Ernabella Anangu School

1. General Information

Part A

Part B

Staffing numbers:
11.6 FTE comprised of: Principal, Deputy Principal, Anangu Coordinator, 3 Anangu teachers, 6 non-Anangu teachers. There are also 4 Anangu Education Workers, 2 SSO’s and an Anangu grounds person.

Enrolment trends:
The official enrolment includes 24 CPC students, 85 primary students and 15 secondary students. This trend is expected to continue with a possible increase in both Junior Primary and Secondary student numbers due to some older students returning to school.

Special arrangements:
Because of the distance of the school from Adelaide the staff are allowed two travel days at the beginning and end of each school term.

Year of opening:
Around 1970 though school started in Ernabella in 1940 established by the church.

Public transport access:
By air to Alice Springs and then mail plane to Ernabella. Booking is essential.

2. Students (and their Welfare)

General characteristics:
All the students are Anangu and their first language is Pitjantjatjara. Most of them have intermittent hearing problems. They live in large family groups. Some live in houses and others in Wiltjas (shelters). The students generally only speak English at school and maybe a little bit at the store and clinic. Some students are from other Aboriginal language groups and speak Aboriginal English. Several non-Aboriginal students are also enrolled.

Pastoral care and student welfare:
Relationships between the students and their teachers are very important. At first the students are very shy with new people. The Anangu Coordinator and the AEWs in the classrooms play a large role in student welfare and pastoral care.

Student management:
The AEWs and the Anangu Coordinator play very big roles here. Students are taught what is expected of them in terms of behaviour at school. However, teasing is an ongoing problem.

Special programmes:
The Anangu teachers hold Inma or (Church) each week as a whole school initiative

Student government:
Meetings of Upper Primary and Secondary Students have occurred though Student Reference group is in its infancy within the school. Consultation regarding Student Behaviour Management and Negotiated Curriculum is being developed.

3. Key School Policies

Our school is to provide Anangu with the necessary skills and abilities to be self determining. This means that we must strive to benefit all Anangu who attend and work at our school

SMP Priorities for 1999 are:

• Secondary Education
• Literacy
• Skills for Self Determination
• Special Education

The school has appointed a Key Teacher in Special Education to address the student learning problems. This one year position will seek to train all staff in the identification of children with special needs.

Recent key outcomes:
Development of the Secondary education model to provide secondary curriculum at Ernabella School. The class uses the Open Access College to deliver mainstream secondary curriculum as an alternative to the Wiltja Program operating from Woodville High School. The school will offer SACE to an increasing number of students that previously would have to had to go to Adelaide to finish their education.

4. Curriculum

Subject offerings: The school offers curriculum as defined by Statements and Profiles. LOTE is taken as English as a Second Language.

Open Access: The school currently has 3 children enrolled in the NT Open Access College. A further 15 students study from materials provided by Anangu Education Services For Secondary Students.

Special needs: The school presently employs a Key Teacher Special Needs. The school hopes to identify and cater for the needs of these children in 1999.

Special curriculum features: The school teaches children who predominantly speak English as a Second language. Literacy is a high priority for our school. Students also engage in cultural education which is provided by traditional teachers.

Teaching methodology: Teaching focuses on E.S.L. methodologies. Teachers operate ability groupings within their classes to cater for individual differences. Teaching practice is determined according to Anangu teaching styles.

Assessment procedures and reporting: All Anangu schools operate according to the Anangu School Assessment Recording and Reporting Policy. This policy will be reviewed during 1999.

Joint programmes: The school has developed a class based information technology infrastructure to support student learning. This strategy is mirrored across all Anangu Schools.

Other: Curriculum areas are coordinated between Anangu schools and are based on standard South Australian curricula. The schools have a strong history of curriculum/policy development and documentation, aided by regular meetings of curriculum working parties. Modification of standard curriculum documents to meet the needs of Anangu children is ongoing.

Most Classes operate using a Teaming Model whereby the an Anangu teacher is teamed to work collaboratively with a non Anangu teacher. These teachers are classed as team members providing the indigenous teacher with support in curriculum development and teacher documentation.

In 1991, DECS and the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Education Committee commenced the implementation of 2-Way Schooling - a domain separation approach in which Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) and communities are mainly responsible for teaching Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara culture and language and teachers are responsible for teaching English and other cultural teaching. Each teacher works in a team with an Aboriginal Teacher. Because of the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara language group association, this person is known locally as an Anangu Teacher.

AEWs and/or community members may also participate in the Anangu Teacher Education Program (a course designed by the AnTEP unit based at the Underdale Campus of the University of South Australia to formally prepare Anangu people as qualified teachers).

The school currently has four Indigenous teachers employed be school who graduated from the AnTEP course.

5. Sporting Activities

Almost all students actively participate in all the sporting activities at the school. In fact, from a very early age, children in the community learn ball handling skills as football, basketball and softball are very popular activities among the younger adults.

Once a year the students participate in an across-Lands Sports Day.

Children participate is whole school sport each week. Children enjoy a wide range of team sports. The school has an air conditioned hall that is used in warmer months. This hall is also used for school dances and assemblies.

6. Other Co-Curricular Activities

General: The school offers camping trips and excursions to major capital cities.

7. Staff (and their welfare)

Leadership structure:Principal, Deputy Principal, Anangu Coordinator, 1 Key teacher.

