LATER YEARS (10-12)
Overview
The Senior School Campus located in Essendon is a hub for students in Years 10-12. It is an environment where students are able to access opportunities for young people that foster engagement, learning and future pathways preparation. Students from a wide area select the Essendon Senior Campus for its location, broad subject offerings, AFL Premier League program and Visual & Performing Arts programs.
Year 10
Students who enter the campus at Year 10 have the opportunity to select from a wide range of semester based subject offerings, completing twelve units of study throughout Year 10 – six units per semester. Students experience choice in the Art & Technology, Science, Humanities, Health & Physical Education and Languages curriculum areas alongside their core Mathematics and English classes. After the Semester 1 examination period, students will be placed into suitable Mathematics Pathway subjects for Semester 2, in order to best cater for the diverse learning needs of students. Students are also invited to apply to be a part of our VCE Acceleration program and study a VCE subject alongside their Year 10 studies.
Year 10 Students also undertake Work Experience for a week in June. This program allows students to develop key workplace skills and knowledge to support them in future pathways.
VCE
Year 11 and 12 students at the Senior Campus enjoy a variety of subject offerings tailored to their future pathway plans. Extensive consultation and communication takes place through the Course Selection process to ensure the right subject matches are made for each student.
The VCE course is made up of studies and units, some of which must be studied as a sequence. For most students, VCE is completed over two years and students typically study Units 1 and 2 in their first year (Year 11), and Units 3 and 4 in their second year (Year 12).
VCEVM
The Senior Campus offers selected students the VCE Vocational Major (VM) applied learning program within the VCE. The VCE Vocational Major prepares our students to move successfully into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and training, university through alternative entry programs or directly into the workforce. Our VCE VM students study: VCE VM Literacy, VCE VM Numeracy, VCE VM Work Related Skills, and VCE VM Personal Development Skills and undertake 180 nominal hours of VET at Certificate II level or above, as well as a Structured Work Placement.
Acceleration Studies
Towards the end of Year 9 students are invited to apply to be considered for the VCE Acceleration Program. Students who are new to our campus are also encouraged to apply. Our VCE Acceleration Policy and application forms are available on our website. In order to be successful in gaining a position in this program students must demonstrate
GPA minimum 3.0 out of 4.0
Average CAT scores in subject area of 80% or higher
Attendance 90%
Examinations
Our examination periods are mid-year and end-of-year for all students across the campus, including the external VCAA Year 12 examination period in October/November. Our teachers regularly give students exposure to exam questions and conditions in preparation for these examinations.
Vocational Education Major (VET)
VET is designed to teach you knowledge and specific practical skills to help you in the workplace. It's delivered in a number of ways – through schools, dual sector universities with VET courses, TAFE institutes, private registered training organisations and adult and community education providers. At Essendon Keilor College we have three onsite VET subject offerings: Sport & Recreation (AFL Football), Sport & Recreation (Fitness) and Music Sound Production. Our VCEVM students undertake a VET subject as part of their program through TAFE institutions. These include Plumbing, Electrical, Beauty and Hospitality among many others.