Planning Your Senior Program
A program is the complete list of VCE or VCE (VM) Units you will do over two or more years. Most students undertaking VCE will do at least 22 Units over the two (or three) years they are in Year 11 and Year 12.
Choosing Units
There is a wide range of studies offered by the College, you need to take the time to research them all. Take care with future studies that require prerequisites. Ensure that you have met these requirements if you wish to undertake a particular study or Unit. The VTAC website can assist you here.
You will be choosing Semester long Units. For your sake and the sake of the College, it is a good idea to plan your whole program well in advance. Changing subjects in Units 1 to 4 is permissible but only within the commencement periods at the end of each school year and at the end of a Semester (Unit 1 & 2 only). Subject change requests are dependent on a variety of factors and cannot be guaranteed. There may also be problems related to class sizes which may not allow a change.
Because of timetabling, the list of all the Units the College offers is not necessarily the list of what you will be able to do. For example, you might have to choose between Chemistry and Dance because you are the only student who wanted to do both. This happens because the College must organise teachers and rooms as well as trying to meet student program requests.
If you have your heart set on doing some combination that is not immediately on offer, don’t despair. Something can often be worked out. Once again, this underlines the importance of your planning. The earlier you can tell the College what you want the more likely it is that we will be able to offer it.
Complete your subject selection form on-line with care and keep a copy.
It is important to adhere to the due date.
You may use this template to assist you with your course planning moving forward: A plan for your senior program over 3 years
NB: Final decisions on the units that will run will be dependent on the number of students enrolling and staffing availability and will be determined by the College Principal.
Promotion between senior campus year levels is not automatic.
Year 10 to Year 11
Admission to the VCE or VCE (VM) is dependent upon the student being able to construct a viable and educationally sound course of studies. In establishing the educational soundness of a course of studies, the College will examine the requirements of the VCE, the range of studies selected in terms of the student’s past achievements, declared career options and the appropriateness of the mix of studies.
Students are required to satisfy specific criteria in each Year 10 subject, they must satisfactorily complete all work requirements/outcomes to be eligible for automatic promotion from Year 10 to Year 11.
If a student does not satisfy the criteria in one or more subjects in Semester 1 of Year 10, a meeting is arranged to explore issues and possible strategies and alternatives. The meeting of the relevant Head of House, parent(s)/guardian and where necessary Inclusion Support representative and Student Welfare Representative will devise an appropriate Individual Learning Program ILP (a program/contract designed to ensure that the situation is rectified). The student is then monitored and supported during Terms 3 and 4 with another evaluation of his/her status towards the end of Semester 2.
Students who have not satisfied work requirements/outcomes may be promoted on probation. This situation will be reviewed when reports for Term 1 of Year 11 are received from teachers.
Year 11 to Year 12
A minimum of eight satisfactory Units (Including at least 1 Unit of English or equivalent) by the end of Year 11 must be completed for students to be eligible to progress to Unit 3/4 VCE studies in Year 12.
Students who do not meet this threshold will be required to meet with the Director of Learning and Growth and the Head of Campus to discuss options. This may include:
- Moving to a multi-year VCE or VCE VM program (adding an additional year of study)
- A change in learning program
- A look at alternative pathways