The context
(Extracts from Port Augusta Secondary School Annual Report, 2002)

Port Augusta Secondary School is an amalgamation of Augusta Park High School and Port Augusta High School which occurred in January 1995. The school is based on two campuses approximately 2km apart. Seaview campus on Seaview Road has Year 8 and 9 students and Years 10, 11 & 12 students are at the Stirling campus on Stirling Road.
The school has a vibrant middle campus with two sub-schools. The small learning communities provide programs and structures to promote educational outcomes for young adolescent students. Staff teach across curriculum areas and in teams with an emphasis on developing relationships.
The senior campus provides a range of SACE academic and Vocational programs designed to meet the diverse needs of the student population.
Port Augusta Secondary School is now part of the Whyalla/Port Augusta Education District after being part of the Far North District for many years.
Port Augusta is a major service centre and is well serviced by public transport including trains, buses and air.

STUDENTS
Approximately 30% of the students are Aboriginal. There are a few students from non-English speaking backgrounds. Most students live within Port Augusta or at Stirling North with a few students from surrounding areas.
The school district has a relatively high mobility factor and more than 56% of students are either school card or Aboriginal.
The school has the largest number of secondary Aboriginal students in schools in S.A.

Student Care
There is a Caregroup Program, which teams groups of students with staff. These groups meet each day. There are Coordinators at each year level or sub-school to ensure proper care and efficient organisation. A Year 7 to 8 Transition Program ensures that students new to the school are well looked after and settle in well. A year 9 to 10 Transition program ensures the movement of students from Middle to Senior Campus occurs with minimum trauma. Student Counsellors provide extra counselling and care to all students and parents where appropriate. Aboriginal students and parents have an Aboriginal Education Team to assist them and provide support in all school matters.
An Integrated Studies program incorporating life skills, study skills, time management skills, team and interpersonal relations has been introduced for all students in 2000.

Student Government
Student Voice became a priority at the school in 2001 and continued to have a focus in 2002. A range of meetings, class and general (including assemblies) have been set up to foster and improve student access to participation in school directions. Students attend meetings regularly and act as a voice for the students on school issues and development. Representatives from the Middle School work with Senior School representatives to form a whole school student voice.

Special Programs
An Aboriginal Education team works across both campuses to support the work of Aboriginal students. There was a special class program on each campus with learning support programs to cater for identified students who require extra support in particular areas of schooling. These two classes have been consolidated into one class in 2003.

KEY SCHOOL POLICIES
School Vision

Provide a learning environment which; reflects the aspirations of the community, is adaptive and responsive to the needs of students and provides quality programs in line with DECS policies.

The Senior Campus is developing an Independent Learning Environment directed at meeting the needs of a diverse range of students in both academic and vocational directions.
The Middle Campus is developing teaching and learning methodologies to meet the needs of young adolescent students.
Close liaison between the campuses enhances the culture of continuing education.

School Priorities
The school gathers input from staff, parents and students to assist in determining school priorities. The DETE priorities and Strategic Plan were taken into account when the final school priorities were agreed upon. The school is a member of the statewide Middle School Network and is part of the cluster (Pt Augusta schools) Learning to Learn program.

CURRICULUM
Seaview Campus
The Seaview Campus (Middle School) at Pt Augusta Secondary School has implemented programs and structures for the teaching of 'Young Adolescent Students' well in advance of many schools in the State. These have been specifically designed to improve learning outcomes for students at Year 8 and 9 level and we look forward to further developing these directions in the future.
We have established:

• 2 Sub schools (small learning communities) where students are taught by a specific group of teachers in Maths, English, Society and Environment and Science.
• All Caregroup teachers teach a minimum of two areas in Year 8.
• There is joint planning time within the sub-schools and the opportunity for teachers to be flexible with their lessons and where appropriate to team-teach or set classes.
• An Integrated Studies program has been established within the sub-school system.
• A Leadership structure is in place with a counsellor, 2 Sub school Coordinators (Seaview Campus only), Coordinators in Special Needs, Aboriginal Education and an Alternate Education program is in place. Coordinators generally work across Years 8-12.
• The Campus has a number of middle school and /or primary trained staff to provide appropriate methodology to our students.
• Student Voice is encouraged to increase student participation in the school.

