Phase One Workshops

Outcomes

Individual Participant Comments

All young people in the Northern Territory – and especially Indigenous young people in remote communities – have access to quality secondary education

Learning Precincts

Already exploring some urban/remote arrangements similar to Learning Precincts.

It is difficult to agree to ‘Learning Precincts’ without some detail. For example, will there be Registrars at every school?

Head of the Learning Precinct – suggestion that existing leaders could be used as a coordinating body rather than have one individual do the job. Alternatively a secretariat or reference group can be formed to direct strategic intent of arrangements.

Need to ensure that school identities are retained and enhanced within a Learning Precinct.

Some students will benefit from the ongoing mentoring and work experience opportunities from partnership arrangements but this raises insurance issues.

Better access to ICT is important.

Announcement of laptops for teachers complements the report’s findings.

Arrangements to share facilities already exist. For example, Alice Springs School of the Air rely on networks and relationships to share facilities when they have residentials.

Existing partnerships with Charles Darwin University and music schools.

Concerns with bureaucracy limiting the flexibility of funding. They want the freedom to purchase school resources when required.

Incentives for teachers to come and stay

Quality housing and security for staff in the bush is needed

Airfares for teachers and their families.

Headleased accommodation in urban areas (as was previously available).

‘Right of access’ for teachers to move to an urban school once having worked in the bush for more than three years.

Should look at reasons behind increasing stability in remote schools in recent years.

Reasons why they leave include social and professional isolation; high level of frustration with community; low job satisfaction and more support is needed.

Tenure is an issue for communities, i.e. getting people to stay up to/beyond 3 years.

More support staff is needed

Staffing is not funded through devolution. Schools feel they need more control over support staff allocation as retention is difficult if hours, tenure and funding cannot be confirmed.

Better Teacher Support and Training

Encourage student teachers to do their practicum’s in remote communities.

Teachers for remote communities need specialist training before or during placement do deal with issues specific in remote areas.

ESL training has improved over the last few years.

Cross-cultural training should be ongoing, not just at induction. This will also improve networking.

‘Observation training’ for professional development for teachers – learning from peers to share new ideas and good practice.

Access remains an issue.

Staffing continues to be an issue (problem has been ignored for a long time).

All young people have quality teaching and learning that meets their learning needs at the various stages of their development

Stages of Schooling

Need to look at readiness, not age cohorts.

Need to recognise cultural stages of development in remote communities.

Some issue on whether Year 7s, particularly boys, are mature enough to enter high school.

Different style of learning is good but will require some transitioning initially.

Students go from good support in primary school to high school where support is limited.

A change in structure needs to be standardised throughout the NT

Issues with Year 7s mixing with Year 11 & 12s.

Schools need to be ready for students and not wait for students to be ready for school. They need to take stock on how and what they need to do

Distance Learning/NTOEC

What does closing the centre mean for existing students?

Courses are not that effective unless they have tutorial support.

Content from NTOEC is specific to the NT context. Will another provider be able to ensure this?

Course material is not practical or relevant to bush students.

NTOEC’s record has been abominable.

Art and music subjects are good but literacy and numeracy are not so good.

More information on the NTOEC matter to have students and parents make an informed decision.

Need more ICT support on the ground so students can utilise more effectively.

Need more on-site tutors to ensure students can engage in the learning.

Need coordinator or regional representative to assist with services and ensure relevant subject content.

Need to recognise that some older Indigenous students want to re-engage in secondary schooling in their later teenage years, however, for social and cultural reasons require this to be at a time when younger students are not around. Schools need to adapt to this but there are resourcing and legal issues.

All young people have access to support for their social and emotional needs when they need it

Psychologists and counsellors should also be available to primary schools.

The level of support from other government agencies is not enough.

If social and emotional issues are attended to in primary schools there would be fewer issues later on.

Holistic needs could be catered for and decisions could be made on how to best serve individual needs of schools.

More young people stay on at school longer and more complete Year 12

Need broader definitions of ‘success’.

Following up on non-attendance is not useful unless it can be enforced.

There is not a lot of point in punishing but the focus should be on addressing why there are attendance issues.

Welcome stronger, meaningful and more effective performance management for Principals, and not a one-size-fits-all model.

There is a need to define the job and assess how individuals are performing against their set measures.

Generic job descriptions for principals are problematic and difficult to manage.

All young people are well prepared for their future pathways when they leave school

Pathways mentors and careers advisers are not so important in remote communities.

Role models and learning coaches that give students leadership pathways are more important for community development.

Scholarships and leadership programs are important.

Opportunities to link in with mining and other industries are increasing slowly.

The Northern Territory community has confidence in the quality of its secondary education

Lots of information is being collected and some for historical reasons only – is it all relevant?

SAMS computer system has improved data collection.

No problems with collecting data but some cannot see where it is being used to make a difference.