Abbott heads west to become teacher's aide

Former prime minister Tony Abbott is headed to a school in the West Australian Kimberley region to act as a teacher's aide for the week.

Tony Abbott is spending a week working as a teacher's aide in the West Australian Kimberley region. (AAP)

Tony Abbott will be spending the week far from the dramas of parliament, as a teacher's aide in the Kimberley.

Fulfilling his yearly trip to an indigenous community, the former prime minister heads to the local Halls Creek school in Western Australia on Tuesday.

"Aboriginal people are about two to three per cent of our population so why shouldn't politicians spend about two per cent of the year - or a week - focused on their issues," he told 2GB radio's Ray Hadley on Monday.

On the agenda should be getting children to school, jobs for their parents and keeping communities safe.

Mr Abbott says it's not the first time he's been a teacher's aide, having spent three weeks as one in 2008.

He said the teaching method of direct instruction was making a welcome reappearance in classrooms thanks to Aboriginal academic Noel Pearson.

"I understand there are forms of direct instructions happening here in the Kimberley and I'm looking forward to seeing that starting from tomorrow."