Across our Senior School campus and curriculum we aim to foster a true love of learning that complements academic achievement. Our extension, enrichment and support strategies reflect this approach, providing activities that spark and sustain student interest alongside those that target areas of need.
Challenging students to surpass expectations
Students with high academic potential benefit from the breadth and depth of expertise they are able to access within the School community. In addition to employing staff who have expertise in challenging and extending very able students, the School proactively identifies external opportunities which extend students of this calibre.
Examples of programs that build on classroom experiences to challenge these students include:
- our VCE Extended Investigation unit, which develops students’ understanding of what constitutes a strong research question and an ethical, robust, disciplined and rational approach to gathering, interpreting and evaluating evidence in order to answer research questions.
- workshops in which both staff and students present alongside one another on areas of specialisation.
- inter-school competitions in areas such as mathematics, debating and computational linguistics.
Enrichment in the classroom for all students
Alongside our extension activities for Senior School students, we continue our personalised approach to learning by offering enrichment activities to all students. Some of these are classroom based; others form part of our co-curricular program.
In addition to the copious opportunities for participation in sport and the performing arts, special interest groups at the Senior School include Book Club, Chess Club, Debating Club, Politics Committee, Science and Technology Committee, and more.
Support to make progress and achieve growth
Our Senior School students are managing a new set of academic pressures and expectations. While celebrating those who excel, we also foster a culture that recognises the efforts of students who have made significant progress on their own terms. These are acknowledged, for example, in a series of prizes that recognise progress, rather than simply achievement.
Consistent with our primary and middle school, specialised support from our own expert staff continues to be available across our Senior School.