Aboriginal Education

Matraville Sports High School is committed to closing the achievement gap for our Aboriginal students and in doing so we foster a reciprocity approach in learning from one another to better nurture and value our student’s cultural identity and sense of belonging.

Head Teacher Aboriginal Learning and Engagement:

Shallan Foster

Aboriginal Education Officer:

Aunty Judith Foster

Aboriginal student support

Matraville Sports High School has a long-standing relationship with the La Perouse Aboriginal community. In building upon our community engagement, this enriches the learning of all staff and students, provides a local perspective to key learning area content and enables a shared responsibility in building confident and successful learners.

Aboriginal Learning & Engagement Centre:

Matraville’s Aboriginal Learning and Engagement Centre initiative ensures every Aboriginal student is known, valued and care for. It provides wellbeing, academic and cultural support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to enhance educational outcomes. 

The key focus areas are to improve student engagement, attendance, retention, HSC attainment and support for students at key transition points.

The Learning and Engagement Centre provides personalised support to increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students attaining Year 12 while maintaining their cultural identity.

They work to Improve the educational outcomes and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students so that they excel and achieve in every aspect of their education by ensuring collaborative decision making with Aboriginal peoples, parents and carers, families, and their communities.

The initiative meets the learning needs and supports the cultural knowledge and identity of every Aboriginal student.

The Aboriginal Education team

Aboriginal Education Officer: Judy Foster (relieving)

Head Teacher Aboriginal Learning & Engagement: Shallan Foster

Head Teacher Learning Support: Tamara Amatto

Clontarf Director: Ben Jones

Clontarf Operations Manager: Martin Iti

Student Support Officer: Lauren Vosota

Student Learning Support Officer: Pauline Beller

Student Learning Support Officer: Tyson Hodge

Student Learning Support Officer: Jamie-Lee Rooke

Sista Speak Program

The Sista Speak program aims to support our young Aboriginal women aged between 11-16 to make informed decisions and increase awareness with a key focus on education, health and wellbeing, leadership, careers and life skills.  Sista Speak is a program where the students can come together to discuss issues surrounding them as young women in an environment that is inclusive and culturally safe.

Clontarf Foundation

The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and by doing so equips them to participate more meaningfully in society.

Clontarf helps young men to attend school, finish Year 12 and enter employment.

Using supportive relationships, a welcoming environment and a diverse range of activities, the young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men in our programme develop improved self-esteem and confidence which assists them to participate in education, employment and society in a positive way.

Our approach has proven to be very successful, not only in attracting young men to school and keeping them there, but also in having them embrace more disciplined, purposeful and healthy lifestyles.

For more information.

Urban Koori Support Program

The Urban Koori Program is a Matraville Sports High School Aboriginal education initiative. The program aims to provide holistic support to Aboriginal students in mainstream classes, in small group tutorial sessions, timetabled in class support or on an individual basis. Significantly and essentially the program is designed to target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who are at risk of disengaging from school due to behavioural and or social and emotional needs.

Culturally Nourishing Schooling Project

Culturally Nourishing Schooling Project (CNS) is a research-informed framework designed to improve teachers’ understandings and practice about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and the aspirations of their families and communities. The study involves eight schools and their communities in NSW, working to establish the ‘culturally nourishing’ schooling model as central to their current strategic planning and operations.

The projects aim is to support teachers through scaffolded professional learning that involves working with local Cultural Mentors, and engages teachers through Learning from Country immersion experiences, targeted Curriculum Workshops, Professional Learning Conversations and reading, and pedagogical coaching toward Culturally Nourishing Pedagogies, with the overall goal of affecting practices.

Improving relationships with local communities

"Shallan Foster, Head teacher of Aboriginal Learning and Engagement at Matraville Sports High, explains the work of cultural mentors, who work within the school to deepen understanding of culture, and also connect the school with Aboriginal communities. “We initiate conversations with schools and local Aboriginal communities as we explore new futures and build on understanding of past histories. By listening, sharing and understanding, we can establish culturally safe ways to support change, moving through and beyond difficult conversations and improving the relationship between schools, teachers and our Aboriginal families and communities." See article.