| Fairfield Public School | |
| Motto: | Learning Together |
| District: | Fairfield |
| Principal: | Ken Smith |
| Teaching Staff: | 20 |
| Students: | 437 (2023) |
| Grades Label: | Years |
| Coordinates: | -33.8674°N 150.9554°W |
| Country: | Australia |
| Colours: | Dark blue and sky blue |
Fairfield Public School is a government-funded, co-educational, primary day school, located in Fairfield, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.[1] [2] Established in 1889 and opened by Sir Henry Parkes, the school caters for approximately 435 students from kindergarten to Year 6.[3] The school is operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and it is opposite of Fairfield High School.
With 97% of the school's students being of a non-English speaking background, Fairfield Primary School is one of the most multicultural schools in Sydney.[4] The motto, "Learning Together", represents the school's united partnerships and values.[5] The school features a house system and has an official song titled 'Lift Up Your Voice'.[6]
The school was opened on 25 February 1889 by ex-New South Wales Premier Sir Henry Parkes on a Saturday afternoon with a large assemblage of parents and children (although the school was opened for the reception of children a month prior to the grand opening).[7] On the opening day, classroom visitations where made with garlands of flowers, in addition to children making speeches to the guests. In one of the speeches, the school's chairman expressed agitation for the establishment of the school, but then he stated they were all pleased with Sir Henry Parkes, who came to open the new school.
Parkes compared the lack of educational facilities of a quarter of a century prior with the system of government-funded education being finally constituted through Australia throughout the late 19th century, making it an extraordinary advantage over the children of former time periods or of those in other nations. Parkes also remarked to the students that they had a special privilege in attending this school, as they had their entire lives to gain from the teaching they received at that period.[8]
Mr Willis, the school's first headmaster, had his house within the school grounds (facing The Horsley Drive) in the late 1890's.[9] In the late 1890's and early 1900's, the students were called to school each day to ring the solid iron school bell three times at 9am and again at 9:30 am.[10] [11] The school has organised sport picnics from as far back as the 1920s, with some events being notable enough to be reported in local newspapers like The Biz.[12] [13] By 1958, Fairfield Public School was one of the largest primary school in New South Wales, though enrolments in that year decreased from 1400 to 1350 students (despite an increase of enrolments in schools of the surrounding areas). In the 1950s, approximately 15% of the students were recent immigrants to Australia.[14] Since the 1960s, classrooms have oftentimes been renovated through government-funded painting, with blue being the school's emblematic colour.[15]
On 15 March 2002, a pedestrian bridge over The Horsley Drive was opened to link the school with Fairfield High School on the opposite side. The bridge was named the Eva Wesley Stone Pedestrian Bridge, after Eva Wesley Stone (1894–2001), who was Fairfield's oldest resident and lived in Fairfield all her life, in addition to attending the school in the late 1890s/early 1900s.[16] In June 2014, Fairfield Public School celebrated 125 years of education where former New South Wales governor Marie Bashir, and as well as former principals, visited the school and participated in a special assembly; the school choir performed I Am Australian in Bashir's honour, and the school's drumming group played for her.[17] [18] Also in 2014, principal David Smith decided to use a pop song for the school bell because he thought it was a pleasant way to start lessons.[19]
In November 2016, Fairfield Public School had recorded the biggest increase of students in its Intensive English Centre.[20] In January 2017, over 200 families enrolled their children in the school, many of whom were recent refugees from overseas, including Syria – The new students received a pencil case, teddy bear and drink bottle.[21] In December 2017, students from the school took part in the annual Christmas trolley run for the disadvantaged in Fairfield CBD, where students rode trolleys filled with food and were led by the school's drumming band to the Fairfield Uniting Church.[22]
In January 2018, the school began to improve its indigenous education due to national population boom in school-aged Aboriginal children.[23] In June 2018, the school's library picked up of new books from Dymocks, after Dymocks Children's Charities assisted the students to raise to help refill the school's library with 500 new books.[24] In 2018, every new refugee student was given a "welcome pack" that featured a jump rope, colouring pencils, a colouring book and a tennis ball.[19]
Student population is transient; enrolment has decreased since 2020, with an enrolment of 503 students at the beginning of 2021, down from 565 at the end of 2020 and 617 students in 2015. In 2023, 437 students were enrolled, down from 462 students in 2022. As of 2023, the school has around 15 classroom teachers, 4 ESL teachers, 5 assistant principals, 4 administration support staff and 1 counsellor. The school's teaching staff features a blend of experienced and early-career teachers.[5]
In 2023, the number of students attending 90% or more of the time increased by 9.7%, from 47.3% in 2022 to 57% in 2023, which was above both the Department of Education and similar school percentages. Though 29% of students attended school less than 85% of the time. 70% of students from kindergarten to year 2 have achieved education-determined targets affiliated with the national literacy progression.[5] In 2023, a minimum of 64.7% of students accomplished at or above expected growth in NAPLAN reading and 59.8% attained at or above in expected growth in NAPLAN numeracy.
