its teachers and supports its teachers withhigh quality targeted professional learning. In recognition of this the school was selected to be a Centre for Excellence forTeacher Quality (2011 – 2013) as part of the Smarter Schools National Partnership on Improving Teacher Quality. Theschool also received the Director's Choice Award for Literacy Programs. The school is a PBIS (Positive BehaviourInterventions and Support) School with our key focus on all students being safe, respectful, learners.

The school’s overwhelming strength is reflected in our student growth data in the NAPLAN tests with students in year 9exceeding the average expected growth in reading by 23% and exceeding the average expected growth in numeracy by18%. Our value added data for the HSC indicates a higher than average increase for students in the top two bands witha score of 0.7.


In 2016 community and business partnerships were strengthened to enhance school programs and student learningopportunities and outcomes. In particular the school has strong relationships with universities, the ABC, CanterburyBulldogs and the Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN).

Self-assessment and school achievement

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework,school achievements and the next steps to be pursued.

This year, our school undertook self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework. The framework supportspublic schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practiceacross the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

In 2016 our school continued to map our progress against the elements of the School Excellence Framework. All staffparticipated in regular professional learning around the School Excellence Framework to better inform our processes andprocedures underpinning our programs, practices and policies and their alignment to the domains and elements withinthe framework. This was a successful model of collaboration, discussion, evidence gathering and data analysis.

In the domain of Learning, our school focused on a number of key areas including Literacy, Numeracy and Enrichmentwith a view to enhancing learning culture. The Literacy Genre Map continued to be a key focus for embedding literacystrategies across all KLAs. The use of grammar and its function was explicitly embedded across all KLAs and thestudents benefited from the specific literacy team teaching that was delivered in a number of diverse lessons over time.Success was evident in increased value added in our NAPLAN results. Similarly Numeracy was driven across a numberof KLAs through specific strategies and practices which focused on KLA specific need. Significant work was undertakento employ “working mathematically” strategies in the classroom and gifted and talented numeracy days were a highlightof the learning experience. Collection of school based data and analysis indicated strong growth in understanding ofnumeracy across the curriculum. Enrichment was another key component of enhancing learning culture. The MakingLearning Meaningful Project continued to be delivered as a keystone of our whole school enrichment program ensuringthat self–directed learning capabilities were addressed by students in Year 9. Further to this,the Guided Inquiry Programwas expanded into a number of KLAs increasing student participation and accessibility to enrichment experiences.

In the domain of Teaching, the staff built on the strong history of collaborative practice by working together both withinfaculty and across faculty groups to improve pedagogy, enable productive conversations, facilitate evidence gatheringand data analysis. Teachers received constructive feedback,particularly through the PDF process, which allowed them toreflect on their professional growth and improve practice. Professional Learning Communities facilitated a strongunderstanding of whole school programs and how they are embedded in the curriculum in order to best support studentneed. Teaching and learning programs have been reviewed to ensure they align with Australian curriculum requirements and adjusted following the backward mapping process In 2016, staff requested additional professional learning tostrengthen theirs kills in analysing data and using the SMART 2 application. Professional learning in the RAP toolenabled staff to interrogate the item analysis data for HSC students and use this knowledge to adjust teaching andlearning programs accordingly. There is a well–established model for the support of new teachers through a structuredorientation/induction program, teacher mentor and relevant professional learning to assist teachers gain accreditation.

In the domain of Leading, the school has always promoted and reinforced a culture of high expectations of its students inall areas of school life. Feedback on participation in programs has been positive and has led to the school being invitedinto new programs or initiatives such as the ABCN “Full Steam Ahead”program, the “Be All In” program with theCanterbury Bankstown Bulldogs and various opportunities offered through the ABC. The school strives whereverpossible to raise the degree of community participation and although the P&C is still in its infancy, the links with othercommunity groups and organisations is strong and provides a wide variety of opportunities for all students. Underpinningthis is the school leadership team comprising of the Principal, Deputies, School Executive and program leaders. It is thisteam that determines school directions, supports and develops a scope and sequence for professional learning andendorses school initiatives that are in line with the School Plan and its strategic directions. The leadership team willcontinue to build the capacity of the teaching staff In order to develop leadership potential so as to maintain a dynamicteaching and learning environment.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our School Plan, leading to furtherimprovements in the delivery of education to our students.

For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/about–the–department/our–reforms/school–excellence–framework


Strategic Direction 1

Students are successful learners, leaders and active global citizens

Purpose

To provide a learning environment that has high expectations and adds value to all students’ literacy and numeracylevels.

To develop(enable) students to be productive and ethical users of technology equipped with the skills required for the21st century.

To nurture students to become resourceful, empathetic and resilient lifelong learners.

To develop student leadership and student voice within and beyond the school community.

To develop in students the use of critical thinking to contextualise their learning beyond the classroom and to have theability to work independently and in teams to make sense of their world.

Overall summary of progress

High expectations and promoting a positive, dynamic learning environment continue to be a whole school focus in orderto enrich the learning experiences of all students. We have continued to embed the Australian Curriculum generalcapabilities in all teaching and learning programs and have expanded the inquiry based learning approach as ameans of exploring the concept of a growth mindset to assist our students in becoming critical thinkers, driving their ownlearning and understanding.

Student wellbeing programs have focused on empowering our students through decision making and student voiceopportunities. We encourage all students to embrace leadership roles within the school and to help determine thedirection and focus of the school's ideals. In 2016, students led a whole school needs analysis to determine and prioritiseprograms they felt were essential in supporting their academic and social development.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Progress achieved this year Funds Expended(Resources)

All students Yr 7–10 show growthas evidenced through externaland school based assessments.

In 2016 NAPLAN testing for Year 7 indicated that inwriting and spelling there was 12% growth in the atproficiency bands. Similarly Year 9 NAPLAN resultsindicated 47% of students achieving in the top threeBands for Spelling and 24 % in the top three Bandsfor Reading. NAPLAN Numeracy resultsdemonstrated a similar trend in that 76.4% ofstudents achieved a growth of more than 50% fromtheir achievement in Year 5 NAPLAN. Year 9results indicated that 96.5% of students are workingat or above national standards. Significantinterventions both in Literacy and Numeracythroughout 2016 saw a significant decrease instudents performing below national standards.

