HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR YOUR CHILDA paper by Mrs Ruth Butler, Principal, Grace Lutheran College, BA DipEd Litt B MEdSt MACEL

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR YOUR CHILDA paper by Mrs Ruth Butler, Principal, Grace Lutheran College, BA DipEd Litt B MEdSt MACEL

As your child is heading towards the age where you are considering secondary education you might be wondering how you will choose the right school. There are a number of questions you should ask yourself as a guide to making this important decision.

QUESTION 1: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS?

There are differences between the focus of primary schools compared to secondary schools.

Primary schools are characterised by: • Protectionbyadultswithclosesupervision • Closerelationshipsbetweenteachersandparents • Onemain,generalistteacher • Commoncurriculumforeveryone

Whereas, secondary schools emphasise: • Guidancebyadultsandfocusonself-discipline • Decreasingsupervisionandincreasingindependence • Increasingimportanceofrelationshipswithpeers • Severalspecialistteachers • Increasingchoiceincurriculum(electives) withsomecoresubjects(English/Maths).

Think about the difference between a Prep child, almost entirely dependent on their parents and teachers, and a Year 12 student able todriveacar,holddownapart-timejobandmanagetheirownstudyschedule.Dotheyneedthesamethings?Thesameenvironment? Thesamekindofmanagementbyadults?Insomeways,yes; in many ways, no.

“BUILDING THE BOX” AND “FORGING A PATH”

Primary school is a time when parents and students “build a box”

for their child.Theyteachthechildrightfromwrong,howtodevelophealthy habits, relate to others, learn curriculum basics, be proud of theircountry,theirreligionandtheirfamily.Childrenwhodonothavesuchpositiveboundariesoftenturnintoinsecureandanti-socialadults.“Building the box” is essential for future wellbeing.

By contrast, a good secondary school focuses on helping young people to “forge a path” for themselves.Positivevaluesandhabitswill be reinforced, but there will be a growing emphasis on helping students to become independent, to relate to a wider range of people, tomanageethicalgreyareasandsolveproblemsthathavenoclearsolutions. Secondary school should feel different from primary school with strong pastoral care to help students feel secure, but with enough freedomtoallowthemtogrowasindividuals.

QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW BEFORE I CHOOSE A SCHOOL?

The most important thing to know when selecting a school is: Who is my child, and what does he or she need?

What are the things your child is good at and interested in? The right secondary school is going to tick the boxes for your child, not anyone else’schild!Doesyourchildhaveanyparticularneeds:medical,social,emotional,learning(andthatincludesgiftedness)?

Youcouldasktheprospectiveschools:Howwillyouhelpmychilddevelopintermsoftheirspecialinterests,abilitiesorneeds?

What if there is more than one child in my family?

Ideally,forconvenienceandsenseofcommunity,aschoolshouldcaterforALLthechildreninafamily.Aschoolthatembracesdiversityisalsoone that teaches students about real life and respect for difference.

QUESTION 3: WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO FIND OUT ABOUT A SCHOOL?

The best way to gather information about a school is to ask the opinion of parents and students who attend the school.

Arethechildrenhappy?Aretheylearningwell?Dotheyhavetheopportunities they need? What do they like best? What do they like least?Positivewordofmouthisthemostcommonwaybywhichpeople are referred to a good school.

A word of caution: it is best to ask a number of people what they think.Itmaybethatthefirstpersonyoutalktohadanuncommon, bad experience.

A helpful resource is the School’s Commonwealth and State Reporting AnnualReportontheschool’swebsiteandcheckoutthefindingsfromtheparentandstudentsatisfactionsurvey.

QUESTION 4: STATE SCHOOL OR NON-STATE SCHOOL?

TherearemanygoodschoolsintheStateandNon-StateSchoolsectors. Education is a partnership between families and the school andwearefortunateinAustraliatohavearangeofeducationproviderssothatparentscanchooseapathwaythatbestssuitsthem.Bothkindsofschoolsshouldcomfortablyco-exist.

Independent(non-Catholic)schoolseducatemorethan20%ofsecondarystudentsinthestate,andnumbershaveincreased by39%inadecade.Independentschoolsprovideeducation tocommunitieswithwidelyvaryingbackgroundsincluding Indigenousfamilies,newmigrants,studentswithspecialneeds and young people at risk of disengaging from schooling.