In 2011, with 95% of its students being of non-English speaking background, the school was just behind Bankstown Public School (99%) and Liverpool Public School (98%), tying with Cabramatta Public School (96%), for having students of foreign-language background.[25] 40% of the school's enrolments are from a refugee background.[26] [27] [19]
The students are from multicultural backgrounds, with 95% of the students speaking languages other than English; 60 languages are represented within the school community, including Arabic, Assyrian, Chaldean, Dari, Khmer, Hindi, Bosnian, Tongan and Vietnamese being the predominant language groups as of 2023.[5] [26] [28] Previously the children had been of Vietnamese, Bosnian and Afghan descent, though since 2018 most of them have been Syrian and Iraqi, with a few being of Karen and Iranian descent. In 2018, the students have mostly been from Bosnia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, and of the 582 children enrolled about 240 of them were refugees (or have parents who are).[19]
Many of the school's refugee students have experienced trauma and poor education prior to immigrating, in addition to some who have had gaps in their education and others who have family members killed or lost in war. Some of the refugee students who first enrolled poor health such as vitamin D deficiency and poor dental care.[19] Furthermore, many students are poor swimmers, as they had very little contact with open water in their native countries, therefore making the annual swimming carnival perilous for them – Former deputy principal Kim Cootes stated that "nine out of ten kids will get into the pool and sink to the bottom".[19]
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the children "have seen more air raids and bombings than athletics carnivals or assemblies".[19] In 2016, a child became agitated during a sausage barbeque party because the smoke smelled like when their school was bombed, thereby highlighting the school's challenges of educating refugee children with psychological trauma.[19]
Some students tend to behave well for the first six or 12 months after being enrolled, only to begin misbehaving just as they settle in and accustom.[19] Race-related bullying has not been encountered in the school.[19] The Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) data exhibited a slim increase in the amount of students who received the school's highest award for positive behaviour, from 78.6% in 2022 to 81.5% in 2023. In 2023, incidents (which includes bullying) decreased 48.35% from the 2022 baseline data.
Parent survey data showed that 89% of parents evaluated that the information received from the school was intelligibly transmitted and in plain language. 88% of parents agreed that they were readily contacted if there were behaviour concerns about their child and where behaviour problems were conducted with respectfully. The most frequently recommended improvements were returning library lessons and borrowing, more sports programs, and more opportunities to be engaged. In a 2023 survey including 86% of the staff, the results displayed increased positivity by staff in various areas compared to the 2022 results.[5] [29] 75% of parents use Seesaw to view information from the school or their child's teacher.[30]
In 2014, according to the principal David Smith at that time, Fairfield Public School's biggest struggle was the students' poor English skills and the school's greatest obstacle was adapting to Fairfield’s changing demographics.[4] In 2018, the principal conceded that the school does not meet the national minimum standard when it comes to literacy and numeracy, but according to him this was justified because the students "never had schooling" since they arrived from a war-torn nation, and so they should not be compared to an English-speaking child born in Australia.[19] In a 2016 news article by the Sydney Morning Herald, the school was described as "an unprepossessing primary school...with a concrete playground, too little grass, a canteen and the usual mix of demountable and legacy buildings", in addition to being "at Australia's front line in educating kids displaced by Islamic State".[19]
The school has a COLA (Covered Outdoor Learning Area), which is a large pavilion-like structure, that protects students from the elements. Fairfield City Council has established a preschool on the school ground. The school's Community Centre assists community and supported playgroups, also parenting workshops and support. The school features a 'Scholastics Book Club' facility, and serves as locale for Weekend Community Language schools in Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese, including Karate School and HIPPY ('Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters'). The school offers students access to Breakfast Club, Homework Learning Clubs and After School Sport. Academic programs include Early Action for Success, Community Languages, community and multicultural events, creative arts opportunities, debating and several sporting activities.[29]
The school has annual events such as 'Multicultural Day', 'Easter Hat Parade' and 'Book Parade'. Hats are part of the school uniform and are compulsory.[6] The school's lunchtime is early (11am), because many students do not get breakfast at home due to the area's lower socioeconomics status.[19] Kids who misbehave are sent to the 'reflection room', which is not titled the "detention room" since the term might traumatise the refugee students, as some had previously been held in detention centres.[19] The school gates are generally kept locked and any visitors to the school need to be signed in before entering the grounds.[19]
The school features four houses that every child is allocated to once enrolled, with each house having its own theme colour. Family members are placed in the same house, since the house system is based on the child's surname. The four houses (listed below) are generally used in sports, with points being assigned for athletics, cross country and swimming events:[6]
The school's partnerships with external agencies include, The Smith Family, STARTTS (Service for the Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors), TAFE NSW Outreach, NSW Police, Community First Step, Woodville Alliance, NSW Refugee Health, OzHarvest, CORE (Care, Opportunity, Respect and Empowerment) Community Services, PARKS and Wellbeing Health Inreach Nurse, which are integrated into the school's sentiment to support the community's needs.[5] [29]