Senior Campus

Introduction

The preparation of Preshil’s VCE students for university and beyond begins at an early stage. Well before students enter Year 11 and 12, they are developing partnerships with their teachers that yield a greater understanding of subject matter. Preshil students learn at their own pace. We encourage talented students to take on greater challenges and we make sure students who require more input receive the appropriate amount of guidance to give them confidence to succeed. Because the class sizes are small, teachers are very aware of the differences between students and work within the group to ensure the challenges are consistent.

Year 7—8

The program for young adolescent students takes place in a beautiful Edwardian building known as Kalimna. The program is richly integrated, imaginative and challenging, requiring the strong commitment of students and teachers alike. The focus is on the development of learning-to-learn skills, strengthening the capacity to tolerate ambiguities and uncertainties and building the students’ confidence to apply their knowledge in varying conditions. The program is supervised by three home-group teachers, operating across the range of subject disciplines, assisted by specialist teachers. It is a program designed for young people in transition from childhood to adolescence.

Middle Years (Year 9—10)

In-depth information about the Middle Years group can be obtained from the Year 9—10 2007 Programme which is in PowerPoint presentation format.

VCE

In terms of subject matter for the VCE, Preshil is no different to any other independent school – the wide selection of subjects on offer includes the traditional body of work for the VCE – and plenty more. However, it is the way in which this subject matter is covered that sets us apart and gives our VCE students a head start into university. Preshil VCE classes are conducted as discussion groups where students are encouraged to participate and question. Such an environment places greater demands on Preshil teachers as they must have a deeper understanding of the subject to facilitate broader discussion. It is an empowering environment for all students as they gain confidence through contributing to the group – and is a precursor to the kind of challenges and learning style they can expect at university.

For a relatively small school, Preshil offers an excellent range of VCE subjects including the full complement of English, Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology plus a wide range of Arts subjects including Philosophy, Literature, Drama, Theatre Studies, Art, Studio Arts, Media, Music, French and German. The VCE curriculum at Preshil is the same as any other school. The VCE years are challenging – it’s well known that the demands on students are considerable across the two years. At Preshil we believe that the mental well-being of our VCE students is paramount to successful preparation and completion of the VCE.

To ensure that our students don’t become lost during this vital period of learning, we have introduced a “Tracker” system. Each VCE student is assigned a Tracker (a teacher who is responsible for teaching them at least one subject). This teacher tracks the progress of the student, acting as a guide and mentor throughout the VCE years. If a student is struggling in a subject, a teacher will advise the student’s Tracker, who will meet with the student to resolve the issue early. The Tracker and the student are a team, working closely together to charter their own course through the VCE years.