You may choose to study a Language Other Than English (LOTE) through an external institution. However, there are few things to consider.
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.