Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Chris Robinson Chief Executive Department of Education and Children’s Services South Australia

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia What are we aiming for in school education in South Australia?  Students who can compete in global domestic job markets  Students who attain world’s best practice school achievement levels  Students who are resilient and adapt to rapid change  Students who have extensive cultural understandings  Students who are well prepared for citizenship  Students who have sophisticated levels of scientific understandings  Students who are healthy, well rounded and have a range of interests

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia School participation rates in South Australia, 2008 (ABS 2009 – 42210DO019)  15 year olds97.9 %  16 year olds87.4%  17 year olds65.5%  18 year olds11.8%

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Retention In South Australia from year 7 or 8 to year 12 retention rate was 72.7% (2008)

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Just over 70% of all school leavers each year complete Year 12 (ABS 2007)  Australian school leavers – highest year of schooling completed, 2007: - Year % - Year 119.3% - Year % - Year 9 or below4.1%

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Only just over half of all school leavers go directly on to further education and training (ABS 2007)  Australian school leaver destinations, 2007: - further education and training 55.4 % - not studying but in to a job 30.5% - not studying but looking for work 6.9% - not studying and not in to the workforce 7.2%

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Of the 55% of school leavers who go directly on to further study, half go to University (ABS 2007)  Education destinations of Australian school leavers who enrolled in further study in 2007: - bachelor degree or higher50% - diploma / advanced diploma12% - certificate III / IV23% - certificate I / II /other10% - year 12 or below1% - study not leading to a qualification3%

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Different qualifications lead to different jobs QualificationsSectorTypes of jobs Doctoral and masters degreeHigher education Professional jobs Graduate diplomas and certificates Higher education Professional jobs Graduate vocational certificates and diplomas VETUpskilling of existing workers Bachelor degreesHigh educationProfessional jobs Diploma / advanced diplomaDual sector, mostly VET Para professional jobs / higher skilled technical jobs Certificate IVVETTechnicians / para professional jobs Certificate IIIVETSkilled trades people Wide range of skilled service industry jobs Certificate IIVETLower skilled jobs in service, clerical, retails and transport industries Trades assistants / technicians assistants Other lower skilled jobs Access to further education and training Certificate IVETMostly access to further education and training

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Employment outcomes for people with and without tertiary qualifications, 2007 Proportion of people aged years who have left school who are employed (%) With a tertiary qualification University post graduate86.7 Bachelor degree85.8 Advanced diploma / diploma82.2 Certificate III / IV85.0 Certificate I / II72.0 All with a tertiary qualification83.4 Without a tertiary qualification Completed year Left school before completing year All without a tertiary qualification64.1

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia There is a mismatch between the study choices of school leavers and qualifications needed for jobs Qualification Jobs that require qualifications (% of employment) Current qualifications profile of population (% of population) Study choices of school leavers (% of school leavers) University VET No tertiary

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia There is poor alignment between student and parent aspirations, actual student study choices and job skill requirements Qualificatio n Jobs that require qualification s (% of employment ) Current qualifications profile of population (% of population) Student’s planned tertiary pathway while still at school (%) Parent’s tertiary education aspirations for their children (%) Actual study choices of school leavers (% of school leavers) University Vocational No tertiary

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia What are the implications of the changing nature of work for young South Australians?  Nature of jobs is changing faster then ever  Skills shortages are structural and ongoing not just cyclical  Job prospects are excellent for university qualified young people  Job prospects are equally good for high level VET qualified people 1.e Certificate 111 and 1V, Diploma/Advanced Diploma  Completing year 12 or Certificate 2 while a start is not enough for a sustainable career  Job prospects are dismal for young people who drop out  Far too few young people are getting tertiary qualified

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Young people’s perceptions about what disconnects young people from school (Australian Centre for Equity Through Education and Australian Youth Research Centre 2001) % still at School % not at School Rank  School ethos, relationships with teachers and the way students are treated by the school  Subject choice and curriculum content  Organisational structure of school 1073  Social environment, bullying 5134  Physical environment 305

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia  We must move from improvement to transformation in the reform of schools (Caldwell and Spinks 2008)  How might we transform our schools?  Here are some ideas to think about …

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Transforming senior secondary education: A full choice of subjects for all senior secondary students, regardless of the size of their school  A more student centred approach to learning with more options  Subjects provided by their school in the usual way  Subjects provided at their school but by a visiting teacher  Subjects provided in a virtual classroom through a link between a teacher and a full class of students from multiple sites  Student travelling to a nearby school for particular programs  Conventional open learning delivery

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Transforming senior secondary education: A full choice of VET options for senior secondary students  Phase out embedded programs and have all VET delivery under national training packages  Have some certificates / units provided by school  School based apprenticeships  A much greater choice of VET (particularly Certificate III +) provided by TAFE / RTO’s

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Transforming senior secondary education: A full choice of other options for senior secondary students  Commence a semester of university study while at school  Individual learning options with accreditation in senior secondary certificates

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Transforming senior secondary education: Providing senior students with educational support  Case manage learning  Each secondary student has a mentor  Individual learning plans  Provision of professional and independent career advice so educational choices can be truly based on career aspirations and good information about options

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Some key elements are already happening  Raising the school leaving age / learning or earning to 17 years in South Australia  New national emphasis on universal access to pre-school and early childhood development  Pre school and primary links being developed  Some excellent middle schooling strategies  Senior secondary school reforms, more learning choices particularly in VET, individual learning plans  Improved career advice

Aiming High: Secondary Education in South Australia Some key elements continued…  Targeted flexible learning options being trialled to re-engage early school leavers  More high level VET options for school students including school based apprenticeships  A national agreement in schooling aimed at 90% attainment  National partnerships on teacher quality, literacy and numeracy and communities making a difference (was low SES communities) are being rolled out in South Australia  A national partnership on youth attainment and transitions that includes a youth compact entitlement has been developed in response to economic downturn.