Mr HAMPTON - 2007-10-10
Can you update the House on the Clontarf Football Academies in Territory schools?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Stuart for his question. I know how interested and committed he is to the Clontarf Football Academies in Alice Springs and across the Northern Territory along with a number of other members. Yes, I am pleased to provide an update to the House on how the Clontarf Football Academies are going.
In February this year, I welcomed students and staff to kick off the three Clontarf Football Academies in Alice Springs at Alice Springs High School, ANZAC Hill High School and Yirara College. It was a fantastic day. The member for Stuart, the member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, and the member for Braitling were there. I still have the photo in my office.
Last month, I was pleased to head to Sanderson High School along with my colleagues, the members for Sanderson and Millner, who I know are passionate about these football academies, to announce there will be an additional three academies in 2008 in the Top End based at Sanderson, Palmerston and Katherine High Schools. It is going to involve over 200 students, with Casuarina Senior College starting in 2009.
Madam Speaker, the question is: what is Clontarf? Clontarf is not about football; it is about a whole separate strategy to engage and support young indigenous boys in mainstream education until they complete Year 12, and then for a full year after Year 12 either enter university, further training or into a job. Young indigenous boys are the highest risk group in our education system in terms of the number who are in the formal education system at Year 8, who then go on to complete Year 12 and gain their NTCE. This is the biggest at-risk group that fails to go on to complete the NTCE. Clontarf seeks to achieve much better outcomes in NTCE completion and it does that through engaging these boys through their love of Australian Rules Football. All of us know how passionate indigenous people are, along with the rest of the Territory, about Australian Rules.
The Clontarf Academies are staffed full-time by a mixture of ex-AFL footballers, teachers and social workers. The academies have a real focus on employability and life skills, and education attainment. That is what it is about. For each of the schools, it is additional resources as well. There are four staff with each of these academies, so that means four extra staff for all of our schools to support students not only in terms of breakfast programs, preschool training runs, support at lunchtime and then football training or games after school, but, more importantly, to support those students in the classroom, to work with the teachers and students to achieve better education outcomes.
The results we have from Alice Springs, and members there would know this, are that the attendance rates for students in those three schools have gone from between 40% and 60%, 60% on a good week, to over 90% attendance. That is an absolutely enormous outcome, which without this type of intervention, we would be really struggling to achieve.
The program is a partnership, with one-third funded by the Territory government, one-third funded by the Commonwealth government and, very importantly, one-third funded from the private sector. This is all about getting private sector partnership with the football academies, getting the private sector on side and working with them to provide pathways for those kids when they finish Year 12 into the workplace, and, whilst they are in Years 10, 11 and 12, work experience in the workplace. The private sector is a key part in the success of these programs. I have had a couple of lunches, one each in Alice Springs and Darwin a couple of weeks ago, with key people in the private sector. I have urged the private sector to come on board.
The Territory government has committed $1.6m over three years for the Top End football academies. We are looking at how we use similar structures to support schools throughout the Northern Territory. It is a specific program, but we are certainly looking at how we can continue to build on what has been achieved in Alice Springs and what is going to be achieved in the Top End and Katherine.
Gerard Neesham is an inspirational man who is doing fantastic work on behalf of indigenous students across Western Australia and the Northern Territory. He is doing a magnificent job. To Gerard and his team, the Territory government looks forward to working with you over the next few years to the benefit of these young indigenous students.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Stuart for his question. I know how interested and committed he is to the Clontarf Football Academies in Alice Springs and across the Northern Territory along with a number of other members. Yes, I am pleased to provide an update to the House on how the Clontarf Football Academies are going.
In February this year, I welcomed students and staff to kick off the three Clontarf Football Academies in Alice Springs at Alice Springs High School, ANZAC Hill High School and Yirara College. It was a fantastic day. The member for Stuart, the member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, and the member for Braitling were there. I still have the photo in my office.
Last month, I was pleased to head to Sanderson High School along with my colleagues, the members for Sanderson and Millner, who I know are passionate about these football academies, to announce there will be an additional three academies in 2008 in the Top End based at Sanderson, Palmerston and Katherine High Schools. It is going to involve over 200 students, with Casuarina Senior College starting in 2009.
Madam Speaker, the question is: what is Clontarf? Clontarf is not about football; it is about a whole separate strategy to engage and support young indigenous boys in mainstream education until they complete Year 12, and then for a full year after Year 12 either enter university, further training or into a job. Young indigenous boys are the highest risk group in our education system in terms of the number who are in the formal education system at Year 8, who then go on to complete Year 12 and gain their NTCE. This is the biggest at-risk group that fails to go on to complete the NTCE. Clontarf seeks to achieve much better outcomes in NTCE completion and it does that through engaging these boys through their love of Australian Rules Football. All of us know how passionate indigenous people are, along with the rest of the Territory, about Australian Rules.
The Clontarf Academies are staffed full-time by a mixture of ex-AFL footballers, teachers and social workers. The academies have a real focus on employability and life skills, and education attainment. That is what it is about. For each of the schools, it is additional resources as well. There are four staff with each of these academies, so that means four extra staff for all of our schools to support students not only in terms of breakfast programs, preschool training runs, support at lunchtime and then football training or games after school, but, more importantly, to support those students in the classroom, to work with the teachers and students to achieve better education outcomes.
The results we have from Alice Springs, and members there would know this, are that the attendance rates for students in those three schools have gone from between 40% and 60%, 60% on a good week, to over 90% attendance. That is an absolutely enormous outcome, which without this type of intervention, we would be really struggling to achieve.
The program is a partnership, with one-third funded by the Territory government, one-third funded by the Commonwealth government and, very importantly, one-third funded from the private sector. This is all about getting private sector partnership with the football academies, getting the private sector on side and working with them to provide pathways for those kids when they finish Year 12 into the workplace, and, whilst they are in Years 10, 11 and 12, work experience in the workplace. The private sector is a key part in the success of these programs. I have had a couple of lunches, one each in Alice Springs and Darwin a couple of weeks ago, with key people in the private sector. I have urged the private sector to come on board.
The Territory government has committed $1.6m over three years for the Top End football academies. We are looking at how we use similar structures to support schools throughout the Northern Territory. It is a specific program, but we are certainly looking at how we can continue to build on what has been achieved in Alice Springs and what is going to be achieved in the Top End and Katherine.
Gerard Neesham is an inspirational man who is doing fantastic work on behalf of indigenous students across Western Australia and the Northern Territory. He is doing a magnificent job. To Gerard and his team, the Territory government looks forward to working with you over the next few years to the benefit of these young indigenous students.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016