Pilbara pupils learn together

Bright young Aboriginal primary schoolers from all over Hedland are branching out with their skills at the Hedland Maths and Science Centre for Excellence.

Based at South Hedland Primary School, the centre brings the top maths and science students from all five of the town’s primary schools together twice a week for extension classes.

The classes are run by volunteer teachers from each of the schools, and students are dropped to and from the centre by the Youth Involvement Council’s bus.

Project manager Emily Leech said the purpose of the centre was to engage young students from all over the town and get them to think outside the box.

“We do a lot of hands-on experiments with the kids, and being in smaller groups of similar students means it’s a lot of fun and really helpful for the kids,” she said.

“There hasn’t been this focus on science and problem solving in extension programs before, and it means we can really get the kids thinking about how to solve problems in a scientific way.

“The kids have been loving it and the feedback from parents has been great, and the different school groups have been getting along really well.”

South Hedland Primary School principal Narelle Ward said it was a privilege for the school to provide the service.

“This is great for the students to expand the knowledge, and also for the teachers to be able to provide the expertise,” she said.