BACK TO SCHOOL

Rank not the only way to go

GRADUATING with a high Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is not the only option for Queensland’s senior students, with plenty of alternative pathways available.

At the end of Year 12, most students will graduate with a Queensland Certificate of Education, which is the state’s senior secondary schooling qualification.

QCE planning begins in Year 10, and while most young teens can’t imagine what they want to do after school, they get plenty of guidance from teachers through a Senior Education and Training Plan, which maps out what, where and how a student will study in their senior phase of learning.

Although the QCE system has changed for students in Year 11 this year, Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority chief executive Chris Rider said vocational education and training would still be an option.

“Vocational education and training has been an important part of years 10 to 12 for a long time,” he said. “It’s still the case in the new QCE system.”

Mr Rider said Queensland schools excelled at offering a range of rewarding pathways.

“This approach supports engagement in learning and helps all students to develop the skills for success in work and life in the future,” he said.

He also said ATAR might be more popular among students than OP.

“The eligibility requirements for an ATAR are more inclusive than for an OP,” he said. “It’s reasonable to assume there will be more ATAR-eligible than OP-eligible students.”