Case Study: Empowering Education - Karratha and Roebourne Education Initiative

For more than 15 years, Woodside and its Joint Venture participants have proudly contributed to the Karratha and Roebourne Education Initiative (KREI), a partnership with schools within the City of Karratha in the North West of Australia. The partnership seeks to enrich educational opportunities and foster better outcomes for local students.

Roebourne District High School is one of the long-standing participants of the KREI.

In 2024, the school developed a program to support students sitting the Western Australian Department of Education’s Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA). Designed for secondary students to demonstrate they successfully meet the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy, the OLNA is an important step in supporting students on their path to further study and training.

Several students at the school were identified as requiring additional assistance and intervention to reach an OLNA pass level in one or more of the assessment areas.

Through the support of the KREI, individual learning and social needs of each student preparing to sit the OLNA were assessed so educational support could be tailored. Resources such as one-to-one and small group tutoring opportunities, and online training tools were provided focusing on building the skills required to improve students’ OLNA results.

“The students who participated demonstrated greater levels of confidence when sitting the OLNA, resulting in one of the highest recorded sittings for the test at our school.

“The OLNA achievements of participating students have not only enhanced their own education experience but is positively impacting peers, because our students are actively supporting their classmates to improve their own reading, writing, and numeracy skills,” Roebourne District High School Principal, Elizabeth Ritchie said.

Subsequent to the period, in January 2025 Woodside committed A$20 million to support the Roebourne District High School upgrade. This investment builds on our long-term commitment to positive regional education outcomes, through the KREI. An important consideration in supporting this investment was the opportunity to deliver education to the young people in our community in a culturally appropriate environment which sets them up for success.