Lifestyle and Leisure
How the Australian school system works
Although not too dissimilar to the UK system, there are details of Australian schooling its best to know about before walking through the gates on your first day, writes Jo-ann Hodgson
If you're emigrating with children one of your priorities is likely to be getting them settled in a school as quickly and smoothly as possible. But before you can think of that you and your child would be wise to take a couple of hours out to acquaint yourself with the Australian education system. Although not that dissimilar to the system you'll no doubt be used to in the UK, there are details of Australian schooling, including many differences between states and territories, that it's best to be aware of before your first day through the gates.
Schooling in Australia generally starts with a preparatory year followed by 12 years of primary and secondary schooling, divided broadly into preschool, primary, high school and career and vocational training with the obvious opportunity to continue education at university level. Schooling is compulsory for students in most states and territories until the age of 15 and the school year is divided into four terms, running from late January/early February until December. As in the UK, pupils and staff are given a short break between terms and a long summer holiday. The school day will also seem familiar, with most schools starting at 9am and finishing at 3.30pm.
The curriculum of all state and private schools covers eight key learning areas, giving lessons in English, Maths, Studies of Society and the Environment, Science, Arts, Languages, Technology and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education. As in the UK, the choice of subjects available to students diversifies at secondary school and they can take lessons in such subjects as drama, music, art and debating and public speaking. The style of education in Australia is generally considered to place less importance on memorising 'spoon-fed' facts, instead focusing more on self discipline, learning through methods of finding-out and encouraging a child's interest and enthusiasm for learning.
Although students are legally allowed to leave the school system at year 10, most students stay on until year 12 to gain university-entry level certificates and vocational qualifications. The certificates and qualifications students study for in the last years of high school differ from state to state.
In the Australian Capital Territory students receive a Year 12 Certificate; in New South Wales they follow a system called the Higher School Certificated (or HSC as you may have heard it referred to in Neighbours and Home and Away); in the Northern Territory students are encouraged to complete a Northern Territory Certificate of Education; in Queensland students sit the Queensland Core Skills Test (QCST), the results of which are put together with individual subject results to create an Overall Performance (OP) rank ranging from 1 to 25, with one being the best – each university will then classify a degree as having a certain OP for entrance; in South Australia year 11 and 12 students will study for the South Australian Certificate of Education; in Tasmania post-compulsory education contributes to the Tasmanian Certificate of Education; in Victoria they award the Victorian Certificate of Education and finally, in Western Australia students strive for the Western Australia Certificate of Education.
At least 24 government and non-government schools in Australia offer the International Baccalaureate (IB). The two-year pre-university curriculum for students aged between 16 and 19 aims to prepare students for university and encourages them to, in the board's own blurb: "Ask challenging questions; learn how to learn; develop a strong sense of their own identity and culture and develop the ability to communicate with and understand people from other countries and cultures." The Baccalaureate is often taken to increase the chance of gaining entry to top international universities.
Around nine out of every ten Australian secondary schools also provide vocational education programs in addition to the standard curriculum. Work on vocational programmes often aims towards entry to Australia's Vocational Education and Training (VET) or Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) system. Post-secondary school VET institutions deliver training that is both practical and career-orientated in fields such as computing, business studies, marketing, tourism, hospitality and in many more areas.
VET courses are provided by both public institutions called TAFE Institutes and also private colleges, and are subject to government monitoring.
As is the case on British soil, you can choose whether your child goes to a state-funded school or an independent institution. Education at public (state) schools is free in most states, although most schools do have a small voluntary annual fee to cover extra activities. Independent schools – often exclusively all girl and all boy schools catering for certain religious persuasions, in particular the Catholic faith – have their own fee structure and also receive a subsidy from the federal and state governments.
For more information visit:
Study in Australia
Australian Explorer
Yes Australia
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