00:00For Northern Territory students graduating from Year 6, it'll be goodbye to middle schools
00:08and straight into high school.
00:10It's going to be good because I get to stay with my friends in Year 12 instead of moving
00:16schools.
00:17I feel pretty good because I get to spread my social footprint because I get to talk
00:25to a lot more older students than I would if it was a middle school.
00:29Under the NT Government's plan, middle schools in Darwin and Palmerston will begin accepting
00:35students from Years 10, 11 and 12 starting from 2026.
00:40And in Alice Springs, Centralian Middle School will become a high school from 2027.
00:45The move is designed to keep kids in school for longer.
00:49Because there was that key transition point from Year 9 to Year 10 that we were starting
00:54to lose students.
00:55The pros and cons of middle school up for debate.
00:58It really depends on who you are.
01:00If you love school, then it's like, oh, get to do more school.
01:03But if you don't, then it's easier to just not pursue it anymore, yeah.
01:09The NT's education union says the outdated model is not fit for purpose and it supports
01:15a move away from middle schools.
01:17But a key question remains unanswered.
01:20How will teachers manage the increased workload associated with the transition when they're
01:25already feeling overworked and undervalued?
01:28We still have the same amount of students, so we still need the same amount of teachers.
01:32And in actual fact, on any given week, the department is recruiting for teachers right
01:38across the Territory.
01:39The Northern Territory is in fact the only jurisdiction that has standalone middle schools,
01:44so we are now in line with the rest of the nation.
01:46Change on the way for NT students, with many saying it's long overdue.
01:51That's right.
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