Mimili Anangu School

Airstrip | Clinic | Community Office | Essential Services | School | Store | Tjukurrpa

Students and Their Welfare

Most students at Mimili are Anangu and speak either Pitjantjatjara or Yankunytjatjara as their first language. A few students are from other Aboriginal language groups and speak Aboriginal English. From time to time non-Aboriginal students are also enrolled.

Mimili is a growing community and the school has mirrored this growth. A significant factor for Anangu communities and schools is the transient nature of the population. Despite this there has been a steady growth in the school population and this is expected to continue. Student retention has improved significantly and programs are being implemented to engage older students.

The school has developed in consultation with Anangu staff, parents and community a student management behaviour policy that attempts to address the many issues of behaviour in the school. The policy is based on explicitly teaching school behaviours to students, negotiated rules and consequences, reinforcing positive school behaviours and providing a structure for negative behaviours that is understood by all students.

The emphasis on Skills for Self Determination has been addressed by staff through their programming and daily activities in classes eg. class meetings, provision for students to make choices in their learning environments. This participation by students is communication to parents through the reporting system.

Key School Policies

Mimili Anangu School is part of the Anangu Schools District. The Anangu Schools operate under the control of the Pitjatjantjara Yankunytjara Education Committee (PYEC). The school has developed an annual plan which uses the PYEC Plan for direction.

The priorities for Mimili Anangu School are

Student attendance and retention
• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Student behaviour
• Anangu participation and domain

The continued development of facilities is another site priority.

Curriculum

Curriculum areas are coordinated between Anangu schools and are based on standard South Australian curricula. The schools have a strong history of curriculum / policy development and documentation, aided by regular meetings of curriculum working parties. Modification of standard curriculum documents to meet the needs of Anangu children in ongoing.

Recent curriculum initiatives have been training and development in and implementation of the South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability Framework, the ESL Scales, ESL methodology, Assessment, Recording and Reporting, and Skills for Self Determination.

To assist in language acquisition programs, ESL support is a component of staffing and all teachers are provided with on-site training in ESL methodology.

In 1991, DECS and the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Education Committee commenced the implementation of 2-Way Schooling - a domain separation approach in which Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) and communities are mainly responsible for teaching Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara culture and language and teachers are responsible for teaching English and other cultural teaching.

Each teacher works in a team with an Aboriginal Education Worker. Because of the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara language group association, this person is known locally as an Anangu Education Worker.

Regular Anangu Education Worker training and development sessions are conducted in school time when AEWs are released from classroom commitments to participate in training and development programs.

AEWs and/or community members may also participate in the Anangu Teacher Education Program (a course designed by the AnTEP unit based at the Underdale Campus of the University of South Australia to formally prepare Anangu people as qualified teachers).

Sporting Activities

The school participates in the Anangu Education Services Sports and Dance Competition at Ernabella and the Amata Team Sports Competition each year. Interschool tournaments are also organised with schools from the Anangu District.

Incentives, Support and Award Conditions

Staffs are eligible for Country Incentives. The Country Incentives Scheme has two parts, the old scheme and the new scheme. The old scheme includes leave with pay after a period of service and is only available to current members. The new scheme includes fortnightly cash incentives. Staff are also paid locality allowance each fortnight.

At the beginning and the end of each term there are two travel days, schools open later and close earlier to accommodate this. The total number of travel days for a calendar year is sixteen.

Teaching staffs in Anangu Schools become eligible to one term of study leave at the end of two years service. This leave is negotiated with the Principal and an application made to the Superintendent Anangu District.

Teacher housing is subsidised by DECS. Teachers are entitled to relocation payments and storage is part of the relocation package.

School Facilities

The school site is located centrally in the Mimili Community.

The school buildings are well equipped and maintained. The Secondary Classroom, the AnTEP Room, the Library, the Staffroom and the Administration area are all located in the main building. This building is equipped with reverse cycle air-conditioning. The Upper Primary and Middle Primary Classes are located in a separate building; this building was renovated in 1999 and is equipped with evaporative air-conditioning. The Junior Primary Class is located in a stand alone transportable building that has evaporative air-conditioning. There is another stand-alone classroom that is used workspace by the NIT teacher. The CPC is a separate building that is equipped with evaporative air-conditioning.

Extensions are on the drawing board for 2003 and this will address some of the shortfall in space identified in the Asset Management Plan. New hard play area and basketball court are also in the plans for this year.

School Operations

Over a number of years, there has been a steadily developing trend for Anangu people (Anangu is the word that people in these communities and the Yalata community use in reference to themselves) to seek greater control over decisions on school issues and policy/curriculum directions. In line with requests from Anangu people and with the DECS policy on community involvement in schools, this movement was formalised in an agreement between Anangu Education Services, the Minister, the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Education Committee (PYEC) and the communities that PYEC represents.

Each Anangu community has representatives who serve on the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Education Committee. It meets regularly with the Manager AES and Coordinating Principal to make determinations related to policy and curriculum matters associated with education across the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Lands.

Individual communities and their School Governing Councils have a strong role to play in decisions associated with the education of their children. Local management has become a focus of the School Governing Council with the implementation of Partnerships 21. It is part of the responsibility of individual school principals and/or deputy principals to ensure that this link between school and community is maintained and developed so that genuine empowerment of the community in matters relating to education and school occurs.

An Anangu Coordinator works with the Principal. The Anangu Coordinator’s role includes liaison between the school and community and providing advice to the Principal about cultural and community issues, consulting with staff about student attendance, participation and behaviour management, and representing the school at meetings of the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Education Committee.

An additional element of the resources support structure for these schools is the Anangu Education Services Ernabella Office. This is an administration support service, and training and development centre for English as a second language acquisition, secondary education, library management and resource based learning methodology.

Local Community

The population of the Mimili Community is approximately 300 people. The permit system ensures that that most residents of Mimili are Anangu. Non Anangu residents are employed in service provision.

Accommodation for teaching staff is provided by the government and managed by Real Estate Management (REM). This accommodation is generally good quality, fully furnished and air-conditioned. The rentals are subsidised and subsequently low. There are currently 4 three bedroom houses, 1 three bedroom duplex and 5 two bedroom duplex available for DECS staff.

Mimili has a community office, store, craft room and clinic. The store sells diesel and Avgas, petrol is not available. It is recommended that staff have diesel vehicles.

Further Comments

Teachers who have worked in Anangu schools usually claim it has been “the experience of a life-time”.

They say it has:

• offered a fantastic opportunity to live in, mix with, and learn about an Aboriginal culture
• stimulated strong personal and professional development;
• encouraged the formation of close relationships and friendships with both community members and colleagues.