ROKEBY PRIMARY SCHOOL, TASMANIA
Whole-school approach to improving outcomes for Indigenous students and promoting Reconciliation.
SCHOOL:
Rokeby Primary School is a Government school located in a low socio-economic area 14km from Hobart. Of the school's 270 students, 60 are Indigenous.
PROGRAMS:
Strong connections have been forged with community members, Chris Sarra's Indigenous Leadership Program and the Aboriginal Education Unit. Relationships have been developed with local neighbourhood centres and an online access centre. The whole-school approach incorporates all staff.
Individual Education Plans (IEPs) have been put in place for all Indigenous students. These IEPs are developed by the leadership team in conjunction with the Aboriginal Education Unit.
Aboriginal perspectives have been incorporated into all curriculum areas across the school. An example of this whole-school commitment can be seen at the website: www.rokebyprimary.tased.edu.au/NAIDOC
OUTCOMES:
Change from 2005 to 2008:
Literacy performance of Aboriginal students 10% improvement
Unexplained absences for Aboriginal students Reduction from 20% to 2%
Average percentiles for all Aboriginal students Years 3 and 5 in State and NAPLAN testing
| Year | Reading percentile | Writing percentile | Spelling percentile | | 2008 | 50 | 42 | 42 | | 2007 | 44
| 41 | 40 | | 2006 | 29 | 37 | 33 |
COMMUNITY COMMENT:
"The Aboriginal students feel supported, their culture is respected and they feel comfortable in the school environment. This means they are more likely to have a positive attitude towards coming to school and learning. The Aboriginal students have many opportunities to connect with their culture in the classroom, in whole school cultural activities, on excursions and on cultural camps. The school has provided opportunities to meet and work with local Aboriginal Elders. The AEW has close links with the local Aboriginal community which makes both Aboriginal parents and students feel comfortable." - Donna Picken, parent
MORE INFORMATION:
Greg Phair, Principal 03 6247 8398
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