Middle School is a time of rapid personal and social change. We empower students to develop essential personal skills, strengthen emotional maturity, and apply effective strategies that support academic success, getting them ready to face the Senior years with confidence and independence.
Early adolescence is a period of rapid change, when students begin to broaden their thinking, form new relationships, and seek a strong sense of belonging among peers and teachers.
At Mercedes College, we recognise both the opportunities and challenges of these years. Our Middle School is intentionally designed to support each student’s journey, providing a nurturing and affirming environment where confidence is built, strengths are discovered, and meaningful learning takes place.
Strong relationships are central to the Middle School experience. Our staff prioritise connection and belonging, ensuring every student is known, supported, and encouraged to take an active role in the life of the College.
Most learning takes place in a Homeroom setting, creating stability and continuity, with movement to specialist classes that broaden skills and perspectives. This balance supports confidence, engagement, and a smooth transition through the Middle years.
Learning extends well beyond the classroom. Students are encouraged to participate in a wide range of cultural, musical, service, and sporting opportunities that build resilience, leadership, teamwork, and College pride. These experiences help students discover their passions, develop new talents, and strengthen their sense of community.
Middle School at Mercedes is more than a stage of schooling — it is a time of discovery, connection, and transformation, where students are empowered to grow into capable, compassionate, and confident young people.
When students enter the Middle School, they are introduced to our Growth and Personal Skills programme (GPS), a component of the College’s broader approach to pastoral care that continues through to Year 12.
The programme aims to build capacity, values, skills, attitudes and approaches to a range of developmentally appropriate situations and experiences: strong relationships, healthy lifestyles, positive emotions, and personal resilience.
These are all key milestones for students during this time of their social, emotional and intellectual development.
Each year of Middle School gives students a particular focus relevant to their age, to manage and embrace change, strengthen connections, grow independence, and seek challenges.
We see this as a crucial part of our students’ development – as Middle School is a time of great change for students, and they need tailored support and understanding to help them navigate this path of their learning.
The curriculum in the Middle School is rich and diverse, and seeks to provide students with as many opportunities to grow, try new experiences, learn new passions and discover hidden talents.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) sits at the heart of our Middle School. It is specifically designed for adolescent learners and promotes curiosity, independence, and purpose.
Through the MYP, students develop essential skills in self-management, collaboration, and critical thinking, while engaging in learning experiences that connect knowledge to the real world.
Spanning five years (Years 6–10), the MYP equips students with the capabilities and mindset needed for success in our Senior School and beyond.
In addition to our standard curriculum, we offer several programmes in Year 9 that focus on key areas for growth and learning. The RISE Programme offer students a rich and diverse range of experiences, in and outside of the classroom, to build on key areas of personal development that support their learning through Middle School.
Year 9 students are also given the opportunity to participate in our optional curricular extension programmes Break Free and Break You that explores and challenges gender stereotypes, expectations, and misconceptions.
The structure of the MYP is designed to build student agency and develop the core skills for learning.
These help provide a solid foundation for independent study and meaningful assessment.
These skills, which include critical and creative thinking, social and communication skills, research skills and self-management, are used across a diverse range of projects that aim to connect with their life experiences and provide context for engaged learning.
Students also study from the perspective of a global citizen, learning to be internationally minded and develop an intercultural understanding. This includes undertaking acts of service, requiring students to reflect on their actions and how they impact locally and globally.
Students in Middle School begin by studying all core subjects with a rotation of The Arts, then get more autonomy in their subject selections as they progress
The core subjects within the MYP are:
Year 9 is the final year of Middle School for our students.
We have designed a structured developmental programme to address identity formation, respectful relationships, responsibility and social-emotional learning.
Explicit skill-building includes
Each term, RISE focuses on new topics, including mentors, community, self-management, organisation, consent, health, and self-awareness, and includes summative assessment and reflection.
Students are also taught explicit skills in effective communication, self-discipline, responsible decision making, teamwork and online safety, with the aim to build their understanding of themselves and the impact of their actions.
We believe that Year 9 is a pivotal year for our students, in terms of their overall growth and maturity – and the RISE programme is designed specifically to support and stretch our students, to help provide insights into the next phase of their academic and personal development.
Our Middle School Camp experiences are an important and integral part of building our students independence, connection and resilience.
Camps are also ideal opportunities for our students to deepen their friendships, to learn more about themselves and each other, and are intentionally aligned to hands-on, real-world learning.
Middle School camp experiences across Year 6 to Year 9, culminate in a self-managed 4-day trek that gives students a sense of confidence and achievement and builds up their independence before they enter their Senior School years.
In addition to multi-day camps, students in the Middle School are introduced to an annual Reflection Day.
This day is dedicated to internal growth and collective understanding which complements their learning and is part of our faith education programme.
Camps and Activities
