The Senior Schooling program at Mitchelton High is one which embraces the philosophy of developing independence in learning while skilling and ultimately providing students with recognised credentials so that they become valued and productive participants in the workforce and community.
In Years 11 and 12 students study six subjects, selected from a wide range of offerings which include General Subjects, Essential and Applied Subjects and Vocational Education and Training. Traineeships and Apprenticeships are offered as they become available.
The diversity of courses available means there is significant scope for each student to fashion a learning pathway that best suits their future needs and interests. In this respect, each senior student should appreciate that their chosen pathway is unique to them achieving their own learning goals, and hence commitment to succeeding in that pathway is expected.
If you cannot download the document linked from this page, please contact us and we will provide a copy via the school office.
Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)
ATAR
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is the standard pathway to tertiary study for Queensland Year 12s.
The ATAR is the primary mechanism used nationally for tertiary admissions and indicates a student’s position
relative to other students. The ATAR is expressed on a 2000-point scale from 99.95 (highest) down to 0, in
increments of 0.05.
To be eligible for an ATAR, a student must have:
- satisfactorily completed an English subject*
- completed five general subjects, or four general subjects plus one applied subject or VET course at AQF
Certificate III or above
- accumulated their subject results within a five-year period.
While students must satisfactorily complete an English subject to be eligible for an ATAR, the result in English will
only be included in the ATAR calculation if it is one of the student’s best five subjects.
International students studying the Queensland secondary system who have fulfilled the requirements for an ATAR
will receive an ATAR based on their results.
* Essential English, General English or English EAL/D
Source: QTAC ATAR - An Overview 2020
QCE
What is the QCE?
The Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) is Queensland’s
senior secondary schooling qualification. It is internationally
recognised and provides evidence of senior schooling
achievements.
The flexibility of the QCE means that students can choose from a
wide range of learning options to suit their interests and career goals. Most students will
plan their QCE pathway in Year 10 when choosing senior courses of study. Their school will
help them develop their individual plan and a QCAA learning account will be opened.
To receive a QCE, students must achieve the set amount of learning, at the set standard, in a
set pattern, while meeting literacy and numeracy requirements. The QCE is issued to eligible
students when they meet all the requirements, either at the completion of Year 12, or after
they have left school.
For further information regarding QCE requirements, please refer to the Senior Course Guide.
Year 10 Curriculum
The Year 10 curriculum provides a link between the Junior and Senior curriculum. The subjects are designed for students to succeed in Year 11 and 12 subject offerings.
Students in Year 10 undertake the Short Course Career Education and complete a first aid qualification.
Senior Education and Training Plan (Set Plan)
A Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan is designed to map your child’s individual learning
pathways through the Senior Phase of Learning.
The SET Plan may:
- Work as a ‘road map’ to help your child achieve their learning goals during the
Senior Phase of Learning
- Include flexible and coordinated pathway options
- Assist them to examine further learning options across education, training and
employment sectors
- Help you to communicate with personnel from the school or learning provider about
learning pathways for your child, and
- Help you and your child make decisions about learning pathways.
The School:
- Supports students in connecting with other agencies where required to deliver flexible
learning outcomes
- Monitors attendance, participation, and achievement
- Updates senior education and training plans
- Builds partnerships between learning providers, community organisations, employers and
youth service providers throughout the community.
The SET Plan allows the young person to build on unique strengths and to compile (‘exiting’) skills to
work towards the Queensland Certificate of Education, a Certificate III level vocational qualification
and/or viable work options. For those students wishing to undertake further studies, the Set-Plan
process provides a forum to discuss the demands and requirements of university. Students utilise
MyPath on the QTAC website and relevant University Guides to make informed judgements about
further study and entrance requirements.
All Year 10 students in conjunction with parents/guardians will need to develop a SET Plan Interview.
To assist with the development of these plans, the school will hold SET Plan Interviews with Year 10s and their parents/guardians. All new and continuing students must attend an interview accompanied by a parent/caregiver.
Year 11 and 12 Curriculum
After completing their Year 10 Preparation subjects, students enter a range of learning options that contribute to them achieving a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).
General Subjects:
- Accounting
- Biology
- Business
- Chemistry
- Chinese
- Drama
- English
- EALD
- Film, Television and New Media
- General Mathematics
- Mathematical Methods
- Modern History
- Music
- Physics
- Specialist Mathematics
- Visual Art.
Applied Subjects:
- Drama in Practice
- Essential English
- Essential Mathematics
- Media Arts in Practice
- Music in Practice
- Science in Practice
- Tourism.
Vocational Education and Training
For information on Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, visit Vocational education (VET).
Resources Available
The Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority (QCAA) has a webpage dedicated to brochures and fact sheets containing all of the relevant information. This can be accessed via the QCAA website.
The Queensland Tertiary Admission Centre (QTAC) also has a webpage dedicated to the ATAR. It includes a white paper about inter-subject scaling amongst other resources. This can be accessed via the QTAC website.