The Commissioner for Children and Young People has launched her latest report on the experiences of Year 12 students.
The Commissioner, Helen Connolly, has released High Stakes High School – The experiences of South Australian Year 12 students, summarising face-to-face consultations with groups of students attending Year 12 at four Adelaide Schools as well as 72 others issuing one-off conversations with the Commissioner.
According to Ms Connolly, the conversations involved a group of 223 young people, aged 16 to 19, completing a survey that asked them questions covering their expectations, challenges and highlights, as well as how they felt prepared and supported during their final year of school.
The survey also asked how confident the students felt about life beyond Year 12 and what they thought would improve the Year 12 experience.
As a result of the survey, Ms Connolly expressed a need to deepen community understanding of the significant challenges and barriers being faced by the Year 12 students.
She recommended a Year 12 Charter for students and teachers be developed as a way to change how adults engage with children and young people throughout their entire schooling years.
“The charter aims to support them to not only prepare for Year 12 but to develop a lifelong love of learning that is not just about where a good ATAR score can get them in life,” Ms Connolly said.
“Imagine a world in which final-year students are made to feel optimistic about their future and the choices available to them,” she said.
“A future they enter to embark on the next phase of their life’s journey with confidence and enthusiasm for what lays ahead – not dread and fear of not measuring up,” she said.
The Commissioner’s 36-page High Stakes High School report can be accessed on her website at this PS News link.
