What will make retention rates from Year 10 to Year 12 improve further?
Jun 02, 2026
Recent data shows the retention from Yr 10 to Yr 12 is 81.5%, about the same as since before the pandemic.
Although it sounds good, it means almost 20%of students don't finish school. Does this matter? Research does show completing Year 12 has a swathe of positive effects on students' lives, including better employment prospects, higher lifetime earnings, and stronger health and wellbeing.
This article in The Conversation suggests there are 3 ways to retain students:
- Effective teaching
- reducing difficulty with initial learning
- giving opportunity to practice and improve
- Classroom Management
- clear rules and routines so students know what to expect.
- building on what students do well rather than focusing on what they can't.
- Good Teacher - Student Relationships
- building warm, respectful relationships with students.
- if students feel known and supported by their teachers, they are more willing to engage and stay connected to school.
Read the whole article here
Image: Play-back your world, Melbourne Playback Theatre
Years 7 -9 - how to foster engagement
Research shows students beginning high school suffer, not just for a short time, but they often, lose confidence, are less inclined to be engaged or persevere. Students became more worried and sad, feeling less happiness and optimism and these feelings can last for years.
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Naplan - scores similar but low participation in NT
We're sure teachers will have a better read of the scores, but they seem roughly the same as previously.
What really stands out to us is -
- The low participation of NT students and also that
- Despite Victorian teachers dissatisfaction, scores of Victorian students was either hig
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Many people think of creativity as being brilliant or innovative in the arts or sciences, or even just pursuing these disciplines as hobbies - these are what academics call the Big C Creativity.
They argue that creativity, the small c type, is what helps us solve everyday problems, consider options
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