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Form of workDiamond Valley College is a mid-sized secondary school that lies on the northern urban fringe of Melbourne. As such, it caters for students that live in the suburban areas of Diamond Creek, Hurstbridge and Doreen and those that live in smaller rural communities including Kinglake, St Andrews, Panton Hill, Wattle Glen, Kangaroo Ground, Arthurs Creek and Strathewen. This brings a unique diversity to the college, which is not comparable to neighboring secondary schools and one that is valued by our community of students, staff and families. We continuously work together to ensure that the college values of Respect, Responsibility and Excellence are upheld in all that we do.
The College is undergoing continuous transformation with an upgrade of facilities planned over the coming years. Funding of $2 million granted in 2016 saw the development of a master plan, identifying key areas for improvement and how it could be prioritised to maximise benefits for teaching and learning. Stage one of the redevelopment was completed mid 2018 with the opening of the Performing Arts Centre, highlighting new music facilities and a 150-seat theatre. The Resource Centre was also upgraded to include a redesigned Library, general-purpose classrooms and maker space. With a further commitment of $4.9 million, the college has undergone the stage 2 of its redevelopment, with the completion of a new Science Centre and upgrades to student amenities and areas of the Technology Centre.
With a current enrolment of 740 and over 800 for 2023, the college has the capacity to provide a broad range of curriculum options and supports the pathway goals of all; yet small enough to provide the pastoral care that our students and families seek. We are currently entering a period of the growth with an increase in year 7 enrolments since 2018, stabilising at approximately 175 students in 2021 and 2022 This allows for the growth and development of programs to support the learning opportunities for students, The College has made a commitment to strengthening relationships through a whole school commitment to the Berry Street Education Model.
Diamond Valley College retains a strong connection with its local community, and works with them and local primary schools to ensure that the needs of our students and the communities they come from are met. The College offers a number of specialist programs: a High Achievers program that is attracting stronger enrolments and a Sports Academy established in 2018, which extended to year 10 in 2020 and is now inclusive of AFL, netball, basketball and tennis, along with a support program for elite gymnasts.
A broad and inclusive curriculum is offered to Years 7 to 9 students, with an emphasis on increasing student agency as a focus in more recent AIP's and staff Performance and Development plans. The Senior Sub School provides an extensive VCE program, a well-established VCAL and opportunities for varied VET options offered by the Northern VET Cluster. A comprehensive extra-curricular program that includes leadership, sport, music public engagement, camps and overseas travel supports this.
Since 2017, a focus has been on the refinement of the DVC teaching model and consistent teaching practice. With an emphasis on regular peer observation and learning walks, a focus has been on clear learning intentions, identified success criterion and the identification of high impact teaching strategies to improve student-learning outcomes.
