Balance is so important during the senior years. Having been involved in co-curricular activities for many years by now, our senior students are active participants in a range of activities and competitions that ensure they maintain other interests during their final years of school. Co-curricular activities are an essential part of the school program, helping to build skills in time management and self-discipline, as well as providing opportunities for mixing and mentoring between year levels.
Senior School is also a time of increasing responsibility and our senior students proudly take on leadership responsibilities, acting as role models for the entire student body. Our goal is to prepare young people with the skills, confidence and independence they will need to lead fulfilling lives as active and contributing members of the community.
Students in the Senior School are completing their final, important years of secondary education, and making significant choices about future study and career paths.
This specific focus on academic rigour in the senior years starts at Year 10, where a uniquely designed pre-VCE curriculum is offered to prepare students for their final two years. Each Year 10 subject incorporates a theoretical component equivalent to its VCE counterpart, building our students’ capacity to tackle increasingly complex concepts. Our Year 11 and 12 students can then approach their studies with confidence and preparedness. Senior School students have access to valuable careers information and guidance, and are provided with assistance in their subject selection to ensure they meet relevant tertiary qualification requirements.
Yarra Valley Grammar’s broad VCE curriculum allows students to choose from more than 40 different subject units, ensuring they will find a match for their skills and interests. Students are guided through this process by teachers and staff to ensure their subjects align with their future goals.
In Year 11, Units 1 and 2 subject assessment outcomes closely reflect those of Units 3 and 4, reinforcing our goal of preparing students ahead of time for the challenges that lay ahead. Students complete SACs and SATs as they will in Year 12 to increase their familiarity with the process and requirements of their Unit 3 and 4 studies.
The relationship between teachers and students in Senior School is one of mutual respect. Our teachers are passionate about their teaching and are specialists in their subject areas. They know their students well and guide them in their studies to ensure they are focused on achieving their individual goals. The positive learning atmosphere at our School, fostered in the early years, means our students want to do well and there is an atmosphere of encouragement and excitement at achievement between the students. Communication with parents regarding academic progress is regular, and parents may contact tutors at any time with concerns.
| Fees per Annum | Fees per Term | Composite Fees per Annum | Composite Fees per Term | |
| Year 10 | $32,100 | $8,025 | $1,660 | $415 |
| Year 11 | $33,752 | $8,438 | $1,660 | $415 |
| Year 12 (3 terms) | $33,915 | $11,305 x 3 | $1,674 | $558 |
Our aim is to provide an education with a particular focus on academic excellence. Our programs, subject offerings, teaching and learning practice, standards and expectations are all geared towards our students achieving their personal best in their academic results that will allow them to proceed into their chosen tertiary course or post-secondary school pathway.
-Mr Damian Ellul - Head of Senior School
Our aim is to provide an education with a particular focus on academic excellence. Our programs, subject offerings, teaching and learning practice, standards and expectations are all geared towards our students achieving their personal best in their academic results that will allow them to proceed into their chosen tertiary course or post-secondary school pathway.
-Mr Damian Ellul - Head of Senior School
High standards are expected at Yarra and involve finding a healthy balance between academic work and recreation.
Our Senior School combines academic strength with a warmth and connection that ensures students feel comfortable and confident to achieve. Expansive grounds boasting manicured sporting fields and a large tract of natural bushland enhance this feeling of being part of a supportive environment.
As an open entry school, we focus on each individual student to ensure that they can pursue their passions and feel a sense of belonging, irrespective of when they join the School.
Senior School students have numerous academic streams to choose from, but balance is also important. They enjoy cocurricular activities such as chess, debating, drama, Esports, fine arts, music, performing arts, social activities, sport and community service.
Our senior students are ambitious, but also compassionate team players. They are expected to work hard, and we guide them to do so. They learn in a stimulating environment that includes a modern Fine Arts Building and the new Dr Mark Merry Performing Arts and Media School; they provide students with calming spaces to work individually or collaborate in teams.
Academic rigour steps up in Year 10, where our unique pre-VCE curriculum incorporates a theoretical component equivalent to its VCE counterpart, building student capacity to tackle increasingly complex concepts.
Years 11 and 12 VCE students therefore approach their studies with confidence and preparedness. A purpose-built Senior Student Centre provides classrooms, working nooks and open spaces reflective of a tertiary study environment.
Leadership opportunities abound and senior students model good behaviour and respectful relationships to their younger counterparts. Captains in Junior, Middle and Senior School join a student executive, led by whole School captains, the Principal and Dean of Students.
Students can also aspire to captain a co-curricular area such as drama, debating, music or a sporting team. There are many formal and informal opportunities to lead. The resulting sense of responsibility enhances their confidence and skillset.
A strong pastoral care program promotes resilience among students, who benefit from their involvement in The Resilience Project and Emma Murray’s High-Performance Mindfulness Program, which promotes mindful thinking with a positive mindset.
Yarra’s Wellbeing Department includes School Psychologists and the Chaplain’s office. Senior School students participate in programs such as Peer Support and Supportive Friends, to complement a school-wide focus on respectful relationships.
Our comprehensive Community Links program encourages students of all ages to help others through activities such as fundraising for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, or tutoring refugee students at a nearby primary school.
Yarra’s holistic Senior School program, which offers more than 36 VCE subject choices, produces excellent results. Yarra students results consistently place them in the top 10 percent of students completing their VCE. This is testament to their dedication and that of staff who encourage them to succeed.
We are extremely proud of the young adults who leave Yarra as respectful citizens ready to contribute to the world. Some return voluntarily through the Yarra Old Grammarians Program to tutor current students or coach teams, underlining lifelong connections that the School fosters.
Yarra is not just a school, it’s a community.
We understand the intellectual, emotional and social needs of students during what can be a very demanding time. The support we provide them at this level, and our deliberate encouragement of a school-life balance, enables them to manage priorities. Our purpose-built Senior Student Centre provides a dedicated environment for our senior students, including classrooms and working spaces for VCE subjects, as well as open spaces that reflect the tertiary study environment.
The Senior School experience is rounded out by an array of co-curricular activities, including sport, music and drama performances, academic competitions, debating, art and design programs, community service and social activities, and international tours and exchanges. This comprehensive program and our focus on academic rigour in the senior years provide the ideal environment for our students to achieve their very best.
Senior School Co-curriculum
