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Many high schools in Australia now offer high school preparation courses to international students as a natural addition to the international programmes provided within the mainstream school. For some schools, such as All Saints Anglican School in Merrimac, QLD, preparation programmes were introduced in response to rising international enrolments in mainstream classes.
“I feel that entering mainstream high school classes without high school preparation and a suitable English language proficiency is basically a waste of time,” states Michael Bartlett at the school. “It is exhausting for students and often bad for their self-esteem. It also greatly reduces their chances to perform well and achieve results that will allow them to enter good universities.”
While all high school students benefit from a strong orientation programme that focuses on both academic language skills as well as the cultural differences that may crop up when studying overseas, Deborah Hansen from St Paul’s School in Bald Hills, QLD, points out that for some students, a full-time preparation programme before starting mainstream schooling may not be necessary. This school therefore provides two kinds of programmes: “There are some students who have sufficient English language ability to commence mainstream classes whilst they receive an ongoing orientation regarding teaching styles and cultural expectations,” she explains.
For students studying on a preparation programme directly attached to a high school, full-time studies within the school is often the intended goal and successful completion of the course usually guarantees entry. Studying on an on-campus preparation programme can also provide a gentle introduction to the local social scene. “Students on [our preparation] courses have the distinct advantage of studying on the same campus as mainstream students and integrating into the school through shared social spaces, classroom visits, sporting and arts events and buddy programmes,” says Karen Lindner at Eltham College in Eltham, VIC.
However, other organisations, such as Nudgee International College in Virginia, QLD, provide placement courses for students who can go on to a range of high schools in the state. The college has links with seven high schools in Queensland and offers a Study Abroad Program for 12 months whereby students study English at the college and then receive direct entry into one of these high schools. “The majority of our students are from Asian countries with an increase in Chinese students [in recent years],” says Micheale Craymer at the college. “We do have European students, mainly from Germany and Switzerland.” According to schools, the largest nationalities undertaking high school preparation courses are Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Thai and Chinese, although they also attract nationalities from a wide range of other countries.
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