NT’s first Mini Woolies opens at Henbury School for hands-on learning

A tiny grocer has breathed new life into one Darwin school’s dreams, with students excited to get a hands-on learning experience.

A tiny grocer stocked with essential groceries is set to pave the way to employment for one Top End school’s students.

The Territory’s first Mini Woolies opened its doors on Tuesday and Henbury School students are ready to don green aprons and hats to learn the end-to-end process of grocery shopping.

Henbury School student Hannah Fiersch said she was excited to see what the future held after serving her first customer.

“Seeing the success of the Henbury op shop and cafe for the past decade, I think it’s important that Woolworths and Henbury School come together to create such an incredible program,” Ms Fiersch said.

“Hopefully the success of Mini Woolies here will lead the way for other schools to follow suit so kids can learn... the important skills.”

Education Minister Mark Monaghan and Henbury School student Hannah Ziersch at the opening of the Henbury School Mini Woolies, the first of its kind in the NT. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mini Woolies Program general manager Sarah Corey said the shop had real registers, real fruit and veggies, and “smells and looks like a real supermarket”.

Ms Corey said the shop would help students build confidence, independence, literacy, and numeracy.

“The program is an end-to-end experience – so the students will shop online, receive the goods here at the site, put the stock away,” she said.

“Some people will be shoppers, some people will be workers within the store and then process the goods at the registers.”

Ms Corey said the products and activities the shop provided tied into the school’s home economics class, where they could put the products to “meaningful use”.

The first Mini Woolies in the NT.

Henbury School Principal Sarah Corry said programs such as Mini Woolies – and the school’s op shop and cafe – were incredibly important.

She said the project had been in the works for some time before Covid got in the way, but the project gained traction again in the last 12 months.

Ms Corry said having external support from organisations such as Woolworths was a “dream come true”.

Casuarina MLA Lauren Moss, Disabilities Minister Ngaree Ah Kit, Education Minister Mark Monaghan, Mini Woolies Program general manager Sarah Corey and Henbury School Principal Sarah Corry. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Disabilities Minister Ngaree Ah Kit said it was “loud and clear” how important specialist schools such as Henbury School were to Territorians.

Ms Ah Kit said the NT’s five specialist schools went “above and beyond” with their curriculum to support young people living with disability.

“I’ve had family and friends who have come through specialist schools and just been able to watch with pride to see them elevate their learning experience and their developmental phases from some of our local schools to our special schools,” she said.

Henbury School student Hannah Ziersch, Mini Woolies Program general manager Sarah Corey and Education Minister Mark Monaghan. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Education Minister Mark Monaghan it was important to provide students and schools with pathways to employment upon graduation.

Mr Monaghan said the Lawler government was focused on getting every Territorian into jobs.

“We want every kid entering school, thriving at school and exiting at school, regardless of where you’re from, what your ability ranges are, and ensuring that you get a job in the future,” he said.

“It’s absolutely what education is focused on.

“The secondary review highlights that and highlights the fact that we will design curriculum around our kids and our kids needs, and it shows when you do that, you actually get really good outcomes.”