Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School

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This article is about the secondary school. For the former tertiary institution, see Victorian College of the Arts.
Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School
Location
Southbank, Melbourne, Victoria
Australia
Information
Type Performing Arts School
Established 1978
Founder Lenton Parr and Jack Pitt
Principal Colin Simpson
Grades 7–12[1]
Enrolment 340[1]
Campus City
Affiliations Australian Ballet School
Diving Victoria
Gymnastics Victoria
National Institute of Circus Arts
Tennis Australia
University of Melbourne[1]
Website www.vcass.vic.edu.au

Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS), is a state government selective school located within the Melbourne Arts Precinct in Southbank, Melbourne, Australia. VCASS teaches students from Year 7 to 12. It has an enrolment of 340 students.[1]

Students are accepted after annual auditions. All students share academic subjects, but follow either a specialised music, dance or visual arts training program for half the day. The school also provides academic classes to secondary students from other institutions including the Australian Ballet School,[2] Tennis Australia, National Institute of Circus Arts,[3] Diving Victoria and Gymnastics Victoria.

History[edit]

Instigated by the former tertiary institution Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), as a separate and complementary institution, VCASS was founded in 1978 by Lenton Parr and Jack Pitt (as the Victorian College of the Arts Technical School - VCATS). This was the same year that the tertiary VCA commenced its dance faculty, and VCATS was conceived as a preparatory school for the tertiary dance and music courses. In 1981 the name was changed to VCASS. For most of its history VCASS shared its campus and buildings with the tertiary VCA at 234 St Kilda Road, but in June 2009 moved to new purpose built premises at 57 Miles Street, Southbank.[4]

The Dance and Music specialist programs run in parallel from Year 7 to 12. In 2013 the school added a Year 11 intake for its new Visual Arts program. In 2016 a new Theatre Arts program will commence with a Year 11 intake.

Academics[edit]

VCE studies offered by the school:
Art, Biology, Chemistry, Dance, Drama, English, English (EAL), French, Further Mathematics, General Mathematics, Health and Human Development, History: 20th Century (1900-1945), History: 20th Century (since 1945), History: Revolutions, Literature, Mathematical Methods (CAS), Media, Music Investigation, Music Performance, Music Style and Composition, Physics, Psychology, Studio Arts and Theatre Arts.[5]

Some students study additional languages via Distance Education Victoria, such as Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, German or Spanish.

In 2011, the Victorian Certificate of Education median study score was 34 and 27 percent of students achieved a study score above 40.[6]

Notable alumni[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Right School Right Place - Victorian Government Schools". State of Victoria, Department of Education and Training. 
  2. ^ Australian Ballet School[dead link]
  3. ^ http://www.nica.com.au/objectlibrary/1117?filename=NICA%20News%20WinterSpring.pdf
  4. ^ "Media Release: Curtain Up On Re-Staging Of Arts Secondary School". Legislation.vic.gov.au. 2006-08-14. Retrieved 2010-02-04. 
  5. ^ "School Studies Search". Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. 
  6. ^ "Suburbs soar to the top of the class". The Herald Sun. 7 Jan 2011. 
  7. ^ "Melbourne singer claims Idol crown — TV & Radio — Entertainment — theage.com.au". Theage.com.au. 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2010-02-04. 

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 37°49′42″S 144°57′54″E / 37.8284295°S 144.9649429°E / -37.8284295; 144.9649429

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