Are independent schools only for the wealthy?

The short answer is, no. Statistics show more than half of all Queensland’sindependentschoolsservecommunitieswithaverage orlowerincomefamilies(whomaysacrificealottopaythefees)whileasignificantnumberofwealthyparentschooseStateSchools.Ifyouknowyoucannotaffordtheschoolfeesoftheschoolofyourchoice,consideraskingifthereisafeeremissionpolicyforlow-income families.

Why do parents choose Independent Schools?

ResearchbytheAustralianCouncilforEducationResearch(GeoffMasters,2013)showedthat,inchoosingasecondaryschool,regardlessofwhetheritisstateornon-state,parentsattachgreatestimportance to the quality of teachers in the school. They also look for schoolsthataresafe,secureandthatprovidequalitystudentcare.

AnIndependentSchoolsofQueenslandsurveyin2006showedthatthe three most important factors for parents when choosing to send their child to an independent school were:

1.Preparationforstudentstofulfiltheirpotentialinlife(72%)

2.Gooddiscipline(68%) 3.Encouragementofaresponsibleattitudetowork(66%)

Other values parents ranked as important offerings by Independent Schools included: • Abetterall-roundeducationfortheirchildren • Strongreputationoftheschool • Betterfacilities • Smallerclasssizes • Similarvaluesandbeliefs

QUESTION 5: SHOULD YOU SELECT A SCHOOL THAT IS CO-EDUCATIONAL OR SINGLE-SEX?

Parents who send their children to single sex schools often do so becausetheyhopetheywilldobetterinanenvironmenttailored for boys or girls, or because they do not wish them to be distracted by students of the opposite sex.

Proponents of co-education point to:

• Theconvenienceandcost-savingsofhavingallmembers of the family in the same school

• Itismorenatural.Life is Co-Ed.Studentswillhavetolive in families, work, compete and cooperate with males and females throughout life and need to learn how, now.

• Agoodco-educationalschoolwillmanagethe“distractions”. Insuchschoolsgirlsandboysdevelopnaturalfriendships, and there are far fewer “romantic” relationships in a healthy co-educationalenvironmentthanyoumighthaveimagined.

• Manysinglesexschoolsdonotofferthewiderangeofcourses availableinaco-educationalschool.Researchhasshownthere isnoevidencethatstudentsdobetteracademicallyinsingle-sex situations. A recent report in The Courier Mail(August28,2013) quotedMonashUniversityProfessorHelenForgasz:“Socio- economic factors are far more salient in terms of educational outcomes than anything to do with a gender setting of schooling.” The Courier Mail,August282013.

QUESTION 6: IS A FAITH-BASED OR NON-FAITH-BASED SCHOOL BEST FOR OUR CHILD?

Bothkindsofschoolhaveaplaceinacountrywheredemocracyandreligiousfreedomarevalued.Ifyouareamemberofaparticularreligion, it is likely that you will choose a school with that religious base.Ifnot,itisstilllikelythatyouwillconsiderafaith-basedschoolbecauseyouwantyourchildrentodevelopvaluessuchasrespectandcareforothersandtohavethecapacitytomakewiseethicaldecisions.

Mostfamiliesrecognisethatitisimportantforyoungpeopletodevelop theirspiritualsidetohelpthemappreciatelifeandcommunityandfindstrength in tough times. Students often report that they appreciate the quiettimeavailableforreflectionduringChapeltimeorReligiousEducation lessons.

A word of caution:Itistrickyforschoolstoconveyvaluesand/orreligiousbeliefwhileremainingsufficientlyrespectfulandinclusive ofthedifferentviewsofstudentsandparents.Tocheckouthow wellaschoolachievesthisbalance,herearesomeapproaches you might make:

Faith-based schools:

• ReadtheSchoolPhilosophyorMissionStatements. Ask for a copy of the Religious Education programme andBehaviourManagementpolicy.

• Howoftenarereligiousactivitiesconductedintheschool –e.g.Chapel,devotions?

• Whatvoluntaryreligiousorcommunityservice/mission activitiesarethere?

Non-faith-based schools:

• ReadtheSchoolPhilosophyorMissionStatements

• DotheyhaveaSchoolChaplainand/orCounsellor?

• DotheyhaveanexplicitValuesand/orCommunity Serviceprogramme?

