In 2015, Year 7 will become the first year of secondary schooling in Queensland.
Catholic education authorities across Queensland are working closely with the State government to make this transition as seamless as possible, to ensure that students in Catholic schools gain the maximum benefit from the transition.
The move of Year 7 from primary to secondary schooling will be a significant change for our schools. However, we believe it is the right decision educationally if Queensland is to maintain a first class education system and to take advantage of the introduction of the new national curriculum.
Since the introduction of the Prep Year, students will be an average of six months older when they reach Year 7 and we believe they are ready for the challenges of the specialist teaching programs and facilities that the secondary school setting provides.
Importantly, the move will more closely align our school structures with those in the majority of Australian states and with the new Australian curriculum that will be implemented in Catholic schools in stages commencing from 2012.
Projections indicate that about 11,000 additional students will need to be accommodated in Queensland’s 85 Catholic secondary colleges from 2015 and planning for the move has already commenced.
Over the next three years, Brisbane Catholic Education will work with Principals, school communities and the State government to ensure this major reform is successfully delivered.
Planning for first class facilities
Brisbane Catholic Education has already commenced planning for the additional facilities that will be needed by secondary schools to accommodate Year 7.
An audit of existing facilities has found that most of our secondary Colleges are already operating at full capacity and will require significant capital works to accommodate Year 7 effectively.
We will follow basically the same processes as we have in recent years (in the delivery of Prep facilities and the Building the Education Revolution program), including strong local and school-based consultation, to successfully deliver these new Year 7 facilities within the timeframe.
The Queensland Government has committed a total of $105 million to Catholic education in Queensland to assist with costs of this change to our school structures.
Working in partnership with families
The recent confirmation of 2015 as the timing of the move of Year 7 gives families a firm timeframe to clarify secondary school options for their children.
Close communication with families will be a priority for Catholic education as more specific details around the various aspects of the move emerge in each school community.
Enrolment processes and timelines for Catholic secondary schools vary from school to school. Parents are encouraged to contact their preferred Catholic secondary college for more information. School contact details are available via the Find A School function of the Brisbane Catholic Education website.
Support for teachers and staff
Brisbane Catholic Education will be working to ensure that teachers and staff affected by the change are provided with information in a timely manner and that any additional teachers required in secondary schools are well prepared to teach Year 7 in the secondary school context.
Preliminary research indicates that there is likely to be a slight increase in the overall number of teachers required within Catholic schools.
All matters associated with staffing of schools will be carefully considered in consultation with teachers and in keeping with appropriate industrial processes.
Impact on primary schools
It is expected that some Catholic primary schools will be able to maintain overall student numbers by accepting greater numbers of students in younger year levels, while others may experience reduced enrolments. Any potential impacts of the move on primary schools, and in particular on our small schools, will be carefully monitored.
Pastoral care of students
One of the most important considerations for this change will be ensuring that Year 7 students are made to feel welcome and safe in the secondary school environment.
Catholic secondary colleges place great emphasis on pastoral care and have structures in place to ensure younger students are especially well cared for. The need for specialised programs to support the transition of these younger students and their families into secondary schools is already being examined.
Rural communities and boarding schools
Projections indicate that around 300 Year 7 students attend Catholic primary schools in country areas of Queensland where there is no local Catholic secondary college.
For some families, this may mean that students will begin in a Catholic boarding school in Year 7, rather than Year 8, once Year 7 becomes the first year of secondary school in 2015.
Financial and emotional challenges for rural families facing an extra year of boarding school for their children, along with the cost to schools of providing additional boarding places, are significant considerations. Catholic education authorities are represented on a taskforce established by the Queensland Government to examine this situation.
Further Information
Parents of current students are encouraged to talk with the principal of their school for further information about the movement of Year 7 to secondary in 2015. As additional information becomes available, this will be added to the Brisbane Catholic Education website, to ensure that parents are kept informed.