Jane Nicholas:

Armadale is another low socio-economic area with a fair bit of crime and tension, which produces some bad press. The history of Aboriginal kids achieving at school is poor. Hardly anyone used to complete Year 12, even though all the schools have quite a few Aboriginal kids.

At the beginning I was located in the district office for a while until we negotiated where I was going to be based. Then I met the principals and found they were extremely supportive. It was also a priority to meet and talk to all the AIEOs [Aboriginal and Indigenous Education Officers].

I had a term to prepare and I needed it! First, I looked at all the data and the student reports for all the Aboriginal kids. Then I sent out surveys to each of the staff, to help identify possible candidates, and I was able to check that information against the other data. After that I put information into the school newsletters and sent information home to potential candidates. Then I followed up with a phone call and usually turned up with chocolate cake for a meeting with parents. Usually, on their invitation, I went to their homes. I always find it’s better to meet on their territory, rather than trying to have meetings at school.

It’s been the same with Steering Committee meetings. They’re held at the local football club, which is quite central and is a familiar place for the Aboriginal community. So attendance and participation at those meetings was extremely good.

After students were selected, we had a preliminary activity that involved going to a pre-season football match together. That was the start of a bonding process, because it was the first time some of the kids had met each other. We were together and it gave us a shared experience.