Big Picture Design in Kalumburu

Kalumburu Remote Community School is arguably the most remote community school in Western Australia. It is located 551km northwest of Kununurra in the Kimberley and during the wet season, is only accessible by light charter plane. Kalumburu is situated on the banks of the King Edward River and a short distance from the coast at Napier Broome Bay. There are approximately 500 people who live in Kalumburu and the traditional owners of the land are the Kwini people.

Kalumburu Remote Community School has a student population of 158, with a 99% Aboriginal enrolment. Classes range from Kindergarten through to Year 12 and the staff consists of a principal, 2 deputy principals, 11 other teachers and 3 permanent Aboriginal and Islander Education Officers. The school has embedded the principles of the Stronger Smarter Leadership Program throughout and the school motto is “Strong, Smart, Safe and Caring”.

Parents and caregivers in Kalumburu value education. They want the best for their kids and school staff have high expectations of students, parents and community. The community is proud to have 13 students away at boarding facilities across Australia, all completing their education at both private and public secondary schools. For students to be successful in these boarding and schooling facilities, vastly different from their home, they need to be: resilient, able to pursue their passions, able to take considered risks and be organised and reflective … abilities that we hope the Big Picture design will go a long way towards equipping all students with.

In 2013 our journey along the Big Picture highway began, albeit, tentatively, with staff receiving mentoring in the program by John Hogan, and looking at the world of possibility. Staff visited Seven Oaks College and Yule Brook College which, while having vastly different contexts from Kalumburu, demonstrated the possibilities this program can offer students. Back at school, an enthusiastic staff began to explore student interests and journals. Our approach has been a “slowly slowly” one.

Our students speak Aboriginal English as their first language, so as with any ESL learners, Standard Australian English (SAE) has to be explicitly taught ... beginning with speaking and listening. Many of our students have low literacy and numeracy levels for their age. This year we have had students work towards exhibitions, with families attending for each of the students who presented. It has been wonderful to see the growth in student confidence and improvement in quality of exhibitions in the short space of time between term 1 and term 2. Some students have learnt to use powerpoint and include photos in their presentation, and they are speaking SAE fluently.

Families have been very positive in their feedback for student exhibitions. Their pride in their child has been obvious and has had the spin-off of really promoting what the school is doing for kids' learning and confidence. It has encouraged the students to stay focussed on what they are learning and why, and to be proud of their efforts as they show their portfolio to the audience. Parents are now more informed and more engaged in their child's education.

So, where to from here? Each term we bite off more chunks of the “Big Picture”. Our students are looking forward to completing our version of internships in Kununurra next term and are working on their own learning plans; more confidence building, more family involvement and more possibilities! Watch this space as we are proud to be the first remote school in Australia to become part of the Big Picture family.