Education in Victoria, Australia is supervised by the Department of Education and Training, which is part of the State Government and whose role is to "provide policy and planning advice for the delivery of education". It acts as advisor to two state ministers, that for Education and for Children and Early Childhood Development.
Education in Victoria follows the three-tier model consisting of primary education (primary schools), followed by secondary education (secondary schools or secondary colleges) and tertiary education (universities and TAFE Colleges).
School education is compulsory in Victoria between the ages of six and seventeen.Education and Training Reform Act 2006, sec. 2.1.1 A student is free to leave school on turning seventeen, which is prior to completing secondary education. In recent years over three-quarters of students are reported to be staying on until they are eighteen, at the end of the secondary school level. Government schools educate 64% of Victorian students, with 21% of students in Catholic schools and the remaining 15% in independent schools as of 2021.
Education in government schools until year 12 is free, but this does not apply to overseas students nor to students over the age of 20 on 1 January of the year of enrolment.Education and Training Reform Act 2006, sec. 2.2.4 Independent schools, both religious and secular, charge fees, which are subsidised by the Federal and State governments.
Although non-tertiary public education is free, 36% of students attend a non-government school as of 2021. The most numerous private schools are Catholic, and the rest are independent (see Public and Private Education in Australia). As of 2021, there were 1553 government schools, 497 Catholic schools and 226 independent schools in Victoria.
Regardless of whether a school is government or independent, they are required to adhere to the same curriculum frameworks. Education in all government schools is secular and must not promote any particular religious practice, denomination or sect.Education and Training Reform Act 2006, sec. 2.2.10 Most school students, be they in a government, Catholic or independent school, usually wear uniforms, although there are varying expectations and some schools do not require uniforms.
Post-compulsory education is regulated within the Australian Qualifications Framework, a unified system of national qualifications in schools, vocational education and training (TAFE) and the higher education sector (university).
The academic year in Victoria generally runs from late January until mid-December for primary and secondary schools and TAFE colleges, and from late February until mid-November for universities. Victorian schools operate on a four term basis. Schools are closed for the Victorian public holidays. Universities observe the Commonwealth public holidays.
History
There was a clause in the Victorian Constitution of 1855, which provided for state funding for religion. Richard Heales, a short-lived Premier of Victoria, was an opponent of the clause, and favoured a unified secular education system. Both Anglicans and Catholics, on the other hand, favoured state-funded religious schools. In 1862 Heales (no longer the Premier) introduced a bill in Parliament to create a single Board of Education to rationalise the colony's school system, which was passed with broad support.
Until 1872 state-funded religious schools were governed and administered separately from their secular counterparts. The Denominational School Board provided for religious schools while the National School Board, later the Board of Education, provided government sponsored secular education. In 1872, following growing dissatisfaction with State funding of religious schools and the burgeoning cost of funding and administering a dual school system, the government introduced free, compulsory and secular education, establishing the first Education Department. The department became the employer of school teachers, and was led by Victoria's first Minister of Public Instruction. State funding of religious schools ended in 1874.A history of state education in Victoria (1922), with an introduction by Alexander J. Peacock.
From 1979 to 1982 the Hamer Liberal government initiated and implemented the most significant and far-reaching reorganisation of the Victorian Education Department in the 20th century.Aims and Objectives of Education in Victoria. Ministerial Statement by A. J. Hunt, MLC, Minister of Education in the Legislative Council, and Norman Lacy, MP, Assistant Minister of Education in the Legislative Assembly, on 12 December 1979.Alan Hunt and Norman Lacy, Strategies and Structures for Education in Victoria, Victorian Government Printer, 1981.Alan J. Hunt, "A Government Thrusts Towards Change" in M. Frazer, J. Dunstan, P. Creed Eds., Perspectives on Organisational Change, Longmans, 1985, pp 13–32. Alan Hunt, as Minister of Education (1979–1982), and Norman Lacy, as Assistant Minister of Education (1979–1980) and Minister for Educational Services (1980–1982), were jointly responsible for the reform policy development process and the early stages of its implementation.
