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Building futures through better school attendance

23 September 2015
Children and Schooling
Indigenous man dressed in red shirt and cap seated in an office with posters on the wall behind him.

Jungarni Jutiya Aboriginal Corporation, Halls Creek District High School, and the Shire of Halls Creek are helping build better futures through school attendance.

Halls Creek may be a small, remote community but locals aren’t using that as an excuse for poor school attendance.

Local man Lenny Long has lived in Halls Creek, nearly 680 kilometres east of Broome, all his life and has seen attendance at Halls Creek District High School remain low in recent years.

“I know it’s a small town but everybody needs their education and it’s good to have everybody going to school,” Lenny said.

So, when the Australian Government introduced the Remote School Attendance Strategy (RSAS) in 2014 to get kids to school, Lenny jumped at the chance to be involved and became a School Engagement Officer.

Now Lenny and the RSAS team work with the local community to develop strategies and partnerships to support families and improve school attendance rates.

“It’s good to have school attendance officers come around and pick kids up and take them to school, and talk to parents about any problems they have so we can show them where they can get help,” Lenny said.

School Engagement Supervisor Delphine Seton says that since the RSAS began, Halls Creek has seen an increase in students arriving at school on time and engaging in learning, which she attributes to her team working closely with the community to improve school attendance rates.

“Communication is vital with parents and carers so we can develop relationships and promote the benefits of going to school every day,” Delphine said.

“My passion is working with the kids in my community and if I can help make their future brighter it makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something and I’m going home with a smile. 

“We’ve showed the community that we’re always there to support and help them because we’ve got agencies here that can help with any issues they may have, even financial counselling and money management, so the community know we’ve got their best interests at heart,” Delphine said.

“Education is so important and we keep expressing that to our families and with the support from the community and parents this programme will have a good outcome,” she said.

Watch our video on School Attendance in Halls Creek here, or see it on YouTube.

Find out more

A good education is essential for a good future.  Getting children to school, improving education outcomes and supporting families to give their children the best start in life is a major priority for the Australian Government.

The Remote School Attendance Strategy is about working together with schools, families, parents, and community organisations to ensure all children go to school every day.