In her conversations with young people, South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, Helen Connolly, heard from students at all school levels that they felt an immense amount of pressure to complete Year 12 and achieve a high ATAR score. 

The Commissioner felt it was therefore important to gain real-time insights into young people’s experiences of being a student in Year 12 in South Australia. 

The Commissioner engaged with students in Year 12 across South Australia’s Government, Catholic, and Independent school sectors. This engagement included a series of face-to-face consultations with groups of students in Year 12 attending four Adelaide schools; one-off conversations with Year 12 students attending an additional six Adelaide schools; and a survey of Year 12 students which received 223 responses.

There are significant and substantial differences in the way students are being prepared for adulthood between schools and across sectors. These differences are particularly obvious when viewed through the lens of relationships and skills that support lifelong health, safety, wellbeing, and individual aspiration.