Schools

In Western Australia, there are government and non-government primary and secondary schools. It is compulsory for all Australian children to attend school between the ages of six years and sixteen years. Most students continue in education until they are 18.

Children enrol in primary schools for years 1 to 7 with most children attending kindergarten and pre-primary before starting Year 1. Upon completing their 7th year of primary school, they transfer to secondary schools for Years 8 to 12.

Western Australian and Australian government legislation ensures high educational standards and quality premises, whilst the educational programs in all schools are monitored with the standards regularly evaluated through testing programs. Most government schools are co-educational and non-government schools and are either boys only, girls only or co-educational. Some non-government schools also offer boarding facilities.

All government schools are secular while most non-government schools have a religious affiliation. Schools that enrol international students require additional registration from the state government.

All schools share a common approach to learning, based around the individual needs of the student. All schools regularly report to students and to parents regarding educational progress and well-being.

The academic year commences early in February and finishes in December with the year being divided into four terms, two in each semester.

 

Primary

At primary schools (Years 1 - 7) the students are generally taught by one teacher for most of the school day. Some schools also have specialist teachers for some subjects like music, art, drama and religious studies.

The curriculum integrates skills, knowledge and understanding from eight learning areas - English, Mathematics, Science, Technology and Enterprise, the Arts, Society and the Environment, Health and Physical Education plus Languages other than English.

Secondary

Choice and diversity increases at the secondary school level.

In Lower Secondary (Years 8 - 10) the curriculum is again based on the eight learning areas as well as a range of elective subjects that the students can choose from. The students are taught by different teachers with specialised qualifications in their subject areas.

In Upper Secondary (Years 11 and 12) students are encouraged to study subjects in which they excel or which relate to their career aspirations. Students are required to develop a more detailed theoretical knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.

In Year 12, students can elect to sit for the Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE). Their Tertiary Entrance Ranking is based upon school assessment and their TEE results. Depending on their TER score students can access universities and colleges in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, and the UK.