Australia is a unique country with its own peculiarities that fascinate many people. There are some unusual features in the educational system as well. You will not find such a notion as “secondary college” anywhere else. But what is secondary college?
Secondary college is the regular name for state secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. The term originated through the mergers of high schools and technical schools in the two last decades of the twentieth century. At that time most state secondary schools were renamed to “secondary college”. Some institutions have preserved their primary names, others have adapted their names from “secondary college” to “college” or, seldom, to “high school”.
There is a reason for this name along with some other interesting features:
- Such a name occurred due to the fact that kids can already practice the basics of their future professions as a part of the curriculum. This can be a very valuable experience for those students who haven’t decided who they want to become in the future yet.
- Another distinctive feature of the secondary college of Australia is that the curriculum not only considers academic subjects, but also many subjects from the cycle of “art” (drawing, music, etc.), and also pay a lot of attention to the sport. In the final grades, students study in depth several subjects, preparing for admission to higher educational institutions. The very choice of these subjects and the grades you get for them are the basis for a positive or negative decision for the admissions offices of universities. For example, to enter the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, you need to have good grades in mathematics, physics, and chemistry.
- Schooling in Australia involves in-between checks on the level of mastery of the material – written tests, essays, and presentations. Based on their results, the student’s average score is revealed. At the end of each studying period, exams are taken – in the end, the UAI (University Admission Index) rating is calculated, taking into account the results of the final examinations and the average score during the training. UAI is represented in the sum of points from 1 to 100, where 100 is the highest value. All universities in Australia, which seek to enroll the college graduates, declare the required admission rate of UAI each year.
- Many secondary colleges in Australia offer education in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. This is a program for ambitious students with academic achievement above the average, the program was developed in Switzerland and is considered one of the most effective and balanced programs of school education. Successful completion of such a curriculum actually guarantees a place in an Australian or foreign university.
- The undoubted advantage of studying in Australia is, of course, the fact that school graduates have the opportunity to go directly to universities in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and no additional preparations of any kind are needed.
Hopefully, by now you have no unresolved questions about the studying system in Australia and maybe even consider it as an option for your kid’s future schooling. And, we assure you that it can be a great choice indeed.
By the way, we want to remind you that at TruOwl you can read all the news about universities in AU, stay with us!