Liverpool West Public School

Liverpool West Public School is located in South West Sydney. It has a student enrolment of 617 students from Preschool to Year 6 that includes four support classes. The school embraces its highly multicultural student population that comprises 34 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders and 496 students from a language background other than English. The school aligns itself to the School Excellence Framework and is focussed on school improvement measures that will support the ongoing growth and wellbeing of its students. The school has set three strategic directions for its 2015-2017 school plan. These are: Literate and numerate students using 21st century capabilities. Excellence and consistency in evidence based teaching practice. An engaged school community leading school improvement. The school receives equity funding to support students from low-socio economic backgrounds and Aboriginal backgrounds as well as students with English as an Additional Language or Dialect and students requiring low level adjustments to support their learning. A feature of our school is our Coota Gulla Preschool, which caters to Aboriginal students throughout the region. This is supported by an Aboriginal Education Officer, Elders and local agencies. All teachers are committed to developing and implementing quality teaching and learning programs, based on ongoing assessment and evaluation. Their professional practice and development is aligned to the Australian professional standards for teachers.  All staff are fully supported through a whole school strategic professional learning model that ensures programs and classroom pedagogy are based on current educational research, reflecting best practices. At Liverpool West Public School, we are committed to implementing outstanding programs that ensure students reach their potential in all aspects of school life. Extra curricula activites are offered to cater for a range of interests and abilities. These incude: public speaking, a variety of sporting programs as well as performing arts opportunities. The school's choir and dance groups appear annually at the Liverpool Festival of Performing Arts and School Spectacular which showcases our talented students. We also offer specialist programs to support individualised learning and these include: reading recovery, speech programs, early intervention programs, support classes and English language programs. A refugee transition class will be established in 2016 to support newly arrived students and their families to settle in Australia and to learn English. The positive school climate at Liverpool West Public School is underpinned by a whole school discipline plan which incorporates values, rights and responsibilities for all. This is supported by our entire school community through established and sustained genuine home school partnerships. The school highly values and encourages parent and community involvement. A parent cafe was introduced in October 2015 as a forum to make stronger connections with parents on a weekly basis. School programs and data is openly shared with interested parties at these meetings. Guest speakers attend to provide relevant information and a bilingual bookclub will be introduced in 2016. The following vision statement of Liverpool West school captures the ethos of our school. All students at Liverpool West Public School will be literate, numerate and collaborative problem solvers who can confidently communicate what they are learning, why that learning matters and their level of achievement, so they become informed citizens and successful lifelong learners.