Berinba’s newest recruit has passion for bridging the gap in the indigenous community, a desire surmounted only perhaps by his passion for education.
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Brian Giles-Browne is the newly appointed Principal at Berinba Primary School, having only started two weeks ago he has already gained the affection and respect of most of the school’s youth and teaching staff.
“One of my first impressions about the school is the very happy and engaged way students relate to their teachers in the classroom and playground,” he said. “Children always seem to have a bright disposition and really do enjoy the work they engage with.”
With over 40 years in the education industry, Mr Giles-Browne says his drive for teaching is the same as the day he began.
“There is never a day when I wake up and I don’t want to go to school, it’s always something I want to be a part of,” he said.
While many would look upon Mr Giles-Browne and see a jovial and happy-go-lucky educator, his past is anything but ordinary.
For over 10 years, Mr Giles-Browne was one of the leading figures in the Dare To Lead (DTL) program. A DEST-funded national project conducted by the Australian Principals Associations Professional Development Council committed to supporting schools to improve the educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
“It was an incredible journey,” he said. “I visited over 750 schools and worked with around 15 principals, I wrote books and evaluated the way in which we educate our Aboriginal children.”
“I learnt an incredible amount during this time and developed different styles of teaching.”
Mr Giles-Browne has worked in schools across NSW including Moruya, Bourke, Riverstone, and his last position was at the Coonamble Public School.
“Everyday is a new challenge, I’m always seeking new ways of improving teaching,” he continued.
“You always have those kids that fly and those that struggle, but I believe it’s the way you lead the school that improves the outcomes and bridges the gaps between the two.”
During his time at Coonamble, the school was selected as one of 15 schools to receive funding for the 'Connected Communities' program as one of the most disadvantaged areas in remote NSW.
The five-year program aimed at improving academic outcomes for Aboriginal students. The program showed improvements in writing and literacy and a reduction in the number of violent incidents which led to suspensions within this school.
He was also responsible for opening an information and community engagement office on the main street in Coonamble to further integrate the school into the town.
The shop front was designed to build strong relationships so that parents and the community feel welcome to visit the school and participate in its activities.
In an interview with ABC at the time Mr Giles-Browne said the shop front already had the desired effect.
"We've had 370 contacts with parents just this term [2014] … That's the same number for the entire year last year," he said.
Despite only being in his second week at Berinba, Mr Giles-Browne is already excited about working closely with the Aboriginal community and bringing the two communities together.
“Of course improving the outcomes of the kids is a big priority, I also believe in creating skills in leadership, but I want to ensure that the Aboriginal story is being told.”
Bob Buffington is already hard at work teaching the students Aboriginal dance and customs, initiative supported strongly by Mr Giles-Browne.