A number of schools have self-funded a ‘South Australian Middle Schooling Network’ in order to extend their middle schooling practices. They employ an Assistant Principal who works across sites to support their research and professional activities.

The department has contracted out a Curriculum Policy Directorate salary to five schools to develop innovative Middle Years Band curricula based on the Essential Learnings in the draft curriculum framework. These sites will inform the content of the final framework in the Middle Years Band, and share their curriculum materials and expertise as part of the implementation of the framework.

Implementation of the curriculum framework commencing in 2001 will involve statewide professional development and teaching, learning and assessing materials. Part of these activities will focus on the Middle Years Band.

A middle years numeracy project has been undertaken with Commonwealth funding. This has involved professional development and action research within a number of junior secondary schools, designed to incorporate numeracy across the curriculum. Further funding is currently being allocated to similar projects targeting both literacy and numeracy in the middle years.