A Catholic high school has changed tradition and will allow its seniors to learn from home one day a week.
Chevalier College in Bowral, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, will adopt the flexible school week permanently from next year after trialling it throughout 2024.
A research program conducted simultaneously with the trial found that students had improved time management and independent learning skills.
Their “Looking Ahead” plan will allow all students to have self-directed learning on Mondays, while older students will have the option to learn from home.
Students will also have a wider range of subjects available and will take HSC classes years earlier than at other schools.
The school, which charges seniors just under $12,000 a year, announced it was changing to prepare its classmates for the future in an “evolving technological world.”
“Today’s education was designed for an industrial world, with key features emphasizing standardization and uniformity to produce large numbers of workers with the same basic skills,” Chevalier College’s website reads.
‘(This) is an opportunity for the College to begin implementing concepts and approaches that make better use of time and support our students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.’
Students at Chevalier College Catholic secondary school (pictured), in Bowral, will have a permanent four-day school week from next year after successfully trialling the scheme.
Throughout the trial, a number of growing pains were experienced, especially by the younger students, who expressed a desire for more instruction and guidance.
Seventh and eighth grade students spend half of each Monday in the school auditorium to engage with “soft” content before attending in-person classes.
Her parents said they struggled with a “lack of structure and support.” alphabet reported.
“We didn’t do as well as we could have and there’s more work to do moving forward,” said Chevalier College Principal Greg Miller.
“Parent feedback certainly added weight to what was evolving as we observed and interviewed students and also reviewed their survey data.”
Mr. Miller noted that only a few parents completely opposed the school’s approach and will continue to modify the plan over the next few years.
Part of that change will include new Year 7 students taking part in induction programmes focused on flexible learning.
Younger students will also receive ongoing training to improve their self-regulation and time management.
Seniors will have the option to do self-directed learning from home on Monday, while juniors will spend the day in the school classroom to engage in “pre-class” content (file image)
Final year students will only need to take Religious Studies and English, three of the 10 required ATAR units, and will be able to choose from over 50 other subjects for their HSC.
The results of the research programme will be published so that other schools can decide whether they will also introduce a flexible school week.
“Chevalier College has decided to do something that many schools have thought about but were waiting for someone to take the first step,” said lead researcher Dr. Phil Cummins.
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