Beyond the Compulsory School Years

Abstract

In Australia it has become conventional to regard Years 11 and 12 as the post-compulsory years of schooling and the years up to and including Year 10 as compulsory. A separation of Years 11 and 12 from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 is evident in levels of participation, curriculum structures, certification and examination procedures, and many aspects of school organisation. The 1980s in Australia have been marked by a dramatic increase in the percentage of young people continuing to the post-compulsory years. Whereas in 1981 the retention rate to Year 12 was 35 per cent, by 1990 this had grown to 64 per cent.

This paper is concerned with the progression from Year 10 to post-compulsory schooling, other forms of education and to work. It examines factors associated with school attainment (the number of years schooling completed) and the destinations of those who leave school, both at the point of transition from the compulsory to the post-compulsory years and at the end of secondary school. As part of its conclusion the paper notes the strong, and independent, influences of earlier achievement and attitudes to school on destinations as well as the role of background factors such as socio-economic status, parental expectations, ethnic background, and gender.