All students must complete four units of English over two years of Secondary School including a pair of English units in Year 12.

All students must enrol in either ATAR or General Religion and Life.

To meet the 'Breadth of Study' component for WACE Secondary Graduation, at least one course must be studied in both List A and B (see the WACE page under 'Breadth & Depth').

All ATAR courses have a WACE external exam and therefore can be used towards an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

Students must enrol in four units of English or Literature over Years 11 and 12 including a pair of English units in Year 12. Secondly, students must demonstrate that they have met the minimum standard for literacy and numeracy, which is based on skills regarded as essential for individuals to meet the demands of everyday life and work in a knowledge-based economy.

Students can demonstrate the minimum standard by:

Achieving Band 8 or higher in the Year 9 NAPLAN Reading, Writing and Numeracy tests;

Or through the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA).

No, although the majority of students will choose to study Mathematics.

Yes. Students must make a genuine attempt in the WACE exam for all ATAR courses in order for their school based grade to be included in the ‘C’ average criteria for Secondary Graduation.

Outdoor Education requires students to attend expeditions that will take them away from school from time to time.

Generally not, but in some circumstances, he can. There are skills and content taught in Year 11 that form the foundation upon which sections of the Year 12 course are based.

The completion of some background reading prior to Term One, Year 12 would be required if students are to catch up on missed concepts. Such a subject choice should only be contemplated after advice from the relevant Head of Learning.

Where it is a subject area of interest or a possible relevant subject for TAFE entry, the study of a conceptually more rigorous course could be of value. Students must ensure that the relevant Year 10 prerequisite has been met.

No. This is no longer a requirement of the WACE achievement.

There are a number of university courses that require prerequisites. For example, to study direct entry Engineering at UWA, students must be enrolled in Mathematics Methods, Physics, Mathematics Specialist and Chemistry. The student must have completed the course and received a final scaled mark greater than 50%.

Yes. In consultation with the Senior School Academic Advisor, alterations to a program of study can be made prior to commencement of Year 11.

In Year 11, if a student experiences significant difficulty with a subject, this may be changed prior to the end of Week 6, Term 1.

No. School policy states that once students have been allocated to a specific class, they are not permitted to change teachers.

For most courses at university and TAFE this is not a problem. A broad range of subjects that match the students’ interests and abilities will usually help to maximise entry prospects. The only difficulty is for those university courses that require prerequisite subjects. These university prerequisites may direct Year 11 subject selections.

Refer to the University Course Prerequisites as published by TISC.

Students are required to achieve at a satisfactory level in Year 10. Satisfactory achievement is considered to be the attainment of a ‘C’ grade average at the completion of Year 10. Students are also expected to meet Mazenod College behavioural standards.

Students will be given the opportunity to meet the prerequisite by the end of Term 3.

Where the prerequisite has not been met at this point and the student still wishes to enrol in a specific subject, they have until the end of Year 10 to meet the prerequisite. After this point, students wishing to enrol in a subject without meeting the appropriate prerequisite must obtain the permission of the Head of Learning.

Firstly, it is important to work out which courses interest you. Course search on the TAFE website contains details on all full-time courses offered at TAFE colleges. If you are still not sure which courses to apply for, see your school careers advisor, the Career Centre or a TAFE college information centre for more information.

You should apply for more than one level of a course if there is any doubt about your competitiveness. For instance, if you wish to apply for the Diploma of Business it is a good idea to also apply for a similar course at a lower level such as the Certificate II in Business. Aim high, but be realistic.

For some courses you may need to submit a portfolio, for example Arts and Multimedia. There are also courses not recommended for people just leaving school either because of few job opportunities for young people or because you need specific skills gained through lower level courses.

Secondly, if the course you choose to apply for is deemed to have competitive entry, you will need to provide evidence that you meet the selection criteria. Competitive entry courses are those where there are more people applying than there are places available. In these instances, people with the highest score against the selection criteria are offered the available places.

TAFE offers certificate, diploma and advanced diploma courses which can vary in length of study from six months to three years. Courses are very practical and tailored to job requirements. Universities usually offer degree courses which take three or more years and usually contain much more theory than TAFE courses.

Some TAFE graduates later go on to university and many university graduates to TAFE, to gain more practical skills to help them get a job.

Workplace Learning allows students to:

Test out possible careers.

Potentially obtain apprenticeships.

Obtain credit for TAFE.

Complete units that contribute towards the WACE.

Develop employability skills.

Experience the discipline of the workplace.

Experience personal development.

Students should contact the Careers Team for Careers advice.