School Profile

Acacia Primary School (pseudonym) is an independent public school located within a high-range socio-economic status area. It is based approximately 11 kilometres from Perth CBD in a highly desirable area. Within the suburb, 84.2% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 2.6%, Mandarin 1.4%, Indonesian 0.7%, Spanish 0.7% and Cantonese 0.6. Additionally, there is a small community of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island people, making up only 0.5% of the population.

Acacia Primary School is a co-educational school catering for students from Kindergarten to year 6, with an enrolment of approximately 360 students. There are 23 teaching staff, 3 of which are level 3 teachers. There is a total of 16 non-teaching staff and 3 administration staff. The school has a high attendance rate of 96%, which is higher than the average for WA public schools. Acacia Primary School has well established and maintained gardens with a multi-purpose library resource centre, a computer lab with 20 computers installed. In addition, there are 6 iPads per classroom as well as 4 computers in the early childhood classes and wireless network laptops for the upper years. Each room has a Smart Board or interactive whiteboard installed and there is a high focus on the use of ICT in classrooms. There is an undercover activity centre and a large hall used for assemblies, music, art displays, physical education and dancing as well as school and P&C socials. There is a dedicated art room and music room which are very well resourced.

Acacia Primary School’s vision is to equip our students with, and develop, the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes and values in order to achieve their individual potential and contribute positively in an ever changing world. Their values are centered around perseverance, respect and tolerance. They endeavor to promote resilience and are a Kids Matter school. There is a very high academic focus and high expectations for students, particularly regarding numeracy and literacy. This is evident in the school’s NAPLAN results, where students frequently show results at or exceeding the results of like schools. Additionally, the focus is on Excellence, Enrichment, Engagement and Acceleration with an emphasis on each child reaching their full potential academically, socially and emotionally. Additionally, the school prides itself on the high standards of behavior evident in the school community. Acacia Primary School also has a high focus on sustainability with children working as advocates for the environment; creating and displaying posters around the school. In addition, the school has an edible garden that children play an important role in caring for and harvesting the produce.

The class follows a typical primary structure where children go to

specialized subject at scheduled times throughout the week instead

of the one day where ordinarily pre-primary teachers would have DOTT.

As a result, the subjects taught in the class are English, mathematics, health and technology.

The student cohort consists of 16 girls and 8 boys aged 5-6. The demographics of the area are reflected in the pre-primary classroom where most of the children identify as Australian or of English, Irish, Scottish or Canadian descent. The cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the other children include Spanish, Croatian, Chinese, Dutch and Russian. However, each of these children speak predominantly English with their parents at home and only speak some of their respective languages. There are no children in the class identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

The children come from stable homes with both parents and parents often come in to the classroom as parent helpers. Each child appears to be meeting appropriate developmental milestones and is making fair to excellent academic progress. There are no children who are at educational risk or with additional needs.

A plethora of activities and resources are set up for children during recess and lunch by the education assistants. This includes dramatic play, obstacle courses, painting, drawing and a myriad of construction resources. Children are often highly engaged in these activities or choose to play gross motor games such as soccer and “mental ball”. There is also an established nature play area for the K-1 children to engage in.

High socio-economic areas are generally associated with a higher rate of development, educational achievement and overall health and wellbeing as well as less behavioural issues than lower SES schools. Additionally, the children in the class are from stable family backgrounds which should also have a positive effect on their learning and wellbeing. Additionally, as children all speak English as a first and predominantly only language, this is also likely to have a positive effect on their educational outcomes, particularly in the early years. It is important to note, however, the potential for such high expectations to have a negative impact on student wellbeing and this is something that should be carefully considered.

The pre-primary class attends specialized classes throughout the week. These include science, Humanities and Social Sciences, yoga, art and Physical education.

Stepping Stones

ISTAR

WALT and WILF

Letters and Sounds – Currently phase 3 of the program.

Class Profile

School-wide programs implemented within the school are:

Primary Extension and Challenge (PEAC) - a part-time program for public school children in Years 5, 6 and 7.

Mathletics - Acacia PS promotes Mathletics to all students in the school and provides log in details to the students at the School's expense.

Yoga - The school has a specialist yoga instructor who does yoga with children across each of the year levels, including pre-primary.

Edible Garden - The School has an Edible Garden which is taken care of by parents and pupils. Children and families are able to harvest fresh fruit and vegetables and it is utilised as a resource in classrooms for learning about seedlings, planting, growing and cultivating plants.