Grammar Central Commentary Corner Simon Murray Year 12 Credentials
| Year 12 Credentials |
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One of the pleasures of my job at this time of the year is meeting with prospective students and their families. These interviews are always a delight and I thoroughly enjoy talking about Canberra Grammar and all that we have to offer. Some families are looking for a Year 11 entry and want to know why we offer the NSW Higher School Certificate as our Year 12 credential. Following is an extract from a speech I recently gave to next year's Year 11 boys and their parents. In the 1970s the ACT Department of Education and Training introduced the College System and the ACT Year 12 Certificate. Canberra Grammar made the decision to remain with the NSW HSC and although we were the only school to do so we have very successfully continued to offer the HSC for the past thirty years. Towards the end of 2005 we decided that it would be proper to review a decision made some thirty years earlier to determine what form of Year 12 certification would serve Canberra Grammar best in today’s age. This review was not borne out of any dissatisfaction or concern about the HSC, but rather a need to be sure that the offering was right for today and the years ahead. In 2005 we had been reviewing our Year 7 to 10 curriculum and there were signals from the Australian Government for the possible introduction of a National Year 12 Certificate for all school leavers. Our Year 12 Certification Review, as we called it, commenced in October 2005 and reported to the Board in June 2006. We reviewed the NSW HSC, the ACT Year 12 Certificate and also the IB Diploma course. The process involved questionnaires and focus groups with parents, students and staff. The Australian Council for Educational Research, was commissioned by the School to conduct a formal analysis of the three options and they also devised and analysed the questionnaire. This independent and highly respected research organization helped to ensure objectivity drew upon considerable past research in the area. The review set out to determine which form or forms of Year 12 certification best suited Canberra Grammar. This involved matching the School’s purpose and values with the three different forms of certification, it involved determining which maximised the opportunity for our boys to engage in further learning at the tertiary level and the financial implications of the offering were considered. We found that in general terms all three forms of certification met the School’s Purpose and Values although there was a very clear message from students, parents and staff that they felt that Canberra Grammar should continue to offer the HSC and not move to the ACT Certificate. There was some support from boys and parents for the IB Diploma although we are talking about very low numbers and it was recognised that there were significant costs associated with the IB. We found that the HSC has served us very well over the past thirty years and that as the HSC has been refined and developed it is now highly respected and valued across our school community and also in tertiary circles. The HSC has rigour and the balance between internal and external assessment and moderation gives it real credibility. It prepares students remarkably well for continued learning at the tertiary level and numerous conversations with Old Boys testify to this. They feel they have a head start on students who have little or no experience with external examinations and that the curriculum has the depth necessary to ready them for university studies. Our old boys who have not gone onto university have also found the work ethic that is developed through studying the HSC has been hugely beneficial in shaping their approach to apprenticeships and TAFE studies. The HSC is supported by the NSW Board of Studies and we find that the expertise is considerable. Being part of the largest Year 12 certificate in Australia has many benefits. Our boys are part of a system which has rigor, a large cohort, credibility and standing. And our boys have the benefit of a system which allows them to gain half their marks from internal school assessment and the other half from external examinations. Our boys benefit from preparing themselves in Year 11 through the preliminary courses and this is then followed by twelve months of the HSC curriculum. We know from many years of experience that boys can take a little while to find their feet in Year 11 and the HSC preliminary courses give them some opportunity to do so without dire consequences. Right from the very start of Year 11 in the ACT system the pressure from continual assessment is evident and it continues for the full two years. We know boys mature at different rates and we find the fact that the HSC, done in Year 12, means that boys are that much more mature and ready to cope with the rigor of coursework and examinations. The current federal government and also the Labor opposition have said much about a common Year 12 national curriculum across this country. Both sides of government agree that it is inappropriate to have eight different Year 12 curricula and assessment models across the nation. It is clear that in the not too distant future changes will be made to introduce some common elements of curriculum and assessment across Australia at the Year 12 level. The federal government is calling it the Australian Certificate of Education. |
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SIMON MURRAY - BIOGRAPHY
HEADMASTER
Mr Simon Murray was appointed Headmaster of Canberra Grammar School in 1998, having previously spent seven years as Headmaster of Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School in Western Australia. Prior to that position he was a Boarding Housemaster and Head of Department at Scotch College, Perth and a biology and science teacher.
Among his broad range of interests, Mr Murray highlights the special nature of the education of boys and the interactions of education and information technology. Mr Murray and his wife Patsy have a son and a daughter both of whom are studying at university.
