As students enter their final years of secondary school, learning pathways become more flexible and diverse. Students are encouraged to plan their course pathway as a three-year program to provide them with the greatest chance of success.
The Year 10 Learning Program allows students to explore personal interests and develop skills, knowledge and understanding in increasingly sophisticated ways and provides opportunities for students to continue sequential development of learning undertaken in Year 9. Year 10 students have the opportunity to study a number of elective subjects, (including VET courses), in addition to the core subjects.
Students who consistently achieve high academic results and demonstrate excellent work habits may be approved to study a VCE Unit 1 and 2 course in Year 10.
The Senior School Curriculum at John Paul College has been designed to support students choosing pathways for success in Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or Victorian Certificate of Education Vocational Major (VCE VM). Students are supported by specialist VCE and VCE VM teachers who ensure that students achieve academic excellence as well as building positive relationships with students. Senior school students also have exclusive access to the Chaminade Centre, a state-of-the-art learning building, modelled after tertiary learning environments.
Students in Year 11 and 12 elect to study the following Senior School Pathways:
Careers Program
The College has a comprehensive Careers program, in which our dedicated Career Advisors consult with each student, helping them to design their course, ensure they meet the pre-requisites and assess future study and career options.
The VCE includes a program called VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM) - a 2 year program enabling students to achieve their VCE while developing vocational skills that will prepare them to enter apprenticeships, traineeships, TAFE, university through alternative entry programs and the workforce. The program suits students who prefer an ‘applied learning’ approach and can be designed flexibly to fit each student’s goals.
To achieve the VCE Vocational Major, students need to complete a minimum of 16 units including:
There are no external examinations for the VCE VM program (except for the GAT and some VET programs) so students will not receive study scores or an ATAR score. Graduating VCE VM students will be presented with a Victorian Certificate of Education with the words ‘Vocational Major’ added.
VCE VM students attend a full five-day program which may include VET programs and Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) on Wednesdays and Fridays. Students attend school based classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.