Aputula Community School

School Information | Julie Anderson | Evelyn Churchill

Aputula School began as single teacher school in 1958. It was originally set up for children of the workers of the railway town, 'Finke', then in the Sixties it became inclusive and started to involve local Anangu Yankunytjatjara and Luritja children as well.

There are thirty seven students currently in full time education at Aputula School; twenty three primary students and fourteen secondary age students undertaking foundation studies. Foundation Studies is an ESL (English as Second Language) bridging course which is designed to help remote students make the transition from primary to secondary education.

Secondary High School students need to leave Aputula and travel away to continue their studies. Most students go to Wiltja the Aboriginal Education program at Woodville High School in Adelaide or to Yirara College in Alice Springs.

History of Finke/Aputula School

The 'Finke School' was officially opened on the 22nd September 1958 with an enrolment of seven students, including local Aboriginal children and children from the railway families stationed at Finke.

The Finke railway town, which was the catalyst for the beginning of the Aputula Community today, was a service town set up along the famous 'Old Ghan' railway line, which stretched between Adelaide and Alice Springs.

The original railway town workers were mainly European and Eastern European migrants who also didn't speak English. This meant that the entire population of the school had (and continues to have) English as a second language.

Although initial enrolments included Anangu kids it was in 1962 - with the building of the new school building that the school became fully inclusive and actively involved the local Anangu children.

At this time the school gained another teacher and became a two teacher school and this is how it remained right up until 1994 when another teacher came to make it a three teacher school. From 1995 to 2000 there were four teachers at the community school. Currently there are three teachers (two teachers and a teaching principal) and two assistant teachers, who are Anangu ladies from the local community.