A new chapter begins – Announcement of St Bede’s College Senior and Middle School Hubs 

Late last year, the State Government announced that the way Victorian students undertook their senior secondary education was changing. I could not be more excited for the opportunity this change in curriculum presents for our students. The change will allow students to select areas of interest from both - what were historically idenitifed as - “academic” and “vocational” pathways.  With equality of access for all students front of mind, we have been reviewing our educational offerings and our course preparation for students across the two campuses of St Bede’s College. 

From 2025, all schools across Victoria will offer the ‘Integrated Senior Secondary Certificate’ which brings together the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). This new certificate will give students greater choice and flexibility to pursue their strengths and interests, and develop the skills and capabilities needed to succeed in further education, work and life. Full details of the anticipated changes to VCE across Victoria are available here: https://www.vic.gov.au/many-talents-one-vce 

Since the Victorian State Government’s announcement, the College has deliberated on the best location from which to deliver the new ‘Senior Pathways Program’. After consultation with College Leadership, and senior staff at both Bentleigh East and Mentone campuses, the following decision was taken by the St Bede’s College Board: 

“A Senior Hub be created to accommodate all Year 10-12 students at the Mentone campus of St Bede’s College as of the start of 2023. This means that all current Year 9 students at Bentleigh East will - next year – be welcomed at the Mentone campus for their Year 10 studies; an arrangement that will continue into the future.” 

To have continued with the current arrangements would be to accept that, when these changes to the VCE curriculum were introduced, Year 10 students at Bentleigh East would not have been given the same access to the full range of subjects as Mentone students. In our eyes, this was simply not an option.  

This move allows us to establish two dynamic Middle School ‘hubs’; one at each of the St Bede’s College campuses. It will position Year 9 students as leaders of their ‘hub’, both in an official capacity - as Student Leaders - and through mentoring opportunities with our Year 7 and 8 students. Reimagining the Bentleigh East campus as a dedicated Middle School hub, and replicating this concept at the Mentone Campus,  allows us to develop and showcase the best of the Year 7, 8 and 9 curriculums in a future focused, contemporary space, while encouraging students to live out our Guiding Principles - Brothers/sisters to each other, where “older students will guide and care for the younger students”.

St Bede’s College will then align with long-held view among Victorian Secondary Schools that “senior students” are considered to be those in Years 10, 11 and 12.  Housing Year 10-11-12 students on one site, as do the majority of schools around Victoria, provides an opportunity to support a student wellbeing model that is progressive, encourages personal responsibility, the development of resilience, and supports student self-management. A bus service that runs between campuses will be funded as required to ensure this transition is as seamless as possible for our families. With Year 10 students at the Mentone campus, all senior students enter their House Grouping in unison, ensuring that equal access, guidance and opportunities are afforded to all. 

In anticipation of the initial queries you may have regarding next year’s changes, we have compiled a list of of questions and answers that may be helpful. This document will be regularly updated to reflect questions that the College community raises over the coming months, and can be found at the following link: https://www.stbedes.catholic.edu.au/curriculum/vce-2/ 

All decisions taken at St Bede’s College have, at their foundation, the academic and wellbeing interests of the students, and the desire to provide them with a learning environment in which to perform “their best”.  By making this change in 2023, we have an opportunity for our students to be ahead of the curve, and settle in to their respective Middle and Senior Hubs prior to their final years of schooling with the College.  

(Source: Deborah Frizza, Principal, St Bede's College Mentone)