EAST WAIKIKI PRIMARY SCHOOL, WA
SCHOOL:
East Waikiki Primary School is a Government school in Rockingham, 45km south of Perth. Of the school's 478 students, 48 are Indigenous.
PROGRAMS:
Structural Embedding. The Aboriginal Education Team is part of the school's leadership structure. In 2006 an Aboriginal Education Operational Plan was written, linked directly to the School Plan, which has been updated every year since. Key decisions are made in close consultation with the Indigenous community. Early in 2008 the Aboriginal Education Team highlighted the need to have a unified approach to Indigenous Studies and in consultation with local Indigenous communities, government agencies, students, staff and the AIEO a Scope and Sequence document was developed for Indigenous studies to guide and inform their practice.
This resource was developed in 2008 and launched at the beginning of 2009. It is a sequential planning tool that identifies opportunities for incorporating local traditions and providing authentic learning opportunities to support effective Aboriginal cultural understanding throughout the curriculum. Staff members on the schools Indigenous Education Team have provided their colleagues with professional development on the use of the Aboriginal Perspectives Across the Curriculum website, strategies for each phase of learning, and have identified and provided a variety of resources including an integrated learning program.
Ngulla Miya. This is an outside learning centre completed in September 2008 set in a shady bush area with a fire pit, a walkway highlighting the six Noongar seasons, and significant artwork.
The Waakyl: The result of a whole school project, the Waakyl 170m long and is constructed of calico and stuffed with recycled plastic containers to represent the body shape of the Waakyl or Rainbow Serpent. Every child, staff member and many community members have painted their own section of the Waakyl. Following a smoking ceremony be local elders, the Waakyl was carried on a journey around the school by every child and eventually taken to the Undercover Assembly Area where it was lifted and fixed to the ceiling where it now resides looking down on the children as they play and watching over them.
OUTCOMES:
Attitudinal:
Student survey: What do you think is the general attitude of students at EWPS towards Indigenous Australians?
| | Postive | Neutral
| Negative
| 2006
| 61%
| 30%
| 9%
| 2008
| 71%
| 23%
| 6%
|
Attendance:
An attendance target of 88% has been set for Indigenous students at the school. The following figures indicate the percentage of Indigenous students who reached or exceeded this target:
2005 53%
2006 57%
2007 64%
2008 72%
Anecdotal:
"Perhaps the most valuable result for me has been the increased involvement and interest in Aboriginal culture that is evident in all the staff and students at East Waikiki. Projects such as the Ngulla Miya have allowed the whole school community an opportunity to learn, celebrate and get a better understanding of Indigenous people as a whole." - Phil Collard, AIEO
MORE INFORMATION:
Frank Pansini, Principal 08 9528 3000 or frank.pansini@det.wa.edu.au
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