Transitioning year 7 primary students to secondary settings in Western Australian Catholic Schools: A description of the process

Authors

Anne Coffey, University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Richard G. Berlach, University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Michael O'Neill, University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow

Publication Details

Coffey, A., Berlach, R. G., & O'Neill, M. (2011). Transitioning year 7 primary students to secondary settings in Western Australian Catholic Schools: A description of the process. Journal of Catholic School Studies, 83 (2), 6-17.

Abstract

In 2009 the Catholic education system moved to a six plus six model, even though the public education system in Western Australia decided to remain with a seven year primary and five year secondary school structural arrangement. Prior to implementation, a great deal of planning was undertaken by the Catholic Education Office and individual schools to ensure the smooth transition of Year Seven students to a secondary school setting. This system-wide shift presented a one-time opportunity to investigate the planning arrangements of six Catholic secondary schools that agreed to participate in the study. This study reports the unique challenges experienced by each school, what they learned from the process and what hindsight taught them about how things might have been done differently. Insights should be valuable to other systems contemplating a similar transition.

Keywords

Peer-reviewed