School Attendance

About a quarter of full-time Indigenous students continue to Year 12 (from Year 8), compared with close to three quarters of non-Indigenous students.  Attainment rates for government school students show that in 2004, of those Indigenous students who commenced Year 11 in the previous year, 22% received their Western Australian Certificate of Education (Year 12 certificate), compared to 57% of non-Indigenous students*.





The Girls Academies focus on improving the retention rates and education attainment of students in Years 8 through to Year 12.

The fundamental purpose of the up4it Leadership Development program is to facilitate and sustain a measurable increase in school attendance rates amongst Indigenous students in regional and remote areas of Western Australia, and in the process:

• improve and sustain school attendance rates.
• increase participation in sporting and team building activities.
• encourage educational attainment.
• encourage retention through to Year 12.
• create awareness of the need for a healthy lifestyle avoiding drugs and alcohol.
• instil leadership skills and foster teamwork, improve motivation and enhance self esteem.
• achieve greater parent/guardian and local community involvement in the education and well being of their children.

The Perth up4it Leadership Development Camps act as a motivational tool to encourage young Indigenous students enrolled in remote and regional schools to attend school regularly throughout the year.  By achieving a pre-determined attendance target set by their school, successful students can be rewarded with a three day camp held in Perth.

School staff select students whose attendance rate had been above 80% to participate in the Perth Camp.  School attainment and behaviour are also criteria for being selected to attend the camp.

The three day camp program uses prominent community and sports role models to deliver workshops, sports coaching and fun filled activities that reinforce positive messages about:

• Education and training;
• Healthy Lifestyles;
• Sport and Physical Activity; and,
• Leadership and Teamwork.

Student Selection
Role Models WA staff liaise with the participating school Principals and staff throughout the duration of the project. It is the school staff who actually select the top ten students whose attendance rates had been above 85% in the set period or have shown vast improvements in behaviour or other selection.

Heads of schools also select one or two accompanying staff members to chaperone and supervise the students while on the Perth Camps .

Student Records
The management and collection of student attendance information remains strictly confidential and will be consistent with the Department’s student record keeping and confidentiality policies. The participating schools will provide school attendance data, camp consent forms, confidentiality disclosures and/or photographic release clauses used for accessing and using student information for promotion, evaluation or reporting. Role Models WA provides reports on:

• Names and Location of Participating Schools
• Numbers and ages of Participants attending camps and receiving visits
• Attendance data of school and students before and after camps and visits
• Any overall improvements or issues such as behavior management

 

* Source. Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage. 
WA Summary Booklet 2005, pp10-11, 31,33. 
Western Australian Department for Indigenous Affairs,

http://www.dia.wa.gov.au.