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Senior Studies In Year 11 & 12 students have the flexibility to study a course that suits their own interests and needs. Galen offers programs in 5 basic formats with choices in all of them.

  • Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
  • Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL)
  • Australian School Based Apprenticeships (AS-bA)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Extension studies

Other Programs :

  • Distance Education Centre
  • Victorian School of Languages

You can also view the Senior Studies Guide here.

Senior studies now provide great flexibility to cater for a variety of student interests and career pathways. Students may choose to complete: Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) units, VCE units and Vocational Educational and Training (VET) modules, Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), combine University studies (called Extension Studies) or complete a Australian School Based Apprenticeship program with their VCE or VCAL.

The body responsible for the administration of Senior Studies is the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA)

Co-Curricular Activities

As students become more mature they have greater opportunities for community service, responsibility for Senior SRC and management of the Senior Students’ Common Room and organisation of their own social events and assemblies.

A broad selection of co-curricular activities and sporting opportunities provides an important adjunct to their academic workload.

Career planning and tertiary counselling, the Year 12 Retreat and extensive private study facilities assist students to study independently and prepare for post-school life.

Galen is a place which provides:

  • Wide range of VCE subjects
  • Careful counselling about course selection and access to careers resources and tertiary opportunities
  • Work placement in VET
  • Opportunity to do a Vocational Education & Training course or a New Apprenticeship qualification
  • An orientation and integration program for senior schooling
  • A Year 12 3 day off-campus retreat in the Alps
  • A Year 11 Retreat
  • Leadership of the Senior Student Representative Council
  • Special social occasions such as the Debutante Balls, College Production, VCE Farewell Graduation Evening, Jumper presentation
  • Computer facilities for student use in the private study area
  • The care and use of student provided facilities such as Study Rooms
  • VCE Planning Sessions, in homeroom to guide student’s personal organisation, self-management, and career choice and applications.
  • Up-to-date facilities and on-going refurbishment
  • Helpful teachers
  • Preparatory programmes for Units 3 & 4
  • A modern and comfortable uniform
  • A religious education program which contributes to VCE accreditation

VCE Internal Policies
This is a summary of the most important in-house policies for students undertaking VCE and VCE/VET units 1 – 4. For further detail contact The Senior School Director.

Coursework for a satisfactory result

  1. Students are expected to be present for at least 80 percent of class lessons, practicals and all excursions.
  2. Absences can only be justified on the basis that it was caused by an issue “beyond the student’s control”.
  3. Hard copies of all work should be kept in case of authentication difficulties.
  4. Regularly back up all computer work to cover chance losses.
  5. Work which cannot be authenticated will not be marked.
  6. Students are expected to complete all coursework set be the teacher and to catch up on work missed promptly.
  7. Students may appeal against an Outcome result by seeing the Senior School Executive

Graded work

  1. Units 1 and 2 will be graded on a 10 point alphabetical scale A+ …to U.G. Work not received will be marked N.A. (not assessed)
  2. Unit 1 and 2 work submitted late may be downgraded at the teacher’s discretion.
  3. The College will release Unit 3 & 4 School Assessment Coursework (SAC) grades to students initially as provisional numeric scores out of the total set by the Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority (VCAA). They are confidential to the student and subject to VCAA checks, special consideration and statistical moderation by VCAA.
  4. Similarily Unit 3 & 4 School Assessment Tasks as set by VCAA will be provisionally released to students as H,M,L, High or Medium or Low. These are subject to review by VCAA appointees.
  5. Deadlines for the submission of SACs and SATs will be provided by teachers.
  6. Provisional grades are moderated.
  7. SAC pieces should be retained by students until December. SAT work may be released under contract for interviews fromabout mid-November.

Authentic Student Work
The onus is on students to submit their own work and to meet any doubts about its authenticity.

Special Provision
A student may apply for this on the basis of disability, illness, racial background or environmental difficulties.

Some terms you may need to know (Glossary):

  • Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) – The overall ranking on a scale of 0–99.95 that you receive, based on your study scores (see below). The ENTER is used by universities and TAFE institutes to select students for their courses.
  • General Achievement Test (GAT) – The test that is done by all students doing a VCE Unit 3 and 4 sequence. It is used by the VCAA to check that schools are marking School-assessed Tasks to the same standard and as part of statistical moderation of coursework. It doesn’t count towards your VCE graduation, but your GAT results are reported to you with your Statement of Results.
  • Graduation requirements – The program and standard required to qualify for the VCE.
  • Office of Training and Tertiary Education (OTTE) – Is responsible for the planning, regulation and delivery of a range of education and training programs and services.
  • Outcomes – What you are expected to know and be able to do, by the time you have finished a VCE unit.
  • Registered Training Organisation (RTO) – An institution that has been approved by OTTE and registered with the VQA to deliver specified training programs.
  • Satisfactory completion – This means you have achieved the outcomes for the unit. You get an ‘S’ for the satisfactory completion of a unit. If you do not satisfactorily complete a unit, you get an ‘N’ for it.
  • Semester – One half of the academic year. Most units last for one semester.
  • Sequence – The order in which you do your VCE units, for example a Unit 3 and 4 sequence.
  • Statement of Attainment – A record of recognised learning which may contribute towards a qualification outcome either as attainment of competencies within a training package, partial completion of a course leading to a qualification, or completion of a nationally accredited short course which may accumulate towards a qualification through Recognition of Prior Learning processes.
  • Statement of Results – A set of documents which formally state the results you achieved in the VCE and/or VCAL, and whether you have graduated.
  • Studies – The subjects available in the VCE.
  • Study Design – The description of the content of a study, and how students’ work is to be assessed. A Study Design for each VCE study is published by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Schools and other VCE providers must adhere to the Study Designs.
  • Study score – A score with a maximum of 50 which shows how you performed in a VCE study, relative to all other students doing that same study. It is calculated using the scores achieved in each of the three graded assessments for the study.
  • Units (VCAL) – Accredited units in Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development and Work Related skills that contribute as 1 credit towards the VCAL.
  • Units (VCE) – The parts of a study in the VCE. There are usually four units in a study, numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4.
  • Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) – The Victorian State Government agency responsible to the Minister for Education and Training for the delivery of the VCE and the VCE curriculum and assessment.
  • Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA) – Is the peak accreditation, certification, and registration body for qualifications undertaken in Years 11 and 12, the Victorian Certificate of Education, Vocational Education and Training and Further Education. The VQA is responsible to the Minister for Education and Training.
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET) – This refers to nationally recognised vocational certificates.