Ensuring children attend school every day is vitally important as it gives children the best chance for a good start in life.
The Remote School Attendance Strategy is a Federal Government initiative in which School Attendance Officers and School Attendance Supervisors work with schools, families, parents, and community organisations to ensure all children attend school every day.
As part of this strategy and under the direction of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Relationships Australia (SA) has developed a training program to assist School Attendance Officers in remote South Australian Anangu communities to support families and children to attend school every day.
The training focussed on identifying the value of schooling, uncovering the reasons children aren’t attending school and exploring strategies for addressing these issues. The training was delivered in Yatala on the South Australian west coast, in the community of Amata, and at the Trade Training Centre at Umuwa in the APY Lands for workers from Pukatja and Fregon.
The training was conducted by John Amadio, a former school principal and educator with experience in Aboriginal education in the APY Lands, the Northern Territory and Adelaide, and David Lister, a youth worker who has worked in remote communities. John and David’s combined experience, along with their community knowledge gained from supporting families in remote Aboriginal communities including the APY Lands, meant that they were able to provide relevant, practical and culturally appropriate training to the School Attendance Officers and School Attendance Supervisors.
To find out more about the Government’s Remote School Attendance Strategy, visit the Australian Government website.
John Amadio explores the reasons why students are attending school.
John Amadio discusses why students aren’t attending school.
Donald Fraser running a session about the importance of education.
John Amadio and Donald Fraser running a session about the importance of education.
Students participating in Donald’s session.
Students at Umuwa divided into two work groups to examine three scenarios about why kids are not coming to school.
Amata girls, Sucunda, Melvina and Cassandra, Skill Hire Mentor, Emma Wakeira and Mark Jackson, the Amata General Business Manager.
