Dhupuma Barker School boasts some of the best attendance rates in the NT

An independent school in northeast Arnhem is boasting some of the highest attendance rates in the Territory.

AN INDEPENDENT school in northeast Arnhem is boasting some of the highest attendance rates in the Territory.

Approaching its first birthday later this month the community-led Dhupuma Barker School is recording 90 per cent attendance rates most days, which surpasses that of non-Indigenous attendance in both the region and NT.

According to the Department of Education website Territory-wide Aboriginal attendance is 59 per cent compared to 87.6 per cent for non-Aboriginal students. But for the bilingual Yolngu 0-12 years-old school, high enrolment and attendance means it is already needing to expand.

A partnership between Barker College in Sydney’s north shore, The Yothu Yindi Foundation and Gunyangara community the curriculum was reimagined to lace western curriculum around a foundation of Yolngu knowledge systems.

Dhupuma Barker School students particpate in both in classroom and on Country learning each day. Picture: Supplied

Dhupuma co-teacher Janet Yunupingu said the school had an open door policy which was critical during ceremonial times, like sorry business.

“Our welcome to all policy means we always have a place for new students and Mums and Dads no matter how long they are with us,” Ms Yunupingu said.

“Our curriculum explores the collection and treatment through bark, clap stick, bush medicine which is very important to our families and at our finger tips. The Fathers are also sitting with the younger ones, telling stories, being present and the kids love it.”

Dhupuma Family Liaison Officer Jerisha Burrarrwanga said prior to Dhupuma Barker the community had struggled with parents attending Family as First Teachers (FaFT).

“We had to sit down to review the outcome. The changes we made were more focused on our culture,” she said.

“From conversational readings to learning games we have always used our Yolngu Matha to help children develop from a young age.”

Head of Barker College Phillip Heath AM said the school had surpassed even the most “optimistic” of expectations.

“The most important step was to make sure the community always felt and knew that it was their school,” he said.

Dhupuma Barker students on their way to washing the new school bus. Picture: Amanda Parkinson

“Right from the start – since that opening day on the 19th of April 2021 - this little wave has been building. And as each day passed, there was greater comfort and confidence (in the community) about school as a safe, cool place to be.”

Mr Heath said the model of integrating Yolngu culture, law and knowledge with balanda (or western) curriculums has not only progressed education in northeast Arnhem but also the private school in metropolitan Sydney.

“There’s a lot of beauty about Dhupuma’s model. If we were brave enough in Australia, we could replicate that model radically across communities all over the country,” he said.

“It’s an enormously fertile community in which to plant an idea; not a new way of educating but a renewed way of educating. It’s fundamentally about relationships and connection, and mutual respect. That’s really powerful.”

Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden has advocated for a new education pipeline that will centre Yolngu knowledge. Picture: Amanda Parkinson

Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden said education was a priority for the organisation but most importantly the strength of cultural knowledge was not a deficit.

“Here it is an enormous sense of pride in our classrooms,” she said.

“The Yothu Yindi Foundation has acted as a transitional broker of sorts: from finding our partners in Barker College, to understanding what the community needed. At a Board level, we made education our number one importance.”

Dhupuma Barker School is part of YYF‘s education pipeline which aims to bring early, primary, secondary and tertiary bilingual education to Northeast Arnhem Land.

Originally published as Dhupuma Barker School boasts some of the best attendance rates in the NT