Burringurrah Remote Community School (5715)

School Overview


Burringurrah is located near the culturally significant Mount Augustus, approximately 480 kilometres east of Carnarvon and 310 kilometres north-west of Meekatharra. The provides education from Kindergarten to Year 12 for around 55 predominantly Aboriginal students. Enrolment is dynamic, reflecting family and cultural movement, and the school also welcomes visiting students through Section 24 arrangements.

Teaching at Burringurrah Remote Community School is more than a classroom role. It is an opportunity to live and work on Wajarri Yamatji Country, build genuine relationships within a remote Aboriginal community and contribute to learning that connects curriculum, culture and Country.

Our student-chosen motto - EXPLORE, EFFORT LEARN - captures our belief that every student can grow in confidence, knowledge and independence. We are strengthening a whole-school approach to explicit teaching, with a clear focus on literacy, numeracy, student progress and engagement. Teachers work collaboratively to plan differentiated learning, analyse evidence and provide targeted intervention. Secondary students access learning supported through the School of Isolated and Distant Education, while the whole-school program includes daily fitness, specialist learning, culture, sport and on-Country experiences.

Culture is central to school life. Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer and out Aboriginal Cultural Advisor work alongside teachers to provide culturally safe support and connect learning with local language, knowledge and community perspectives. The school is developing its Two-way learning program with local Aboriginal staff, families and community members, while Wajarri language and cultural learning strengthen students' identity and connect to Country.

Relationships are built through humility, consistency, reciprocity and a willingness to learn. As Donald, our Aboriginal Cultural Advisor explains:

'Teachers coming out here need to earn the love of our kids. That will earn them the love of our families, and that will give them a connection to our Country.'

Burringurrah offers teachers significant professional opportunity. Staff are supported through structured induction, local cultural guidance, mentoring, collaborative planning, professional learning and performance development. In a small school, teachers can contribute beyond their classroom and build leadership experience in curriculum, wellbeing, cultural programs and whole-school improvement.

Life in Burringurrah is genuinely remote. It requires preparation, adaptability, self-reliance and respect for local protocols. Staff live within the community in government housing and become part of a close team within an extraordinary landscape. Those who thrive here are capable teachers who value relationships, approach complexity with curiosity and see remote education not simply as a stepping stone, but as meaningful work with the potential to make a lasting contribution.