Of the 8000 small islands that surround Australia, Christmas Island is one of the most remote. Linda Belardi meets the principal of the island’s only school.

Appearing as a tiny dot in the Indian Ocean, Christmas Island is a delicate fusion of culture, language and remote geography. Located 2600km north west of Perth, Christmas Island District High School is home to an eclectic mix of Chinese, Malay and English-speaking locals, together with 120 children of asylum seekers. Knitting together the multiple and diverse parts of the island community is a key feature of the leadership of principal, Ian Francis. "We have 50 asylum seeker children aged between five and ten and we strive to make them feel as included as possible. They wear the same...