Revolutionizing Education at Blue Lake High School" - A Case Study in Community-Based Learning Transformation

3. The Context

4. Grant High School Context | 2018 • Partnership: Blue Lake • FTE: 795 • Year of Opening: 1961 • Disadvantage category: 4 • School Card Holders: approx. 30% of the school’s population • Special Options: 12 students • Flexible Learning Centre: approx. 80 students from Year 10-12

5. The Story to 2016 • Establishment of 5 Communities; Nunkula (FLC), Kurra, Kurang, Marma and Kabir. • Rollout of Learner Management System • Re-thinking the roles of SSOs • Management of supervised study • “Re-jigging” reliefs

6. What have we done? (2016 – 2018) • Community structure • Establishing The Hub • Daily Organisation • The Wellbeing Centre • What next?

7. Communities Vision, process and outcome…

8. Community vision • It takes a village – we needed to create one • How do we make a big school work like a small school? • This is not Hogwarts!

9. The process: • Started a ‘Cutting Edge Education’ committee (CEE) • Visited a range of schools and reported back, including Templestowe • Built on these ideas – tailored them to suit our community • The school was ripe for change – a deep consultation process

11. The Benefits: • Smaller in size – allow leaders to build knowledge of individual students and their families • Administrators and leaders not having to “learn” a whole new cohort each year (only 50 new students added) • Reduced SBM for each leader – less junior school intensity • Course counselling quality control – fewer people involved • Reduction in subject changes – Community Managers

12. Community Leader Perspectives • Partnership with parents e.g. on a first name basis • Workload equity and support (e.g. multiple students across multiple communities = more hands on deck and more ‘ideas’ about what to do next). • Greater insight into student needs – avoid students slipping through the cracks

13. Community Leader Perspectives • Proactive interventions rather than reactive interventions • Sense of belonging within a community through a range of activities and programs e.g. pass-the-parcel, ‘tasty chats’, the Persistence Project, Youth Opportunities etc. • Consistency within communities e.g. a leader/manager’s response will remain a constant (even where community responses may differ).

14. Leadership Configuration

16. Leadership Configuration • Staff are aligned with a Community • Band B1 leaders are line managed by Community Leaders • Band B1 Leaders all have an additional teaching and learning focus (in addition to a curriculum area focus) • Designed to best prepare leaders for promotional positions down the track • Further promotes a sense of ‘community’

17. “The Hub” The Hub and its functions

18. The Hub • Replaces all Student Services Office functions other than the receiving of monies • Provides learning support for senior school students through appointment of two trainee mentors • Open from 8am until 5pm for all students – reduces instances of bullying in the yard • A safe and welcoming place for all students

19. The Hub • Hosts Breakfast Club • Houses all Resource Centre services, plus IT, Daily Organisation and Intervention programs (e.g. MaqLit, therapy dog etc. • Principal, Community Leader and all Community Managers offices located here

20. Homework Club • Operates four days a week; 3:20pm until 5pm • Supervised by volunteer teachers and Hub staff • Food is provided (hot and cold) • All year levels attendand are supported in their learning • Publish teacher expertise availability • An SSO initiative • On average approximately 30 students attend each night; spikes at times of greater need (e.g. test times) • Feedback from parents and students overwhelmingly positive

21. Trainee Mentors Sub-heading • Provide a huge amount of student support, both in The Hub and at times, in classrooms (including Special Options) • They take all rolls for supervised study and senior relief lessons • Alert Community Leaders to any behavior issues • Liaise with parents and caregivers about signing in/signing out • Compile newsletters • Collate destination data • Utilise trainee expertise to better support student learning

22. Trainee Mentors • Manage the bookroom and library functions • Take photographs for press releases and school promotions • General administration work – answer phones • Interest for these roles have been significantly greater than in the past • Food preparation and cleanup (Homework Club) • Attend camps and excursions (female duty-of-care) • Support students’ friendship building by linking them with other like-minded young people

23. Daily Organisation Re-thinking roles & responsibilities

24. Daily Organisation • Two part-time SSOs (FTE: 1.25) • Timetable construction and management • Daily organisation and allocation of reliefs • Management of SACE Schools Online • All site surveys • NAPLAN & PAT testing

25. Daily Organisation • Exam Supervision rosters • Course Counselling • Learner Management Software • Reporting and Progress Checks • Interview Bookings

26. The Benefits • Frees up leaders to focus on learning • The cost benefits have allowed the employment of two trainees • Ownership of these roles have led to innovative and creative solutions, and improvements to school processes • Greater autonomy as a result of their broad knowledge of a range of school and system processes • An understanding that they are not ‘decision makers’, but they do make recommendations and suggestions for improvements that are highly valued.

27. Wellbeing Centre Restructure to address increasing wellbeing concerns

28. Wellbeing Centre • The Team; • Intervention and Support (IAS) program Manager (Level 4 SSO) • Triage (SSO) • 2x Youth Workers • 2x Band B1 Wellbeing Leaders • Child Wellbeing Practitioner (1 day a week) • Pastoral Support Worker

29. Wellbeing Centre • Triage; first point of contact for students to ascertain need and direct accordingly • Weekly Community wellbeing meetings; • Students with wellbeing & behaviour concerns are flagged • Interventions documented • Strategies clearly outlined • Minutes distributed to all staff • Additional programs (internal and external) e.g. Youth Opportunities, Rock and Water, Tumbelin, therapy dog etc.

30. Wellbeing Centre • IAS (Intervention and Support) program; • Pre-FLO model; those students that don’t meet FLO criteria, but require additional support • Weekly case management for at-risk students (Youth Worker) • Small group activities • Central location aids student access and staff collaboration • Whole-school focus days to promote different wellbeing initiatives

31. The Benefits • Streamlined process for student support • Workload equity and support (eg. Team approach to support students) • Staff have a clearer understanding of student needs and interventions in place to support them • Improved process for referring students • Proactive interventions rather than reactive interventions • Reduced SBM • Improved attendance

32. What next? The challenges and opportunities

33. The timetable • A restructure from 7 to 6 lines is underway – presents both challenges and opportunities; • Staffing • Choice • Threats to some subject areas • Pastoral care • “Floating Line” • Time; increased time for each subject + more planning time • Narrower and deeper focus on learning • The hope is this will lead to greater innovation and flexibility in the creation of our curriculum

35. Challenges for the future • Year 7’s – creation of an additional Community without disrupting current communities • Community Manager turnover – as they move into leadership roles • Ensuring that communities remain non-competitive • Supporting staff to accept that community responses may differ

36. Questions?