Glenelg Primary School

Location: Adelaide, SA

Glenelg Primary School, located in beachside Adelaide, has 760 students from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds. There are a small number of Aboriginal students, and about 20% of students are from non-English speaking backgrounds. About 16% of students are eligible for the School Card Scheme for low-income families, and there are a number of transient families, particularly from other countries, whose parents have work tenures of 6-24 months during which they live locally.

How Glenelg Primary School has used Gonski funding

During the period 2014-2016, Glenelg PS received about $84,000 in Gonski funds, most of which has been directed to intervention programs for children requiring intensive support in literacy and numeracy. Funds have also been directed to increased professional learning and development of more effective assessment practices and pedagogies. Provision of speech pathology support, introduction of specific literacy and numeracy intervention programs have been accompanied by an increased in 1:1 support time available each week, together with consultancy support for teachers and additional training for School Support Officers.

How Gonski funding has made a difference for students

The decision to focus much of the funding on improving literacy and numeracy across the school has been successful, with data confirming results such as 84% of Year 3 students improving in their reading achievement.

What the continuation of Gonski funding means to Glenelg Primary School

Principal Rae Taggart says the withdrawal of funding will jeopardise the programs successfully implemented at the school. “The funding has supported the implementation of intervention programs in their true sense. That is, to intervene in every child’s learning program to address and support their specific needs, from those who are struggling to gifted students requiring extension.”