Fresh chance for battling kids
About 85 per cent of the 250 students at South Hedland Primary School are of Aboriginal descent and many face health challenges that affect their ability to succeed at school and in life.
Common problems such as glue ear can have devastating impacts on speech and hearing without early detection and treatment, while poor nutrition and unstable home lives contribute to behavioural issues.
Today, the Government will open the first of its promised 16 parent-and-child centres at primary schools in disadvantaged areas, providing parenting classes, play groups and health checks for vulnerable children.
Acting principal James Peletier said the centre, which had been operating temporarily in a building at the back of the school for about a year before the million-dollar centre was built, had become a hub for the community.
The school also runs a breakfast club, an attendance bus and has partnerships with corporate sponsors.
Mr Peletier said the school had a reputation in town for behavioural issues but there had been big improvement over the past five years, with attendance growing from about 50 per cent to more than 70 per cent.
"It's an Aboriginal school and we have challenges but we feel that reputation isn't fair and we're proud of the culture," he said.
"This centre is a hub for the community and it's a place where people feel comfortable to come."
Education Minister Peter Collier said the Government was committing $48.7 million to the centres because of the recognised importance of early childhood development.
"Each centre is operated in partnership with a non- government organisation and YMCA Perth operates at South Hedland," he said.
Stephen Zubrick, a principal senior research fellow at the Telethon Kids Institute, said the centres were building on years of hard work by school principals, teachers and community health professionals to identify the best ways of ensuring children start school with the skills they need to get the most from their education.
"The centres are a great concept and really place WA at the forefront of co-ordinated action in the early years in communities that experience levels of disadvantage," he said.
'This is a community hub and a place where people feel comfortable.'"South Hedland Primary School acting principal * James Peletier *