Low socio–economicfunding $303922

More than 30% of grades orbands achieved are in the top twolevels for ROSA and HSC andless than 10% of bands achievedare the lowest 2 levels of HSC orRoSA.

In 2016 68% of the HSC cohort achieved at leasttwo results in the top 2 bands whilst 55% of theROSA candidature achieved at least one Band A orB.


All students 7 to 12 are supportedthrough the welfare system thatpromotes opportunities to engagewith learning and offers theopportunity to develop leadership

2016 saw the implementation of the Year 7 Best MeProgram: a school developed well being programwhich aims to build positive self image in Year 7students as well as helping to foster positiverelationships between students and teachers as






skills well as students and students.

Links to Learning has continued to grow in profile atthe school as has the Support a Sister Program. In2016 positive evaluations of the Support A Sisterprogram enabled us to engage with UNSW todeliver the Yes We Can Program. Both theseprograms foster and promote student voice andleadership opportunities.

As a result of targeted student wellbeing programs,75% of our students expressed a strong sense ofbelonging and 77% believe they have positiverelationships with fellow students and staff.

Next Steps

Continue to expand the guided inquiry program through the planning and creation of a Year 7 Foundations for Learningprogram which will be implemented in 2018.

Establish a whole school approach to explore the Numeracy framework document and develop programs using theframework to further embed key initiatives into the curriculum.

Expand the Literacy Genre Map to include Yr. 8 strategies and assessment to build a more systematic andcomprehensive approach to teaching literacy skills across all KLAs

Continue Identity Text program with USYD to further develop the literacy skills of EAL/D learners

Establishment of a Senior Studies Program to improve the performance of Stage 6 students.



Staff are high performing, collaborative and dynamic

Purpose

To create an engaged and collegial community of learners who are active, fearless and collaborative facilitatorsdedicated to constant evolution of their own skills in providing high quality educational outcomes for students.

To provide curriculum innovation, quality teaching and leadership capability that inspire learning and drives high qualitystudent achievement.

To ensure the continued alignment of our school’s primary purpose and student exit outcomes with our programs andpractices.


Staff members continue to be active and dynamic in their school citizenship and commitment to lifelong learning.Professional learning has drawn directly from the school's plan and target focus areas are aligned to both the SchoolExcellence Framework and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. In 2016 much professional learning timewas spent navigating the School Excellence Framework through a Professional Learning Community structure in order toprovide staff with the opportunity to use the framework as a working document where all programs and practices weremapped and evidence was gathered to support the elements that best suited those programs or practices.

Performance and Development Plans were developed by all staff members and a time frame was adhered to in order toallow for discussion and feedback around professional learning goals.

Feedback on teaching practice and school process has continued to be an area of focus whereby the student and parentbody maintain open and productive communication.




All staff demonstratingresponsibility for theirprofessional learning through theapplication of their PerformanceDevelopment Plan to improvepractice

At the end of 2016 all staff members had completedthe cycle of Performance and Development, havingdeveloped their plan in consultation with their directsupervisor, refined and evaluated as the processrequired.

All staff currently engaged in a range ofprofessional learning activities and activelyparticipated in classroom and reciprocalobservations to improve practice.

Professional LearningFunds $101847

All teachers undertakingaccreditation successfullycomplete and maintain theprocess

In 2016 all eligible beginning teachers successfullycompleted the accreditation process. All teachersdue to complete their maintenance cycle weresuccessful in their applications.

Professional LearningFunding $36216.25

75% of students are intellectuallyengaged with learning and 80%of students are active in trying toachieving a high degree ofsuccess as measured by theTTFM survey.

The Tell them From Me survey results for 2016indicated that 56% of our students are intellectuallyengaged with learning in comparison to the NSWGovernment norm for girls which is 43%. Thesurvey confirmed that 77% of student respondentstry hard to succeed in their learning compared tothe NSW government norm which is 67% for girls.


Next Steps

Continue to refine the PDF process in relation to goal setting, evidence, feedback and data to ensure efficacy


Reintroduce walkthroughs to provide feedback on T&L

PLC focus in 2017 will be on Literacy and Numeracy programs which will address demands of new HSC minimumrequirements.

Professional Learning around the use of data and evidence gathering will be delivered and undertaken by all staff tobetter inform teaching practice.



A high performing school and a community that is inclusive, informed and engaged

Purpose

To engender a school community that operates in a collaborative and sustainable manner that embeds a system ofvalues and a culture of success.

To develop a school that is reflective of its practices and engages in whole school planning directed to continualimprovement responsive to educational trends.

To nurture and expand effective and meaningful partnerships community partnerships that support student learning.

To ensure that our shared values of inclusivity, celebration of diversity and high expectations continue to expand.


Community involvement has continued to flourish in 2016, particularly with the growth of the P&C as a representativebody of the school. A number of community groups and agencies have forged links with the school in order to facilitateopportunities for the students outside of the school setting. Such strategic partnerships beyond the school contextprovide further learning opportunities for both staff and students.




A comprehensive school reviewprocess is undertaken that leadsto clearly articulated StrategicDirections for School growthbased on rigorous and valid dataanalysis.

In 2016 the school undertook a rigorous wholeschool needs analysis which was triangulated bysurveying staff, parents and students. The dataprovided as a result of this analysis chartered thedirection for a senior studies program and a rethinkof Year 7 and the learning habits required fortransition to high school.

Professional LearningFunding $5040

Increase the percentage ofparents purposefully insupporting their daughter’seducation and in the life of theschool.

In 2016 the P&C was more actively involved in thedecision making processes required at school,contributing to the whole school needs analysis andthe school plan. The P&C was introduced to theLiteracy and Numeracy programs as well as studentwell being programs and members were asked tooffer opinions about strategic directions for theseprograms.


