Tanduringie State School

Contents
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Review team ................................................................................................................ 3
1.2 School context ............................................................................................................. 4
1.3 Contributing Stakeholders ........................................................................................... 5
2. Executive summary ........................................................................................................... 6
2.1 Key findings ................................................................................................................. 6
2.2 Key improvement strategies ........................................................................................ 8

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1. Introduction
This report is a product of a review carried out by a review team from School and Region
Reviews (SRR) at Tanduringie State School from 18 to 20 July 2022.

The report presents an evaluation of the school’s performance against the nine domains of
the National School Improvement Tool. It also recommends improvement strategies for the
school to implement in consultation with its regional office and school community.

The report’s executive summary outlines key findings from the review and key improvement
strategies that prioritise future directions for improvement.

Schools will publish the executive summary on the school website within two weeks of
receiving the report.

The principal will meet with their Assistant Regional Director (ARD) to discuss the review
findings and improvement strategies.

For more information regarding SRR and reviews for Queensland state schools please visit
the SRR website.

1.1 Review team

Len Fehlhaber Internal reviewer, SRR (review chair)

Jenny Watson Peer reviewer

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1.2 School context

Indigenous land name: Wakka Wakka

Location: Tanduringie School Road, Maidenwell

Education region: Darling Downs South West Region

Year levels: Prep to Year 6

Enrolment: 21

Indigenous enrolment 9.5 per cent

percentage:

Students with disability 11.4 per cent

percentage:

Index of Community 1003

Socio-Educational
Advantage (ICSEA) value:

Year principal appointed: 2022 – acting

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1.3 Contributing Stakeholders
The following stakeholders contributed to the review:

School community:

• Principal, teacher, 14 students, one teacher aide, guidance officer, Business

Manager (BM), Parents and Citizens’ Association (P&C) president and three P&C
representatives.

Community and business groups:

• Maidenwell Queensland Country Women’s Association (CWA) president, Maidenwell

Trading Post, Australia Post representative, Stanwell Corporation representative and
Maidenwell Community Group president.

Partner schools and other educational providers:

• Principal of Blackbutt State School, principal of Nanango State High School and
director of Childcare and Kindergarten (C&K) Yarraman and District Community
Kindergarten Association.

Government and departmental representatives:

• Deputy Mayor of South Burnett Regional Council and ARD.

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2. Executive summary
2.1 Key findings
The school promotes a happy, safe, personalised learning environment reflective of
the vision ‘Every Child, Every Day’ and the mantra ‘small school, big heart’.

The school’s mantra and vision are showcased through the positive atmosphere amongst
students and staff, and the strength of support from parents and community members.
Parents, community members and staff speak of their investment in supporting students to
become the best they can be. Parents and the community express a strong sense of trust in
the school staff and support for staff and students to promote learning and wellbeing.

The principal and teaching staff are committed to implementing quality curriculum
across all subject areas.

The school has a sequenced whole-school curriculum, assessment and reporting plan for
delivery of the Australian Curriculum (AC). Units of work are modified to enable student
progress, with a focus on student engagement. Co-planning between the principal and
teacher is conducted at planning days and informally throughout the teaching and learning
cycle, providing consistency of practice and an opportunity to discuss student achievement
and interventions. The principal and teacher work closely with teacher aides to deliver the
curriculum, with adjustments made for students as required to personalise learning.

The principal and staff members describe their commitment to improving the quality
of teaching and learning throughout the school.

The principal describes a passion for understanding students and articulates that they are
continuously seeking ways to espouse the school motto of ‘Good Better Best’ and improve
learning outcomes for all students. The principal acknowledges the need to maintain a
narrow and focused Explicit Improvement Agenda (EIA) to increase student achievement
and ensure shared understanding by all staff and the community.

Quality curriculum units have been developed and adapted to suit student need.

Development of curriculum units includes backward mapping of units of work and the
development of year and/or band plans, which are regularly monitored and reviewed. The
principal and teacher are working to adapt the curriculum plan to cater for the current class
model and express an intention to review and refine the whole-school curriculum,
assessment and reporting framework, aligned with the current classroom model.

The principal indicates that analysis of data has a strong link to ‘knowing the learner’.

The principal identifies that analysis and discussion of data on student academic outcomes,
behaviour, wellbeing and attendance is fundamental for planning the next steps in learning
for individual students. Informal data conversations are held regularly with school staff. The
principal has identified that regularly scheduled, formalised data teaching and learning
meetings may be valuable as part of the intentional collaboration processes. They indicate a

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belief that these would increase staff understanding of student progress and assist
adjustments to curriculum and pedagogy to meet individual student need.

Staff are committed to a culture of inclusivity and strive to ensure that all students are
provided with every opportunity to succeed.

The principal articulates that staff base their teaching decisions on knowledge of the student,
their prior learning and their unique personality. They articulate an intention to further
develop case management processes to ensure adjustments are made to teaching in
response to data collected over time. The principal expresses an intention to ensure that
case management practices are research-based and understood by all staff.

The principal recognises the development of staff into an expert team as central to
improving learning and wellbeing outcomes for students.

The principal articulates a strong understanding of the strengths and professional needs of
all staff and describes an intention to progressively introduce a contextualised process for
the provision of regular coaching and feedback to all staff members. They articulate that the
establishment and implementation of an agreed collegial engagement process with the
principal as instructional leader is as a natural next step.

The principal recognises the importance of ensuring clear alignment between student
achievement, school priorities and the allocation of human and financial resources.

The principal plans for the effective use of human, financial and facility resources to meet
community expectations and EIA priorities. The strategic use of resources addresses the
learning and wellbeing needs of the full range of students and supports staff members to
develop and effectively deliver teaching and learning programs. The principal articulates that
a recent strategic decision to change from a two to one classroom model provides an
opportunity to effectively utilise teaching and teacher aide resources for students in addition
to enhancing collegial engagement and Professional Development (PD) of all staff through
this model.

Strong, long-standing school community partnerships are an integral part of the

school culture.

Traditions established by the school are highly valued by the wider community and provide
opportunities for students, staff and parents to build connections, and contribute to student
learning and wellbeing, and the ongoing culture of the community. Parents and staff speak
highly of the school’s important role within the local community. Community members
express strong satisfaction with the role of the school and the quality of the education
students receive.

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2.2 Key improvement strategies
Maintain a narrow and focused EIA to increase student achievement and ensure a shared
understanding by all staff and the community.

Review and refine the whole-school curriculum, assessment and reporting framework,
aligned with the current classroom model.

Formalise data, teaching and learning conversations to monitor evidence of improvement

over time in a range of areas across the school.

Further develop and implement a case management process, including use of data with
strategic collaboration to develop individual teaching and learning strategies for students.

Collaboratively develop and implement an agreed and school-specific model of observation

and feedback for staff, in line with school priorities.