QUESTION 7: WILL A BIG SCHOOL OR A SMALLER SCHOOL SUIT MY CHILD?

Ingeneral,parentsmayfavourabigschoolbecauseitoffersmoresubject choice and greater opportunities, or a small school because itmayseemachildwouldhavemoreindividualattention.

However,abigschoolmaystillbeabletogivestrongsupporttoindividualsifitisbrokenupintosub-schoolsorhouses,andhasastrongpastoralcaresystemwithsmallHomeClassesthatmeetregularly.Inabigorasmallschoolastudentmaystillbeinthesamesizedclassorwillstillonlybeabletostudy6or7subjects,regardlessof the large number of subjects on offer in the bigger school.

Ask the school:

• Howdoescontactbetweenteachersandparentsoccur?

• WhatdoIdoifmychildhasaproblem?

• Howbigaretheclasssizes?

QUESTION 8: HOW IMPORTANT ARE ACADEMIC RESULTS?

Obviously,amainpurposeofasecondaryschoolistohelpeachstudentachievehisorherpersonalbestacademicallyandtodevelopthe knowledge and skills necessary for future career pathways. Youwillmostlikelylookforaschoolthathasaproventrack-recordofstrongacademicachievementatSeniorlevelanddemonstratedsuccess in raising students’ abilities in the core areas of English, Maths, Science and Social Science. You will also check the range ofsubjectsavailable.Ifyouhavechildrenwithdiverseabilities, you may seek a school with opportunities for academic extension oroptionalVocationalandEducationpathways.

Indicators of a strong academic school include:

• Aclassroomenvironmentwherestudentscanlearn.

• Academicworkextendingbeyondnormaldirectedclassroom work,e.g.studentsworkinginthelibraryafterhours,voluntary study groups, peer tutoring, teachers offering extra academic help.

• Opportunitiesforacademically-giftedstudentstobeextended.

• Assessmenttasksthatchallengeawiderangeofstudents.

• Wellorganisedcurriculumandexams(whererelevant).

HOW RELEVANT ARE PUBLISHED ACADEMIC RESULTS?

Performancedata(relatingtoOPorNAPLANresults)isusefulforschoolstohelpthemlearnaboutthegapsindividualstudentsmayhaveintheirlearningandwhatcouldbeimprovedinaschool’scurriculum.StrongOPorNAPLANresultsovertimecanindicatequalityteachingandlearning.However,wealsoknowthathigh resultsoftenrelatetothehighsocio-economicstatusoffamilies (GeoffMasters,AustralianCouncilforEducationResearch2013).

ParentsusingOPandNAPLANresultsasawaytohelpthemselect a school for their children is not particularly reliable. There are at least three reasons to be considered:

1. OP and NAPLAN results are measuring performance of other people’s children, not how a parent’s own child will succeed in that particular setting.

2. Academic results are not always the all-important element of every child’s secondary schooling.

Most parents say, that if they really had to decide what is most importanttotheminparenting,itistoraisehappyandgoodkids; kids who will be able to hold on to relationships, keep down afulfillingjobandmakeapositivedifferenceintheworld.

3. Statistics may be misleading. Newspapers set up Leagues tables ofschoolsbasedonthepercentageofstudentswhogainanOP1-5orOP1-15.Butthesestatisticsaremisleading,whenyoulookatotherdatapublishedontheQSAwebsite.Manyschoolsnowhaveonly50-60%oftheirstudentsOP-eligiblewithlower-achievingstudentsdiscouragedfromtakinganOPpathway..Aschoolwhichhas80%ofstudentsgainanOP1-15whenonly40%areeligiblehasnotachievednearlyaswellacademicallyasaschoolwhohas80% ofstudentsgettinganOP1-15when80%areeligible.

NAPLAN published results can also be somewhat misleading. Tochecktheirvalue,youneedtoknowhowmanystudentsinthe school participated in the NAPLAN tests. Some schools with apparentlyhighNAPLANresultshavelowparticipationrates.SomeschoolswithhighNAPLANandOPresultsselectstudentsonthebasisof ability at enrolment. NAPLAN tests assess a small range of skills butdonotadequatelytestcreativity,problem-solvingandotherhigherorderthinkingskillsthataretherealmarkersofacademicachievement.

Consideryourownchild’sNAPLANresults.Dotheyadequatelyreflectwhatyouknowaboutyourchild’sabilitiesandgifts?Howdotheycompare with other test results and your school reports? Many parents findtheyaremystifyinglydifferent.