We cater for a diverse range of students at this campus and we are continually searching for the key that sparks enthusiasm and a desire to be successful for that age group of students. We are and will continue to promote positive attitudes to learning and encourage students to value a good education and attendance at school.

Stirling Campus
The Stirling Campus (Senior School) at Pt Augusta Secondary School has implemented programs and structures best suited to meet the needs of young adult students. Catering for a different age group of students than the Seaview Campus, the emphasis is more on developing appropriate attitudes to learning and independent learning skills necessary for life-long learning.
Students are gradually given more responsibility for their own learning programs but are expected to meet requirements and school expectations that are clearly defined and documented.
We provide a comprehensive range of programs to meet the diverse needs of students. We have had considerable academic success in recent years with our students' Stage 2 results and University Entrance. We have a range of VET programs including Aquaculture, Hospitality, Tourism, Retail, Sport and Recreation and Office Skills. One of our major concerns at present is to retain students at school until they complete 12 years of schooling and we believe the developing directions of our learning programs and the school management practices will enhance this aim.
We also provide some programs outside of the usual school hours and have set up our daily timetable to make it easier for part-time and re-entry access to our courses.
We also provide opportunities for Gifted and Talented students to participate in appropriate activities (E-Team) and STAR students to develop individual skills.
To cater for students returning to school in relation to Youth Allowance alterations we have developed Literacy based Alternative programs.

SPORTING ACTIVITIES
The school participates in a range of sports including SASSSA (statewide Knockout sporting competitions). The school participates in the Western Area Secondary Schools Sports Association Athletics Carnival (WASSAC) and Winter Sports Day. The local community provides both competitive and social opportunities in a variety of traditional and non-traditional sports.
The school has a 0.2 allocation from SASSSA to manage the concentration of early rounds of sport competition for country schools in Port Augusta.

STAFF
The teaching staff is characterised by a large number of beginning teachers in either permanent or contract positions. As a result there is a regular turnover of staff. There are often opportunities for short-term leadership positions within the school.
Each campus has a number of Tier 2 salaries including salaries in Special Education and Aboriginal Education. The school also has an allocation of hours for peripatetic support for students with disabilities.
Cross campus teaching is becoming increasingly possible with a number of staff involved this year. Teachers at the school receive 2.0 placement points and 4.0 isolation points each year.

SCHOOL FACILITIES
The majority of the Stirling Campus buildings are of solid construction and most are air-conditioned and heated. There has been a recent facilities upgrade at Stirling Campus including painting and structural alterations. The Seaview Campus buildings are of demac construction and flexible design. The grounds on both campuses are in excellent repair. Landscaping on both campuses has improved the school environment.
Both sites have gymnasiums, music centres, multi-arts centres, extensive computing facilities, technology workshops, libraries, science laboratories and food and catering areas.
At the Senior Campus there is a cafeteria, student meeting area, gold phone facility and a student services support officer.

SCHOOL OPERATIONS
The school decision making process involves staff meetings, curriculum area, sub-school and year level teams who feed in recommendations to campus management and school management teams. Students are represented in a number of these groups. The school council is representative of each campus. Each of these teams meets on a regular basis and the Administration team meets weekly.

LOCAL COMMUNITY
Port Augusta is an industrial and service city 310kms north of Adelaide, 75kms from Whyalla and 98kms from Port Pirie. The Flinders Ranges provide a picturesque backdrop to the town. The two main employers, the Electricity Trust of South Australia (Flinders Power) and Australian National have reduced employment numbers in recent years and employment prospects are a cause for concern. Port Augusta is well serviced by shops, community facilities, sporting and recreational clubs and venues.
The total population is about 14,000 with an increasing number of transient and mobile families. Tourism is becoming an increasing source of income.
Over 3,000 Aboriginal people live either in the town, or in the Davenport Aboriginal Community. Port Augusta, and neighbouring Stirling North has six primary schools, and an R-12 Catholic school.