On behalf of Northern Beaches SHS let me take a moment to welcome you the Senior Schooling section of our marvellous school website. I hope you find the information useful, informative and supportive in what is a three way partnership between your child, yourself and our school. At NBSHS we pride ourselves on providing quality academic and vocational pathways for students in a supportive environment. Senior Schooling is the culmination of many years of study and hard work by students, parents and teachers and at times this can be a stressful period of time in a young person's life. Our expert, dynamic teaching team strives to deliver the highest quality programs with academic rigour, coupled with knowing the needs of our students to enable your young person to achieve the best outcomes for their future. We offer range of pathways and offer a plethora of opportunities to broaden our students post schooling destinations. Below is some more detailed information about Senior Schooling:
Year 10
In many respects, Year 10 operates as a transition year from the junior to senior phases of school education, with a large variety of the subjects offered forming an introduction to courses of study available in Years 11 and 12. In Year 10 students are required to develop their Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan, which details the student's specific goals for Year 11 & 12 and beyond. The formation of this plan is integral to ensuring a student's subject choices in Years 11 & 12 match their educational and early career goals. To this end, an interview is conducted with each student and their parents during Term 3 to finalize the plan.
Year 11 and 12
In Years 11 and 12, students continue to study six subjects, selected from a wide range of offerings which include General and Applied Subjects as well as vocational certificate courses, traineeships and apprenticeships offered both through the school and external training providers. The end goal in Yr. 11 and 12 is to obtain a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and/or an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR).
All senior students, regardless of whether they are eligible to receive an ATAR, should be seeking to obtain a Queensland Certificate of Education on the completion of Year 12. Introduced in 2008, QCEs are now the chief indicator that a student has successfully attained a high school education. To be awarded a QCE, by the completion of Year 12 four conditions must be fulfilled; namely, that the student has:
Completed one semester of mathematics at a grade of Sound Achievement ('C') or higher;
Completed one semester of English at a grade of Sound Achievement ('C') or higher; and
Achieved a minimum of 20 credits
Attained a minimum of 12 core credits, through a Sound Achievement in three subjects/VET certificate courses
Four credits are awarded following the completion of each subject at a grade of Sound Achievement ('C') or higher. With regards to vocational certificates, successful completion of all competencies in a Certificate I course accrues two points; a Certificate II course, four points; and a Certificate III course, eight points. Students can also obtain additional credits through the completion of advanced courses of study, such as a university subject and higher level music and language exams. For detailed information on eligibility for a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), please consult the attached QCE Handbook as authored by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). At NBSHS we offer an extensive pastoral QCE and Academic Tracking process which aims for early intervention and strategies to maximize QCE attainment at our school. For detailed information on how your son/daughter is tracking for their QCE attainment please contact the school and speak with Ms Graham (Head of Department: Senior School) or Mr. Stripp (Deputy Principal: Senior School).
Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR)
Across Australia, the ATAR is a standard measure of a student's overall academic achievement in relation to that of other students. It is intended to assist tertiary institutions to select applicants into their courses. The ATAR is a percentile rank, not a mark. This rank indicates a student's position relative to other students in their age group in any given year. It's expressed as a number on a 2000-point scale from 99.95 down to 0.00 in steps of 0.05.
An ATAR of 80.00 does not mean a student got 80%. It indicates that the student placed in the top 20% of students in Queensland in their Year 12 age group. To be eligible to get an ATAR, students must receive a grade of Sound Achievement in English, and must be enrolled in either 5 General Subjects OR 4 General Subjects + 1 Certificate III or Applied Subject.
Vocational Education & Training (VET)
NBSHS provides students in Year 11 & 12 the opportunity to study a variety of vocational certificate courses, as well as engage in traineeship and apprenticeships, although the school doesn't directly source these. Certificate courses are offered through the school as a subject choice and within our unique enrichment experience during Wednesday, Session 4. Alternatively, students are encouraged to participate in the VET in Schools (VETiS) program through our partnership with TAFE.
For more information about VET at NBSHS, please contact Mrs Wright (Head of Department: Senior School.