Darwin principal: “I am learning from my students and enriched by the experience”

Principal Andrew McGregor’s move from Melbourne to Darwin opened his eyes to a lot of things, and changed his perspective on teaching. Here’s why.

Making the move to any new school is always an adjustment of sorts but for principal Andrew McGregor relocating from Victoria to Darwin to take up a position at Haileybury Rendall School was much more complicated than acclimatising to the weather.

The most important difference to preface is that 15 per cent of students in the school are First Nations, whereas at his previous post only four of 1700 students identified as Indigenous.

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“It’s been an exciting life change,” Mr McGregor said. “And culturally, the lessons I have undergone are life-changing. I’ve come from nothing to learning about the cultural history of Australia. I am learning from my students and enriched by the experience.”

With a sister school in Melbourne, Darwin’s Haileybury Rendall stands out as the only school offering a VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) in the Northern Territory to mainstream students.

School principal Andrew McGregor said making the move from Melbourne to Darwin to take up a new position was “life changing”.

But Mr McGregor said it was the work being done in dedicated classes with students from remote Indigenous communities that was also making a huge impact.

“When these students come to us in year 7 or year 8 there is a lot of work that needs to be done to help them reach their potential and we need to be sensitive to that,” he said.

“We need to teach in a way that is appropriate and culturally safe with a focus on intense learning in numeracy and literacy.”

Mr McGregor proudly states his Darwin school, which was only established in Berrimah six years ago, has made huge inroads with Indigenous students from remote areas.

“If we look at NAPLAN data, the kids in our program are now on average three to six years ahead in their learning based on what is happening in remote Indigenous communities,” he said.

Andrew McGregor with Year 11 student Krishn Seewoobaduth

The school is working with kids from more than 35 remote communities as far away as Western Australian and Queensland, with funding from Abstudy and government grants helping to “close the gap”.

“We think of it as walking in two wonderful worlds, both worlds are fantastic. Their families want them to have a typical metropolitan education but it’s important to stay connected to their communities also and we have Indigenous staff at the school to help with that.”

Mr McGregor’s other big challenge is managing the growth of the co-ed kindergarten to year 12 school with boarding accommodation, year-on-year.

Averaging well over 100 new students yearly, the student body now stands at 950 with new infrastructure and teaching staff being added at a rapid rate.

“One of the biggest issues we’re facing is just how quickly the school is growing,” he said. “But that’s a great endorsement for the work we have done.”

Originally published as Darwin principal: “I am learning from my students and enriched by the experience”