The Gumbaynggirr community proudly celebrates the opening of additional classrooms at Gumbaynggirr Giingana Freedom School (GGFS).

Wednesday 4th December 2024

Located at the Coffs Harbour TAFE Glenreagh Street Campus, GGFS currently caters to students from Kindergarten to Year 6, with expansion to Years 7 and 8 in 2025.

GGFS is centered around Gumbaynggirr language and culture, with quality teaching grounded in Gumbaynggirr values and philosophies. The school also prioritizes strong community and parent engagement.

Clark Webb, a Gumbaynggirr man and the Founder and Executive Officer of BMNAC, emphasised the significance of the school in advancing the BMNAC vision to enrich the educational experience through the Gumbaynggirr worldview, language, and pedagogy.

“The opening of our additional classrooms at the Gumbaynggirr Giingana School represents an exciting expansion of the work we’ve been doing in our community for the past decade. We are thrilled to see this dream come to fruition, and we are deeply grateful for the unwavering support of our community, partner organisations, and sponsors who have joined us on this journey,” said Mr. Webb.

“We believe that when our children are strong in their cultural identity, they engage more effectively in learning. Our work focuses on fostering the cultural identities, strengths, and learning capacities of our students, ensuring they are well-supported to achieve academic excellence.”

GGFS opened in 2022 and is proud to be the first bilingual Aboriginal language school in New South Wales and remains committed to achieving academic excellence for all students by implementing innovative practices that integrate language and education.

The school is fortunate to receive financial support from the NSW Government through the Aboriginal Languages Trust (ALT) and philanthropic partners, including the Paul Ramsay Foundation, through the Learning Lives, Strengthened in Culture program.

“PRF is proud to be supporting BMNAC and the GGFS as a leader at the forefront of First Nations self-determination in education. We strongly support and believe in their vision for their community to be Gumbaynggirr Daari,” said Michelle Steele, Chief First Nations Officer, Paul Ramsay Foundation.