All decisions regarding the schoollearning environment,technology, infrastructure, assetsand WHS supports innovativequality teaching and learningpractice.

BGHS continued to meet all compliance obligationsin terms of DEC policy requirements. The schoolensured that the school finances were equitablydistributed to meet technology; infrastructure andlearning environment needs in order to provide thebest learning opportunities for students..


Next Steps

Establish clear guidelines and processes for the collection of evidence against the school milestones and SchoolExcellence Framework.

Address the succession planning needs of the school in consideration of future staff changes.

Explore and establish creative and flexible options for learning spaces throughout the school.

Explore the necessary processes required to provide feedback to the school community through the school website.


Key Initiatives Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

Aboriginal background loading Paid for teacher release time to developpersonalised learning and support plans withand for the students. Students were keptinformed about current initiatives andopportunities provided by local networks.Neither of these students qualified foradditional Norta Norta assistance in 2016.Their plans were reviewed once eachsemester and their attendance was closelymonitored.

• Aboriginal backgroundloading ($678.00)

English language proficiency All identified students were assessed in thefour literacy modes early in 2016. EAL/DFunding was used to employ an additional .4EAL/D specialist teacher for the year tosupplement 1.2 equity staffing. This enabledthe establishment of targeted EAL/D classesin all KLAs from Years 7 to 10 to be wellsupported through team teaching andwithdrawal if required. Senior students wereclosely monitored and assisted on a needsbasis. EAL/D support teachers also assistedthe implementation of a new evaluationsystem focusing on evidence based teachingand learning strategies used in the classroomand student work sample analysis to movestudents along the EAL/D learningprogression. All identified students havemade satisfactory progress in their Englishliteracy development.

• English languageproficiency ($25 550.00)

Low level adjustment for disability Personalised and targeted class learning andsupport plans were developed to assist allidentified students in 2016. Funding providedthe employment of an additional Learning andSupport Teacher (.8) for Semesters 1 and 2.This staffing enabled team teaching, thedelivery of adjusted programs and/orwithdrawal to be provided for identifiedstudents in all Years 7 to 12 on a Semester toSemester basis. In 2016, 28 studentsfollowed a Life Skills pathway in Years 9 to12. Individual Transition Plans weredeveloped for those students in Years 10, 11and 12. All exiting Life Skills students werelinked to external support agencies.Mainstream teachers of identified studentsparticipated in the Learning and SupportRegistration system in which they accountedfor all curriculum adjustments made and alsoproduced annotated student work samples.

• Low level adjustment fordisability ($41 807.00)

Socio–economic background Socio–economic funding facilitated andsupported the running of a number ofprograms in the school to best support thestudents' learning needs. These includedLiteracy, Numeracy, Enrichment andCommunity. The focus of the enrichmentprogram continued to be the Year 9 MakingLearning Meaningful Program underpinned bya whole school approach to Guided Inquiry ,whereby a collaborative approach to teachingand learning enabled students to build skills indeveloping inquiry questions, team work andconducting research. This year saw the

* Socio–ecenomicbackground funding ($718930.00)


Socio–economic background students build partnerships with ABC TV ,Bankstown Poetry Slam, Australian PoetrySlam as well as City of CanterburyBankstown council. Partnerships with theseorganisations strengthened links with theschool community but more importantlyprovided the students with a real worldaudience to show case their work.

The literacy program is a whole schoolinitiative whereby an integrated teaching andlearning mode has all staff at BGHS engagingin literacy activities within their classrooms. Awhole school interactive genre map has beendeveloped as a professional learning tool,whereby teachers are able to accessprofessional reading along with classroomstrategies in accordance with the grammaticalfeature allocated to their particular KLA.

This systematic approach to teachinggrammar has provided students with acommon metalanguage across KLAs andresults have seen Year 7 Grammar andpunctuation in the top three bands increaseby 46%, whilst Year 9 have increased by19%.

The Numeracy focus for 2016 was toestablish a targeted numeracy program earlyin Year 7 to specifically teach the numeracyand basic mathematical skills required inMathematics and across all KLA areas.Emphasis was placed on the explicit teachingof problem solving strategies and basicnumber skills and concepts by the NumeracyTeam, with a focus on mathematical literacyand real life connections and applications.Numeracy skills were integrated across theurriculum with the support of the NumeracySkills Framework.

Community engagement made significantinroads in 2016. The P&C were active in theirsupport of the school and as suchsuccessfully attained a government grantwhich was used to create a new communityand learning space. PartnershipswithBankstown Multicultural Centre, theMuslim Women’s Association andTheCanterbury Bulldogs have seen each ofthese community groups run programsthatengage both our students and parents.The Community Engagement Officer hasprovided opportunities for our students tohave a voiceon local and State issues throughtheir participation in youth forums and mockParliament

* Socio–ecenomicbackground funding ($718930.00)

Support for beginning teachers BGHS had 20 beginning teachers in 2016.One was a permanent beginning teacherwhile the others were employed in atemporary or casual capacity and had one tothree year teaching experience.Specificfunding was provided to support theirteaching practice. They were appointed amentor with whom they met regularlythroughout the year. The mentoring ensured

* Permanent BeginningTeacher Support Funding($48 133.00)


Support for beginning teachers that the new scheme teachers received oneon one support when needed. Beginningteachers were involved in a professionallearning program throughout the year. Thisprofessional learning comprised both externaland in school workshops. Specificprofessional learning days were organised forbeginning teachers. These teachers werealso supported in their accreditation processby a supervisor who oversaw theaccreditation at proficient level andmaintenance of registered staff.

* Permanent BeginningTeacher Support Funding($48 133.00)

Targeted student support forrefugees and new arrivals

BGHS identified 9 refugee students in 2016.These students were closely monitored andmentored during Semester 1 by the EAL/Dspecialist teacher. Refugee funding was usedto employ a teacher in Semester 2 to supportthese students through the development ofindividual plans based on teacher feedback,work samples and their half yearly reports.Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 participatedin one on one tutoring sessions targeting skilldevelopment identified in their plans. Thesenior students were also assisted to applyfor scholarships. Refugee students feel wellsupported at BGHS as indicated in the TellThem From Me survey.

