One Arm Point Remote Community School (5583)

School Overview


One Arm Point Remote Community School (OAPRCS) is a K-12 school located in Ardyaloon (One Arm Point), an Aboriginal community 210km north of Broome, on the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia.

Our school vision is to create a welcoming, safe, and stimulating environment where local Bardi Jawi culture is embraced, celebrated, and integrated into the curriculum. We are committed to helping every student reach their academic potential while fostering a sense of pride, resilience, and belonging - ensuring they become strong, capable members of society.

At OAPRCS, we employ a wide range of strategies to improve outcomes, with community engagement at the heart of all our priorities. This focus has led to improved attendance, early childhood outcomes, and overall student achievement. By building capacity within our local Aboriginal staff, we have fostered a strong relationship between the school and the community, resulting in a high level of trust that has directly contributed to our students' success.

Currently, OAPRCS serves 115 Aboriginal students, including up to 20 children in our Ankoorrbin/Baby Turtles (0-3) program. Our student numbers fluctuate (ranging from 76 in April 2015 to 135 in July 2016, 120 at the end of 2021 to 74 in July 2022), which impacts school funding, staffing, and program delivery. As such, flexibility and adaptability are essential for our school's success.

Community needs—such as hunting, caring for family, and cultural obligations—can make it difficult to prioritise education. Students often participate in cultural activities or are called away due to family responsibilities, and this can impact school attendance. Loss of students to boarding schools or prolonged absences due to community events also present challenges. Nevertheless, we remain committed to maintaining a critical mass to ensure the success of our programs.

Staff turnover, particularly with non-local teachers, has led to a continuous need for capacity building to help staff work effectively in our unique context. To address this, we focus on empowering local Aboriginal educators, instilling sustainability into school processes, and ensuring the long-term success of our programs.

At OAPRCS, we prioritise hiring local Aboriginal people for leadership positions, creating role models whom our students know, trust and respect. Currently, 7 of our 12 qualified teachers are Aboriginal, with 5 (from the local community) supported by the school to complete their Bachelor of Primary Education.

The school has developed new career pathways for Aboriginal educators, including roles such as On-Country Learning & Culture Coordinator, Aboriginal Education Manager, 0-3 Program Coordinator, Bardi Language Teacher, and Librarian. OAPRCS embodies the idea that 'if I can see it, I can be it,' working toward self-determination for our remote Aboriginal community and building a strong foundation for our students' futures.

Despite the challenges posed by staff turnover and cultural obligations, the school is guided by a clear vision: 'Improvement. Always in all ways!' This vision provides the foundation for strong relationships and ongoing improvements, leading to better outcomes for our students.

Our school culture integrates local Aboriginal ways of being, doing, and knowing to support high achievement and participation, inclusivity, and a meaningful impact on all students.

Our staff, diverse in experience, age, and background, is united in its commitment to improving outcomes for students and ensuring a sustainable future for our remote community school. We are proud to have the respect and trust of the community, and we continuously work to strengthen and nurture this vital relationship.

OAPRCS is truly a community school. We understand that it takes the collective effort of the whole community to help the school reach its full potential, and it's an honour to be part of this incredible journey.