Roebourne District High School

Roebourne District High School is located approximately 30 kilometres from Karratha in the town of Roebourne. The school has an enrolment of around 230 K – 12 students with virtually 100% indigenous backgrounds. The school was described to us as one of the most challenging schools in which to teach. Recent achievements include increasing the attendance rate from 30% to 50% attendance. The Principal, Ray McMillan, is in his second stint at the school returning recently from one of the Karratha secondary schools. Like many of the principals we have met, Ray is an experienced educator who has worked extensively in various indigenous communities.

We were a little concerned about what may confront us at Roebourne given the background information we had received, however, we were very pleasantly surprised. Our first impression of the school was a bright, eye-catching, modern office and school entry. It would have looked the part in any fancy, urban school. A security entrance was in place through to the administrative area and to the staffroom from the grounds. This is something I hadn’t noticed before. It may be due to necessity or just part of the recent office improvements.

The Roebourne staff were a group of quite young teachers. There are 5 indigenous teachers amongst the staff. We arrived at morning tea time and it was heartening to see the staff enjoying a delicious spread. A teacher was leaving to be married the following week. The staff also announced some “Warm Fuzzies” as positive encouragement to each other. The recipients were presented with the universal prize – a Freddo Frog!

Ray took us on a tour through the facilities. Another ripper BER project that will be fantastic for the entire community. Again, the grounds and school were well presented and maintained with little evidence of litter. He pointed out that vandalism was rarely a problem which was something of a surprise given the school was quite isolated out of school hours. Ray runs a “Graffitti Busters” program where students remove any items of graffiti. These older students make it very clear to the younger ones that graffiti will not be tolerated. The school also encourages the students to care for the school through an Eco Awards program where students are rewarded at assemblies for their efforts.

A major change at Roebourne in the past term has been the restructure of the teaching program. Previously, each class of maybe 10 children was taught by 2 teachers and an AEIO (Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer). That’s at least 3 staff and often only a small proportion of the students. The decision was made to reduce the teaching staff to a single teacher model. After some anxiety by the staff, this structure is now working effectively and the leadership can see improvement in teachers’ instruction and delivery.

The school harnesses several strategies to promote school attendance. These strategies include:

A Football Academy for students with required levels of attendance and behaviour.

Vocational Education program.

Creative and Performing Arts Program.

Mentor Approach by teachers

It was a personal and professional highlight to visit Roebourne District High School. The dedication and commitment of the Leadership Team and staff was inspiring. The staff are focussed on continuous improvement of student learning. With high expectations of student achievement and behaviour, schools such as Roebourne will continue to progress.