In 2022, Royal Far West (RFW) and Narromine Public School celebrated an eight-year-long partnership which has delivered impressive educational outcomes and significantly improved the wellbeing and educational pathways of many students and their families.
Narromine is located in the central West of NSW. The closest major centre is Dubbo. Local families faced the same problems many rural and remote parents deal with – how to get their child into scarce, sometimes expensive, allied health services.
“…allied health providers didn’t service Narromine, because Narromine was outside the Dubbo postcode. We were in this bubble that just wasn’t getting any services. We had a local speech pathologist who was at capacity. Our families were trying to get in, they just couldn’t get in. Plus, it is very expensive for many families.” Denise Toohey, Principal Narromine Public School
Over the eight years of the program at Narromine Public School, more than 100 students and their families have been supported, with:
-Over 1,700+ sessions of speech pathology, screening, assessment, individual and group therapy linked to school curriculum, staff support and development
-Approximately 200 sessions of occupational therapy – screening, assessment, individual and group therapy and staff support and professional development
-Over 110 overall assessments and screening sessions
-Over 75% of students who participated identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Along with screening, assessment and therapy services for children, the program also offers support and training for teachers, parents and carers to help build their capacity and develop strategies and skills to better support children.
“In the classroom, the students who have participated in the program have shown an increased ability to engage with the content and along with that comes improved confidence. These students have started to take autonomy with their learning, rather than demonstrating task avoidance and relying on constant adult support.” – Amanda, Classroom Teacher.
Narromine is just one of over rural 120 schools we have worked with via the Telecare for Kids program.