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elationship between the number of days absent from school and academicperformance.Box 1.32KEY MESSAGE• In 2006, the school participation rate for Indigenous five to eight year old children(97 per cent) was similar to that for non-Indigenous children (94 per cent)(figure 6.2.1, table 6A.2.1).All the strategic areas have some relevance to achieving good outcomes for youngchildren in education. In addition, parental support is very important to ensureyoung children attend school regularly.Box 1.33Things that work• The Ngaripirliga’ajirri program, operating in three Tiwi (NT) primary schools in2000–04, is a culturally relevant early intervention program for Tiwi children ofprimary school age and their parents (box 6.2.2).Year 3 literacy and numeracyAchievement in the early years of schooling has major implications for retentionand attainment in later years. Children who have already fallen behind in year 3 willhave difficulty progressing through school and are less likely to attend schoolbeyond the compulsory age. This in turn has implications for employment optionsand long term disadvantage.Box 1.34KEY MESSAGES• Between 1999 and 2005, Indigenous students’ performance against the nationalreading, writing and numeracy benchmarks fluctuated, with no statisticallysignificant trend (figures 6.3.1, 6.3.3 and 6.3.5).• In 2005, the proportion of Indigenous year 3 students who did not achieve thenational benchmark was substantially higher than the proportion of all students, for:– reading (22 per cent compared to 7 per cent) (figure 6.3.2)– writing (26 per cent compared to 7 per cent) (figure 6.3.4)– numeracy (20 per cent compared to 6 per cent) (figure 6.3.6).34 OVERCOMINGINDIGENOUSDISADVANTAGE 2007