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Indigenous Education

The Armidale School’s Indigenous Education program is a transformative one, for the students it supports, and the school community at large.

TAS values highly both the privilege and responsibility we have in helping overcome inequality, and is proud to give less advantaged indigenous students opportunities to flourish so they may achieve their ambitions and make a valuable contribution to their chosen fields and to their communities. Through our partnerships with key foundations, our Old Boy and wider TAS family and key members of the Armidale Aboriginal community, we are creating positive relationships to help young people reach their potential.

Indigenous Scholarships

Australian Indigenous Education Foundation
In 2010, TAS was contacted by Australian Indigenous Education Foundation CEO Andrew Penfold seeking a similar partnership with AIEF.  In 2011 TAS enrolled its first three AIEF indigenous students and has since enrolled a number of others with the assistance of AIEF.
To visit the AIEF website, click here.

Indigenous Student Scholarships are for boarding students only. For more information on Indigenous Scholarships at TAS, click here

Indigenous Student Support Fund
Set up in 2012 by three of the school’s Old Boys, the Indigenous Student Support Fund helps with the cost of co-curricular activities and excursions not otherwise covered by bursaries. Since its inception the fund has attracted considerable support from former students and parents as part of the TAS Foundation’s Annual Giving appeal. To donate to the ISSF, please click here

Minimbah Aboriginal School

Once a week, senior school students from TAS give up their Tuesday lunchtimes for something greater than themselves, reading, playing and building friendships with the young boys and girls at the neighbouring Minimbah Aboriginal Primary School.

Over the past decade, the grass-roots program has grown into something of greater significance than a weekly hour of community service.

In recent years TAS Junior School has hosted Minimbah for their athletics carnival, leading to TAS sponsoring Minimbah to become a member of the North Coast Independent Schools Association, giving their athletes representative pathways previously not available. During Terms 1 and 4 Minimbah students have learn to swim lessons in the TAS pool.

Three former Minimbah boys have received their secondary education at TAS, funded, as most of our indigenous students are, by scholarships through our partnerships with both the Yalari Foundation and Australian Indigenous Education Fund.

The schools have also come together for special commemorations such as the TAS NAIDOC Assembly and National Sorry Day.

Together, these initiatives are promoting a very real sense of greater understanding and friendship between the two schools, and from a TAS perspective, has been a culturally transformative experience.