Alice Springs School of the Air

Australia is a vast land of varied geography, with the majority of the population living close to the coast. However, in the more sparsely populated and remote interior regions of the country, commonly referred to as the ‘Outback,’ there are families living and raising their children with the same ideals as their counterparts in the cities – to give their children the best education possible. Alice Springs School of the Air has been bridging education gaps caused by remote locations and providing schooling to children at cattle stations, roadhouses, Aboriginal communities and national parks with daily lessons via satellite broadband to children aged 4 to 13 years since 1951. The school broadcast area covers 1.3 million square kilometres including most of the Northern Territory, the northern area of South Australia and eastern area of Western Australia. Since 1996 visitors to Central Australia and Alice Springs locals, have been able to come to the Alice Springs School of the Air at Head Street and gain an insight into remote education through the Visitor Centre. Set up as an initiative of the School Council, funds raised from admissions assist with student enrichment programs such as interstate excursions, in-town activities and provide funds for the purchase of expensive equipment. It is an opportunity to appreciate a unique, and first of its kind, educational facility to learn about our operations. There is a short film screened regularly which provides a historical overview of the school as well as the opportunity to view live lessons when school is in, or recorded lessons after hours, weekends and during school holidays. We invite you to visit us and experience one of the most popular activities in Alice Springs.