Tamworth Learning 2020

Tamworth Learning 2020 was a long term strategic project to define a vision for public education in Tamworth, NSW. The project involved the design and delivery of a consultation process to understand the changing needs of education in Tamworth and make recommendations about how public education in the area could meet identified challenges.

The consultation process was designed to ensure inclusiveness and deliberation. As part of the project, Elton Consulting managed a variety of consultations, including:

• Interactive sessions with representative samples of students from area schools (years K-12)
• Discussions and focus groups with parent and teachers
• Three community workshops that combined station rounds and ‘world café’ techniques
• Two deliberative forums( based on the citizens jury model) - one for a representative sample of community members and the other for a representative sample of senior students
• Specific Aboriginal consultations including meetings, youth groups and workshops
• More than 20 interactive briefings and workshops with key stakeholders, welfare, local industry and other interest groups
• Information updates at regular intervals through the production of 13 project newsletters
• Ongoing meetings with the NSW Department of Education and Training and the project reference group.

The project was recognised for its creative and proactive approach, which enabled meaningful participation by stakeholders and the community.

Client:
NSW Department of Education and Training

Awards:
2007 International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Australasian Core Values Awards – Award for Robust Participatory Planning Process

Link:
www.schools.nsw.edu.au/regions/new_england/index.php