New school year brings changes

THE local school year is set to get underway on Monday with thousands of Bendigo students set to make their way back into classrooms in the region.

Things returned to some normalcy in 2022 after two lockdown affected years in a row, but hopes are this year we will see a reduction in the number of students and staff missing days due to COVID.

Bendigo Senior Secondary College principal Dale Pearce said everyone is “full of anticipation” for the start of the school year.

“There is a lot of work that goes in within a school to make sure that the year is set up right and then we look forward to seeing all of our new students,” he said.

“There is always a sense of optimism I think at the start of the year.”

Mr Pearce also said there was a shake-up in store for some senior students with the Victorian Certificate for Applied Learning, or VCAL, program no longer being run.

“So, everyone is doing a VCE this year,” he said. “There is Vocational Stream within that, but this is a very big change for students coming into year 11.”

VCAL was a hands-on program for year 10, 11 and 12 students which could be taken in place of VCE.

It served as a pathway for those looking at going to TAFE or seeking trade training after their schooling.

Mr Pearce said he believes students and teachers alike will adapt to any changes this year, having seen developments in both since the pandemic.

“I think we are seeing a couple of things,” he said. “Teachers now have a skill set that they didn’t have three years ago.

“They know how to use a range of technologies and can provide a range of resources online to do a lot of different things.

“Students are more accustomed and more willing to adapt and able to engage in that work online.”