A better estimate of a school’s academic success is the percentage of students who get into university each year compared with the State. “The quality of education provided by a school is best judged not by its final results but by the difference it makes, taking into account students’ starting points. A school making a large difference to students’ levels of achievement and life chances may deliver ‘better education’, despite its lower Year 12 results.” Geoff Masters, Australian Council for Educational Research, 2013.

Check out your school’s Commonwealth and State Annual Report ontheSchool’swebsite,(SchoolLeavers’DestinationSurvey) to see how their statistics compare to the state. Check out the SeniorStudentsReportfromQSAinthesamereporttofindout theproportionofstudentswhoareOP-eligibleandOP-ineligible. Thiswillgiveyouanideaofhowfocussedtheschoolison academicorvocationalpathways.

Ask the school:

• Whatdoesyourschooldotocaterforstudentswithlearning needs,averagelearners,andthegifted?

• Whatdoesyourschooldotoensurechildrendonotfallthrough the cracks, academically?

• Whatextrahelpisavailableformychild–insideandoutside of class time?

QUESTION 9: DOES THE SCHOOL CATER FOR MY ACADEMICALLY GIFTED CHILD?

Teachersinagoodschoolforanacademicallygiftedchildbelievegifted children should be extended and the school has targeted programmesinplacetohelpthishappen.Ideallythisshouldincludedifferentiated curriculum and assessment within the normal classroom as well as special gifted programmes catering for particular gifts e.g.subjectacceleration,competitions,extensionelectives,specialexcursions/camps.Thesestudentshavegiftsthataregreatlyneeded intheworldtohelpimprovethelivesofmany.Agoodschoolwillhelpallstudentsdeveloptheirgiftswhileteachingthemasenseofserviceand responsibility.

QUESTION 10: SHOULD MY CHILD LEAVE THEIR P-12 SCHOOL OR STAY?

Specialist Primary Schools do what they do extremely well in a safe, stableandnurturingenvironmentservedbyhighly-skilledstafftrainedtoworkwithyoungchildren.Specialistsecondaryschoolsareservedby dedicated, expert secondary staff who understand adolescents and are specially trained to mentor them on their sometimes challenging journey to adulthood.

Stand-alonePrimaryandSecondaryschoolscanbeveryeffectivebecause they are targeted towards particular age groups. Prep to Year 12schoolsneedtoensurethatthelearningenvironmentchangesasthe students grow older to accommodate to their needs.

ChildrenwhostayinaP-12school,oftendosobecausetheywish to stay with their friends. Parents need to ask, is this the best reason tochooseasecondaryschool?Moststudentsareveryadaptableandmakingnewfriendsiseasyinthefirstyearofasecondaryschoolwhereeveryoneisnewandlookingforfriends.Andtheycanstill meet up with their old friends on the weekend.

Thisiswhymanychildrenprefertomovetoasecondaryschoolthatisquitedifferent–anewschoolaltogetherwheretheycanhaveafreshstart,makenewfriends,reinventthemselves.

Going to a different secondary school can allow a child who has hadsomesocialdifficultiestomakeafreshstart.

A Seamless Curriculum? TheideaofaseamlesscurriculumP-12appeals to most parents. Now that the Australian Curriculum is being implemented,primaryandsecondaryschoolswillbeabletoprovidecontinuityoflearningwhethertheyareseparateorP-12.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: SPECIALIST SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH SPECIALIST PARTNER PRIMARY SCHOOL.

An option that allows for students to stay with most of their friends into SecondarySchool,butalsoexperienceanewenvironment,isthewhere a Secondary School has one or more separate, but partner Primary Schools who share a similar ethos. This is the best of both worlds. Both Primary and Secondary Schools can sharpen their

expertisewithstudentswhoareatverydifferentstagesoftheirlives.Primary students from partner schools can adapt more easily because thenewschool’svaluesandpoliciesaresimilar.

How important is a Middle School?

AneffectiveMiddleSchool(earlyyearsofSecondarySchool) is designed to ease the transition into secondary school, stimulate learningandprovidestudentswithasenseofbelonging.MiddleSchools are normally characterised by:

• areducednumberofteacherswhoenjoyworkingwithyoung adolescents(typicallytwoteacherscoveringthecoresubjects)

• strongpastoralcare

• anengagingcurriculum

• “taster”electivesubjects

• adistinctMiddleSchoolprecinct.

