Curriculum
For a more detailed breakdown of our whole school curriculum please visit this page.
The curriculum offered at TC is delivered to meet the requirements of AUSVELS and the National Curriculum in accordance with guidelines set out by the VCAA.
Entry
All students at Entry level will study the following core subjects:
Mathematics
English
Science and the Environment
Health and Physical Education
Students will also choose 2 electives per semester.
When you have demonstrated, through various methods of assessment, that you are working at a high Year 8 level in Maths and English, these subjects will no longer be compulsory. You will be able to access your other subjects from the Flexible Learning Environment.
There is no restriction or pre-determined timeframe for when you are ready to graduate into the Flexible Learning Environment. Movement into this is available at any time and will be judged on an individual basis through a variety of tasks.
Electives
TC has a vast range of electives to choose to study and students will be able to access them throughout their time at the college. These will take the format of both Student Led Electives (SLE) and Curriculum Specified Elective (CSE) within the Flexible Learning Environment (FLE). For more information on these, see the Subject Selection Handbook.
Flexible Learning Environment (FLE)
If you have demonstrated that you are working at a high Year 8 level in either English or Maths, then you may move (space permitting) into a subject in that area in the Flexible Learning Environment. This will give you the opportunity to further pursue areas of interest in subjects that lead to your planned career path.
Subjects on offer in the FLE include a range of electives, pre-VCE and VCE subjects.
Montessori
The Montessori Adolescent Program (MAP) is an alternative program aimed at students of Years 7 to 9 age, teaching students in the third plane of the Montessori approach to education. If you are enrolled in the MAP program, you will also undertake electives. For more information, please click here.
VCAL
As part of the FLE (Flexible Learning Environment) students can select VCAL subjects. The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is a 'hands-on' option for students’ senior student utilising competency bases assessment.
Like the VCE, the VCAL is a recognised senior secondary qualification. VCAL focuses on 'hands-on learning'. Students who do the VCAL are more likely to be interested in going on to training at TAFE, doing an apprenticeship, or getting a job after completing high school.
The VCAL's flexibility enables students to design a study program that suits their interests and learning needs. Students select accredited curriculum components from VCE studies, Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications, Further Education (FE) and VCAL units. There are four compulsory strands in VCAL:
Literacy and Numeracy Skills
Work Related Skills
Industry Specific Skills
Personal Development Skills.
Students who start their VCAL and then decide they would like to complete their VCE, are able to transfer between certificates. Any VCE studies successfully completed as part of the VCAL program will count towards the VCE.
A certificate and Statement of Results will be issued to students who successfully complete their VCAL.
For more information about VCAL, visit our subject selection website here.
VCE
VCE subjects are available to all students as part of the FLE (Flexible Learning Environment).
As part of the VCE, you are able to choose from more than 90 study or subject areas. A VCE program generally consists of 20 to 24 studies taken over several years, and you can vary the number of units you complete in a year.
When choosing you study areas you should consider:
what interests you
what you are good at
if the subject leads to a job you are interested in
if the subject prepares you for further training or tertiary courses you are considering
if the subject leads to a VET qualification within the VCE
Each VCE ‘Subject’ is divided in to 4 units which are generally completed over 2 years. A Unit of work lasts for 1 semester at school. Each unit has outcomes that describe what you are expected to know and be able to do. The decision about satisfactory completion of units is based on a student's ability to demonstrate outcomes specified for each VCE study. There are also two types of graded assessment in the VCE: school based assessment and external examinations.
External examinations – written, oral, performance or electronic – are set and marked by the VCAA. Most exams are held in November, although the General Achievement Test (GAT) is held in June and oral and performance exams are held in October.
For more information on the VCE processes at TC please refer to the VCE Handbook on our policies page here.