Creating opportunities for vulnerable indigenous learners to succeed in vocational education

Remote indigenous students in the Australian context are often the most vulnerable learners in the nation. Many factors impact on the potential for success. For those living in remote areas and whose language and culture are very different from that represented in and through school, the chances for success in mathematics remain limited. Often the achievement gap increases the longer students remain at school making for wide gaps in the achievement, and hence life prospects for students as they transition into the world of work. This case study reports on the successes of a boarding school that draws its students from many remote communities and how they have structured programs to build the strengths of the students. Vocational Education and Training is the touchstone to the initiatives offered by the school. The paper uses the voices of the teachers and leaders to offer an explanation as to how the practices of the school contribute to the success of learners and learning.