Students in Mortlake will have more VCE options under a new partnership that will see them come together to broaden their subject choice.
Labor Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney today announced that Mortlake P-12 had been successful in securing funding as part of Round 4 of the VCE Collaboration Fund.
The VCE Collaboration Fund is an innovative model that supports regional and rural schools to partner with each other to broaden VCE subject choice and quality of VCE offerings for students.
The $1.24 million fund is part of a $22.6 million investment by the Andrews Labor Government to give regional and rural students access to the full range of VCE subjects.
Under the partnership, Mortlake P-12, Hamilton’s Baimbridge College and Murtoa College will deliver nine new VCE subjects in 2021. The funding will cover the cost of releasing teachers to adequately respond to the increased demands of adapting content and delivering these VCE subjects virtually across the partnership.
The fund will support up to 100 schools over four years to give VCE students greater choice in what they study by offering access to subjects in other schools. Learning can be delivered face-to-face in the classroom, virtually through video conferencing, or through a ‘blended’ face-to-face and virtual approach.
School partnerships were able to apply for up to $40,000 in funding to help overcome barriers in setting up collaborative partnerships, such as insufficient staff time; expertise in establishing partnerships; logistics such as timetabling; professional learning; equipment and sharing resources.
Choice of subjects at schools is a key driver for student retention and for VCE completion. Yet students in rural and regional Victoria generally have fewer VCE subjects to choose from than their metropolitan counterparts.
The Fund is being delivered alongside a major expansion of VCE subjects offered through the virtual learning programs of Virtual School Victoria and the Victorian School of Languages, and through a ‘blended learning’ pilot through the Victorian Virtual Learning Network.
A total of 20 schools were successful in securing funding as part of Round 4 across six partnerships.
Round 5 applications will open in early 2021.
For more details go to: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/vcecollaborationfund.aspx
Quotes attributable Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney
“This investment is giving students in Western Victoria greater choice of VCE subjects that appeal to their interests, strengths and career aspirations.”
“This program is about ensuring that regional and rural students receive the same opportunities as those in the city, regardless of where they go to school.”
