The Pilbara Education Region
Summary
The Pilbara Education Region is one of eight regions in the Western Australian Department of Education. The headquarters of this education region, the Pilbara Education Regional Office (PERO), is located in Karratha. The PERO staff are committed to the priorities of the Western Australian Department of Education and support the work of schools by working closely with the four Pilbara school networks to help make every Pilbara student a successful student; every Pilbara teacher an effective teacher; and every Pilbara school a good school. A network principal leads each network to develop: • greater curriculum choice for students • increased access to specialist teachers for students • smoother transition between primary and secondary school • a more consistent approach to behaviour management and discipline across schools.
This illustration demonstrates how a region in Western Australian is managing the implementation of the Australian Curriculum. The Pilbara Cities education centre coordinates two major programs – the ‘Attraction and Retention’ and ‘eLearning ICT’ programs. Both programs are in place to support schools, Teacher Development Schools and teachers across the region. An integral part of the Attraction and Retention Program is training of teacher development coaches.
Teacher Development Coaches receive four days of training in Perth to increase their knowledge of the Australian Curriculum and their presentation and coaching skills. The shared development of documents for planning encompasses all aspects of the Australian Curriculum, including an emphasis on the general capabilities. The eLearning ICT project provides schools with:
- a. increased internet band width
- b. sharing of online resources, monitoring of student learning and reporting to parents
- c. reduction of the barrier of distance across the Pilbara and the sharing of expertise through video conferencing technology.
Collaborative practice is a priority across the region.
Pilbara is an extensive remote area in the north-west of Western Australia, encompassing 510,000 square kilometres, which is approximately 20 per cent of the state's total land area and home to over 40,000 residents. The climate is hot and humid in summer and warm and dry in winter. Inland areas such as Tom Price and Newman can be quite cold in the winter evenings. The Pilbara is subject to cyclones during the summer months. The summer rain pattern often leads to transport disruptions due to road flooding. The Pilbara is Western Australia's major mining region. Major economic activities include the mining of iron ore and base metals, and the production of oil, gas and salt. There is a small manufacturing and service industry as well as tourism, pastoral and fishing activities. This unique environment poses significant challenges for the education systems.
The Pilbara Education Region
Regional Office Karratha WA 6714 Australia
School type
Government
School sector
K-12
School location
Remote
School size
School Region
Copyright
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