Curriculum and schools
Our school curriculum in Victoria, Australia sets you up for success and helps you to choose your pathway to university study and career success.
This flexible and broad curriculum encourages you to:
- develop independent, creative and critical thinking
- develop knowledge and skills to face your future with confidence
- increase your life and leadership skills
- find your strengths and develop your potential
- build a tertiary education and career pathway.
Our teachers apply the curriculum in the classroom in ways that suit many different learning styles.
This enables you to pursue your strengths and interests to achieve academic excellence.
Our school curriculum gives you many choices and not all subjects are compulsory.
The school curriculum in Victoria depends on the student year level:
- Primary, junior high and middle high school (Prep – Year 10: Victorian Curriculum Foundation – Year 10 incorporates the Australian Curriculum, reflecting Victorian priorities and standards
- Senior high school (Years 11 – 12):
- Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
- Victorian Certificate of Education Vocational Major (VCE VM)
- Victorian Certificate of Education Vocational Education and Training (VCE VET).
Students wishing to study the VCE VM and VCE VET must speak with their school prior to commencing to ensure this pathway is most appropriate for you.
Partnership arrangements
Depending on the subject you choose and the school you attend, your subject may be delivered by a third-party provider. For example, some language and Vocational Education and Training (VET) subjects. The third-party providers that schools use each year change, but the list for the current year can be found in the Third-party agreement register. For more information, refer to the written agreement for each application type under ‘application agreements and forms’ on Brochures and Forms.
Work experience and work-based learning
Some secondary students may undertake work experience, a short-term placement with an employer, to experience industry and the workplace.
Students choosing to study a Vocational Education and Training (VET) subject may be required to undertake work-based training. For more information, refer to the written agreement for each application type under ‘application agreements and forms’ on Brochures and Forms.
Assessment
Encouraging excellence, motivation and discipline is what guides and designs student assessment in our Victorian government schools.
Teachers use assessments to understand how and what their students learn. The various methods of assessment prepare you for society, employment and lifelong learning.
Some of the ways students may be assessed, include:
- examinations
- written assessments
- oral presentations
- practical assessments.
Victorian government schools assess senior students throughout the school year through a mixture of school based assessments as well as the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) exams, see: Qualifications.
