Transition from Remote Indigenous Community to Boarding School: The Lockhart River Experience

• Main Authors: Richard Stewart, Brian Lewthwaite
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: James Cook University 2016-08-01
• Series: eTropic: electronic journal of studies in the tropics
• Online Access: https://journals.jcu.edu.au/etropic/article/view/3371

The transition to boarding school for students from the remote Indigenous community of Lockhart River on Cape York is a fact of life when they complete Year 7. With the transition to boarding school, Lockhart River mirrors remote Indigenous communities throughout Cape York and the Torres Strait, and remote regions in South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Access for remote Indigenous students to quality education provision in major urban centres is a key element of government policy in addressing disadvantage in education outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Despite this, there is little in the way of recent research into the transition process in terms of its effectiveness in ensuring the delivery of a quality secondary education. The proposed study will use qualitative methods to examine the transition from a remote Indigenous community from the perspective of the students and their parents and care-givers.