Overview

Year levels – Kindergarten to Year 6
Specialist Areas – Physical Education, Visual Art, Music, Science, AUSLAN
No. of Students – 348
Percentage of Aboriginal Students – 37.5%

2023 Highlights

  • Achieved at or above like schools in 10/10 testing areas in NAPLAN (Year 3 and 5)
  • Development of Whole School Curriculum Overview document
  • Introduction of Literature Based Knowledge Units (LBKU’s) in PP – Year 2
  • Whole school implementation of PRIME Mathematics (PP – Year 6)
  • Joined Serpentine PS, Medina PS and Greenfields PS in ‘The Knowledge Project’
  • Successful Principal Performance Review
  • Full implementation of Compass Education School Management System
  • Continued use of Class Solver to effectively develop class lists
  • Introduction of UFLI and Heggarty into mandated English block
  • Reduction of suspensions (days and incidents) by 66% since 2021
  • Additional 4 classroom teachers and 1 Admin. completed Teachwell training
  • Continuation of So What? project with Statewide Services
  • 98% of students maintaining Good Standing across the year
  • NAIDOC Week celebrations including 7th annual Barndi Mulganhu Birli Banagarri
  • (Good Times Together Cup) and APS ‘roo stew cook-up’. Partnering with SHINE,
  • GSAC, Stars Foundation, Deadly Sista Girlz and Midwest Football Academy
  • Parent/Carer pedagogical workshops with Core Curriculum Coaches
  • 100 Days of School celebration
  • Held inaugural Allendale Primary Mini MEE Careers Expo
  • 3 Ups Kindergarten transition program for 2024 Kindy enrolments and families
  • Year 5 and 6 lightning carnival and Eagles Cup football season
  • Year 6 leadership day at Geraldton Camp School
  • Year 6 business challenge raising $500 for local charity
  • Year 6 participation in Tournament of Minds
  • Year 6 camp to Perth
  • 2 Numero teams making the final of the state challenge
  • Annual APS Open Day
  • Continuation of before school running club
  • School canteen winning the CGG Five Star Food Awards
  • Lunchtime Lego and Numero club

Academic

In 2023 Allendale Primary continued to refine and sharpen its delivery of EI/DI in the core curriculum areas of English and Maths. Our Core Curriculum Coaches continued to provide intensive support to teachers, while also creating opportunities for parents and caregivers to support student learning at home.

Full implementation of the PRIME Mathematics program began from PP to Yr. 6, achieving the 2021 – 2023 APS Business Plan milestone that states ‘a text book for spaced, independent practise in Maths will be implemented’.

With support from the West Coast Speech and Language Centre, Language Based Knowledge Units (LBKU’s) were fully implemented in Pre-Primary to Year 2. LBKU’s allow teachers to address key English concepts with their students, through the repeated unpacking of purposefully selected high quality texts.

In Semester 2 Deputy Samantha Cousins and the Core Curriculum Team developed the APS Whole School Curriculum Outline (WSCO) document, which is scheduled for full implementation in 2024. The document makes clear curricular and thematic links between all subjects and topics required to be taught within a school year, achieving the 2021 – 2023 APS Business Plan milestone that states ‘the CET will develop a scope and sequence that thematically aligns reading and vocabulary content, novel study topics and the reporting schedule’.

In late 2023 APS accepted an invitation by Serpentine PS, Greenfields PS and Medina PS to join The Knowledge Project, a collegiate group who are working to develop and share knowledge based units of work.

Leadership / Staffing

In 2023 Allendale Primary continued to invest in developing leadership through a blended approach of professional learning, targeted project opportunities and distributed responsibilities. Two pre-service teachers were supported through their final practicum by classroom teachers and Core Curriculum Coaches and awarded contracts for the remainder of the year. Alan McDonald announced his retirement from education after almost 50 years of service to the department and over two decades at APS.

The CET continued to meet weekly in 2023, providing a forum for lead teachers and administrators to interrogate agreed APS best practise and ensure current teaching and learning approaches are aligned to current research and evidence based data. CET members were able to discuss implementation successes and obstacles of the PRIME Mathematics and LBKU programs and offer solutions to improve teacher delivery.

The Principal and Deputies continued to develop their leadership capacity by attending Professional Learning such as Liz Wiseman’s Multipliers sessions and Having Difficult Conversations facilitated by the Australian Institute of Management. The team also maintained their effective working relationships with WAPPA, SOLA and PFWA.

The increased effectiveness of the School Board as a governance team continued to be a focus in 2023. The board elected Mr Joe McAlpine to the empty school board chair position, and secured Aboriginal representation by inducting Miss Marika Smith. An agreed schedule was set detailing agreed meeting dates and agenda priorities.