Broadwater Public School: A resilient community

Community spirit defined Broadwater Public School long before the devastating rain event in the Northern Rivers of NSW in February 2022 saw the Richmond River sweep through the town of around 600 people. That community spirit has been integral in the resilience of staff and students on their long road to recovery. 

In 2021 Broadwater Public School celebrated its 140th anniversary. It’s a small school – 51 students, a staff of three full-time teachers, including a teaching principal, two part-time teachers, two school administrators and two school learning support officers (SLSOs). But this small school has a big heart forming the focal point of a close-knit community – many of the families are close friends and relatives who live and work in Broadwater, a significant proportion at the historic sugar refining mill that has been in operation since 1880. The school has a strong P&C and loves to host functions, bringing the community into the school. 

In late February 2022, following unprecedented rain, the Richmond River inundated Broadwater, laying waste to homes, the sugar mill and Broadwater Public School. The river rose so rapidly during the night that many students and their families were evacuated to higher ground in boats owned by locals. Many homes, treasured possessions, livestock and pets were sadly lost. 

It took nearly a week before residents and staff at the school could get back into town to survey the damage. The occasional flood is an accepted part of life in the Northern Rivers but one look at the school showed this was no ordinary flood, it was total devastation with the school completely destroyed.  

Many of the Broadwater families relocated to emergency accommodation and short-term rentals in Evans Head and, after a couple of weeks, the NSW Department of Education relocated Broadwater staff and students to the library at Evans Head Public School. Initially they shared the library with staff and students from two other local small schools in similar situations, before a ‘permanent temporary’ arrangement could be made.  

Broadwater Public School was moved into demountable buildings situated near the library between the Evans Head primary and high schools, with a small, grassed area, the size of two demountable buildings that is now the playground for the school’s 51 students. The local Bunnings donated planter boxes so that the students could create some vegetable gardens which has helped make this small patch more their own. One lunchtime per week, Broadwater Public School students are permitted to use the Evans Head Public School playground, and two days a week, staff walk students to the local park for their lunch time.  

Managing behaviour has been pivotal for the school to maintain its positivity. Students have experienced incredibly traumatic events and are being placed in a strange, small, congested school environment. Supervising lunch and recess, whether in their own small area, in the Evans Head Public School playground or at the local park, requires most of the staff, most of the time resulting in staff frequently having days with only the smallest breaks, if they get any break at all. However the staff recognise that creating a safe and enjoyable school experience is critical in the students’ recovery – and also a vital part of setting the future culture for the new school to be built on a new location at Broadwater.  

As well as providing a safe environment for students, the Broadwater staff recognised that continuing to deliver high quality lessons was equally critical in ensuring student remained engaged in their schooling. Prior to the floods in 2022, staff at Broadwater Public School undertook a Quality Teaching Rounds Digital workshop and included QTR as a strategic direction in their School Improvement Plan. Whilst circumstances have stopped them undertaking fully-fledged Quality Teaching Rounds, the teachers at Broadwater have developed a novel approach to incorporate the Quality Teaching Model into their lessons to improve engagement and ensure a high quality learning environment.  

Combining trauma informed pedagogy and the QT Model, the teachers, working with specialised counsellors, create time and space to talk about their experiences in whole class, small group, and individual discussions. The three dimensions of the Model guide their practice – intellectual quality helps with providing language and understanding to communicate feelings; quality learning environment guides engagement approaches and provides safe spaces for students; and significance connects students learning to their recent experiences and the wider world. 

The effectiveness of their efforts and the approach is evident in the retention of all their students, high attendance rates, and some incredible achievements. 

This year, Broadwater students won both the junior and senior regional spelling bee competition and made the state swimming finals. Last year, students attended state athletics carnival and came runners up in the regional rugby 7s competition, and one student won the Premier’s Respect Award. 

The staff and the P&C have also continued to hold events and bring the community into their temporary school location to maintain their school and community spirit.  

From the moment the flood waters destroyed their school, the staff at Broadwater Public have been there for each other and for their community. Despite their own challenging personal circumstances, including some staff losing their homes, they have remained committed to ensuring the support and learning of their students, and ensuring the future of their proud school.  

It is emotionally jarring driving past the devastated ruins of Broadwater Public School, surrounded by security fencing, boarded up windows and overgrown with grass and weeds. It’s hard to reconcile this scene with the pride staff felt in their large, lush, green school grounds. Plans have been drawn up for their new school building, but work is yet to start. 

The entire Broadwater Public School staff and community deserve to be recognised with the special contribution award for the superhuman efforts to ensure students have a school – more than just brick and mortar buildings but a place for them to come, heal, be kids, learn and grow.