* Targeted student supportfor refugee and new arrivalsfunding ($4 300.00)


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2013 2014 2015 2016

Boys 0 0 0 0

Girls 642 603 555 551

Student enrolments in 2016 remained static. Generally,the school's enrolments are consistent with patternsand trends in other schools in the region. It is well notedthat there is a strong correlation to the gender balancein primary schools where there are currently more boysthan girls progressing to high school.

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

7 93.7 93 92.7 92.7

8 91.5 90 87 88.8

9 89 88.8 88.5 86.8

10 87.6 83.9 84.7 83.2

11 85.9 87.3 84.1 88.2

12 88.9 90.8 86.7 85.6

All Years 89.3 89 87.1 87.4

State DoE

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

7 93.2 93.3 92.7 92.8

8 90.9 91.1 90.6 90.5

9 89.4 89.7 89.3 89.1

10 87.7 88.1 87.7 87.6

11 88.3 88.8 88.2 88.2

12 90.1 90.3 89.9 90.1

All Years 89.9 90.2 89.7 89.7

Management of non-attendance

Our overall attendance rates have remained similar tothose of 2015. The slight decline in senior attendancewas in part to the increased leaving age. Studentsremained on the school's enrolment until there waswritten confirmation that the courses satisfied thelegislative requirements of 25 hours of TAFE, work orschool. Parents taking students overseas onunapproved leave during the school term continues toimpact on attendance figures.

Management of non–attendance

Bankstown Girls’ High School continues to have acoordinated approach to student attendance.Attendance and lateness is managed through anelectronic attendance system with teachers markingrolls electronically in each lesson and late arrivalsmanaged by an electronic cards wipe system in themain office. The school Welfare Team, Head TeacherWelfare, Student Advisers, Home School LiaisonOfficer (HSLO), the Police School and Youth Liaisonofficers (SLP and PYLO), school counsellor, transitionadviser, careers adviser and community engagementofficer all work together to counsel students. Parentsare informed via phone call, letter or formal interview toimprove student attendance and punctuality. Studentswho are HSLO referrals, found truanting or whoseattendance is poor are placed on attendance cardsmonitored either by the Head Teacher Welfare or theDeputy Principals.

These measures have been effective across all yearlevels especially with our long term student populationbut less so with students who enrol from other schoolswith established patterns of truancy and/ornon–attendance. We will continue to focus onimproving student attendance and punctuality in 2017.

Post-school destinations

Proportion ofstudents movinginto post-schooleducation, trainingor employment

Year10%

Year11%

Year12%

SeekingEmployment

0 0 1.2

Employment 0.9 1.9 5.1

TAFE entry 0.9 0.9 12.6

University Entry 0 0 8.9

Other 1.9 5.7 20.2

Unknown 0 0 13.9

Year 12 students undertaking vocational or tradetraining

In 2016, 89 students were entered for the HSC. Duringthe course of the year, six entered TAFE, two left to fulltime work, one entered college and one went overseas.Of the students who sat for the Higher SchoolCertificate examinations , 80% completed an ATARpattern of study while 35% of students included oneVET course studied at school, TAFE or at an RTO, intheir pattern of studies.

Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalentvocational education qualification

Of the 76 students who completed the HSC, 38% (30


students) gained university places, with offers comingfrom nine universities. In addition, one student entereda Bachelor Degree through a private college. Allstudents accepted these offers , except for twostudents. One went overseas and one chose to deferher studies. Fourteen students have enrolled into analternative university pathway such as WSU Collegeand Notre Dame – Foundation or Diploma studies.

The highest ATAR was 92.15 and the recipient hasenrolled into a Bachelor of Education (SecondaryScience) B Science at the University of Sydney. Therecipient was successful in being offered the E12 EarlyEntry Program with a $5 000 first year scholarship. TheE12 Program also includes a full range of support suchas, access to corporate partners to develop ongoingopportunities; internships and mentoring. This studentwas also awarded the UNSW Academic Achievementprize.

Five other top performing students received ATARscores in the high to mid eighties and have enrolled intoDegree and Double Degree courses. These includeBusiness, Commerce and Arts, Medical Science,Occupational Therapy and HealthScience(Paramedicine). These students were alsosuccessful in being offered early entry into their chosendegree through either a Guaranteed Entry or via theSchools Recommendation Scheme.

Of the 2016 candidature, ten students are studying fulltime at TAFE and seven students full time at privatecolleges. Two students are undertakingtraineeship/apprenticeships. Courses include BusinessAdministration, Real Estate, Enrolled Nursing,Tourism/Travel and Events, Child–Care, Hairdressingand HR Management. Four students are working fulltime.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 2

Deputy Principal(s) 2

Head Teacher(s) 8

Classroom Teacher(s) 26.1

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 1.9

Teacher Librarian 1

Teacher of ESL 1.2

School Counsellor 1

School Administration & SupportStaff

8.08

Other Positions 5.9

*Full Time Equivalent

In 2016 there were no teachers who were of Aboriginalbackground

Teacher qualifications

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

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100

Postgraduate degree 10

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Professional learning at Bankstown Girls High School isfocused on a continual cycle of development for staffthat ensures quality teaching and learning is at thecentre of our strategic directions. In 2016 a total of$101,847.00 was spent on teacher professionallearning. Monies were used to cover course costs andteacher relief. The average amount of money spent perteacher on PL was $1,520.00. In 2016 every staffmember was involved in the process of developingpersonalised professional learning plans that werealigned not only with National Teaching Standards butalso the school's strategic directions.

Staff worked collaboratively as members ofprofessional learning communities to align the school'sprograms and practices to the School ExcellenceFramework , plotting these against the relevantdomains and elements. These teams were solutionfocused and generated strong future directionsunderpinned by evidence based practice.

