Benowa State High School students left stunned by decision to axe International Baccalaureate program

Students at a high-achieving Gold Coast school have been left ‘anxious’, ‘disillusioned’ and reluctant to attend classes after a decision that parents say has left them reeling.

CONCERNED parents say students at a Gold Coast high school have been left distraught, anxious and reluctant to attend classes after the sudden cancellation of a world-renowned program.

Parents of the Year 10 students are now campaigning to have the International Baccalaureate (IB) program reinstated at Benowa State High School, where it had been offered since 2018.

However the Department of Education say it had to be axed because it had a high drop-out rate and caused cost and staffing problems for the school.

The IB curriculum sees successful students receive a diploma that helps them secure places in highly sought-after university courses.

While the diploma course takes place across Years 11 and 12, Benowa encouraged parents to enrol students in a “preparatory course” in Year 10.

The 26 students enrolled in the preparatory program this year have now been told that they must instead take part in the regular ATAR system or transfer to Queensland Academies in Southport.

Rachelle Arnott, whose daughter is one of the 26 Year 10 students affected, said the move had left the students feeling “anxious” and “disillusioned”.

“The impact on the mental health of the students is really quite tragic,” Ms Arnott said. “These motivated kids, who loved education and were striving to achieve academically as well as they could, have begun to experience school refusal, anxiety, disillusionment and hopelessness.

“... These are kids who are 16 years of age, they are incredibly vulnerable in regards to their sense of identity.

“This particular program really provided that sense of, you’re part of an IB family, we’re all here to support each other, to achieve to the best of our potential.

“Now that identity has been taken away from them and they’ve been told they have to transition into ATAR, which a lot of them feel anxious about.”

Ms Arnott said the decision to end the program had been announced to students just three weeks ago without prior consultation.

She said that due to the timing of the decision Year 10 students had been left with “minimal options” having already forfeited offers of scholarships at other institutions and entry processes that “cannot be accessed again”.

Ayami Iida, whose daughter was also part of the Year 10 IB program, said the announcement was met with shock and distress from students.

“All the children were upset and kept crying all day during the class,” Ms Iida said.

Former Benowa State High School principal Mark Rickard. AAP Image/Richard Gosling

Acting Principal Chris Capra. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

The IB course was introduced at the school by former executive principal Mark Rickard, who retired earlier this year. Mr Rickard was replaced in term 3 by acting principal Chris Capra.

In documentation promoting the program, Mr Rickard said it offered a “tremendous pathway” to students which positioned Benowa as a “world school”.

Parents were told the course, for which they would have to pay about $4500 in fees, would involve opportunities to go on trips to Fiji, Japan and France, would “build and reinforce a student’s sense of identity” and upon completion, would give students “access to Australia and the world’s leading universities”.

The decision to stop offering the program at Benowa, which in 2019 achieved the best OP results in Queensland, has also disappointed parents who hoped to put their children forward in coming years.

Aleysa Rapisarda, whose daughter currently attends the local primary school, said her family had deliberately chosen to live within the Benowa State High School catchment zone because of the program.

“It was one of our main reasons for moving to the area,” Ms Rapisarda said.

“It’s the highest achieving state school on the Gold Coast.”

In a statement to the Bulletin, a Department of Education spokesperson said the IB program suffered a high drop-out rate and had cost and staffing implications for the school.

“Benowa State High School’s decision to discontinue its International Baccalaureate program was led by a number of factors, including a steady reduction in the number of students entering the program and a high drop-out rate (approximately 50 per cent) over the past three

years,” the spokersperson said.

“In this context, the school has made the decision after carefully considering a multitude of aspects arising from the program, such as the high cost of subsidies allocated from the school’s budget and staffing implications.

“The program will continue for current Year 11 and 12 students.

“Year 10 students have been offered entry to the Queensland Academies, to pursue the International Baccalaureate program should they choose to do so. Year 10 families that have already paid the required fees will be refunded.”

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Originally published as Benowa State High School students left stunned by decision to axe International Baccalaureate program