What is the best age for students to go to Middle School?

SomeMiddleSchoolsbeginatYear6orevenYear5andnormallygoontoYear9.TheQueenslandGovernmenthassettledonYear 7astheentrypointforMiddleSchool(andSecondarySchool) inthisState,forgoodreason.Year6studentsarematureenough tobegoodleadersinthePrimarySchoolandtobenefitfromtheexperience. They still like the security of one main teacher and being in the same classroom most of the time. Children are getting older, younger, but most parents would agree, we don’t want to speed upthepaceevenmore.

BythetimestudentsgettoYear7theyareusually“over”PrimarySchool, and are looking for new experiences, more challenge and are capable of handling more freedom. Ask the school to explain how the Middle School works at their school.

QUESTION 11: HOW IMPORTANT IS THE CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAM?

Inoneword,ESSENTIAL.TheSearchInstituteintheUSfoundfromsurveying150,000childreninGrade6-12istheyarethreetimesmorelikelytohavepositiveoutcomeswithacademicachievements,leadership,andbehaviourifthey:

• Arespendingthreehoursperweekormoreinlessons orpracticeinmusic,dramaorotherarts;

• Areinvolvedinactivitiesofareligiouscommunityforone ormorehoursperweek;or

• Arespendingthreehoursperweekormoreinsports, clubsororganisationsatschooland/orthecommunity.

Other activities with high positive impact are:

• Readingforpleasurethreeormorehoursperweek;

• Havingbestfriendswhomodelresponsiblebehaviour;

• Seekingtoresolveconflictnon-violently;and

• Servinginthecommunityforonehourormoreperweek.

Experienceshowsthatahighco-curricularinvolvementusuallycorrelatestogoodorhighacademiceffortandachievement.

Moreover,studentswhoareinvolvedinsuchactivitiesgettoknowstudentsacrossage-groupsandhaveagreatersenseofbelongingandvalueasacontributor.

What about Camps and Outdoor Education?

Schoolsthathaveacamping/OutdoorEducationprogrammearedoingagreatservicetostudents.Inparticular,anexperienceofthreetofourweeksbasedonhigh-trustadventureandenvironmentalactivitiesisoflongtermbenefit.

Are International Connections and Service Activities Important?

Weliveinaglobalisedworld,yet80%oftheworld’speople liveinpoverty.Youngpeoplewholearntounderstandandconnect withdiversepeopleacrosstheglobewillnotonlybemore equippedforaninternationalworkforce,buttheymaydevelop apurposebeyondthemselves.

KurtHahn,FounderofOutwardBoundsaid:“Tellyoungpeopletheyareneeded:thishardlyeverfails.”Healsosaid:“Giveyoungpeopleamoralequivalenttowar.”Ifwewantouryoungpeopletobecomelessselfish,moremotivated,moreuseful,letthemobservefirsthandinjusticeandpoverty.Andgivethempracticedoingsomethingaboutit.

Ask the school:

• Dotheycaterforalllevelsinco-curricularactivities (e.g.sport,cultural),notjusttheelite?

• Dotheyhaveplentyofco-curricularoptionsformychild’sinterests?

• DotheyoffercampsandOutdoorEducationprogramsandifso, what is their purpose?

•Arethereanyinternationalconnectionsincludingservicetrips and sister schools, and what proportion of students study foreign languages?

QUESTION 12: WHAT ABOUT BULLYING?

No school is totally immune from bullying. The important thing is, how bullying is being addressed in the school.

There are many sophisticated processes around now to help staff copewithbullying.OneapproachthatisoftensuccessfulisknownasRestorativePractices,wherevictimsandoffendersarebroughttogetherinstructuredmediationtohelpresolvetheconflictfairlyandpeacefully.

Theemphasisisonhelpingpeopleseetheperspectivesofothers,making them accountable and educating them in ways to change theirbehaviour.

Behaviour Management. Aneffectiveandhumanebehaviourmanagementpolicybalancesmercyandtruth,kindnessandfairness.Itpreservesthedignityofallstudents,iseducativeratherthanjustpunitiveandhasclearprocessesthat follow the principles of natural justice.

Ask the school:

• Whatdoestheschooldotohelppreventwrongdoing?