Staff Development Days:

Staff development days concentrated on a number ofareas of the School Plan. School procedures andanalysis of HSC results along with compliance trainingwas undertaken at the beginning of the year.Professional Learning in 2016 also focused on adeeper understanding of RAP data and its applicationin the classroom, refining the PDP process, DigitalNutrition, whole school needs analysis and explorationof the School excellence Framework.


Financial information (for schoolsusing OASIS for the whole year)

Financial information

This summary financial information covers funds foroperating costs to 30/11/2016 and does not involveexpenditure areas such as permanent salaries, buildingand major maintenance

Income $

Balance brought forward 393 778.47

Global funds 557 549.55

Tied funds 702 583.61

School & community sources 177 486.29

Interest 10 691.27

Trust receipts 50 746.90

Canteen 0.00

Total income 1 892 836.09

Expenditure

Teaching & learning

Key learning areas 77 230.47

Excursions 21 056.67

Extracurricular dissections 89 752.71

Library 9 840.12

Training & development 0.00

Tied funds 646 668.79

Short term relief 129 518.80

Administration & office 144 337.08

School-operated canteen 0.00

Utilities 86 536.10

Maintenance 61 306.36

Trust accounts 52 008.18

Capital programs 19 609.10

Total expenditure 1 337 864.38

Balance carried forward 554 971.71

A full copy of the school’s financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.

School performance

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results acrossthe Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy andnumeracy assessments are reported on a scale fromBand 1 to Band 10. The achievement scalerepresents increasing levels of skillsand understandings demonstrated in theseassessments.

In the NAPLAN assessment, results are reported on inaccordance with nationally determined benchmarks.Literacy results for Bankstown Girls’ High school in2016 saw positive growth in achievement scales acrossmultiple skills. Of the four assessable areas (reading,writing, spelling and punctuation), Year 7 saw positivegrowth of 12% in the at proficiency bands in bothWriting and Spelling. A significant intervention at BGHSto improve the students currently performing belownational benchmarks saw trend data increasing. A 14%decrease of students who were performing belownational standards was evident in Writing, Spelling andGrammar and punctuation. In 2016 data reflectedstrong growth in Year 7, showing 60% of the cohortachieving in the top three bands in spelling, whilst 46%achieved in the top three bands for Grammar andpunctuation. Similarly, positive growth was evident inYear 9, revealing 47% of students achieving in the topthree bands for Spelling and 24%in the top three bandsfor reading.

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Year 7

The NAPLAN 2016 provided teachers and parents withinformation on each new student's numeracy skills inthe areas of Space & Geometry, Data, Patterns andAlgebra, Measurement, and Number.

The Year 7 results indicated that 94.3% of students areperforming at Band 5 or above in overall numeracyachievement which means they are working at or aboveminimum national standards. 76.4% of our studentsachieved a growth of more than 50%from theirachievement in the Year 5 NAPLAN. 59.7% of our Year7 students fell in Bands 5 and 6 which indicates thatmany students enrolling into Year 7 have belowaverage numeracy skills with 5.7% of students belowminimum national benchmark standards which is animprovement in overall numeracy from 2015.

Year 9

The Year 9 student results indicated that 96.5% of ourstudents are in Band 6 and above which means theyare working at or above minimum national standards.This is a slight increase of the 2015 results. 54% ofstudents are working above the state with 73.3% ofstudents achieving greater than or equal to expectedgrowth. Average scale score growth was 58.8


compared to 40.1 of NSW DoE students, reflecting thesuccessful implementation of the targeted numeracyprogram.

A close analysis of the results has indicated that thereis a continued need to concentrate on the areas ofData, Measurement, Space & Geometry and Patterns &Algebra. This has informed our 2017 school targets andas a result in 2017 improvement in numeracy continuesto be a major school focus. The Stage 5 numeracyprogram will have an emphasis placed on theapplication of problem solving strategies and makinglinks to the real world through the WorkingMathematically outcomes of the Stage 5 syllabus. Further to this the Numeracy Team will focus onmathematical literacy and embedding numeracystrategies into all KLA programs using the NumeracySkills Framework as a basis.

As a direct result of the literacy intervention at BGHS,there were some notable achievements in the topperformance bands. Year 7 saw 35% of the cohortachieve the top two bands for spelling, placing themabove the state average. Writing in the top two bandshas seen a 6% growth from 2015 to 2016. Grammarand punctuation placed 18% of the cohort in the top twobands. in Year 7. Year 9 saw growth in writing results,from 2015 to 2016, whilst 12% of the cohort of Year 9achieved the top two bands for spelling. an area forimprovement noted in both Year 7 and Year 9 isreading, with only 6% and 4% achievement levelsrespectively.

NAPLAN Numeracy results for 2016 indicate that only asmall percentage of Year 7 students were able toachieve in the top two bands. 8% of students achieveda Band 8 while no Year 7 student achieved a Band ,this compares to 17.7% and 13.7% respectively. Theseresults reflect the percentage of students who are atproficiency level, that is 11% of the school compared to31% of the state. Similarly, in Year 9 4% of studentsachieved a Band 9 while no students achieved a Band10, this compares with 15.4% and 11.5% of the staterespectively. These results are also reflective of thepercentage of our students who are at proficiency level,that is, 2% compared to 27% of the state.

The Stage 4 and 5 numeracy program will have anemphasis placed on the application of problem solvingstrategies and making links to the real world. Further tothis the Numeracy Team will also focus onmathematical literacy and embedding numeracystrategies into all KLA programs using the NumeracySkills Framework as its foundation.

Higher School Certificate (HSC)

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


In 2016, 76 students were entered for the HSC. three ofthese students undertook a Life Skills Pathway and allwere awarded a Life Skills Higher School Certificate.The school offered a wide variety of Board Approvedcourses including three Vocational Education andTraining (VET) Frameworks.

Our HSC results for the 2016 cohort indicated abovestate average achievement in English as A SecondLanguage. Subjects that also performed well againstthe state average were Design and Technology,Mathematics and Visual Art.

