Did you know that Queensland students studying Humanities in Senior write between 22,000 to 24,000 words, while those studying Maths and Sciences write between 18,000 to 20,000?

In Australia, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) data shows that the mean performance for literacy between girls and boys at age 15 represents approximately one year of schooling.

Aligned with the College’s curriculum vision to be trail blazers in the area of boys’ literacy, and in collaboration with the Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) Middle Leaders Project, senior academics are engaging in initiatives which identify opportunities to support writing and literary improvements for all BBC students.

“As a leading boys’ school we have a moral imperative to set the standard for engaging boys in literacy, particularly as the demands of writing span all subject areas and is crucial beyond school. To honour this commitment, the College has implemented targeted programs to improve literacy outcomes for our BBC boys,” said Dr Leigh Hobart, Deputy Headmaster – Academic Performance and Innovation (P-12).

“Last year we trialled a program based on explicit instruction with our Year 4 and Year 7 boys. Student feedback suggests boys found the structure of this approach easy to implement, reducing the cognitive load of ‘how’ to write, so they can focus on what they want to communicate. Our staff were equally impressed with the outcomes, and this year the College extended the program across Years 3 to 10.”

“The results of this program, in conjunction with other campus wide literacy initiatives, have been incredibly promising with improvements evident in boys’ sentence structure, paragraphing, precision and clarity of message across all year levels,” said Dr Hobart.

By developing graduates who have strong foundations, along with creative and curious minds, a Brisbane Boys’ College education prepares boys from Prep to Year 12 to step confidently into life beyond school and positively contribute to society.

Details on how our BBC academics are leading writing improvements for boys were presented at the ISQ Big Ideas Summit.