Staff support systems: Support for the Principal comes from the Coordinating Principal based in Ernabella. Currculum/induction support is available from AES Ernabella and AES Adelaide staff. Personnel counselling is available from Terre Wohling who visits the Lands twice a year on a normal basis but is immediately available for support in emergency situations.

Access to special staff: Apart from staff working for AES access to special staff is limited but access can be negotiated by the Superintendent of AES.

8. Incentives, support and award conditions for Staff

• Complexity placement points:3 (1995 on). Previously 1.
• Isolation placement points: 7 (1995 on). Previously 4.
• Shorter terms: See travelling time below.
• Travelling time: Two days travel time at the beginning and end of each term.
• Housing assistance: Furniture and basic cooking utensils are provided. Principals staying four or more years have $2000 of rental costs reimbursed annually.
• Cooling for school buildings: Refer to school facilities section below.
• Cash in lieu of removal allowance: This may be negotiated with the Removals Officer.
• Additional increment allowance: Not applicable for Principals.
• Designated schools benefits: See locality allowance.
• Aboriginal/Anangu schools: Anangu School.
• Medical and dental treatment expenses: Emergency treatment may be supplied by the Ernabella Clinic (a doctor is based here but is not here full-time). All other treatment needs to be accessed through the Non-Metropolitan Award.
• Locality allowances
  • $6641 single
  • $7283 married
  • $375 extra for the first child and $255 for each additional child
• Relocation assistance: This is available through the Removals Officer.
• Principal’s telephone costs:These are met by DECS who should be reimbursed for the cost of private calls.

9. School Facilities

Air-conditioned classrooms, library, canteen, hall and staff areas are the main facilities. The school is well equipped with administrative and teaching resources.

10. School Operations

Over a number of years, there has been a steadily developing trend for Anangu people (Anangu is the word that people in these communities use in reference to themselves) to seek greater control over decisions on school issues and policy/curriculum directions. In line with requests from Anangu people and with the DECS policy on community involvement in schools, this movement was formalised in an agreement between Anangu Education Services, the Minister, the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Education Committee (PYEC) and the communities that PYEC represents.

Each Anangu community has representatives who serve on the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Education Committee. It meets regularly with the Manager AES and Coordinating Principal to make determinations related to policy and curriculum matters associated with education across the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Lands..

Individual communities and their School Councils have a strong role to play in decisions associated with the education of their children. It is part of the responsibility of individual school principals and/or deputy principals to ensure that this link between school and community is maintained and developed so that genuine empowerment of the community in matters relating to education and school occurs..

An Anangu Coordinator works with the Principal. The Anangu Coordinator's role includes liaising between the school and community and providing advice to the Principal about cultural and community issues, consulting with staff about student attendance, participation and behaviour management, and representing the school at meetings of the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Education Committee..

An additional element of the resources support structure for these schools is the Anangu Education Services Ernabella Office. This is an administration support service, and training and development centre for English as second language acquisition, secondary education, resource based learning methodology and ESL.

School financial position: The school is in a sound financial position. A budget committee, with the assistance of the AES bursar based at Ernabella, allocates funds to particular areas on an annual basis after consulting with staff. The committee meets regularly to discuss and/or approve unanticipated expenditure. The day-to-day finances are managed by the SSO in the office and the principal.

Special funding: Some school funding is managed by the bursar at the AES Ernabella office on behalf of all the schools on the Lands. This includes the budget for maintenance and the Back to School grants.

11. Local Community

Accommodation for teaching staff is high quality, fully furnished, air-conditioned and rentals are low. Accommodation consists of two bedroom duplexes and three bedroom houses.

Ernabella has a store and clinic as well as a fuel supply outlet. Many Anangu are employed in a range of work opportunities including craft, media, administration, health and essential services.

Commercial/industrial and shopping facilities

Store: The community store sells a variety of basic grocery items, clothing and even hot food. The store provides EFTPOS facilities and will cash cheques. During the week the store is open for 2 hours in the morning (Mon to Sat) and 2 hours in the afternoon (Mon to Fri). The truck delivers every Friday.

Garage: ‘Spare Parts’ sells a few basic supplies as well as Diesel and Avgas (aviation fuel). The latter is suitable for older petrol cars that have no catalytic converter. Petrol is available at Marla and Ernabella but storage is a problem because petrol sniffers can get desperate and will break into cars when given the slightest chance.

Other local facilities

Medical services: The clinic is staffed by 3 registered nurses and the doctor on the Lands lives in Ernabella although he is often out of Ernabella at other communities. The clinic also has Anangu Health Workers. The clinic can assist with emergencies, as can the RFDS, but you are advised to bring all known required medical supplies as clinic supplies are basic.

Mail: The school has its own mail bag. Mail is flown in and out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Availability of staff housing

A variety of transportable housing is available for teaching staff. Houses have gas heating and cooking facilities and evaporative air conditioning. TV aerials are supplied but you will need a male to male connector. The community retransmits the ABC (Northern Territory) and Imparja. All houses have the phone connected.

Local Government body

The community has its own local council but the overarching governing body is AP (the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Council) with offices in Alice Springs and Umuwa (on the Lands).

12. Further Comments

Teachers who have worked in Anangu schools usually claim it has been "the experience of a life-time". They say it has:

• offered a fantastic opportunity to live in, mix with, and learn about an Aboriginal culture;
• stimulated strong personal and professional development;
• encouraged the formation of close relationships and friendships with both community members and colleagues.