The choice of subjects available each year at the School is amended from time to time according to demand and teacher expertise.

Subjects:

Junior Secondary

Years 7 & 8

As these years are our major intake years, there is a wide variety of student ability, so we consider these are our years to establish "the basics". This allows students to be exposed to subjects that they may not have had the opportunity to study in specially equipped areas, e.g., Science, Design and Technology, and generally allow students to fully adapt to a secondary lifestyle before seriously considering their future pathways.

As a result, students study Core subjects for the entire year (English, Mathematics, Science, HASS and Health) but study their "options" for shorter rotations.

Years 9 & 10

Although at this point, some students may only be concerned with selecting subjects for Years 9 and 10, students and their parents need to understand that compulsory subjects (English, Mathematics, Science, HASS and Health) will prepare students for the majority of the subjects offered in senior years. In turn, students' two electives will help them decide which types of subjects they most enjoy. Students tend to do better in subjects they enjoy.

Once students have experienced a range of subjects, they have the opportunity to specialise by choosing subjects that interest them and support their future pathway. We carefully monitor students at this stage to ensure that our more academically minded students are challenged, our students who are experiencing difficulty are supported, and other students have the opportunity to consider their pathway.

How do we know which students need extra assistance?

At the beginning of each year, all students are tested by our learning support teachers. From this testing, students at risk are identified, and a plan of support, including modified programs, is put into place. Parents are informed early in the term if this is required.

For our more able students, those that attain a place on the Academic Merit List have an opportunity to apply for special projects. Students are mentored to show their in-depth learning during these projects, including links with outside providers, e.g. designing apps, solar car entries.

During these years, students study Education For Life (EFL). The EFL modules cover a wide range of social and life issues, including a significant emphasis on student career development.

Senior Secondary

Years 11 & 12

As part of our planning to ensure that students studying in Years 11 and 12 are given the best support to prepare them for their senior secondary education, we commence our Year 11 study program in Term 4 of Year 10.  This allows students to have two full terms of teaching and learning available to them as they progress through each Unit of study in Years 11 and 12. 

This is the "business end of the market" where students have a wide range of support networks to help with their pathway – whether they are preparing to go to university, competing in the job market, or starting apprenticeships or traineeships. Students have a wide range of General Subjects, Applied Subjects or Certificate Courses to choose from. We have an excellent opportunity with the Dalrymple Trade Training Centre (DTTC) for students to study certificates in a trade environment.

Please refer to the School's Senior Curriculum Handbooks for details regarding the new Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) System. This publication includes a double page of information on each senior subject and general information pertaining to the senior phase of learning.

Years 11 & 12 (2024 - 2025) Curriculum Handbook

The following extracts (ATAR Eligibility, the DTTC Offerings and Other Alternative Courses) are provided as a summary of these curriculum areas.

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) Eligibility

The calculation of an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) will be based on a student's:

• best five General subject results or
• best results in a combination of four General subject results plus an Applied subject result or a Certificate III or higher VET qualification.

The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) has responsibility for ATAR calculations.  Eligibility for an ATAR will also require the satisfactory completion of a QCAA English subject.  While students must meet this standard to be eligible to receive an ATAR, it is not mandatory for a student's English result to be included in the calculation of their ATAR.

2022 Dalrymple Trade Training Centre (DTTC) Offerings

As one of the foundation schools involved with the Dalrymple Trade Training Centre, ASSG has been involved since its inception in 2007. Opened in 2014, the DTTC has seen exciting advancement in RTO (Registered Training Organisations) numbers and certificate offerings. At this stage in our RTO discussions, we have available the following courses:

At this stage of planning, the DTTC is hoping to be able to offer courses in the following industry areas:

• Agriculture
• Automotive
• Construction
• Engineering
• Health
• Hospitality

A core element of the Queensland Government's Working Queensland jobs plan is ensuring Queenslanders have access to quality training programs that deliver effective skills to meet employment and business demands.  Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS) is a financial program that supports this aim by delivering nationally-recognised qualifications to school students, providing them with the skills and knowledge required for specific industries.

The Department of Education and Training's VET investment budget funds those VETiS qualifications at the Certificate I and Certificate II level which have been identified in consultation with industry, national skills shortages, Queensland Government priorities, and other evidence relating to effective training pathways that support employment.

VETis funding will only cover the course costs for ONE Certificate I or Certificate II course for each child.

There is a school fee of $250 charged for each VET course taken at the DTTC to cover additional administration and transportation costs.

Please note that some DTTC Certificate courses may have additional fees and equipment requirements.

Other Alternative Courses

Additional courses of study are often offered during the Senior Phase of Learning at ASSG.  In the past, these have included – First Aid, Workplace Health and Safety, Job Site White Card, Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA), Provide Responsible Gambling Services (RSG), Food Handling and other subject-related VET courses.

There is also an extensive range of Certificate Courses and extension courses that can inspire students to gain valuable skills for their future pathways.  Many of these are offered and completed online.  ASSG is committed to assisting students to achieve success in this style of learning.  Should parents/caregivers/students find a course which their child is (a) suitably qualified and (b) is committed to completing, we will work on a case by case basis in catering for individual needs.

There are always new and exciting extension programs that ASSG students undertake.  A recent program in which students have succeeded is the CQU (Central Queensland University) SUN (Start Uni Now) Program. Please contact our careers team for further information on this and other opportunities as they are advertised directly to students and parents via email.

Academic Support

"All students can do something – it’s finding the something that is the art of teaching".

No two students are alike, and each has their strengths and weaknesses. We have many layers of support for all our students:

Layer 1:

Students are supported in class. Teachers differentiate in the classroom and cater to different literacy styles/levels. On top of this, homework is carefully structured, and in Years 7 to 10, there is a homework setting schedule. Students do not have the excuse "I don't have homework"… or… "I don't know if I have homework" as all homework is set on allocated nights.

Layer 2:

For those students who need a little extra help, we have a free afternoon homework club or "Ringers Club". This is run by students and staff who just want to help students reach their potential.

Layer 3:

These are our students who need specialised one on one or small group extra assistance. We have had a range of students achieve success from the very humble literacy beginnings of "barely reading" to "have a few holes".

We have to add here that we do NOT have special needs trained teachers – only learning support. There is a big difference in the support that these two categories require. This specialised learning support is at no extra cost, but all our teachers strive to ensure that your child achieves the highest level that he or she is capable of.

What Curriculum do you study?

We follow the Australian Curriculum for Mathematics, Science, English, Health and Physical Education, History and Geography in Years 7 – 10. We combine History and Geography into one subject and call this Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS).

For more information about subject criteria or standards please see: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au or ACARA at www.acara.edu.au.

For our other Junior Secondary subjects, we follow the Curriculum outlined by the QCAA (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority – formerly QSA).

Our Senior Secondary subjects follow the QCAA guidelines in terms of subjects and academic guidelines and policies. For further information, please see our Curriculum & Assessment Policy and the QCAA website www.qcaa.qld.edu.au.