Carina State School

Location: Brisbane, Queensland

Carina State School is an inner-city Brisbane multicultural school with an enrolment of approximately 325 students. Just under half of the students are from low-income backgrounds. There are 48 different cultures represented in the school, with students from 26 different countries and around one-fifth from non-English speaking families. 5.5 per cent are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

How Carina State School has used its Gonski funding

Carina State School received just under $100,000 in Gonski funding 2014 and approximately $107,000 in 2015.

The increased funding has been used to improve literacy and numeracy for all students, with a particular focus on students needing greater support to raise their literacy and numeracy levels.

Carina has invested in employing more staff and providing greater access to quality professional development, with an emphasis on more effective collaboration in approaches to improving literacy and numeracy and how the school can make better use of data on student learning and achievement to improve teaching and learning programs.

Students needing greater support now receive more time with teachers and teacher aides, either individually or in small groups. They also benefit from greater investment in high quality, up-to-date learning resources.

How Gonski funding has made a difference for students

Analysis of student achievement data shows that the students who were identified as needing increased support have improved significantly. NAPLAN results for both Years 3 and 5 have improved in all areas and are now above the national average in many areas.

Alan Rowell (Carina principal in 2014 and 2015) says that these improvement in student performance would not have been possible without Gonski funding.

“Gonski funding has allowed us to focus more specifically on kids who weren’t getting enough individual assistance to meet their particular learning needs. We’ve been able to give greater support to teachers, buy new resources and design and implement new approaches to improving literacy and numeracy targeted at meeting those needs.”

What Carina could do with Gonski in the future

With the full six years of Gonski funding, Carina would expand the amount of individual support offered to students, provide extra professional development and coaching for teachers in literacy and numeracy, and improve digital learning through greater investment in areas such as wireless technology and iPads.

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