Every child wins at this school of life

NO child is left behind in the small town of Atherton in north Queensland.

Ash Peden

NO child is left behind in the small town of Atherton in north Queensland. All the students who attend Atherton State High are given a signed commitment by the school guaranteeing that on graduation they will go to university, into further training or to a full-time job.

"It's our pledge to our local community," principal Tony Whybird said. "Our goal is that 100 per cent of my school's cohort will graduate and go into one of those real-life pathways."

For almost half the students leaving Atherton State High, that path leads to university, and the school is one of the state's top academic performers.

But for the other students Mr Whybird and his team work even harder to make sure every student finds a place in the world. It's part of the school's service commitment that "every child player gets a prize".

Four years ago, Ash Peden, 19, was struggling to stay at school, and the school was battling to keep him. Mr Whybird diplomatically said the calm, disciplined environment of school was not a good match for him. Mr Peden was more blunt.

"I was a terrible kid at school," he said. "My grandmother didn't think I was going to live until I was 16. I couldn't sit in a room for an hour and 10 minutes just looking at a board. I'm one of those people who are hands on, I like getting active. Most of the time, I just got into trouble. Tony Whybird would always say how can I help you, and because I was a really hard-headed kid I would usually just sit there and abuse him. Eventually, he gave me a push in the right direction."

Mr Whybird has harnessed the resources of the community to create work opportunities for his students, which in turn is helping to resuscitate a town used to waving goodbye to its young people.

Mr Peden spent a few days a week out of school in a vocational training program, which works with the school to provide an alternative for students at risk of dropping out. It also arranges work experience, which led to Mr Peden's job at Central Tyre Service in Atherton, where he is the acting workplace safety officer and now fits his former principal's tyres.

"If I'd stayed at school, I'd be a cleaner somewhere," Mr Peden said. "If I didn't have this job, I would probably be sitting in prison right now. It's really changed my life. I realised there's more to life than walking the streets, drinking and smoking and causing trouble," he said.

Of the 135 students who graduated Year 12 last year, only three are yet to find a job or start a course, and one of those students has a medical condition. Mr Whybird said the goal this year was to place 100 per cent of their students. "We're reinvesting our greatest capital, which is our youth, back into our community," he said. "Many of them don't choose to leave and those kids who want to stay in town and work can and should be supported by our community.

"They end up buying a car in town, get their car serviced in town, get a girlfriend in town, go out to dinner locally, and put money back into the local community."

When students enter Year 10, the school signs a Senior Academic Service Guarantee with each student and their parents. The school guarantees a high-quality service and a place after school while the student and parents commit to attending school and completing the work.

A dedicated team of a teacher and teacher's aide monitors each student and manages those at risk of dropping out. It develops a plan, looking at their goals, how they're coping with school and, for students such as Mr Peden, how to re-engage them in their education.

Mr Whybird was involved in restarting the local chamber of commerce to foster partnerships with businesses in town, and the school supports local businesses by buying their goods and services. In return, local companies offer apprenticeships and full-time jobs to students leaving school, and have an agreement only to serve school children out of school hours.

Atherton Chamber of Commerce president Connie Duncan, a childcare centre owner, said it was a win-win situation for the students and the town.