An investigation into the alignment of policy, practice, and Aboriginal community involvement to support urban Aboriginal children’s identities in an NSW primary school

In recent years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers have unequivocally called out the way Aboriginal identity has been represented in education as deficit, inferior and chronically maladaptive. Moreover, the triumphs and struggles of Aboriginal peoples who have forcibly or selectively chosen to urbanise have been largely omitted from education and broader areas of social research for decades. This study, with a focus on the provision of support for urban Aboriginal children in NSW primary education, is therefore unprecedented. Initially, the work explores the contentious struggles in maintaining and reclaiming sovereign rights to children’s Aboriginal identity in contemporary Australia with particular attention to support for children’s Aboriginal identities within NSW primary education. The study then explores how stakeholders, namely the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (NSW AECG), NSW Department of Education (NSW DoE) and NSW Parents and Citizens Federation (NSW PCF), align their practices with the relevant educational policies to support children’s Aboriginal identities. Qualitative data collection includes narratives, observations and a range of documents including websites and social media posts. Participants are drawn from education leaders, and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teachers, parents, and Aboriginal community members from an urban NSW primary school context. Coding and analysis occurred over several iterations of examining, comparing, and interpreting the information, followed by a process of cross-examination and critical analysis of the material and findings with Aboriginal education policies. The results highlight where there is alignment and a concerning degree of misalignment. The findings from this multifaceted investigation point to the perpetuation of a pan-Aboriginal identity within the education system in NSW. It is argued that this contributes to urban Aboriginal children being overlooked and furthermore that this works to the detriment of the development, validation, and affirmation of their Aboriginal identity. The work sharply focusses attention on the underrepresentation of urban Aboriginal children in education research, the problematic nature of mismatch in policy and practice and its sources and delineates and emphasises the risks posed by misalignment. Recommendations are made about what further research and action are needed to move forward.