A good outcome for our Year 12s
LAST year’s graduates have proven to be on par with the rest of the state in a set of impressive results in a Queensland Studies Authority report released today.
In the Southern Downs region, The Scots PGC College and The School of Total Education (SOTE) particularly stood out in the Overall Position (OP) tally by last year’s Year 12s.
Of the 35 Scots students eligible for an OP, seven Year 12s received a score of 1-5, while 13 achieved a 6-10.
Principal Michael Harding said he was pleased with such positive results.
“We always have strong OPs but we’re also very pleased with our VET (Vocational Education) outcomes as well,” Mr Harding told the Daily News.
“Our results at the top end, that is OPs of 1-9, were among the strongest we’ve ever had.”
Mr Harding said Scots PGC was among the greatest result of corresponding OPs and VET scores. The VET statistics highlight students who achieve a Certificate II or III in job training.
Current Year 12 students Ned Skehan, Megan Collins, Riley Eastcott, Georgia Kiss, Sarah Wright and Julia Tanner said they were determined to outsmart their predecessors – or at least give it their best shot.
“They were a pretty bright year, but of course we want to try and achieve those kind of results,” Ned said.
To do that, the Year 12s will have to do well in their assignments, exams and Queensland Core Skills (QCS) test in August.
The six Year 12 students said they felt they’d had a lot of preparation for the state-wide exam.
“We did one proper practice last term and we’re doing one again soon. We’re also doing practices each week,” Georgia said.
Fellow peer Megan Collins said she would be aiming for “single digits”.
“Anything between a one to eight I’d be happy with – and I think a lot of people want single digits,” she said.
After graduating, Georgia and Julia plan to spend a gap year jillarooing in the Northern Territory, while Sarah hopes to achieve an OP of three to get into her chosen psychology degree.
The results for last year’s SOTE Year 12s were just as impressive. Of the eight students eligible for an OP, five of them received a score of 1-5.
Principal Richard Waters said the high scores reflected the dedication of the teachers and their relationship with their students.
“The collaboration you get with smaller classes is great and encourages the students to be the best they can,” Mr Waters said.
“The students are the ones who have to do the work, but it’s the connection between them and the teachers which help achieve their potential and it is reflected in their work.”
Mr Waters said while last year’s class had achieved exceptional results, it was consistent with previous years.
“In terms of OPs 1-5 this was an outstanding result. In terms of getting all students a high percentage of 1-15, we’ve been achieving that over the past few years,” he said.
“I think we’ll get some positive outcomes again this year given the students we’ve got.
“We’ve had a number of senior teachers retire at the end of last year and I’m confident our younger generation of teachers will keep up the good work they started.”
For the full report, visit the QSA website at www.qsa.qld.edu.au.
