R.E.A.L. Strategy - Forming the Partnership
In June 2013, the Schools Support Program began discussions with a select group of primary and secondary schools across Victoria. The discussions centred around the idea of forming a partnership between Foundation House and each individual school, to support the development and implementation of a parent/carer engagement strategy. The specific aim of the project is to strengthen the engagement of refugee-background parents/carers in the education process, through the schools and school communities in which their children are participants.
In July 2013 partnership agreements were established with four metropolitan schools, and one school from rural Victoria.
This resulted in the development and publication of a Schools resource: SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES IN PARTNERSHIP: A Desktop Guide to Engaging Families from Refugee Backgrounds in their Children’s Learning
Further information about this project can be found in the background report: Educating Children from Refugee Backgrounds: A partnership between schools and parents
Dandenong South Primary School was opened in 1961 and is a medium sized primary school. It has had a relatively stable enrolment ranging from approximately 470 – 520 students, over the past 20 – 30 years. In 2014 the expected enrolment is 555 reflecting increased enrolments in the junior area of the school in recent years. A kindergarten is opening on site in 2014.
The school is situated in an area bordered by residential, commercial and industrial zones. There are no other schools in the immediate vicinity.
The student demographic includes a significant number of students from non-English speaking backgrounds.
The predominant ethnic group in the college is the Albanian community making up 70% of the student population. Almost 87% of students have origins outside Australia and represent in excess of forty different nationalities speaking approximately thirty languages other than English. There is a large proportion of Albanian families in the school community, with a growing number of Sudanese and Afghan students enrolling. Although the majority of students have backgrounds other than English, many are born in the local community with family members who, for several generations, have attended Australian schools.
Afghan refugee-background students comprise approximately 20% of the school enrolments and started enrolling around 2005.
Dandenong South Primary School is divided into four sub-schools - Foundation, Grades 1 & 2, Grades 3 & 4 and Grades 5 & 6. The school curriculum emphasizes the development of Literacy and Numeracy skills. This emphasis is well supported by the Focused Literacy and Numeracy Programs, Reading Intervention and the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Program.
Laverton College is a new Prep to Year 12 school which opened in 2009, after Laverton Secondary College merged with two local Primary Schools - Laverton Plains Primary School and Laverton Primary School - as part of a wider community renewal program.
Laverton College has an enrolment of approximately 600 students and the demographic includes a significant number of students from non-English speaking backgrounds. The predominant ethnic group in the college is the Karen community from Burma.
Students of Karen background comprise approximately 14% of the school enrolments and started coming to Laverton Primary and Laverton Plains Primary schools in 2006.
The College has three ‘Learning Communities’ which are based on stages of learning: Junior (Prep – 4), Middle (Years 5 -8) and Senior (Years 9 – 12). The aim is to engage students more with learning and to support teachers to adopt modern teaching methods such as team teaching and project-based / personalised learning.
Liddiard Road Primary School was opened in 1961 and is a small to medium-sized primary school with a current enrolment of 317 students.
The school is in Traralgon, a city located in the east of the Latrobe Valley (a significantly low socio-economic area) in the Gippsland region of Victoria, approximately 164kms east of Melbourne.
The school has well-established programs to support a large range of student needs.
South Sudanese refugee background students began enrolling at the primary school in 2006 and comprise approximately 15% of the current school enrolments.
The school participated in the Latrobe Valley Refugee Action Network in 2009-2010, and from 2011, worked in partnership with Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES) and Foundation House to provide English Classes on-site for parents of refugee background.
The Latrobe English Language Centre, and Teaching for the Hearing Impaired facility, are located within the school.
Pembroke Primary School was opened in 1965 and is situated in Mooroolbark, a suburb 31 km east of Melbourne's central business district.
It is a small school with a current enrolment of 112 students.
Though the vast majority of students are from an English speaking background, Chin refugee background students from Burma started enrolling at the school in 2005, and in 2014 the Chin community will make up 83% of the student prep class population.
The 13 staff at Pembroke Primary School are committed to providing students with a “hands on” learning and understanding environment, that encourages independent problem solving and creates the optimal conditions for students to be immersed in their school.
Roxburgh College is a Middle and Later Years (years 7 -12) secondary school with 2 sub-schools in the heart of Roxburgh Park, a relatively new locality in the northern area of Melbourne, Victoria.
Roxburgh College was opened in 2003 and has a current enrolment of approximately 1,300 students. The student demographic includes a significant number of students from non-English speaking backgrounds.
The predominant ethnic group in the college is the Turkish community making up 55% of the student population.
Assyrian Chaldean refugee-background students comprise approximately 15% of the school enrolments, and started enrolling at the College from when it first opened in 2003.
Students at Roxburgh College are arranged in Mini Schools: Middle Years (Years 7 to 9) and Later Years (Years 10 to 12). In the Later Years the range of VCE, VET and VCAL studies is comprehensive.
These alumni schools are leading advocates for the rights of students and families of refugee background and work with the SSP team to share their expertise in supporting students and families of refugee background. This occurs in a number of ways:
- copresenting and hosting FH-led professional learning workshops
- speaking at conferences and forums;
- contributing to resource development
