The middle years

During the middle years, students are further equipped with the tools they need to problem-solve, fail, try new approaches and rethink.

The emphasis is on encouraging – not rescuing – students on their learning journey.

There is an ongoing focus on the development and application of executive functioning skills: organisation, task initiation, perseverance, self-control, self-regulation and sustained attention (as opposed to rushed solution-finding).

The middle years are an optimal time to reinforce these skills in the developing adolescent mind. This is because research tells us that the ability of the teenage brain to make neural connections, process information, develop insight and foresight, plan ahead and make decisions is significantly strengthened at this time. 

Refining executive functioning skills during the middle years sets students up with the lifelong ability to take on difficult tasks, operate successfully in team-oriented and individual settings, go the extra mile and achieve set goals.

Crucially, there is an emphasis on the ongoing development of metacognition in the middle years. This involves awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes and personal learning style and how this can be improved or leveraged for success. Students are exposed to educational experiences that nurture metacognition and encouraged to take incremental steps towards taking greater ownership of their learning.

Students in Years 7-9 are also equipped with age-appropriate tools to keep themselves safe in the modern world, both online and offline. They begin undertaking units from The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (which they continue until Year 12), which helps them maintain a strong sense of self-awareness and wellbeing and understand what respectful relationships look like. 

The middle years are a time for students to start contemplating their future selves beyond school. To that end, Year 9 represents a milestone year for students as they are given the freedom to choose elective subjects for the first time and start pursuing their areas of strength and passion with focused intent. Electives are offered in a wide range of fields, including (but not limited to) agricultural science, dance, technological innovation, hospitality and advanced studies in Japanese.

From Year 9 onwards, eligible students can also apply to join one (or both) of Tatachilla’s extension programs in athletics and the arts.

These include the Advanced Athlete Development Program – for those with demonstrable athletic talent and commitment to sport – and the Arts Academy – for those whose passions and aspirations lie in the world of visual art, dance, drama, music, lighting or sound.