At Northern Beaches State High School the focus is on the holistic development of each student. To facilitate this the school has developed a Junior Secondary Structure where students have key teachers for core subjects. This enables a more meaningful relationship to develop between teachers and students.
In the Senior School, priority is placed on flexible pathways to cater for the future aspirations of individual students. This includes offering students a course of study which best meets their needs. There are two predominant pathways students can select – an academic pathway or a vocational pathway. The vocational pathway includes the multi award winning ALTEX program.
The school is committed to the development of a whole individual and close partnerships with our local primary schools saw the school selected as one of only 20 high schools to pilot Year 7 in high schools in 2013.
Subjects/Electives Years 11 and 12: In Years 11 and 12 students continue to study six subjects, selected from a wide range of offerings which include Authority subjects, Authority registered subjects as well as vocational certificate courses, traineeships and apprenticeships offered both through the school and external training providers. The end goal in Year 11 and 12 is to obtain a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and/or an Overall Position (OP).
Welfare and personal development: Student case management including support from the Guidance Officer, School Youth Health Nurse, School Based Police Officer, Community Education Counsellor, Chaplain and the Youth Support Co-ordinator.
Special features: Each student is allocated a mentor teacher who will work with the student for the 6 years of high school. This close monitoring and mentoring has produced outstanding individualised results and has been recognised as a Regional Showcase Winner for Academic Excellence in 2012.