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Senior Years

In 2008

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

Year 10 students and teachers were welcomed into senior schools in 2007.
The introduction of Year 10 in senior schools provides an exciting opportunity for students to prepare for Year 11 and Year 12. When the Year 10s of 2007 reach Year 11 in 2008, they will already be familiar with the mature learning approach required of them in senior schools.

Schools in the Northern Territory will give priority enrolment to students who live in the local area. All enrolments are considered, however schools can only accommodate enrolments from outside their local areas if they have sufficient space. For more information about priority enrolment read the Priority Enrolment Policy.

Year 10 is an important senior school year and a time for students to start making choices about their future studies and career pathways.
Decisions that students make in Year 10 can significantly affect their later education and training pathways. Poor or inadequate choices in Year 10 can limit a student’s options and change the direction of their lives.
Year 10 students choose subjects that can lead to a Northern Territory Certificate of Education (NTCE) and the opportunity to aim for a tertiary education or Vocational Education and Training (VET), and post-school employment.
For this reason, it is essential to make better connections between the Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF), as the curriculum for students up to and including Year 10, and the NTCE.
Moving Year 10 students in with students in Years 11 and 12 provides an ideal learning environment with generally greater choice and better access to a wider range of subjects, vocational education and training, resources and expertise. Year 10 students will become familiar with the senior schooling environment earlier, which will improve their transition to Years 11 and 12.

Most importantly, it gives senior students access to those senior teachers who have a better understanding of the demands of Senior Years to guide them through their studies.

Some schools have become senior colleges for students in Years 10 to 12 only. Other schools will have two sub schools on the same site – one for the Middle Years and one for the Senior Years.

Most students will go to the senior college or senior sub school closest to their home. Students can apply to enrol in a school outside their local area, however those schools can only consider enrolling students from outside their local area if there is enough room. For details on changes to individual schools refer to the Your School section of this website.

It is important that students are supported in the transition to a senior school environment. Each school has programs in place so that students will have a positive experience...more

Senior Years students will have teachers who understand the demands of Senior Years studies.
Teachers who want to move to a senior school environment with their students will be able to apply to go to that school. Whether they move to that school will depend on how many other teachers also want to transfer. Some teachers may prefer to stay in their current school.
The Department of Employment, Education and Training will be supporting teachers in the implementation process...more