A Flying Start for Queensland Children – Year 7 Pilot Program
Stage 2 – selection criteria

Your school is invited to submit an application for consideration as a Year Seven pilot school in 2013. The pilots will run across Queensland in a number of locations in order to provide comprehensive advice to Education Queensland about the move of Year 7 to a secondary setting.

The Education White Paper - A Flying Start for Queensland Children outlines how the government will take action to continue to build Queensland’s educational performance. Objective 2 details the move of Year 7 and the introduction of Junior Secondary. The White Paper and the attached document, Junior Secondary in State Secondary Schools should be considered by schools prior to the completion of this EOI.

View the White Paper at

Purpose of pilots

To provide advice on the implementation of Year 7 in State secondary schools from 2015.

Pilot schools will be required to:

  • Use the six principles of Junior Secondary and provide advice around practical strategies informed by these principles.
  • Provide advice which will inform the design, development and delivery of a statewide workforce strategy that meets the needs of delivering Year 7 in a secondary setting.
  • Provide advice on the professional development needs of Junior Secondary teachers.
  • Provide advice as to the policy implications of inclusion of Year 7 in a secondary setting.
  • Provide advice on best practice models for curriculum delivery to Year 7 students and the implications for school operations.
  • Provide advice on pedagogical best practice for Year 7.
  • Contribute to evaluations of the Year 7 pilot and engage in regular reporting and feedback.
  • Contribute to professional development activities preparing state school staff for the transition of Year 7 to a secondary setting.

Selection process

Stage 1 – Completed

Stage 2 – After consideration of expressions of interest, selected schools are invited to submit an application responding to selection criteria.

Stage 3 – Regional Advisory Bodies to consider regional applications and provide advice to regional directors. Regional directors then provide recommendations to DDG Education Queensland.

Stage 4 – DDG Education Queensland and the Getting Ready for Secondary School Program Board manages the selection of pilot schools, subject to DirectorGeneral and Ministerial approval.

TRIM ref: 11/237338

Please send your responses to the selection criteria to your regional director by 4 pm Thursday 6 October.

Response to Selection Criteria
(no more than 2 pages)

1: Briefly describe your school’s model to pilot Year 7 in a secondary setting, and how this may impact on your local education community. Include in your response how your current facilities, human resources and programs will support this model.

2: Provide information as to how your school will use the principles of Junior Secondary to inform practiceand support the social and academic wellbeing of your first Year 7 intake.

3: Briefly describe how your school will support students, staff and parents during the transition of Year 7 students into your secondary environment.

4: Provide detail on how you will share your learnings throughout the pilot and lead change with your colleagues.

Junior Secondary in state secondary schools

In 2013, state secondary schools will implement Junior Secondary for Years 8 and 9. From 2015, Year 7 will join Junior Secondary. This will be an exciting and challenging time. In the years leading to full implementation, state schools will need to review their thinking, practices, processes and organisation to provide the optimum learning environment for our Junior Secondary students.

Feedback during the Flying Start consultations confirmed the importance of support for students in the transition from primary to secondary school and parents want to see adequate support for the wellbeing of their children. A strong focus for schools preparing for Junior Secondary must be the provision of an environment that caters for both the social and academic wellbeing of young adolescents.

Young adolescents have unique physical, psychological, social and emotional characteristics. The learning environments for these students must recognise and cater for these unique needs. Junior Secondary must provide the structure, support and learning experiences which will deliver improved learning and achievement for these students.

Schools should use the six principles of Junior Secondary to develop their whole school approach to implementing and strengthening their Junior Secondary practices.

TRIM ref: 11/237338