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Macgregor State High School
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The Best we can be
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 Principal’s foreword
Introduction
The school report indicates a strong and vibrant school, academic in nature, focussed on learning while catering for the individual student. The continuation of the apparent retention rate being well above 100% indicates that students, parents and the community hold the school in high regard. This is supported by the results students obtained, the very large proportion of students who gained preferred options for tertiary entrance, and the outcomes from the school opinion survey. The school, staff and students, are moving towards the goal outlined in the school motto “The Best We Can Be.”
Future outlook
It is expected that the proportion of students in the OP1 to OP15 range will be lifted in future years as the school rigorously works through the issues involved. Our attention for the next five years will be on the assessment of students across the year levels and the pedagogy in the classroom.
Our School at a glance
School Profile
Total student enrolments for your school: 1615
Year levels offered: Year 8 to Year 12
Coeducational or single sex: Co-educational
Curriculum offerings
Our distinctive curriculum offerings include:
A very wide and strong range of Year 11 and 12 academic subject offerings including, but not restricted to, Music Extension, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics C, Philosophy and Reason, Information Processing and Technology, Information Systems, Dance, Drama, Graphics, Ancient and Modern History, Film and TV, Chinese, Japanese and German. Other subjects include Horticulture, Production, Manufacturing, and Work Education.
A wide range of year 10 subject offerings including Accelerated mathematics, Analytical Science, Natural Science, Computer Studies, Sport Science, Business, Media, and Applied Design and Technology.
An extensive range of year 8 subject offerings including Electro-Robotics, Computer studies, Applied Art, Dance, Drama, Food Studies, Textiles, and Business.
All students in all year levels study English and Mathematics.
A wide range of subjects for NESB students including Australian Studies, Science for ESL students, Introduction to Computer Literacy, English and Mathematics for ESL Students
A Special Education Unit which is coded for ASD.
Extra curricula activities:
CAD (Centre for Artistic development) and JAC (Junior Aspiring CAD)
A wide range of sport opportunities including involvement in GBS sport.
Multicultural Activities
How computers are used to assist learning:
Computers are used in all subject areas. The school has more than 600 computers for student access in laboratories and in specialist areas. Many business related subjects are primarily delivered on-line, while many subjects use computers for students to access information and to produce reports. Art, Film and TV, and Graphics subjects use computers for visual expression, while Health and Physical Education subjects use computers for measurement and analysis of health and physical quantities, and mathematics uses spreadsheet functions and software for student learning in areas such as geometry and negative numbers.
Social climate
The school is very multicultural with more than 60 cultures represented. The school celebrates this multiculturalism each year with a multicultural week and multicultural assembly. There is a strong student support program where individual student issues are catered for by a team of teachers, Guidance officers, year level coordinators, and deputy principals. Students and parents report that the school is very well organized, that they are treated fairly and are safe and happy at school. There is a climate which reflects the school motto “The Best We Can Be.”
Involving parents in their child’s education
Parents are encouraged to become involved with their students education and school through communication with the school and the class teachers, for example at parent/teacher interviews, regular newsletters, in subject selection and the school Open day, and through reports being posted home. Where possible interpreters will be used to allow for ease of communication between home and the school. The Parents and Citizens Association meet monthly on the second Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm.
Our staff profile
Qualifications of all teachers
Expenditure on and teacher participation in professional development.
- The total funds expended on teacher professional development in 2007 was $55 310.
The major professional development initiatives are as follows:
- Pedagogy related professional activities
- Curriculum development activities (including program writing)
- IT professional development activities
- Work place health and safety activities
- Professional standards for teachers
- The involvement of the teaching staff in professional development activities during 2007 was 97 %.
Average staff attendance
For permanent and temporary staff and school leaders the staff attendance rate was 96% in 2007.
Proportion of staff retained from the previous school year
From the end of the 2006 school year, 94 % of staff were retained by the school for the entire 2007 school year.
Performance of our students
Student attendance
The average attendance rate as a percentage in 2007 was 92%.
Key outcomes in the senior phase of learning
Apparent retention rates Year 8 to Year 12
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Year 12 student enrolment as a percentage of the Year 8 student cohort.
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123%
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Outcomes for our Year 12 cohort of 2006
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Total number of Senior Certificates awarded
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331
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Percentage of Overall Position (OP) -eligible students with OP 1-15
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50%
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Percentage of students awarded Senior Certificates and awarded a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification
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23%
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Percentage of students awarded Senior Certificates with OP-eligibility or awarded a VET qualification
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86%
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Percentage of Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) applicants receiving an offer
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96%
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Post-school destination information
At the time of publishing this School Annual Report, the results of the 2007 Year 12 post-school destinations survey, Next Step – Student Destination Report for the school were not available. Information about these post-school destinations of our students will be posted to our website by early September.
Other Key Outcomes
Value added
The degree of improvement in English for students who are newly arrived to this country (and new to the school) continues to grow despite the fact that students have had increasingly diverse prior educational opportunities. This reflects the emphasis placed on literacy and numeracy in the school. Our new literacy and numeracy groups in the junior school reflect this both academically and socially.
Parent, student and teacher satisfaction with the school
Parents are very satisfied with the school with the percentage of parents and caregivers who consider that their students are getting a good education from the school and that he school is a good school considerably exceeding the targets set by the school on both accounts. The percentage of students satisfied that they are getting a good education from the school is very close to the target of 80% set by the school, while the percentage of the staff satisfied with the morale in the school is almost identical with the target set by the school.
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