Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School
| Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Performing Arts School |
| Motto | Art is life |
| Established | 1978 |
| Founders | Lenton Parr, Jack Pitt, Government of Victoria, Victorian College of the Arts |
| Principal | Hilary Bland |
| Grades | 7–12[1] |
| Enrolment | 370[1] |
| Affiliations | Australian Ballet School Gymnastics Victoria University of Melbourne[1] |
| Website | www |
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 370 students.[1]
Students are accepted after annual auditions and interviews. All students share academic subjects, but follow either a specialised dance, music, theatre arts 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] and Gymnastics Victoria.
History
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.[3]
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 Visual Arts program. In 2016 a new Theatre Arts program commenced with a Year 11 intake.
Academics
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, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Studio Arts and Theatre Arts.[4]
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.[5]
Notable alumni
- Rebecca Chambers, 1995 Young Australian of the Year
- Natalie Gauci, vocalist[6]
- Marshall McGuire, harpist
- Patrick Savage, film composer and former principal first violin with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Greg Horsman, dancer and choreographer, former principal Australian Ballet and Senior Principal English National Ballet
References
- ^ a b c d "Right School Right Place - Victorian Government Schools". State of Victoria, Department of Education and Training. Archived from the original on 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Australian Ballet School [dead link]
- ^ "Media Release: Curtain Up On Re-Staging Of Arts Secondary School". Legislation.vic.gov.au. 2006-08-14. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- ^ "School Studies Search". Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.
- ^ "Suburbs soar to the top of the class". The Herald Sun. 7 Jan 2011.
- ^ "Melbourne singer claims Idol crown — TV & Radio — Entertainment — theage.com.au". Theage.com.au. 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
