Article by Dr Louise McCuaig, Head of Flinders Discovery Institute
Graduating from school can be an exciting time full of the ‘new’; new knowledge, freedoms, friends and lifestyles.
Yet, as young people prepare for their journey beyond Year 12, often their focus is on a single dimension of this adventure: the ATAR score. As such, the questions asked are of the nature: What ATAR score did you achieve? What degree did you get into? What leadership role or co-curricular awards did you achieve?
However, considering that current trends suggest one fifth of the 250,000 students who start an Australian bachelor's program will never obtain their degree, what if we determined a graduate’s success according to the following question: How are you thriving in life and learning some seven months AFTER leaving school?
At Flinders, we aim to equip our graduates with the skills, character and strategies to successfully navigate life beyond the College. Armed with this confidence and capability, our Year 12s can choose to go on to enjoy their future learning opportunities, build healthy relationships and make a positive impact in the wider world.
In exploring the research, Flinders is aware of both the barriers and facilitators to successful graduate pathways. This research informs Flinders’ new ‘Lead Well’ program for our Year 11s and ‘Leave Well’ program for our Year 12s as part of the Secondary School WELL4Life pastoral and leadership program.
What the research reveals about students’ transition into tertiary studies
Young people embarking on post-school pathways are typically experiencing what psychologists refer to as the ‘emerging adult’ life stage, characterised by:
- identity exploration
- a feeling of being ‘in between’
- an intense self-focus, and
- the twin sensations of optimism and uncertainty.
Not surprisingly, leaving the caring environments of school during this life stage can be challenging for individuals and their families, often leading to what’s known as ‘debt and regret’. As trends suggest that one fifth of the 250,000 students who start an Australian bachelor program will never obtain their degree, the personal costs can translate into significant social and economic burdens for families and, ultimately, the nation.
Secondary school students, particularly those attending private schools like Flinders with highly structured environments, are often unaware of the ‘wind beneath their wings’ and the role that parents, teachers, friends, resources and routines play in their success.
Increasingly, young people identify ‘anxiety’ and ‘poor mental health’ as significant stressors during the transition from secondary to tertiary environments, concerned by the pressure to perform and a fear of the unknown.
Local and international research clearly shows that students struggle to navigate the tsunami of new administrative, learning and lifestyle responsibilities associated with life beyond school. Few secondary school students participating in this research were able to articulate how they would prepare for university and what they would do or need upon their arrival on uni campus.
Preparing students for life beyond the school gates demands a school-based transition strategy that begins well before Year 12 graduation. Although logical in theory, schools typically have little knowledge of the practical life and ever-changing learning realities in tertiary settings that could inform such strategies.
Lead Well and Leave Well at Flinders
At Flinders, our new Leave Well program aims to address this issue and equip our Senior School students with the learning, administration and wellbeing skills to succeed, regardless of their tertiary destination and career pathway.
Phase 1: Year 11 Retreat
Preparations for our Leave Well program begin with our annual Year 11 Retreat, long before students receive their ATAR. This week-long experience in Term 3 of Year 11 provides students with the opportunity to be based at a college residence on the St Lucia campus at The University of Queensland. Students are able to gain insights into what it feels like to be a tertiary student through leadership and wellbeing workshops, along with challenges across the campus and city, such as the ‘On Your Own Day’, and a special dinner event with Old Flinderians visiting to share their journeys and answer questions about their diverse careers. During the Retreat, students are challenged to manage their own learning, life administration, relationships, and health and wellbeing in positive ways to build a sense of agency.
Phase 2: Leave Well Seminar Series
In Year 12, the Leave Well program provides students with six practical classroom sessions with timely information, insight and resources to set graduates up for success when they leave Flinders and transition into their future life and learning pathways. Students are taught how to manage their time and maximise their ATAR; the tips to completing effective CVs and sourcing references when applying for jobs, scholarships and college residence positions; the value of exploring post-school pathways, and how to make healthy and safe decisions in their lives.
Leave Well Parent Seminar | Monday, 22 July 2024
For parents, the Flinders Leave Well seminar on Monday, 22 July will aim to provide support through:
- tips on effective study skills and preparation for External Assessment
- insights into the tasks, milestones and hurdles they and their child will experience in the first year beyond Flinders
- strategies and resources to promote academic success and wellbeing
- access to key support people within and beyond Flinders, and
- ideas to build student agency when it comes to academic and life management skills.
The Leaving RAMP
During the seminar, parents will be introduced to The Leaving RAMP, which their children have explored during their Term 2 Leave Well seminars.
In the senior years, Flinders’ RAMP principles pay attention to strategies that build students’ skills and need for positive:
- Relationships (belonging and connectedness)
- Agency (autonomy and ownership)
- Mastery (knowledge and skill competency) and
- Purpose (future pathways).
Parents attending the Leave Well seminar will learn more about these RAMP strategies and the critical role they can play in supporting their child’s development of these skills. In so doing, we endeavour to strengthen the partnership between parents and teachers to enhance the capacity of our graduates to thrive beyond the College gates.
To learn more about our Secondary School at Flinders, visit here.
