The Gawura School Partnership: Making a Difference for Indigenous Students in Australia

Gawura School is a highly regarded model for indigenous education in Sydney, Australia. Established in 2007, Gawura is the only 100% indigenous school in Australia that offers full tuition scholarships to local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from Kindergarten to Year 12. 

In 2021, the school embarked on a partnership with Lindamood-Bell to create a Learning Center on Campus (LCOC) in an attempt to close learning gaps for a population that scores well below national reading standards. 

Recently, Sinead McIvor, Project Director for the LCOC and Executive Center Director for Lindamood-Bell in Sydney, reflected on her work with Gawura and the lives that were forever changed by Lindamood-Bell instruction in the Seeing Stars program. 

“As I think back to December 2020, I can still remember how overcome with emotion I was when I opened the email from the principal at Gawura school, to say they had accepted our proposal for a full school year LCOC.  

"That same feeling of excitement and gratitude has never left me. To try and put into words what this partnership has meant to me, our staff, the students, families and their school, I wanted to give some context and then tell the story of one of our students, Bindi.  

"In Australia there is a national strategy called 'Closing the Gap', which aims to bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in the areas of education, health and life outcomes. By year 9, indigenous students are on average three or four years behind non indigenous students in reading.  

"When our LCOC started in 2021, Gawura was voted Australian school of the year. It is the only 100% indigenous school in Australia that offers full tuition scholarships from K-12. Over the course of the next two years, we worked with 25 of the most at risk students, providing Seeing Stars instruction."Bindi began working with us at the beginning of grade 4. She was shy, easily distracted, would shut down when presented with a task and then would try every avoidance tactic in the book. Her reading was at the 16th percentile (almost two years behind) and her oral vocabulary was below average. 

"Over the course of the LCOC, her change was incredible. As her skills increased her confidence skyrocketed. When she felt that she could read or spell a word, she would be the first one to put her hand up or run to the front of the group. She quickly became a staff favorite as we saw more and more of her amazing personality shine through, as her confidence in learning grew. 

"At re-testing, Bindi’s reading fluency was at the 63rd percentile, her vocabulary was in the average range and her comprehension continued to improve. This year, Bindi was voted to be the first ever head of house for Junior school. 

"Bindi is just one of the many students we helped. I could not be prouder to be a small part of helping to close the gap for these students in education."

– Sinead McIvor, Lindamood-Bell, Sydney, Australia