Indigenous Dancers at Waverley Rugby Game, 2016
From the Deputy Head of College, Patrick Brennan
A key goal in the College’s current Strategic Plan is our commitment to Indigenous education.
Over the past four years the College has embarked on a clear path to ensure the College, as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition plays its role in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Our Learning Support Department, led by David Parnell, coordinates the needs of these students particularly in the area of literacy and Anthony Evans, our Student Administration Officer, and an Indigenous member of staff assists with the boys development, care and wellbeing.
The College has a partnership with the AIME foundation through the University of Sydney which provides students with a weekly support session as well as engagement in cultural and pastoral activities. Our Indigenous students, like all students at the College, have the Wellbeing Centre as a safe place during their day at school.
Across the campus Indigenous symbolism can be seen including a traditional ownership plaque at the main administration entrance, flying of the Aboriginal flag and Aboriginal artwork. At all major College events, students lead an acknowledgement of country as well as our annual welcome to country at Queens Park.
Waverley College also runs two hugely popular Indigenous immersion including a Red Earth immersion to the Northern Territory and a Walgett immersion.
Within the calendar the College community acknowledges Sorry Day, Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week.
In June this year staff were given the opportunity to explore local Aboriginal culture though a Kadoo tour on our staff spirituality day.
Recent statistics released by the ABS shows the proportion of indigenous people who had completed Year 12 or its equivalent rose by 15 per cent from 2006 to 2016. Nearly half (47 per cent) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons aged 20 to 24 years reported they had finished Year 12 during the 2016 census.
There has been further growth across other educational categories, with an increase of more than 150 per cent in the number of people holding Certificate III and IV level qualifications.
Tertiary institution attendance has also doubled from 7,000 in 2006 (2.6 per cent of the indigenous population) to 15,400 in 2016 (3.9 per cent).
When it comes to jobs, the construction industry has become the fastest growing employment sector for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
While the health care and social assistance industry remains the group’s largest employer, construction has grown by 37.5 per cent since 2011.
The second fastest growing industry was accommodation and food services (36.6 per cent growth), followed by retail trade (33.4 per cent growth).
The latest data also reveals professional occupations, such as health and education, are on the rise among Indigenous people, with a 76 per cent increase in 10 years.
Community and personal service workers, including aged care, child care, emergency services and personal services, has become the overall largest occupational grouping among the demographic.
The most commonly listed occupation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women was community and personal service worker (25 per cent), while the top pick for men was technician and trades worker (22 per cent).
We would all agree that there is a long way to go, but these recent indicators suggest that we are moving in the right direction in terms of the important role of education in closing the gap.
Presentation evenings 2017
A reminder of the dates and times for this year’s Presentation Evenings:
Years 7 & 8Tuesday December 5 Commencing at 7.00pm Doors open at 6.30pm Gymnasium |
Years 9, 10, 11Wednesday December 6 Commencing at 7.00pm Doors open at 6.30pm Gymnasium |
It is compulsory for all students from Years 7 to 11 to attend their Presentation Evening. All students are to wear their full College Winter uniform; therefore blazers are required.