• Howdoestheschoolinvestigateandfollowuponaserious incident in the school?

• Whatexactlydoestheschooldoifbullyingisreported?

QUESTION 13: HOW IMPORTANT ARE QUALITY TEACHERS IN MY DECISION?

Recent research has shown time and time again that quality teachers make the most difference to student outcomes of any factor including homeandschool.Theattributesofthestudentmakeupabout50% ofthedifference,andqualityteachers30%(JohnHattie).

Anadvantageofindependentschoolsisthattheyhavemorepowerto recruit the kinds of teachers they want and are also freer to manage unsatisfactory performance.

Check out the Commonwealth and State Annual Report on the School web-siteaboutteachers-forexample,professionaldevelopmentandteacher retention rate, which are indicators of how committed they are to their job and the school.

Ask the school:

• Whatdoyoudoifastudentorparentcomplainsaboutateacher?

• Whatdoyoudoifateacherisnotverygoodathisorherjob?

QUESTION 14: SHOULD I CONSIDER MY CHILDREN’S VIEWS?

Mostparentsbelievetheirchildshouldbeinvolvedintheprocess ofchoosingaschoolandtheiropinionsshouldcount.However,intheendparentsalsorecognisethattheymustmakethefinaldecision,

informed by knowledge of their child and prediction about his or herabilitytothriveinthatenvironment.Afterall,theyputthehardworkintotherelationshipwiththeschoolandpaythefees(foranindependentschool).Ifyourchilddoesnotseemtoshareyourview,youcouldtakethemtoOpenDays,celebrationevents,oraninterviewwiththeSchoolPrincipal.Ifyouknowanystudentstheiragegoingtotheschoolyoulike,invitethemover.Ithelpsifyouhaveplentyoftime to help them change their mind gently and get used to the idea. Manyyoungpeoplehavemixedfeelingsabouttheirnewsecondaryschool,butthevastmajorityofthemadjustquickly.Inthefirstyearofsecondaryschooltherearemanynewstudentsarrivingtogetherand it is easy to make friends.

QUESTION 15: WHAT FACILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO MY CHILD’S EDUCATION?

Facilitiesandthelatesttechnologyhelpprovideagoodeducationinspecialised subjects but quality education is dependent more upon the quality of teaching that takes place.

Thanks to generous capital funding for all schools by Commonwealth andStateGovernmentsmostschoolshaveadequatefacilitiesandprovidegoodaccesstoinformationtechnologyonsiteorthroughlaptop or tablet computer programs.

QUESTION 16: SHOULD I CONSIDER CONVENIENCE?

Easy,safetraveltoschoolisimportanttomostfamilies.Doesyourschoolhaveitsownbustransportforexample?

Doestheschoolhaveprovisionforstudentstoremainafterschool to do homework or study if parents are late to collect them, oriftheyhavetowaitforsiblingstofinishtrainingorrehearsals?

Does the school communicate clearly with parents about organisational details?

These questions can often be answered by referring to the school website.

QUESTION 17: HOW IMPORTANT IS THE “FEEL” OF THE SCHOOL?

Whatfinallytipsmanyparentsandstudentsinfavourofaparticularschool is its “feel”. The warmth and friendliness of the people you meet, the sense of order and calm and the care that has been spent onthegrounds,mayallpointtoapositiveemotionalandsocialclimate for the school. Students may sense that they could belong here. Similarly,manyparentssaytheyhavechosenaschoolbecauseofthestudentsorpaststudentstheyknowwhoarefineyoungpeople,orgreatemployees.“Ihopemysonordaughterwillturnoutlikethatstudent,”theysay.Ormaybetheyknowsomegreatteacherswhowork there. Many would like to meet the Principal before they make a decision.

Ineducation,itisalwaysthequalityofthepeopleinvolvedthatisthemost important thing – not the buildings or the documents. After you haveviewedtheschoolandthewebsiteandreadthedocuments,make your decision based on the people.

As you consider all the information gathered, ensure you and your child are comfortable with the decision made. Ask as many questions as you can, research and visit the school to see for yourself how it operates.

If you would like further information on quality secondary education visit glc.qld.edu.au

References: Hugh Mackay, 2007, Advance Australia…Where; Lovat et al, 2009: Values Education,Quality Teaching and Service Learning, Australia Hattie, John, 2009: Visible Learning, Oxford