Fremont-Elizabeth City High School scraps year levels in overhaul
JUNE 23, 201511:46AM
Tim Williams, The Advertiser
TRADITIONAL year levels will be scrapped, lessons will start later and failure will not be an option in a radical overhaul of a struggling northern suburbs high school set to become a blueprint for transforming underperforming schools around the state.
Fremont-Elizabeth City High School principal Rob Knight will on Monday detail plans to create the state’s first “transformational school” at a special assembly where Education Minister Susan Close will announce millions of dollars in capital funding.
Mr Knight said Year 8, 9 and 10 classes would “disappear” and be replaced with groupings related to academic progress rather than age.
There will be five streamed “levels” in each subject area, with students in different levels in different subjects and able to shift between levels according to individual needs.
Whenever a student scores a ‘D’ grade or worse, or fails to submit assignments, they will be transferred to a specialist support team until their work is at least a ‘C’ standard, guaranteeing that after three years all students will be ready to start their SACE in Year 11.
“It’s not acceptable for a student to opt out of their learning,” Mr Knight said.
“If we can make this work in one of the most disadvantaged and marginalised communities in Australia, then it can become a blueprint that can be rolled out in other schools.”
Fremont-Elizabeth City faces major challenges in academic performance, with more than a quarter of all grades across the school ‘D’ or ‘E’, as well as attendance, retention and behavioural issues.
Also under the plan:
YEAR6 and 7 students from feeder primary schools will spend a significant part of their week at Fremont-Elizabeth City to access specialised facilities and curriculum, easing their transition to high school and freeing primary school resources for early childhood education;
LESSONS, to be known as “learning blocks” of up to 80 minutes, will start at 9.30am in line with international research on adolescent sleep patterns and learning;
MIDDLEschool maths, physics and chemistry classes will be replaces with general science and technology classes focused on problem solving and real world applications;
CONSTANTLYupdated online student profiles will be shared with agencies including police and Families SA so “the village is truly raising the child”;
THEschool will open from 8am to 5pm to give all students access to optional, supervised study sessions before and after classes;
ALLstaff will be put through accredited training programs in pedagogy, literacy and numeracy teaching, online learning, assessment and moderation and student wellbeing;
ALLstudents up to Year 11 will take part in Academic Pathways or Civics and Citizenship programs according to their interests, ranging from robotics and film production to charity and environmental work;
A MARTIALarts organisation will run a violence diversion program for troubled students to develop discipline, self-control and anger management skills;
A PROPOSEDname change to Playford International College will reflect growing numbers of migrant students, while black will be added to official school colours to reflect its large indigenous cohort.
At the heart of the blueprint is a $10 million, three-year redevelopment plan including a high performance sports testing and analysis centre, where students will work with Adelaide United, Central District Football Club and Harlequin Netball Club in areas such as GPS tracking, heartrate data and video analysis.
New visual and performing arts and advanced technologies centres, and a “flexible learning centre” for disengaged students will also be built.
Ms Close will today announce Fremont-Elizabeth City as the biggest beneficiary of the $25 million allocated in last week’s State Budget for school upgrades.
Mr Knight said Education Department grants and projected enrolment growth of 400 students by 2018, attracting an extra $4 million funding a year, would also help fund the school’s transformation.
Ms Close said Mr Knight’s “bold and innovative ideas” could have “a dramatic effect on student learning”.
“We will continue to liaise with him and I will watch with interest how his students develop and thrive,” she said.