Learning at Parade College inspires a commitment and spirit that is both personalised and life-long. Gifts and talents are celebrated equally but paramount to all this is the reality that learning takes place within a collective sphere of mutual support and a deep desire to achieve the very best.

Learning and Teaching at Parade College has, over 140 years, developed both the capacity and capability of providing dynamic learning that caters for the students’ spiritual, academic, social, emotional and physical development. A vibrant professional learning and teaching culture exists and grows. Students are supported in their studies by a highly qualified, experienced and committed staff.

Our curriculum continues to blend the best of educational traditions with the latest in cutting edge theory, practice and design. Our classrooms are contemporary, technology-rich learning environments, suitably well resourced and designed to both encourage and exploit a wide variety of teaching and learning preferences.

The College supports a breadth of rich and diverse co-curricular activities designed to stimulate both the mind and the body. Students are presented with a grounding in core subjects as well as opportunities to explore a variety of elective subjects to explore their distinctive physical and creative abilities – from Sports, Technology, Art, Music and Drama through to Community Service, Leadership opportunities, extension and enrichment experiences.

Courses reflect the latest developments in educational thinking from the Victorian Curriculum F-10 which aligns with the Australian Curriculum. The Victorian Curriculum F-10 sets out what every student should learn during their first eleven years of schooling. The curriculum is the common set of knowledge and skills required by students for life-long learning, social development and active and informed citizenship which has been implemented from 2017 as per the Federal and Victorian Governments and the Catholic Education Office requirements.

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 is structured as a continuum across levels of learning achievement not years of schooling. This enables the development of targeted learning programs for all students, where the curriculum is used to plan in relation to the actual learning level of each student rather than their assumed level of learning based on age.

Each curriculum area includes content descriptions explaining what is to be taught and achievement standards describing what students are able to understand and do. The achievement standards for English and Mathematics or in five or six bands for all the other learning areas and capabilities. The achievement standards reflect the emphasis within the broad stages of schooling, these being:

• Breadth stage (Years 7–8)

Students have the opportunity to fully engage with all learning areas and capabilities, with a focus on English, Mathematics, Science.

• Pathways stage (Years 9–10)

Students engage in a broad education and begin to plan their senior secondary program of study.

The Standards are set at four different levels to reflect the different years of schooling. Students in Year 7 and 8 normally undertake studies at Victorian Curriculum Levels 7 & 8, while students in Years 9 and 10 normally undertake studies at Levels 9 & 10.The curriculum for Years 11 & 12 is set by the VCAA, with Parade College offering a wide range of VCE, VET and VCE VM courses.

LEARNING AREAS

At Parade College the subjects on offer are divided in a number of Learning Areas:

• Religious Education is an integral part of the learning program at all year levels
• The Arts, which includes the Visual Arts and Communication Design, Media Arts, the Performing Arts (Music and Drama)
• English, including English as an Additional Language (EAL)
• Health and Physical Education (HPE)
• Humanities, which consists of the disciplines of Humanities: History, Geography & Politics; and Commerce: Economics and Business and Civics and Citizenship.
• Languages (other than English)
• Mathematics
• Science
• Technology, which includes: Design and Technology Digital Technologies.

YEAR 7

The curriculum at Parade College is designed to provide students with a broad and well-balanced education in their junior secondary years.

In Year 7 students experience subjects in each of the Learning Areas listed above. Students experience practical classes in Science, the use of Information Technology across the Learning Areas and an emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Languages available at Year 7 include: Italian, French, and Japanese.

As well as the core subjects in the table below, students are also required to undertake four elective units, one per term. This structure enables students to develop skills and knowledge in the Learning Areas while also providing choice and depth of learning.

*NOTE: Language selected in Year 7 will be the Language students continue with for Years 7-9.

YEAR 8

The curriculum at Parade College is designed to provide students with a broad and well-balanced education in their junior secondary years.

Students in Year 8 undertake two units each of Religion, English, Mathematics, Science, Languages and Humanities in their common program.

Students are then required to undertake four other units, as outlined in the table below. This structure enables students to develop skills and knowledge in the Learning Areas while also providing choice and depth of learning.

#NOTE: Language Year 8 students’ study will be that studied in Year 7.

YEAR 9

At Years 9 and 10, the curriculum at Parade College is intended to further enhance understandings, skills and knowledge from their junior secondary years.

Students in Year 9 undertake two units each of Religion, English, Mathematics, Science and one unit each of Humanities and Health & Physical Education or High Performance Sport in their common program.

Students are then required to undertake four other units, as outlined in the table below. This structure enables students to develop skills and knowledge in the Learning Areas while also providing choice and depth of learning.

* Students may not choose more than 2 units of HPE (including the compulsory unit).
^ Students may not choose more than 2 units of Technology

In addition, all students participate in the Year 9 ExCEL Program, involving:

• Four choices of learning4life seminars that run for 2 full days each; and
• Three choices of 8 day Extended Learning Projects.

YEAR 10

At Years 9 and 10, the curriculum at Parade College is intended to further enhance understandings, skills and knowledge from their junior secondary years.

Students in Year 10 undertake two Units of Religious Education, two Units of English, two Units of Science, one Unit of Humanities (History) and one Unit of Careers in their common programs. Students also undertake two Units of Mathematics but the difference here is that there are a number of different Mathematics as alternatives.

The other five Units are chosen from the range of Units on offer, as directed in the table below.

NB: Students may choose up to 3 units of HPE, but not more than two from High Performance Sport (Semesters 1 and 2) and Physical Education.
NB: Students may choose a total of no more than four units of Science, 3 units from The Arts and not more than 3 units from Technology (including Food Studies), unless through written application to the Assistant Principal of Teaching and Learning.

EDMUND RICE PATHWAYS

The Edmund Rice Pathways Program is an alternative, vocationally orientated program for Year 10 students. House Leaders in consultation with a range of interested parties including Tutor teachers, classroom teachers, ERPP Pathways Coordinator and Student Support Services will identify potential students and invite them to apply for a place. In addition, an information night will be held, during which parents can also enquire about applying. The program is offered to a limited number of students at Year 10.

YEARS 11 & 12

Students at Years 11 & 12 have a choice of three pathways for the final two years of school. They can choose either the scored VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education), or the VCE VM (Victorian Certificate of Education Vocational Major).

V.C.E. (VICTORIAN CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION)

The College offers a number of VCE units for completion. Students must select a minimum of four units from the English group over the two years, including at least one Unit 3/4 sequence. Other requirements are outlined in the table below.

V.C.A.L. (VICTORIAN CERTIFICATE OF APPLIED LEARNING)

Students may instead select the VCE VM program which can be completed in one year at Intermediate Level or over one or two years at Senior Level. Students must undertake Units in Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development and Work Related Skills. They must undertake some vocational training.