The 2016 cohort achieved band 6 results in English asa Second Language, Legal Studies, Mathematics andPersonal Development / Health / Physical Education.

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Each year schools are required to seek the opinions ofparents, students and teachers about the school. Theirresponses are presented below.

In 2016, the school sought the opinions of parents,students and staff through surveys, meetings anddiscussions. Questions were asked around a diverserange of issues, processes and practices pertaining tothe school. A summary of the findings is as follows:Students felt that they had a strong sense of belongingto the school with 80% of students believing thateducation will benefit them personally andeconomically, and will have a strong bearing on theirfuture. Students believed that classroom instructionwas highly organised, with a clear purpose and andwith immediate and appropriate feedback. The girls

were also appreciative of the extra–curricularopportunities and programs that were offered at theschool.

Staff reported that they felt the school worked wellbecause of the strong collaboration betweencolleagues. They felt confident in talking to colleaguesabout classroom strategies to enhance learning,behaviour management practices and in developingcross – curricular or common learning opportunities..In2016 staff responded to a whole school needs analysiswhereby they were asked to consider what was neededin the school to further improve learning outcomes. Thestaff responded with a clear need to maintain rigorthrough a senior studies program and to investigatepossible ways of strengthening the transition process inYear 7. As a result of this, new programs will bedeveloped and delivered.

In 2016 parents were also asked to participate in wholeschool surveys and discussions to better contribute tothe school's decision making. This was mainlyundertaken through the P&C and led by the school'sCommunity Engagement Officer. The parentrepresentative body indicated that they were satisfiedwith the school's processes and practices and believedthat their daughter's were being offered a goodeducation in a nurturing but intellectually challengingenvironment. The P&C continued to seek outopportunities to enhance the learning environment ofthe school.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

During 2016, Bankstown Girls" High school continuedto provide education about Aboriginal Australia for allstudents. To achieve this, staff across all KLAs createdlearning environments where Aboriginality, identity andthe diversity of aboriginal cultures are valued,respected and promoted to ensure all students at ourschool are aware of the history, culture and issues thatconfront Indigenous Australians.

Examples of the way in which we have embeddedknowledge of indigenous culture within our teachingand learning programs include the following: In Englishwe have continued to deepen our students' awarenessand sensitivity to indigenous culture through theexposure to texts with indigenous themes as well astexts composed by indigenous authors.

In Science, we compare indigenous approaches tounderstanding scientific phenomena and theories suchas, classification of organisms, understanding ofevolution of Australian native fauna and the aboriginalunderstanding of land management. This allowsstudents to recognise that differing cultural influencesand understanding can help to identify that a problem,or question, can be successfully solved from twoperspectives.

Other curriculum areas exposed the students to astronger understanding of significant features ofindigenous culture prior to colonisation as well as an


understanding of the changing rights and freedoms ofAboriginal people in Australia. Teaching and learningprograms also looked at human rights, legal issues,reconciliation and Native Title from an Aboriginalperspective and how these issues impact onindigenous society.

In order to provide quality teaching in this area , staffensured that programs referenced historical andcontemporary indigenous culture underpinned byrelevant resourcing to support their teaching.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

With 97% of students from a language backgroundother than English and with a representation of overforty languages and cultures multicultural educationremains a strong focus at Bankstown Girls High School.The staff appreciate and understand the relevance ofteaching an inclusive curriculum whereby all studentsfeel valued and accepted regardless of culturalbackground. Cultural diversity enriches the learningexperience for students at Bankstown Grls High Schoolbecause we promote the values of tolerance, inclusion,respect and understanding in order to enrich the socialcohesion of the school.

In 2016, our culturally diverse students successfullyengaged in a number of varied teaching and learningprograms. For example, small groups of EAL/Dstudents demonstrated a committed approach to anintensive literacy program through the learning centre.This continued support has assisted many of our EAL/Dstudents. Additionally, International Students weresupported through teaching and learning programs andwelfare initiatives. The international students have theirown co–ordinator who monitors the needs of thestudent while actioning the opportunities related to thestudents.

Bankstown Girls High School publicly acknowledges itsstrong multicultural ethos by celebrating Harmony Day,hosting Japanese school visits from Chikushi JogakuenHigh School, inviting guest speakers to promotediversity and tolerance. As the final highlight for 2016,Yassmin Abdel–Magied was the keynote speaker at ourPresentation day. Her theme of embracing yourheritage and striving to do your best resonated andenriched the day for Bankstown Girls' High schoolstudents.

The school also continues to have an Anti– RacismContact Officer available to support both staff andstudents. In 2016 there were no reports requiring theattention of the ARCO.

Other school programs

Creative and Performing Arts

The strength of the arts at Bankstown Girls’ High isdemonstrated by the range of opportunities for studentperformances and artistic endeavours, within andbeyond the school. A range of opportunities which

target talented individuals in a diverse range ofdisciplines was offered throughout the year. Studentswere encouraged to participate and showcase musicaland creative talents at assemblies and ensemblepieces and in exhibitions.

This year the students had the amazing opportunity toextend their learning and partake in extra–curricularprojects. A major highlight for the Creative andPerforming Arts for 2016 was our WintermaniaExtravaganza, which showcased the skills and talentsof students from across all year levels and focused onthe following KLAs: Music, Visual Arts, Photo DigitalMedia and Dance at Bankstown Girls High School.

Visual Arts and Music students at Bankstown Girls'High experienced a year of learning and achievement.Throughout 2016 students were provided with a rangeof opportunities to perform and gain valuableknowledge from intensive workshops and innovativeexcursions.

Visual Arts

Congratulations to our hardworking Digital Media Teamwho successfully completed an outstanding digitalmural which transformed the Schools OutdoorCommunity Learning Space into a vibrant and invitingarea. The digital artworks reflect the BankstownCommunity and their massive scale are eye catchingand showcase the amazing talent of our Visual artsstudents.

