How do children on a Australian sheep station go to school?

Answer 1

Short answer: they don't. Most chidren on stations are enrolled in their local School of the Air, a 'correspondence' system of education funded by the Australian goverment, just like other public schools.

There are somewhere in the vacinity of 25 different 'distance' schools in Australia, in all states except the ACT and Tasmani. Most are for Primary School only, but most states also have an 'open education' High School.

School of the Air was started around 1950 by a lady called Adelaide Miethke. She was the president of the South Australian branch of the Royal Flying Doctor's Service from 1941. She had the idea to use to pedal-radio network of the RFDS to broadcast lessons to the children on stations. The trial lessons were broadcast from Port Augusta in 1950, with the first official lessons being broadcast from Alice Springs in 1951. Twelve stations were involved in the first lesson, but interest quickly grew.

Many information sources say that modern School of the Air classes are broadcast with High-Frequency radios, but the truth is that that just isn't so any more! Yes, that is how it was broadcast from around 1970-2000, but most SOTAs use a wide range of internet softwares now.

The most common internet software for lessons is a programme called Centra. It's hard to describe, like an interactive whiteboard with a 'text chat', students can write on the board, put up their hand, see and hear their teacher, and all sorts of things. The sound lags, however, so most teachers will chose to use teleconferencing in conjuction with Centra. Other lessons can be broadcast with just teleconferencing, usually in conjunction with a programme called Moodle (on which work can be posted so students can access it) or with textbooks. Some SOTAs use Skype or other real-time systems like that.

Outside of 'contact lessons' or 'air time' like that, students also have to do 'non-contact' or 'non-air' work (homework!). They do the same amount of work as their counterparts at face-to-face school. It's done on a computer more often than work at face-to-face school, and e-mailed to the teacher, but some subjects and schools use paper materials which must be posted in (it's much slower that way). Most students have a separate 'classroom', and they often have to submit a timetable to their teacher detailing when they have lessons and when they'll do homework.

As for how they get to school - they walk! It's not far, usually just to a different room in their house, or maybe a separate room nearby!

sources: I'm a student with the Open Access College in South Australia.

Answer 2

Younger children enrol with their local School of the air. SOTAs are funded by the Australian government are are public schools. There are around 25 'distance' schools in Australia, in all states except the ACT and Tasmania. Most are Primary School only. Once a SOTA student has finished primary school, their can enrol with their state's 'open education' High School, or attend a private boarding school in the city.

School of the Air was started around 1950 by a lady called Adelaide Miethke. She was the president of the South Australian branch of the Royal Flying Doctor's Service from 1941. She had the idea to use to pedal-radio network of the RFDS to broadcast lessons to the children on stations. The trial lessons were broadcast from Port Augusta in 1950, with the first official lessons being broadcast from Alice Springs in 1951. Twelve stations were involved in the first lesson, but interest quickly grew.

Many information sources say that modern School of the Air classes are broadcast with High-Frequency radios, but the truth is that that just isn't so any more! Most SOTAs use a wide range of internet softwares now.

The most common internet software for lessons is a programme called Centra. It's hard to describe, like an interactive whiteboard with a 'text chat', students can write on the board, put up their hand, see and hear their teacher, and all sorts of things. The sound lags, however, so most teachers will chose to use teleconferencing in conjuction with Centra. Other lessons can be broadcast with just teleconferencing, usually in conjunction with a programme called Moodle (on which work can be posted so students can access it) or with textbooks. Some SOTAs use Skype or other real-time systems like that.

Outside of 'contact lessons' or 'air time' like that, students also have to do 'non-contact' or 'non-air' work (homework!). They do the same amount of work as their counterparts at face-to-face school. It's done on a computer more often than work at face-to-face school, and e-mailed to the teacher, but some subjects and schools use paper materials which must be posted in (it's much slower that way). Most students have a separate 'classroom', and they often have to submit a timetable to their teacher detailing when they have lessons and when they'll do homework.

The system is quite effective and allows students to work at their own pace more than they can in school, which means quite often they only spend half a day doing schoolwork! Students are at the same level as their face-to-face schooled counterparts, however, and are required to sit the NAPLAN test in years 3, 5, 7, and 9.

Most SOTAs also run 'Come-In Days' or 'Residential Schools', which gives students an opportunity to meet up and make friends. There are also itinerant teachers and home visits, so students meet their teachers face-to-face.

In short, children on Australian stations don't 'go' to school; school comes to them!

Answer 3

by bus, car, bike, train, tram, walking, however

Answer 4

most kids don't go to school but if they do than they go to a regular school building