Hunt appointed Lacy Chairman of the Ministerial Consultative Committee that steered the project in its early phase and the Implementation Steering Committee later. Lacy's managerial and educational philosophy were a significant influence on the process and the outcome. He pulled together a group of people from academia and business to assist him as well as PA Management Consultants. The Government legislated – at the end of 1981 – to scrap the teaching divisions (Primary, Secondary and Technical) and to remove the statutory bodies (The Committee of Classifiers and the Teachers' Tribunal).Education (Amendment) Bill Explanatory Second Reading Speech by Norman Lacy, MP, Minister of Educational Services in the Legislative Assembly, on 10 September 1981. Hunt and Lacy sought and obtained the support of the Labor opposition and the National Party. When the Cain Labor government won office in the April 1982 election the new Minister of Education, Robert Fordham (1982–1985), instituted a policy review by a Ministerial Review Committee headed by Dr. Ken McKinnon.Robert C. Fordham, "A New Government's Organisational Review" in M. Frazer, J. Dunstan, P. Creed Eds., Perspectives on Organisational Change, Longmans, 1985, pp 57–70. The committee, made up mostly of teacher union and parent organisation representatives, recommended modifications which Fordham went on to incorporate as he completed the restructuring of the department, generally as recommended by the White Paper. Fordham had supported the general thrust of the reform process while in opposition and followed through with the project when in government.
From 1992-1999, the Kennett government closed over 350 schools and sacked over 8000 teachers, or over 10% of the workforce.
Tiers
Pre-school Pre-school in Victoria for three and four-year-olds is regulated and funded (currently a roll-out system for 3-year-old funding is underway until 2029) while not compulsory. The first exposure many Australian children have to learn with others outside of traditional parenting is day care or a parent-run playgroup. This sort of activity is not generally considered schooling. Pre-school education is separate from primary school.
Pre-schools are usually run by local councils, community groups or private organizations. Pre-school is offered to three- to five-year-olds. Attendance in pre-school is 93% in Victoria. The year before a child is due to attend primary school is the main year for pre-school education. This year is far more commonly attended, and usually takes the form of 15 hours per week.
Primary schools Primary education consists of seven grades: a Preparatory year (commonly called "Prep") followed by Years 1 to 6. The minimum age at which a Victorian child can commence primary school education is 4.8 years. That is, the child can enroll in a school at the preparatory level if he or she would be five years of age by 30 April of that year.
Secondary schools Secondary schools (also called high schools or secondary colleges) consist of Years 7 to 12. Secondary schools are usually separate institutions to primary schools, although in recent years, the number of combined primary and secondary schools has increased.
There are seven selective public schools in Melbourne (entry based on examination/audition): Melbourne High School, MacRobertson Girls' High School, Nossal High School, Suzanne Cory High School, John Monash Science School, The University High School's Elizabeth Blackburn Science School and the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, but all public schools may restrict entry to students living in their regional 'zone'.How Much Do Public Schools Really Cost? Estimating the Relationship Between House Prices and School Quality , ANU, 6 August 2006
The Victorian Student Representative Council serves to connect student voice efforts across the state.
Curriculum The curriculum for all Victorian schools, government and non-governments, from Prep to Year 12 is determined by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). Between Prep and Year 9 the Victorian Curriculum framework and Achievement Improvement Monitor (AIM) certificates apply. For Years 10 to 12 the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) program and Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) apply.
Assessment Students in Years 10 to 12, whether in government or non-government schools, normally are assessed for the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). The curriculum and assessment is determined by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and the final ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) score, used for advancement to tertiary education, is determined by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). Years 10, 11 and 12 students may study under the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) or International Baccalaureate programs in place of the VCE. (List of schools offering the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme)
Literacy and numeracy skills of Victorian school students are monitored by the Achievement Improvement Monitor (AIM) program. Each student's skills are assessed at Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 levels.
Providers
Government or state schools
The state government owns and operates schools at both primary and secondary levels. These schools are generally called government or state schools. They do not charge compulsory fees, with the majority of their costs being met by the government, and the rest by voluntary levies and by fund raising.
Four government secondary schools are entirely selective: Melbourne High School, catering for boys, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, catering for girls, as well as Nossal High School and Suzanne Cory High School, catering for both boys and girls. These offer classes from Years 9 to 12 and cater for academically gifted students. There are also schools which specialise in performing arts and sports. The remainder are open schools which accept all students from the government-defined catchment areas, although some are single sex. Selective schools are more prestigious than open government schools, and, as one would expect, generally achieve better results in the school-leaving exams than independent or open government schools. Entrance to selective schools is by examination and they cater to a large geographical area.
The number of students enrolled in Victorian state schools was 648,044 in 2021, compared to 535,883 in 2007, an increase of 21%. The non-government sector stood at 366,201 in 2021, compared to 297,970 in 2007, an increase of 23%.