Year 11 Visual Arts students participated in a StudentInspire Forum at Dulwich Hill School of Visual Arts andDesign, where an education program was deliveredfocusing on the Artists Practice and the ChangingPerspectives. This was an exciting and enriching day oflearning, where students were given the opportunity tohear from two Contemporary Australian Artists talkabout their intentions, choices and actions of their artpractice. Year 11 students were also given theopportunity to participate in TAFE for a day at EnmoreTAFE, where they were exposed to the practicalexperience of specialized courses in the area of Art andDesign. Amongst the courses offered on the day were,Jewellery Design, Graphic Design, Prosthetics andDigital Photographic Media. This was a highly valuableexperience assisting students with future pathways.

Year 7 Visual Arts students had the opportunity toparticipate in the Art Pathways program at the ArtGallery of New South Wales. The Art Pathwaysprogram offered an exciting and challenging day oflearning, and allowed students to develop a sense ofbelonging at the gallery. Year 7 learnt that interpretingart and discussing the meaning of artworks, doesn’thave to be serious and can in fact be quite fun. The ArtGallery visit was followed by a school visit, wheregallery educators delivered a printmaking workshoplinked to the study of Indigenous art.

Music

Music students at Bankstown Girls’ High Schoolexperienced a wonderfully creative year. Some of the


performance opportunities and events throughout theyear included: TAP (Talent Advancement Program)Vocal workshops which were run by Bankstown CityCouncil, Weekly Assemblies, Merit Assemblies,Achievers Assembly, Yr. 12 Graduation, PresentationDay, Environmental Day, Year 6 Orientation Day,Parent and Community Meetings and Education Day.

As well as internal school performance opportunities,Music students ventured into the wider community andperformed at Bankstown Sports Club to support LegacyDay. This enabled students to interact and support thelocal elderly community. The Year 10 Vocal Ensemblewas also invited to perform at the Bankstown PublicSchool Community and Government Agency Expo.This was a great performance experience, whichallowed students to make connections with other schoolcommunities. The Bankstown Girls’ High School Choirwas also fortunate to be involved in this year's CrossNetwork Creative and Performing Arts Project, wherestudents were able to showcase their amazing talentsin Dance, Drama, Film, Band, Choir and Visual Arts atthe Bankstown Sports Club.

The year 12 CAPA Night featured the hard work of allMusic students who had the chance to perform theirmajor works. The evening was very successful and allstudents were able to express and share their talentswith family, friends and the community in a veryprofessional and mature manner. The Music studentswere very supportive of each other and provided theaudience with a very entertaining and eclectic programfor the evening.

Congratulations to Serene Sabine in Year 10, who hassuccessfully continued to participate in the TalentAdvancement Program (TAP) run by the BankstownCity Council. Serene was exposed to numerousperformance opportunities and worked with industryprofessionals.

Sport

Success in and around the sporting arena hascontinued to develop and strengthen at BankstownGirls High School with the Combined High SchoolsSports Association and their gifted and talentedprograms.

A significant number of students represented the schoolat Zone, Regional, CHS and NSW All Schools levelsin: Athletics, Cross Country, Swimming, Touch Football,Oz Tag ,Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball and Cricket. Oursporting teams successfully progressed through to thethird, fourth and semi–final rounds of the Sydney SouthWest Knockout Competition. Individual successincluded: • Sandishia Walker– selected to represent

Edmondson Zone in Touch Football and Soccer.she also finished first in the Sydney South westRegion and third in the Combined High Schoolscompetition for her 100m event in Athletics.

• Jocelyn Roi Cho– Placing second in the under13s 100m freestyle, backstroke, breast strokefinal in the Sydney South West RegionalSwimming Carnival and third in the Sydney

South West 800m all age final. • Over 10 students progressed through to the

Sydney South West Athletics Carnival. • Over 10 students progressed through to the

Sydney south West Cross Country Carnival. •

The NSW Premier’s Sporting Challenge is an initiativethat aims at getting more students more active moreoften. Bankstown Girls’ High involvement in 2016 hadfantastic success. With over 300 students participatingand the school achieving Diamond, Gold, Silver andBronze awards, our students were engaged andmotivated to lead healthy active lifestyles.

In addition to supporting our students in the area ofkeeping active and promotion of lifelong physicalactivity, our Year 10 and 11students were involved in aHouse Sport competition that went over 2 terms. Thisprogram developed leadership, sportswoman ship andallowed the students to be physically active in acompetitive environment.

Recreational sport continued in 2016 with Years 9 and10 participating in Yoga, Bowling, Laser Skirmish andIce Skating. As a result of the structure of the sportsprogram, participation has improved with attendance forall sporting programs having increased.

It was a successful year for PASS electives and seniorSLR in 2016, having taken on a number of Leadershipin Sport programs. Coaching and refereeing of Year 7and 8 for our annual Field Days, with the focus on skilldevelopment. These students were invaluable in theirassistance with the Year 7 and 8 swim school program.

Jump Rope for Heart is one of Australia’s most popularphysical activity and fundraising programs. BankstownGirls had over 100 students raising money for a worthycause, while creating awareness of the importance ofphysical activity. Year 9 PASS classes managed andran the 2016 Bankstown Girls High School AthleticsCarnival and Year 10 PASS managed and ran the 2016Swimming Carnival. The Leadership in Sport programsallow keen students to develop skills in sportsadministration and communication hence fostering apositive self–esteem and sense of identity.

Combined High Schools Sports association is one ofthe biggest Gifted and Talented Sporting Programs inNSW. Apart from our students being selected torepresent in a variety of sports, our students havecontinued to be invited to lead in roles such asrecorders and administrators at Zone, Regional andCHS Carnivals . This demonstrates our students’professionalism and respect they have earned withinCHS Sports Association.

