Larrakeyah Primary School - Australia

Larrakeyah Primary School, a 520-student government school in Darwin has emerged as an international leader in AI-powered education through its groundbreaking custom-built platform, IntelliLearn. Applying for the Varkey Foundation's Global Schools Prize 2026 in the AI Transformation category, Larrakeyah tells a remarkable story of a diverse urban school—where half the students speak English as a second language, 5% are Aboriginal, and one-fifth come from defence families—that has moved "from ordinary to extraordinary."

The school's flagship innovation, IntelliLearn, was designed and custom-built by teachers to boost literacy and writing skills. Unlike ChatGPT, it operates within controlled curriculum parameters, providing scaffolded, real-time support with voice-to-text capabilities particularly beneficial for EAL/D learners. The results are striking: 92% of Year 5 students and 100% of Year 6 students now meet or exceed literacy benchmarks, while 86% of the EAL/D cohort (comprising 50% of Years 5–6) achieve at or above expected writing levels. Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with 92.1% reporting IntelliLearn kept them on task and 77.4% believing it developed their writing skills.

Larrakeyah's achievements are extensively recognised. The school is a 2025 Winner of Best Use of Technology at the Australian Education Awards and won Best STEM Program in 2022. It was named Primary School of the Year – Government (Excellence Awardee) 2025, recognised as a Top 34 school in Australia ("5-Star Best School 2025" by The Educator), and previously awarded 5-Star Innovative School and 5-Star Sustainable Program in 2023. Internationally, Larrakeyah was a Top 3 Finalist in the inaugural World's Best School Prizes for Supporting Healthy Lives 2022, a finalist at the International School Awards 2022 for Pathways to Continued and University Education, and holds the distinction of being the only Northern Territory government school accredited as a Cambridge International School.

The school's AI approach is grounded in ethics and responsibility. Its AI policy, built on the Australian Framework for Generative AI in Schools, emphasises "keeping the human in the loop." Students learn through Self Organised Learning Environments (SOLE), QUEST projects with industry professionals, and whole-school STEAM Days tackling real-world problems—such as designing humane solutions to plovers nesting on school ovals. Teachers use an "AI Pedagogy On A Page" framework and the 5 C's (adding Conscientious to Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical thinking).

Inclusion is central: SeeSaw AI differentiates activities, YouHue tracks daily wellbeing with AI-driven insights, and IntelliLearn's voice-to-text empowers early writers and language learners. Parents are engaged through fortnightly Community Digests and consultation on strategic planning.

With $60,000 already invested in IntelliLearn, Larrakeyah stands ready to share its recipe for success globally—proof that a government primary school in remote northern Australia can lead the world in ethical, inclusive AI transformation.