With its current cohort of 756 students, stretching up to 800 students next year, the student body comprises a wide range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, including 12 per cent Indigenous, 50 per cent Pasifika and 140 EALD students.

Over the last three years the school has carefully been tailoring two transformative attendance and engagement programs – with two quite extraordinary young men driving their success.

Coupled with eagerly provided input from parents, and a staff and leadership team firmly onboard, the programs have proven to be life-changing for many previously disenfranchised students.

Culture and connection

When current principal Catherine Argyle arrived at the start of 2021, she quickly identified that attendance was a major issue.

“We had a huge focus shift and part of that involved looking at ‘what are the key drivers for students in terms of engagement?’” Argyle tells EducationHQ.

“…we identified culture and connection as focal points – students want to come to school when they are feeling valued and that diversity is celebrated.”

At the start of 2022, after much planning, community consultancy and student and staff input, the two programs were formalised and launched, each providing pastoral care, cultural awareness learning and educational support for students from Aboriginal and Pasifika backgrounds.

Argyle, pictured above with Mitchell Elphick, left, and Souljah Fatu, right, is fiercely proud of her two school captains. “There’s just been such an amazing growth journey with these boys. I’m just so proud to have witnessed their development,” she says. 

Harnessing the haka

Ingleburn High’s Pasifika engagement program began as part of the Haka Warriors values-driven program through PCYC NSW, which uses the cultural war dance to connect and promote positive behavioural and emotional change.

“Part of the contract there for the students and being part of that was that their attendance had to be over 90 per cent.

“So that was a way to keep them thinking, ‘I need to be at school. And when I’m at school, I’ve got to do the following…’ etc”Argyle says. 

With the Haka Warriors program only extending across 20 weeks, students expressed that they wanted something more, something community-based and within the school.

In response, deputy principal Scott Belgre and another teacher consulted with parents and students to put the framework for the school’s own program into action with its own 'Mana Showcase'.

Student Souljah Fatu was the key driver, organising his peers, facilitating rehearsals which, due to their time-consuming nature, had to be conducted outside of school time.

Combining faith, which is particularly strong within the Pasifika community, along with connection with school and shared values, supported by teachers, it was very much a student-led initiative.

Fatu, who is of Samoan background, says being so heavily involved in the program has meant the world to him.

“Coming from my background with a lot of cultural traditions, being able to share that with the Pasifika students here is great, because a lot of them don’t grow up with that,” he says.

“They’re eager to know what their roots are and I’m able to help them get there, like a role model to help them create a path and learn and grow and then teach others.”

With the Haka Warriors program only extending across 20 weeks, Ingleburn High students expressed that they wanted something more, something community-based and within the school – and so Mana Showcase was created.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focus

Student Mitchell Elphick is a proud Wiradjuri Country man, who says his cultural awareness program is about getting students involved and learning to be proud of themselves and each other.

“A lot of people don’t know much about their background so it’s hard for them to be proud of it,” he says.

“Once they learn about it, they want to be who they are meant to be.”

Alongside helping to provide professional development opportunities for school staff and growing his fellow students' access to their ancestry, traditions and history, Elphick is always seeking ways to build connection for his peers.

For example, with a NAIDOC schools celebration on in earnest, Elphick led dance workshops for a nearby primary school and organised and helped teach the singing of the national anthem on country. 

“He’s just an exceptional young man,” Argyle says, unable to disguise her admiration for the young leader.

“He was leading that within the students and that commitment and that passion there and that drive went beyond my gates here.

“Our kids actually go down to our two feeder primary schools and mentor them. They teach them dance, they teach them language, they teach them leadership skills and everything else, so that there’s a strong connection for our future students.”

Professional learning a key component

Argyle says she and her leadership team have put a great deal of time and effort into professional learning.

Currently the St Andrews Network of Schools has a three-year direction for Aboriginal histories and culture, she says.

“Every single staff member at Ingleburn has participated in that professional learning, which is reaffirming the importance of understanding the embedding of it within the curriculum and bringing it and allowing students to feel that safety and understanding around Aboriginal history.

“And it’s not just our Aboriginal students, it’s our non-Aboriginal students. But it’s increasing the confidence of staff to access that part of the curriculum.

“…there’s definitely been a bias there, and we can see that shift and change - and I think professional learning is the way to bring that shift and change because the kids believe it. It’s not tokenistic. It’s not a [one-off] event. It’s happening in the classrooms as well. That cultural diversity in that celebration of culture and connection.”

Principal Argyle says professional learning is helping to bring shift and change because the kids believe it. “It’s not tokenistic. It’s not a one event. It’s happening in the classrooms as well..."she says.

Success in all its forms

The success of the programs is illustrated across a number of critical areas. The remarkable improvement in the attendance rates of Pasifika students at Ingleburn not the least.

In 2022, prior to engagement in the program, the attendance rate of Year 12 Pasifika students was 59.4 per cent. In 2023, once they had engaged in the program, it was 85.6 per cent.

Argyle shares that every single Year 12 Aboriginal student’s attendance rate was higher than 90 per cent this year, and they’re loving school.

“You can’t even describe its impact,” she says.

But while students’ growth and the school’s value-added data is excelling – exceptional both in the HSC and in NAPLAN, Agryle says that’s not what their focus is on.

“We focus on the growth of every child, every day, in every classroom. That’s going to happen because the kids are connected to school, and it’s how do we connect our kids. It lies in community. Celebrate your community. Celebrate that connection. Bring the kids in.

“When you listen to the kids and you can hear their perspective, that’s how you bring about the greatest change…

“…when you stop and actually see it from a different perspective, you get a better idea. And I think that’s how a lot of our programs have developed because the kids can see what they need at that moment in time.”

Ingredients for engagement

Argyle believes if we want our students to be engaged, if we want them to be interested and motivated to do well and feel successful, we need to continue to work on how we’re building our positive relationships in our schools.

“In any school community, you need to take a look at the background of your students and develop programs in partnership with your community groups to ensure those programs are successful within a school as well.”

She strongly believes working alongside the local community in developing programs is a must to ensure they are far reaching beyond the classroom.

“To support any student, Aboriginal students, Pasifika students, Arabic students, whatever our demographics might be, there needs to be a strong connection to the community … and not feel that we’re doing it alone.

“We’ve got to look at the whole child and that’s how we bring them in. That’s what’s probably been the driving force in our school.”

Continuing the connection

While their secondary schooling days might be coming to an end, Mitchell Elphick and Souljah Fatu won’t be going anywhere – at least if Argyle has any say in it.

Both are returning to Ingleburn High next year to work as School Learning Support Officers.

“It’s just a great opportunity for me to keep reaching out and pass on the legacy,” Souljah says.

“The impact we’ve created is huge. It started out small and now all the Pasifika students want to be involved. It’s amazing.”

Mitchell says he’s grateful to the school and wants to give something back.

“The knowledge and the opportunities the school has given me, I want to keep taking that and passing that on – to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal kids and staff alike,” he says.

As for Argyle, she’s ensured her special young protegees are able to stay if they’re keen to continue their legacy.

“…we’re family, and I think by employing students, that connection continues, and other students can see that,” Argyle concludes.

“And we’re growing future teachers. That’s what I’m hoping.”