Hale School has launched its first Reconciliation Action Plan, providing a framework for greater cultural understanding and recognition for our Indigenous students in line with this year’s Reconciliation Week theme, “More than a word. Reconciliation takes action.” The plan is built on the foundations of relationships, respect and opportunities, underpinned by the Hale School Motto of ‘Duty’.
The plan will focus on relationships within the school community between staff, students and families. It will aim to strengthen the existing relationships within the Indigenous communities that are connected to the School and build relationships with the Whadjuk Noongar people, whose land Hale School resides.
The plan will also build on respect in the classroom through further insight and education into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and knowledge, as well as understanding achievements in Indigenous culture and present-day challenges. Respect will be nurtured within the Hale community through broader educational events.
Opportunities will be sought for the development of cross-cultural connections for Hale students, both in Perth and abroad; for connections to the Indigenous community in Perth with more events and interaction with elders; for learning more about history and culture in class, and for continuing the development of the Indigenous Scholarship Programme.
The Reconciliation Action Plan was developed by a committee that included Hale School’s Indigenous student leaders, the Captain and Vice Captain of School, and selected staff.
Hale School was one of the first schools in the country to establish an Indigenous Scholarship programme in 1998. Since then, more than 100 Indigenous students have graduated from Hale and gone on to further training and employment. At any one time there are approximately 25 Indigenous students at Hale, most of whom are boarders from the Kimberley region.
“We aim to create an environment through our school community that embodies the spirit of reconciliation,” said Indigenous student leader Jack Lane (Year 12) at the Reconciliation Week Assembly in June.