Bankstown Girls High School also worked with theUniversity of Western Sydney and theCanterbury–Bankstown Bulldogs in the 2016 Be All InProgram. This program was developed to support newand emerging communities by encouraging socialcohesion through sport. Ms Alam and Mrs Kalivitis ranthe 10 week Sports for Development program with agroup of 15 students, who were able to graduate fromthe program with a certificate of completion of the Be


Program, a full season membership for theCanterbury–Bankstown Bulldogs and a sports pack.

The Premier's Sporting Challenge Award is given to thestudent who displays leadership in sport and the abilityto promote lifelong physical activity. The PSC award for2016 went to Zaynab Karaki.

Student Wellbeing

Bankstown Girl’s High School has a professional andenthusiastic wellbeing team, who innovatively deliverand facilitate the whole school wellbeing initiatives andprograms designed to cultivate the wellbeing needs ofour students.

The wellbeing programs are designed to provide ourstudents with optimal opportunity to emotionally andacademically, succeed connect and thrive throughachievement of meaningful goals, fostering of positiverelationships, personal growth and health.

2016 saw the successful development of programsand initiatives designed to nurture student social andself–awareness as well as well as foster positiverelationships and decision–making. The programs arespecific to each stage of student emotional and socialdevelopment and consist of systematic and engagingstudent centred modules which are supplemented withexpert speakers and professionals as well as links toexternal wellbeing agencies.

The whole school anti–bullying policy continued to bereinforced and supplemented, resulting in the reductionof instances across all year groups, wherein isolatedcases have been resolved promptly and efficiently withon–going follow up and support by the wellbeing team.

2016 wellbeing program has had a strong approach toearly intervention and preventative action, particularly inrelation attendance, cyber bullying / cyber awarenessand healthy relationships. The wellbeing team hasworked closely with the HSLO to systematically targetthe junior cohort in relation to attendance, byconducting a methodical attendance blitz, whereinstudents who have exhibited the potential to becomeattendance concerns have been counselled andparental involvement instigated. Furthermore theweekly wellbeing team meetings are proportionatelydedicated to the monitoring of attendance and ensuringprompt intervention occurs.

Moreover select year 9 & 10 students partook in earlyintervention wellbeing workshops in the aforementionedfocal areas in preparation for the second phase of peerwellbeing mentoring, wherein student swill apply theknowledge they have acquired in formulating anddelivering wellbeing lessons and activities to the juniorcohort.

2016 also saw the continuation of embedded wellbeinginitiatives such as Support a Sister and PATHE, as wellas the maintenance of successful relationships withASPIRE and Links to Learning.

In 2017 the wellbeing team looks forward to continued

successful implementation of wellbeing programs andinitiatives, through a continued collective collaborationbetween staff, students and the community.

SRC

The Bankstown Girls’ High School StudentRepresentative Council has had another successfulyear in 2016. The group, consisting of 12 juniorstudents and 14 senior students, made many positivecontributions to the School environment and widercommunity.

In 2016, the SRC contributed once again to SydneyLegacy, raising a substantial amount of money throughthe selling of badges on Legacy Day. After many yearsof successful support, BGHS was again formallyacknowledged by Legacy as one of its maincontributors for the south western Sydney region. Oursupport of Legacy, as well as other charities such asJeans for Genes, the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’sGreatest Shave, White Ribbon Day and the RefugeeCouncil of Australia, has promoted student involvementand philanthropy in the wider community.

This year, the SRC recommenced its relationship withWorld Vision by arranging to sponsor a 6 year old girlfrom Chad named Sylvie Noounguela. Our SRC hascontinued to raise money for our sponsor child byorganising various fundraising initiatives. The students’relationship with a disadvantaged child from across theworld has reaffirmed their sense of empathy andresponsibility.

Student leadership is promoted and fostered atBankstown Girls’ High School. Several members of thesenior SRC took part in a mentoring program providedfor young women through the Australian BusinessCommunities Network (ABCN). These students weregiven the opportunity to take part in professionalworkshops with women from leading corporations. Thisthree–day experience is highly valued by the students,who are given a great deal of insight into leadershipwithin the workplace. The students were able totransfer these skills into the school environment,namely in their running of a cohesive and democraticSRC.

Other leadership opportunities that the SRC provides isattendance at the International Women’s Day ‘Zonta’Breakfast, Make a Difference Day at the Parliament ofNew South Wales, Young Women’s LeadershipSeminar commemorating International Women’s Day,Secretary for a Day and an in–school leadershipplanning day where students make decisions on theirevents for the year ahead and plan to support schoolimprovement.

In 2016, the Student Representative Council wasintegral in enhancing student life and creating links withthe local and wider community. They are lookingforward to another successful year ahead.

Library


The Library re–invigoration program was activated inearly 2016. The goal of the plan was to transform theLibrary into a 21st century Digital Information andTechnology Learning Hub whilst also providing largeflexible areas and spaces for the many programs andactivities hosted by the Library over the course of theschool year.

The first stage involved the recycling of existingshelving and many resources to needy communitygroups around the world. New shelving was purchasedfollowed by the installation of new carpet and theinterior being painted. The seminar rooms had largewindows installed to facilitate the creation of a newSenior Study area. A high tech new whiteboard waspurchased and 28 new laptops were housed in the techcentre of the Library thus upgrading the digital power ofthe Library. Refurbishment will continue in 2017.

Despite the physical changes experienced in theLibrary, there was little impact on the delivery ofprograms, events, activities, presentations, meetingsand the operations of the Library over the course of theyear. Notable programs focussed on Leadership,Community, Welfare and Wellbeing, Careers,Professional Development, Extracurricular Activities,Literacy, Numeracy and STEM (Science, Technology,Engineering, Mathematics)

Special and notable programs and highlights this yearwere: The MLM (Making Learning Meaningful) programThe SLAM Poetry project, The STEM Electrical Circuitprogram, Project Based Learning program, Premier’sDebating Challenge, The Book Club, The WordflyersDigital Reading Literacy program, Links to Learning,Careers program, Creative Writing Workshop deliveredby William Kostakis … Author in Residence


2016 Bankstown Girls High School Annual Report...Bankstown Girls High School Annual Report 2016 8254...

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