Studying LOTE Externally

Victorian School of Languages (VSL) is a government school that specialises in teaching students Languages Other Than English (LOTE). Since they are a government school, they can only accept students who are wanting to do a LOTE subject that is not offered at their normal school for a given year level. For example:

• SCHS does not offer Unit 1 & 2 Chinese or French for Year 10 students. Therefore, VSL will allow you to do those courses.

• SCHS does offer Unit 1 & 2 Chinese or French for Year 11 students. Therefore, VSL will not allow you to do those courses.

• SCHS does offer Unit 3 & 4 Chinese or French for Year 11 students. Therefore, VSL will not allow you to do those courses.

• SCHS does not offer Unit 1 & 2 Hindi nor Unit 3 & 4 Hindi for any year level. Therefore, VSL will allow you to do those courses.

If you are doing a subject at VSL, you must inform us of this so that we can remove a SCHS subject from your timetable.

In terms of Early Access, if you have been doing Unit 1 & 2 Chinese or French while in Year 10 at VSL, you must do Unit 3 & 4 Chinese or French at SCHS when you're in Year 11 (provided that you want to continue onto Unit 3 & 4 for those subjects).

You may choose to do a LOTE subject at a private institution (i.e. not VSL and not SCHS). If you do decide to do this, then you must inform us of this so that we can remove a SCHS subject from your timetable.

In terms of Early Access, if you have been doing Unit 1 & 2 Chinese or French while in Year 10 at a private institution, you do not have to do Unit 3 & 4 Chinese or French at SCHS when you're in Year 11. However, we would strongly recommend that you do these languages at SCHS for the following reasons:

• Direct Teacher Support: Students benefit from immediate feedback and continuous communication with their teacher. This ongoing relationship ensures the teacher can tailor instruction to the student's specific strengths and areas for improvement.

• Daily Immersion & Consistency: Studying onsite allows for regular, daily interaction with the language rather than a single, high-pressure session once a week. This consistent exposure is proven to accelerate language acquisition and fluency.

• Integrated Learning Environment: Onsite classes provide a structured environment where students can collaborate with peers, engaging in role-playing, group projects, and interactive activities that make learning more memorable and fun.

• Alignment with School Wellbeing: Staying onsite keeps the student connected to the school’s support network, ensuring their VCE workload is balanced and monitored by staff who know them well.

• Enhanced Cognitive Benefits: The frequent mental "exercise" of regular Chinese/French classes, from mastering tones to memorising characters, improves memory, attention span, and critical thinking skills across all subjects.

• Balanced Cultural Experience: While Saturday schools offer a specific community feel, our onsite program integrates cultural understanding directly into the academic curriculum, providing a holistic view of both Chinese and French history, traditions, and modern society.

As a Year 10 student entering Year 11:

If the language subject you're applying for will be taught in person then:

• Apply directly with the institution (i.e. VSL or private).

• If you have applied and have been accepted with that other institution:

  • On the Google Form, inform us that you have applied and have been accepted to do a LOTE at another institution.

  • On the Edval link, select 'External Subject'.

• If you have applied and you're still waiting to see if you were accepted by the other institution:

  • On the Google Form, inform us that you have applied and are still waiting for confirmation.

  • On the Edval link, do not select 'External Subject'. Instead, select a subject that you'd like to do just in case you are not accepted by the other institution.

If the language subject you're applying for will be taught online then:

• You must apply through the Assistant Principal (Ms Kimberley Pye) in charge of this external LOTE subject applications.