Raising attendance in Indigenous communities in the NT

Several hours out of Katherine, teacher Claire Vogan found her tribe in a small town called Minyerri.

Fresh out of university, Victorian early childhood teacher Claire Vogan had no real idea what she was getting into when she packed her bags to go north for a year-long placement at a remote Northern Territory school in Minyerri.

Three-and-a-half hours drive out of Katherine, Claire had assumed she would be assisting the staff of the Minyerri School, but within a month she had been offered a full time job and was tasked with running the preschool.

“I was fresh out of university and pretty much a director of my own centre with students under my care and responsible for two assistants.”

Not an easy gig for any newcomer, but the challenge was even greater as only a couple of children were diligently attending classes daily.

Add to the mix that every single child enrolled at the school spoke Roper River Kriol as their first language and it becomes evident that Ms Vogan’s first professional job in the classroom was atypical.

With 100 per cent of students at her school speaking Roper River Kriol as their first language, Claire Vogan has been inspirational in lifting attendance and had a significant impact on student learning in challenging circumstances. Picture: supplied

As the educational leader in the preschool, Ms Vogan began picking up and dropping off children in the school bus, she introduced frequent local excursions and made a concerted effort to increase engagement with elders and the community. She even created a newsletter and visual learning diary to show parents the connection between their children’s play and learning and dived into community events to forge connections with families.

Despite the uphill battle, Ms Vogel managed to achieve the unthinkable, turning the once-struggling preschool into a thriving establishment that has the backing of the community.

“We went from some kids attending and having really low engagement to kids coming five days a week. By the second and third year, every single kid in the community was in preschool and 17 out of the 22 were attending every day,” said Ms Vogan. “Now we have 70 per cent of our kids with an 80 per cent attendance or higher.”

Northern Territory teacher Claire Vogan with students at Miniyeri, southeast of Katherine. Picture: Supplied

Five years in, she is happy she made the move and is undeterred by the almost seven hour round trip to get groceries in Katherine every five or six weeks. The recent rains have also flooded the town in for the last four months, but Ms Vogan proudly calls Minyerri home and speaks fluent Kriol.

“Every day, unless I am giving the children a lesson in English, most of my instruction in class is in Kriol.”

Her efforts in the classroom have not gone unnoticed, as she was recognised as one of Australia’s most inspiring teachers in the 2022 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards.

“I had only planned to stay for 12 months, but I fell in love with it here and I have never felt more appreciated. I like to go where I am needed, but I feel wanted as well.”

Warren Giles, the Northern Territory Department of Education’s Senior Director Education for the Big Rivers Region said Ms Vogan’s impact on the school has been immense.

“In her four years at Minyerri School, Claire has significantly impacted on the student’s school and home lives and through increased engagement with the community she has helped to raise Minyerri’s preschoolers’ attendance levels to the highest they have ever been.

“Claire ensures teaching and learning is culturally responsive and regularly engages students in dialogue of their first language – the local Kriol, plans and facilitates opportunities for learning on country with elders and embeds local history and culture within the school.

“Claire is a passionate, dedicated educator loved by her students and highly valued by her colleagues, families and the wider school community in Minyerri.”

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