Abattoirs/Pooraka school in Adelaide's north responds to lower-socio-economic community challenges
Pooraka Primary School in Adelaide's northern suburbs started in 1914 as Abattoirs School, with one two-classroom building (top left) and the only in South Australia for students to have a special day off for the annual butchers’ picnic (at left). In the 21st century, the school was still classed as lower socio-economic but with half its students from an English-as-a-second-language background.
Pooraka Primary School, in Adelaide northern surburbs, started in 1914 as Abattoirs School primarily to service the families of the new Gepps Cross abattoirs that the year before had replaced the one (from 1884) on corner of North and West terraces, Adelaide city.
The Abattoirs school opened with a two-room building that was still used in the 21st Century for performing arts and the out of school hours centre. The original two rooms were later expanded in the 1920s to include another classroom for an infant school. The initial school grounds included a head teacher’s house, later turned into a community centre before it was demolished in the 1990s to make way for the new school hall and carpark.
The community always had a close relationship with the school. The Abattoirs school was the only one to have a special day off for the annual butchers’ picnic for the workers and families of the abattoirs. Families would travel together to places such as Virginia for the day and take part in sports and games while sharing lunch.
Peter Corry, the school’s second head teacher, was credited with many innovations that created a name for the school. He introduced domestic arts and agriculture programmes – the first offered in South Australia schools.
Abattoirs School became Pooraka Primary School in 1941. The abattoirs itself closed in 1999. The current main building was completed in 1965 and housed students previously studying in transportable classrooms.
In the 21st Century, a Pooraka Primary was still a government Category 3 school (lower socio-economic) school. Its cultural mix had changed drastically with about half the students from an English-as-a-second language background including Vietnamese, Afghani, Indian, Pakistani and African nations. The school has Vietnamese language maintenance and many students entered the school after intensive English language classes at nearby sites. The Aboriginal culture was also a strong aspect. Students who had a negotiated education plan and others students at risk of not achieving literacy and numeracy benchmarks were supported through classrooms, small groups or individual withdrawal.
Regular analysis of learning achievement data such as NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) and junior primary running records enabled school staff to set the priority for literacy (particularly, reading comprehension), maths and science. Analysis of spelling and grammar across the school led to intense phonological awareness applied to junior primary students by class teachers and the literacy mentor. A feature of Year 4 to 7 classrooms was reading comprehension and guided reading led by class teachers with staff support officers. Interactive whiteboards in every classroom and an ICT (information and communication technology) curriculum coordinator led staff training and development.
