What causes success at school?

It’s also true that research carried out both here and overseas proves that there are many other reasons explaining why some students and some schools do better than others.

Successful schools set high expectations, have disciplined and focused classroom environments, committed and well resourced teachers, a rigorous curriculum and effective leadership.

It’s not unusual for successful academic schools to have regular testing and exams starting at Years 7 and 8 while students in many other schools encounter their first exams at Year 12.

Academically strong schools also set lots of homework and work on the assumption, with effort, hard work and teacher support, that all students are capable of improvement.

Students in such schools, on the whole, also have a natural ability when it comes to learning and are generally self-motivated and keen to out-perform other students. 

Of course, it’s also true that not all schools focus on Year 12 academic success and there are many other pathways for students completing Year 12.  Victoria is lucky to be the one state in Australia that has a dedicated trade/practical certificate, the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).

At Years 11 and 12, instead of the Higher School Certificate, students can do the more practical, hands-on VCAL where business and industry get involved and students get work experience in the real world.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) subjects provide another alternative to academic Year 12 subjects and university study.

Critics like the Australian Education Union and Trevor Cobbold, from Save Our Schools, argue against funding non-government schools on the basis that such schools, supposedly, are elitist and exacerbate social disadvantage.

Selective government schools, as they epitomise a commitment to competition and meritocracy, are also often criticised.  Ignored is that selective schools offer a relatively inexpensive pathway to academic success based on ability and merit; especially for non-English speaking background students.

It’s also true that many non-government schools, especially Catholic and low fee paying non-denominational schools, provide a ladder of opportunity for the children of aspirational parents who might never have gone to university.