BSC 2010 Annual Report.pdf - Brunswick Secondary College

Government School PerformanceSummary 2010What our school is doingBrunswick Secondary CollegeBrunswick SC is a vibrant school that has over the past decade grown steadily in enrolment, reputation and results. While itsstudents are drawn mainly from Brunswick and Coburg, it also attracts students from beyond this area. The Region has givenapproval for the College to grow from 900 to1100.The College genuinely reflects the composition and aspirations of its community. We have a Select Entry Accelerated LearningProgram, an English Language Centre and a small community of international students. VCE results over the past 4 years havebeen consistently higher than expected on the school comparison measure.The College offers a traditional discipline-based curriculum complemented by a rich range of Specialist Subjects. We have a focuson student development and excellence, offering students a wide range of enrichment and extension programs. The College’sMusic, Sport and Debating programs are highly successful.Our school fosters a culture that promotes the values of teamwork, persistence, responsibility, achievement and excellence foundedon the core value of respect. We are committed to the development of young people who live successful and constructive lives, withpositive personal values and a strong sense of community. Parent satisfaction with the school is high.Student LearningVCE results over the past 4 years havebeen consistently higher than expectedon the school comparison measure. Aspart of a commitment to highexpectations, we measure Year 7-12student work practices four times peryear. The 2009 and 2010 Year 12 cohortsare the first to have met the year leveltarget of an average work practice of 3.7out of 4 and a median study score of 31.In Year 7-10, teacher assessment andNAPLAN data show BrunswickSecondary College’s performance isabove the median of all governmentsecondary schools. Reciprocal Teaching,a strategy explicitly targetting the skillsgood readers use, is a factor in the strongReading result. The Purposeful Teachingin Numeracy strategies, introduced in2010, have begun to contribute toenhanced performance in Numeracy.In 2011, our whole school studentlearning goal continues to be for allstudents to make or exceed expectedlevels of progress. Our teachers willcontinue to work in teams to use studentfeedback and achievement data toimprove the performance of studentsachieving at, below and above expectedlevels.Student Engagementand WellbeingBrunswick SC provides a supportive andsafe learning environment with the 'right tolearn' and 'respect for diversity' as clearlyunderstood tenets.The College offers many programs tostrengthen and develop students'confidence and skills including Duke ofEdinburgh, Sports Leadership, and RockEisteddfod. All students are involved insetting goals for improvement. There is astrong and active student leadership teamled by a team of highly motivated SchoolCaptains.The measure for Connectedness toSchool is just above the state average. In2010, it was the lowest scoring item on the2010 Student Attitudes to School Survey.Student Motivation, Learning Confidence,Teacher Effectiveness and TeacherEmpathy are the highest rated items.Student Voice is important in the school.The College conducts bi-annual surveys inwhich all teachers receive individualfeedback from every student they teach.In 2010, the average student absence ratewas 17.0 days. We aim to reduce theaverage absence further by targettingYear 9 and the small number of studentswith very high absence rates.Student Pathwaysand TransitionsPerfomance in Student Pathways andTransitions is at state average. Theschool’s retention percentage for 2006-2009 is similar to other governmentschools noting that student movement ismainly due to families relocating out of thearea.The percentage of Year 10-12 studentsgoing on to further studies or full timeemployment in 2006 -2009 was above thestate median. Data for 2010 destinationwill be available in May. More detailedanalysis shows the percentage of Year 12going on to further study is higher than thestate wide median.The issue of provision for senior studentswishing to pursue a non-academicpathway has been addressed in 2011 withthe introduction of Year 11 VCAL andexpansion of VET. The PathwaysCoordinator will continue to track andsupport our exit students. In 2011,CareersEducation is being extended into Year 9.There is a developed process for thetransition of primary school students. Newgoals include developing more seamlessand effective transition between year levelsand providing an Induction program, andpeer support for students transferring intoBrunswick SC from other schools.For more detailed information regarding our school please visit our website atwww.brunswick.vic.edu.auor view our 2010 Annual Report online at http://www.vrqa.vic.gov.au/SReg/