Presentation by Paul Bridge, Principal, Derby District High School at #OurMobTeach conference, 30 September 2015

1. Presenters
Hilary Carruthers
Jody Harrington
Keia Hadden
Liz Ritchie
Derby District High School
Paul Bridge, Principal
School Leadership Opportunities
and Challenges in a Kimberley
school context
Wednesday 30th September 2015
#OurMobTeach

2. Kimberley School Locations

3. Derby School Context
 Established school 105 years old
 K-12 District High School
 600 students
 Students come from Derby
Town site, Mowanjum &
Pandanus Community
 Diverse Clientele
 80% Aboriginal student
population
 45 teaching, and 45 non teaching
staff
 1 Principal 5 Deputy Principals
 Functioning School Council &
P&C

4. Creating Positive School Culture
At Derby District High School we-
• Embraced the Stronger Smarter Philosophy
• Create a positive environment where students, staff and
parents feel valued. Greetings and positive
conversations
• Strengths based conversations across the school.
• People have to enjoy coming to School.
• Student’s identity is recognised and celebrated.
• Provide a welcoming environment to parents & visitors.
• Staff have high expectations of students and set a
consistent approach across the whole school - All
students can succeed
• Students learn the culture of both school and home.

5. S
T
R
O
N
G
Students achieve
great things!
Teachers
have high
expectations
Derby District High School
Diligence, courage &
strength
SMART

6. Our Staff – “Our Greatest Resource”
“Relationships underpin every aspect of success at Derby DHS”
“Derby District High School understands and is placing
greater emphasis on recruiting, inducting, retaining and
building the capacity of our staff. Human resource
management and professional learning support and
mentoring are the core resources that this school must
continue to develop to ensure that we have the capacity to
deliver a quality education product to our school
community.”
“Strong vibrant relationships underpin every aspect of a
staff members work and for this reason everyone from the
Principal down needs to have explicit strategies in place to
build relationships between student/teacher,
caregiver/teacher, school leadership/staff, teaching
staff/non teaching staff.”

7. Our Staff – OurGreatest Resource
“Relationships underpin every aspect of success at Derby DHS”
Structured Induction
1.University Links – Practice
2. Merit Selection Process – School
LeadershipTeam
3. Staff Selection
4. OnAppointment to Derby DHS –Staff
Induction booklet
5. Mentor Staff
6. Cross Cultural Induction
7. Ongoing Professional Learning

8. Teacher Student Relationships
• Relationship ship Bank Account
• Get to know your students
• Show them through your actions that you care about them
• Maintain high expectations that students can succeed.
• Take the time with people, especially concerned parents.
“The more you develop relationship between yourself and caregivers and
students the more you will be able call on the relationship bank
account with the students and parents in resolving issues that arise.”
Ultimately students want to know that their teacher
cares about them!

9. Parents and teacher Relationships
• Staff being proactive in meeting parents through beginning
of year informal parents nights.
• Mandated 5 positive home visits per term each teacher.
• Recognising that Aboriginal students come
with child different rearing practices.
• Understanding the child’s family circumstances.
• Initial perceptions are important – good impressions can give
you months of the ‘Honeymoon’.
• Bad impressions in some cases may never be changed.

11. Traditions, Culture and Rituals
Build on the traditions of the school community
• Sporting Events
• Community Cultural Events
• Concerts- “Theatre Restaurant”
• Assemblies
• Camps
If you are going to change anything:
• consult, consult, consult

13. Valuing the knowledge and expertise
of Aboriginal staff
• Building the skills and knowledge and capacity of
Aboriginal staff and non Aboriginal staff in providing
with the degree of support to build sustainable
programs

15. Aspirational Leadership
Opportunities to date
• 15 teachers promoted into Level 3, 4 & 5
leadership positions in other schools across
Kimberley and WA
• Aboriginal staff
• 1 Aboriginal teacher, taken up Principalship in
2015
• 1 AIEO graduating from teaching in 2015,
another in second year of teaching.
• 5 AIEOs and 2 EAs completing Cert 3