Oak Valley Aboriginal School

Narratives

Architect Narrative

A new Pre-K to 10 school has replaced the previous split and transitory arrangements in a small indigenous community that has been termed as one of the most remote, and its original school ‘the worst’ in this country. The school had at times comprised a tarpaulin on the dirt, and later several caravans located nearly a mile from the community. These performed poorly in the extreme desert climate, which can range from 125°F in summer to below 32°F some winter mornings, and severely limited the curriculum that could be offered. Student numbers grew as the community became more established in the early 1990’s, and provided the impetus for more permanent and adequate facilities that offered parity with other schools in the State, whilst recognising the unique cultural requirements of this community.

The new school is now able to offer the following to enhance learning outcomes:
- Ability to offer a greatly expanded curriculum beyond core priorities
- Increased enrolment, improved attendance and daily retention rates
- Reduction in behavioural issues due to overcrowding
- Improved teaching environment, focused on advancing learning outcomes
- Integrated technology in all teaching areas
- Increased attendance by indigenous education workers, who work in tandem with teachers
- Increased community interaction and participation

As any facility similar to the school had not been provided for many years, briefing proved a major problem due to a lack of precedents, wildly fluctuating student numbers and conflicting stakeholder requirements. Extensive community consultation and a student survey were undertaken as part of the briefing process, resulting in a brief for 35 students and 22 Child Parent Centre (CPC) places that emphasised functional requirements (including health initiatives) and indigenous students’ preferred methods of learning.

The community insisted that the school face the centre of the town in a semi-circle, and be provided with large windows so that they could see what was going on, despite the patent unsuitability of both these requests climatically. The design incorporated this as a feature to provide an open, welcoming face to the community, whilst effectively turning its back on the prevailing winds and town generator noise to the rear of the site.

The plan comprises a centrally located Administration area, with discrete clusters for both the combined CPC/Junior School (which have strong physical links with each other), and Middle/Senior School, resulting in three buildings joined by covered outdoor areas. These reflect the natural progression through grade levels, and strongly reflect community housing (including in scale), and rely on grouping and articulation to provide the school its own identity. Complementary internal and external finishes (and discreet security detailing to deter damage and break-ins) aim to make both students and the community feel at home in the new facilities.

These feature the following:
- Large verandahs and shade structures provide areas for community gatherings (and shaded play/learning spaces), and are more culturally appropriate than indoor waiting areas to Administration
- Covered Outdoor Areas that can be used for performances and opened up for community events/classes, and provide safe internal routes between the buildings
- Health programs are provided from the CPC, where the Kitchen doubles for Home Economics and the school’s Breakfast Program, and Nappy Change Area for the junior Shower Program
- Maximum flexibility in all areas, with additional administrative staff, building/outdoor recreation area change-of-use already accommodated
- Sharing of community facilities, such as the Rage Cage basketball courts and Community Development, Employment & Training (CDEP) Workshop for Technical Studies
- Good day lighting to all areas, important as the power frequently fails

The extreme climate and limited essential services meant that minimisation of energy consumption through an interactive energy management system was paramount, especially given the constraints of lightweight construction. Due to the lack of water (even water for the concrete pour had to be carted in from 220 miles away), long-drop pit toilets comprise sanitary facilities, and rainwater tank storage for nearly 25,000 gallons of water was provided around the buildings, dispersed to help to ameliorate the summer heat.

The resulting school forms a prominent new presence within the centre of the community, and is highly accessible to both students and parents. The new facilities offer an important degree of self-sufficiency and flexibility, and provide a vibrant new environment enabling an expanded school curriculum to be offered, and increased community participation.

Educator Narrative

The facilities are flexible and cater for the teaching and learning requirements of current and future students and staff. The spaces reflect the curriculum needs and methodological strategies that underpin teaching at this site. The school wished to develop and deliver ‘holistic’ community based care, health and welfare programs. Now that the school has appropriate kitchen, bathing and sleeping facilities this is now possible.

The school previously consisted of EMAC transportable buildings (in the community) and two caravans located outside of the community. The new school has brought the entire school onto one site.

As different from the old school facilities, the new school buildings are dustproof, secure, insulated with air conditioning and have sound attenuation for hearing impaired students. They have linked indoor and outdoor learning areas for flexible learning opportunities, and site supervision is unencumbered.

LANGUAGE
- Students’ mother tongue not English
- Language of instruction is English
- The language of participation is either a local dialect, or a version of limited dialect English
- English is only spoken by, and to, the teacher
- Indigenous education workers speak the local dialect when giving directions in the classroom

The major priorities for action are the development of English literacy and numeracy skills. These are crucial pre-conditions for achievement across the required areas of learning in the compulsory years of schooling, as well as developing competencies to access life long learning, work, tertiary education and training.

TEACHING METHODOLOGIES
The community and staff tend to live their lives according to different beliefs, values and concepts. These differences involve concepts and social practices relating to time, money, communication, work, families, recreation, spirituality, child rearing, discipline, learning and education.

The school’s concept statement indicates that its core business is to promote the concept of equal and reciprocal giving and sharing for everyone’s benefit. It describes the learning environment where two distinct cultures are given equal respect, and where a free flowing exchange of ideas, skills knowledge and understandings flourish.

Teaching methodologies are based on students’ preferred ways of learning strategies from mainstream school

THIS TRANSLATES INTO THE FOLLOWING METHODOLOGIES:
- A focus on individual learning
- The need to have 2 or possibly 3 teachers and/or indigenous education workers in a classroom to teach to three distinct levels, and to link concepts together across cultures
- Teaching spaces which allow room for desks and for working on the floor
- Spaces which allow the teaching of students with hearing impairment
- The development of discrete units of work which are linked
- Emphasis on media and technology
- The flexibility to respond to local community priorities for bi-cultural education
- The development of concepts - especially where English is not the first language
- The provision of immediate responses in literacy and numeracy

The school has been open for approximately nine months with students, teachers and the community remaining enthused with their new facilities. Student attendance is regular, and truancies are down.

It is proposed to use this ‘model’ in other remote school locations.