Royal Far West School

Telephone02 9977 2452

Emailroyalfarwe-s.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Sounds, Words, Aboriginal Language and Yarning (SWAY)

 

SWAY is an oral language and early literacy program based on local Aboriginal language and stories within the early learning environment.

SWAY continues to grow and is shared across multiple sites across NSW.

SWAY is a targeted and whole class intervention program.  The targeted small group intervention sessions are delivered by speech pathologists online or face-to-face. The whole class program is delivered by teachers and educators who have participated in the quality assured three day SWAY training.  Community consultation is the key to the delivery of the program.  

The SWAY training is shared in term 1 each year to teachers and educators across schools and preschools in rural and remote NSW.   After completing training, teachers are enabled to deliver the whole class program within their specific educational setting. Ongoing mentoring is provided throughout the year to support the delivery of the SWAY program to sites. 

Our main aims are:

  • To improve the oral language and early literacy outcomes of children within rural and remote communities.  
  • To provide an inclusive program for all children within preschools and early stage one settings. 
  • To support educators to implement evidence-based oral language strategies within the early learning environment.
  • To develop meaningful knowledge and appreciation of local Aboriginal history and culture. We encourage place-based learning of local Aboriginal yarns and language to promote students' cultural identity.
  • To support teachers with embedding local Aboriginal perspectives into engaging play-based learning experiences.

The SWAY program is aligned to the EYLF V2 (Early Years Learning Framework) and the NSW syllabus outcomes.

Contact:  Please email our team at sway.rfws@det.nsw.edu.au to learn more about the SWAY program.