Year 6 - Year 8

The adoption of the Middle School concept at St Peter's is a response to the needs of young adolescents in the traditional school years of six to eight.  Students at this stage of life are experiencing major changes in their physical and emotional states.   Research has shown that in many cases adolescents' learning slows or even regresses, yet it is a time when learning should be at a peak.  Reasons for this apparent slowing can be attributed to a number of factors which include:-

• a sudden move from one teacher to many teachers and students moving from room to room and not owning their own space or being able to display their own work;
• the students' perception that the curriculum lacks relevance or cohesion;
• teaching styles can be seen as alienating and boring because time constraints force specialist teachers into very structured modes of delivery; and
• teachers not knowing the children well.  Relationships have a real impact on these students' engagement with the school.

The Middle School at St Peter's addresses these problems by:-

• reducing the number of teachers each student comes into contact with.  The concept of "Home Teachers" is followed and they are responsible for the core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science and Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE); in addition the Home Teacher is the main pastoral carer for each class.
• providing students with a home room;
• specialist teachers are used for the other subjects of Language, Design and Technology (D and T), Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) and Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA);
• the curriculum is presented in a cohesive fluent manner in contrast to the compartmentalised subject approach in traditional high schools; and
• teachers knowing students very well because of the "home teacher" concept.

The College curricula covers all NSW Board of Studies requirements for these stages of education. It is extended appropriately to challenge the students to achieve their potential.