What's Happening in Middle & Senior Years

2008

Year 7 becomes part of Middle Years

  • Year 7 students will be welcomed into middle schools, joining Year 8 and Year 9 students.

  • Nightcliff, Dripstone and Sanderson high schools will become dedicated middle schools to join Anzac and Alice Springs schools in Central Australia.

  • Darwin Middle School will be officially opened for students in Years 7 and 8.

  • Darwin High School will prepare Year 9 students for their move to the Senior Years. In 2009, Darwin High School will become a dedicated senior school.

  • Palmerston and Taminmin high schools will officially open their new senior school buildings.

  • Dedicated middle and senior schools will be fully operational at Palmerston, Taminmin, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Nhulunbuy.

  • The number of remote schools delivering the Middle Years and the Senior Years will expand in 2008.

2007

Preparing students and teachers

  • Many Year 6 and 7 students experienced a Middle Years teaching approach to help ensure a smooth transition into middle schools in 2008.

  • Year 10 students were welcomed into the Senior Years across the Territory.

  • Schools received grants to enable teachers to undertake professional learning about Middle Years approaches to teaching and learning.

  • An interim School Council was formed for Darwin Middle School.

  • Principals attended a two-day Leading Change conference in the mid-semester break as they continued to lead and guide their staff through Middle Years implementation.

  • 40 new places in post-graduate courses at Charles Darwin University were funded by the Northern Territory Government for Middle Years professional development for teachers.

  • Some remote schools successfully delivered Middle Years and Senior Years programs by providing face-to-face teaching in combination with distance learning through the NT Open Education Centre.

  • High schools continued to plan and implement programs in preparation for officially becoming middle schools in 2008. For example, Dripstone developed a new timetable featuring teams that deliver elective and core programs. They also made physical activity compulsory.

  • Local area groups were established that comprised middle and primary schools, and in some cases, a senior school in that area. These groups worked together to ensure a seamless transition and support is provided to students moving from one stage of schooling to the next.

  • Facilities were upgraded in several schools to cater for Middle and Senior Years students...more

The Journey So Far...

A snapshot of the evolution of the Middle Years and Senior Years of schooling in Northern Territory Government schools...more