Address'Our job is not to prepare students for something, it is our job to activate our students to prepare themselves for anything.'
Adapted from AJ Juliani.
Bundoora Secondary College is a year 7-12 College in a quiet residential area of Bundoora, a northern suburb of Melbourne. We are an innovative, caring school and take great pride in knowing every member of our community (both staff and students) as individuals and as learners.
The school is set on a well-developed, picturesque site adjacent to Gresswell Forest. The spacious grounds include a variety of playing fields and as our school farm continues to develop, a range of animal paddocks, productive gardens and indigenous flora plots. Our school is accessible by foot, bike or car and is well serviced by our school buses and public transport. Our school enjoys a strong partnership with our neighbours including Melbourne Polytechnic, Latrobe University and RMIT Bundoora Campus as well as other universities further afield. BSC is a Child Safe school and expects all employees to be cognisant of the expectations upon them to contribute positively to our child safe environment.
BSC is currently experiencing a period of strong growth as we implement our new curriculum program and pedagogical approach with a vertical structure of subject offerings across the traditional 8 - 11 years called our PACE21 (Passion and Choice, Empowerment 21st Century skills) program. This program empowers students to choose the pace of their own learning journey. Our core purpose is to provide a broad and challenging education that is future focused and will develop students' 21st Century skills, abilities and knowledge for further education, training, work and community participation.
In order to do this, we require staff who are curious, flexible and generalist in their philosophy and thinking.
Students at BSC are not bound by the traditional year level classes. The school is broken into three cohorts - a common Entry year (the traditional year 7), PACE21 (traditionally years 8-11) and Graduation year (traditionally year 12). Our broad pathways focus and the vertical structure supports students choice and provides flexibility across our learning program ensuring that all students can engage in their learning at their point of interest and be challenged at their point of need.
Rigour remains a core value so high expectations of students will continue and progress will be routinely reported against the BSC Great Student (21st century skills) matrix and the Victorian Curriculum skills continuum to ensure that all students will achieve success. We are very much aware that ongoing feedback to students will support them in developing a growth mindset and promote learning so that each student can reach the next level.
We are a diverse and inclusive community. We live by our school values - Respect, Responsibility, Resilience, Relationships and Rigour (the 5 R's). At BSC, students have an authentic voice into the everyday decision making at the school. We provide a variety of opportunities for student voice such as a Student Leadership Council, student lead tours, public speaking at assemblies and membership of College Council with voting rights.
Learning takes place in well-equipped air-conditioned courtyard style buildings, which contain specialist areas including a Library Resource Centre and student social space, the ECA Centre which contains a gymnasium, weight training facility and drama studio, the Arts and Technology areas including food, wood and media, art and craft, ceramics, painting and drawing and music laboratories. Science rooms are fully equipped for practical experiments and activities with two 3D printers and an emphasis on robotics. Each classroom is provisioned with an interactive whiteboard and our 1:1 digital technologies program is enhanced by the schools provision of PCs and MACs.
To enhance the student's learning experience, traditional co-curricular programs such as sport, drama and music performances, instrumental music, excursions, camps, art exhibitions and displays and student leadership have been incorporated into the mainstream curriculum to ensure that all students can pursue their passions.
Strong emphasis is placed on catering for the individual learning style of each student. Achievements are recognised and celebrated. BSC promotes an environment that encourages students to investigate, understand and actively design and participate in their learning through a variety of teaching and learning strategies.
Parents are welcome and encouraged to participate in all College activities and to work with teachers in developing positive educational outcomes for their children. While formal reporting to parents takes place twice a year, the College emphasises the continual monitoring and communication of student progress to students and parents.
We actively involve our community in the development of our educational programs, policies and the provision of a supportive and caring environment. This is reflected in our house teams and our wellbeing structures that exist to assist students and parents. The implementation of the Student Empowerment Guidelines results in an environment where students from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds exhibit co-operation and acceptance towards each other.
We have established positive links with our neighbouring primary schools as a means of easing the transition of students into the College, as well as providing continuity in their educational programs.
Bundoora Secondary College - BSC - where students experience education by student choice.
