SCENARIO


 * Assignment 1: Developing a policy recommendation**

The following scenario options are based on the following details of a fictional community and school – Barvel Central School (BCS).

Important information and major issues are underlined. Feel free to underline more.

Barvel Central School is based in the community of Barvel, Victoria. Barvel is located 60 kilometres from Geelong with a population of approximately 1500. Barvel is predominantly a __farming community__ although the community does support a number of small businesses typical of rural areas. The __population of the community fluctuates regularly__ due to itinerant workers who arrive in Barvel for harvest work. The school is classified as __located in one of the lowest socio-economic brackets in the state__ as judged by ABS census data.
 * The School**

The school caters for students from __Kindergarten to Year 12__ and supports a student population of approximately 128 students (77 primary school students, 51 high school students). __Enrolments at BCS, like the community population, fluctuate__ during harvest season when children of itinerant workers __enrol for short periods of time.__ The student population has a majority of students from an __Anglo-Celtic background, and approximately 12 students who identify themselves as having an Aboriginal background__. In recent years, __a number of recently arrived students who speak English as a second language__ have also enrolled in the school. While language barriers were evident upon their arrival at the school, the students have become more proficient with English, although __some challenges still exist in terms of effective communication between students, peers and teachers__.


 * Primary students** are organised in the following way:

Preparatory – 22 students Year 1 to Year 2 – 20 students Year 3 to Year 4 – 23 students __Years 4, 5, and 6 – 12 students__
 * Primary years**

Year 7 – 6 students Year 8 – 10 students Year 9 – 14 students Year 10 – 10 students __Year 11 – 5 students__ __Year 12 – 6 students__
 * Secondary years**

Due to a range of factors, __primary school enrolments have dropped__ in recent years, with some students being sent to boarding school in year 6. Consistent with other schools in the area, __boys at the school tend to leave school early,__ while girls tend to stay and then move to universities to pursue their education. __Some boys are resistant to schooling in the later senior years, and__ __look for apprenticeships and other work opportunities__ in the community. The community is on the whole supportive of the school with __generally good relationships developed with most parents.__

In terms of curriculum, __staff who are teaching in the primary years have spent much time developing their individual programs__. The programmes that teachers have developed involve some cross-curricular links, and __some__ have developed an integrated approach to curriculum planning to support student learning. In addition, __some__ of the teachers have put an __emphasis on the principles of Productive Pedagogies__ as way of guiding changes to their teaching practices, and as a way of talking about what they are doing in their classrooms. __The school is well resourced in terms of technology,__ with each primary classroom having 6 computers as well as a SmartBoard.
 * The classroom**

The school is currently staffed by 14 teachers and leadership. The __school staff__ includes one principal, two deputy principals (one who deals with primary years and one who deals with secondary years), four full time staff teaching in the primary years, and six full time staff teaching in the secondary years.
 * The teachers**

As a result of comparisons made on MySchool website, __some concern has been raised by the local community about the performance of students on the NAPLAN tests__ (see http://www.myschool.edu.au/). In a Victorian newspaper, BCS has been identified along with other schools in a large article that has __questioned the quality of teaching__ in the State’s schools. __Develop a policy response that outlines the steps the school will take to address this perceived decline/lack in teaching quality.__
 * Scenario Option 2: MySchool**

It is expected that you will:
 * Expectation**
 * __Identify and present a discussion of the key issues__ that surround the scenario;
 * Present an __outline of the planned actions that aim to address the issues__
 * Elaborate on __how these actions will be implemented in the school__;
 * Outline __how actions that follow the policy response will be evaluated__;