Collaborative Trial Sites

Previous Updates

November 2007

Four Collaborative Trial Sites have been established at Raminginging, Borroloola, Yuendumu and Ngukurr to increase access to quality secondary education for Indigenous students living in remote communities.The Groote Collaborative Trial Site will commence in 2008.

Year 7-9 students are receiving a 'face to face' secondary provision at seven of the Collaborative Trial Site schools. In 2007, Numbulwarr, Milingimbi and Gapuwiyak schools offered a combination of Stage One and Two NTCE subjects. These are co-delivered by teachers onsite and in collaboration with the NT Open Education Centre.

A comprehensive review of existing Collaborative Trial Sites is scheduled to be undertaken in December 2007. The evaluation of current approaches will inform the development of the model to be implemented at the Groote site.

June 2007

Four Collaborative Trial Sites have been established at Raminginging, Borroloola, Yuendumu and Ngukurr to increase access to quality secondary education for Indigenous students living in remote communities.

In 2006, two students at the Ramingining Collaborative Trial Site achieved their NTCE. Year 7-10 students are receiving a ‘face-to-face’ secondary provision at seven of the schools in Collaborative Trial Sites. A combination of Stage One and Two NTCE units are being offered this year at three more schools involved in the Collaboration Trial Sites – Numbulwar School, which is part of the Ngukurr site, and at Milingimbi and Gapuwiyak Schools, which are part of the Ramingining site. These are co-delivered by teachers onsite and the NT Open Education Centre.

December 2006

The Collaborative Trial Sites and Specialist Teachers for Remote Communities projects are being rolled out concurrently. Eight Year 11 and 12 students are accessing a full secondary program at Raminginging CEC, and fourteen Year 11 students at Borroloola and Yuendumu are undertaking Stage One of the NTCE. The fourth site at Ngukurr CEC is still in the early stages of development. Each of the schools in these communities will be clustered with neighbouring schools to provide secondary education to nearby smaller communities.

A number of specialist secondary teachers have been allocated, and grants provided to the four sites to enhance their ICT capacity. The roll out of secondary education to the four sites, combined with the new distance education service, the middle schools approach, and the community engagement program will see a significant leap forward for education in remote communities.

August 2006

Work has commenced to establish three Collaborative Trial Sites:

• Ramingining Community Education Centre (CEC), with Milingimbi CEC in the Arnhem Cluster and Gunbalanya CEC in the Palmerston and Rural Cluster to be added over time.
• Yuendumu CEC, with Ntaria and Papunya Schools in Desert Oaks Cluster in Central Australia still to be added.
• Borroloola CEC, with Robinson River School in Central Storm Cluster in Central Australia to be added.

A fourth site is currently being negotiated with Ngukurr CEC and Minyerri and Jilkminggan Schools in the Rivers Cluster and Numbulwar School in the Arnhem Cluster.

The Minister for Employment, Education and Training announced on 22 June 2006 that these four sites are the next group of schools to provide secondary education, as part of the roll-out to remote communities.

A full secondary program commenced at the start of 2006 at Ramingining CEC, with four Year 12 and four Year 11 students. Yuendumu and Borroloola CECs have recently commenced as trial sites.

Initial efforts are focussed on developing the hub schools before involving other schools in the sites. The implications of Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) technology and the viability of using existing training centres in remote communities are being explored.

January 2006

George Hewitson has been appointed as Coordinator of the Collaborative Trial Sites program and will be based in the Alice Springs Regional Office.

There has been an overwhelming response from remote schools interested in collaborating with other schools for on-site delivery of secondary education. The Project Coordinator has been working with each of the schools to help determine their readiness to start the program. From this work it is apparent that start up will need to be a gradual process, both in terms of the groups of schools and the individual schools within their groups.

Raminginging CEC is the first of these schools to indicate readiness. Fifty-four secondary students, all regular attendees, were identified to participate in the program from Year 7 to Year 12. As a consequence it was approved that two secondary teachers be appointed to Ramingining for Semester 1, 2006, to support the introduction and development of the program. These appointments are initially for six months with continuation being subject to program development and ongoing viability. Hopefully in time, increased enrolments at the school will add to three staff positions generated under formula and the pool positions will no longer be required. These two positions are the first specialist pool teachers to be allocated.

December 2005

A number of schools and clusters have commenced discussing what it might mean to work together more collaboratively. Expressions of interest have been called in Semester 2, 2005 from interested schools and communities to participate in the trials. Those schools involved in the trials will need to identify how they will deliver secondary education programs to Indigenous students in remote areas.The ET5 Coordinator's position will soon be advertised.

April 2005

The Collaborative Trial Sites initiative has funding for up to 4 groups of schools to trial locally devised approaches to work together collaboratively to improve student outcomes. Funding has been provided for a coordinator to assist these schools. The trials will enable students to have better access to quality teaching and learning, and a wider range of secondary subjects.

At this stage, the Collaborative Trial Sites and the Specialist Teacher Pools for Remote Schools initiatives are linked. It is envisaged that some of the specialist teachers will support the establishment of the collaborative trial sites.

It is planned to have the secondary specialist teachers supporting the establishment of collaborative trial sites filled towards the end of this Semester. Planning at the school level will take place in Terms three and four, 2005. Collaborative trials will commence in the first semester of 2006.

Expressions of interest will be called for shortly from interested groups of schools. Schools Division will be assessing each application on merit and against specific criteria. Applications are likely to include an outline of the teaching and learning expectations, some initial idea of student numbers, community interest and consultation, and an idea of how schools may see the collaborative sites working together to improve student learning.

A project team will be led by Schools Division consisting of John Dove, Leanne Goldsworthy and Carol Penglase, Anna King (Consultancy Services), Sandy Cartwright (IT Services) and Peter Vaughan (Building Better Schools Implementation Team). The project team will be consulting with Indigenous Education Division in the development of this project.

The project was signed off at the DEET Executive Board meeting 5 May 2005.

Latest update