Our School

Key Learning Areas

From Minister Ken Wyatt, August 2019: “We know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children thrive in environments where they a have strong connection to culture and community.”

Gawura students learn the NSW curriculum intertwined with Indigenous cultures and languages.

Every year we take students from Years 5 to 12 on a three to five day excursion On Country, visiting a different Nation each year to allow students to walk On Country, learn about the culture of that Nation, the language and spend time with local Elders. Read about our 2022, 2019 and 2018 On Country trip here.

Our students learn Wiradjuri language and have lessons each week with our specialised Wiradjuri teacher who lives On Country in Bathurst and to Sydney for three days each week to teach. Not only does Ms Carr-Smith teach the Gawura children, but she also teaches Wiradjuri to all of the children in the St Andrew’s Cathedral Junior School.

Gawura students attend a cultural excursion each term, visiting a place of interest on Gadigal land or one of the surrounding areas to increase our knowledge about the people who lived in our local area.

Gawura works to the guidelines of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW, the key learning areas are:

Literacy
Mathematics
Science
History
Geography
Creative Arts
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education.

Why is Gawura special?

Gawura students commence in Kindergarten – a critical, foundational year, and we keep classes small, typically with no more than six students, so we can care for students holistically.

Gawura teaches a focused, dedicated literacy and numeracy programme in a culturally enriching environment.

Students learn about culture and share with each other which builds self-esteem, confidence and resilience in each child.

We work in partnership with communities & parents.

Gawura offers a dedicated bus service resulting in high attendance rates of 92-94%.

Specialist Teachers

The Gawura students receive support from specialist teachers and combines with the St Andrew’s Cathedral Junior School classes in Science, History, Geography, Music, Visual Arts, Drama, PE/Sport and Christian Development.

Individual and personalised learning plans

Student progress is assessed through both qualitative and quantitative measures and monitored through Individual Learning Plans (ILP’s), Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) and ongoing tracking procedures. The assessment of students’ progress towards the achievement of the NSW Board of Studies requirements, content and skill acquisition, along with the development of values and attitudes is ongoing.