Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series

Information for high ability practice leaders about the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series for their high-ability students.

Overview

The Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series (VCES) provides a range of free extension activities for high-ability students in Victorian government schools from Prep to Year 12. These activities cover all areas of the Victorian Curriculum and are designed to engage, challenge and extend students’ learning.

Activities may take place in person or virtually. A suite of face-to-face and virtual incursions and excursions, such as workshops, tutorials, conferences, lectures and competitions are available across the series.

While all activities are free of charge, schools or parents may be requested to provide or pay for transportation as per the department’s parent payment policy, depending on whether the activity occurs within or out of school hours.

Schools may use some of their Student Excellence Program funding component of their Student Resource Package to offset any associated costs such as transport and CRT replacement.

Victorian government school students who are performing, or capable of performing, a year or more ahead of the expected level of the curriculum are eligible to participate.

Students can be nominated to participate by their school, which takes into account their students’ areas of high ability and interests.

The Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series has its own channel on the department’s Arc event hub. To view the schedule of activities on offer, visit the VCES channel on the Arc platform.

For more information and a list of providers to share with colleagues, parents and caregivers, please email student.excellence@education.vic.gov.au to request the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series 2023-2025 flyer.

Activities available in the series

The Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series includes activities delivered by expert education and not-for-profit organisations such as universities, tech schools, science and mathematics specialist centres and teacher organisations. There are 28 organisations offering one or more activities across the series over 2023 to 2025.

All activities in the series:

  • are free for participating students
  • have a minimum duration of 90 minutes
  • are conducted in groups
  • are across one or more learning areas of the Victorian Curriculum.

Activities are being added and expanded on an ongoing basis. All activities are delivered under robust quality guidelines set out by the department.

Across the series, activities cover all areas/capabilities of the Victorian Curriculum and year levels (Prep to Year 12), with many interdisciplinary opportunities on offer. To select activities that fulfil specific criteria, such as year levels, capabilities and subject areas, click on the ‘Filters’ link.

Delivery occurs through virtual and in-person incursions and excursions, holiday programs, webinars, workshops, tutorials, online lectures, conferences and competitions.

The activities typically range from 90 minutes to one day in length. They may be held during school hours, during school holidays, after school and on weekends.

School leaders and teachers need to consider appropriate supervision arrangements, which will vary according to the scheduling, type and location of activities, as well as the students’ ages.

Student eligibility

High-ability students who attend Victorian government schools are eligible to access the series. Activities take place in metropolitan and regional locations. Schools can nominate students to take part in activities from the series according to their abilities and interests.

Any student who is performing, or capable of performing, one or more years ahead of the expected level of the relevant curriculum area(s) can participate, including students who have participated in the Victorian High-Ability Program.

Having commenced in July 2020, a further 100,000 students will have the opportunity to participate in the series from January 2023 to December 2025.

Students who participate in activities within the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment series can also participate in the Victorian High-Ability Program.

Identifying, nominating and registering students for participation

For all activities within the series, schools and high ability practice leaders nominate students for participation according to their abilities and interests. Schools have the most current knowledge and data about their students. Schools are encouraged to involve parents ad all relevant school staff in the nomination process, including:

  • high ability practice leaders (HAPLs)
  • school leaders
  • year-level coordinators
  • literacy and numeracy leaders, learning specialists, classroom teachers, wellbeing, pathways and inclusion staff
  • other staff members who can provide information about individual student learning needs and achievement levels.

Teaching staff are asked to use their professional judgement to nominate students to participate in Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series activities. If they have students who would benefit from participating, they need to discuss this with their school’s high ability practice leader or with a relevant school leader.

If a parent has questions regarding the nomination of students, they should contact the school as per the school’s established processes.

It is generally expected that the registration process will differ according to when activities are delivered.

Activities delivered during school hours

Schools register students for activities delivered during school hours through the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series channel on the department’s Arc event hub.

All students who participate in the series’ activities during school hours need to have parental/caregiver consent. Obtaining and recording this is the responsibility of the school.

Activities delivered out of school hours

Schools will refer students to participate in activities out of school hours. Parents and caregivers will be responsible for registering students in these activities and will liaise directly with the activity provider to organise attendance.

List of providers

  • Arts Centre Melbourne
  • Ausdance VIC (Australian Dance Council)
  • Bendigo Art Gallery
  • BioLAB (Belmont High School)
  • Discovery Science and Technology Centre
  • Drama Victoria
  • Earth Ed (Mount Clear College)
  • Ecolinc (Bacchus Marsh College)
  • Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC) (University High School)
  • KIOSC Discovery Centre (Swinburne University of Technology)
  • Mathematical Association of Victoria
  • Modern Languages Teachers’ Association of Victoria (MLTAV)
  • Monash Tech School (John Monash Science School)
  • Monash University (Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute)
  • Museums Victoria (Immigration Museum)
  • Museums Victoria (Melbourne Museum)
  • Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA)
  • Quantum Victoria (Charles La Trobe P-12 College)
  • Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV)
  • Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (RSPCA) Victoria
  • Shepparton Art Museum (SAM)
  • Skyline Education Foundation
  • State Library Victoria (SLV)
  • Swinburne University of Technology
  • University of Melbourne (School of Mathematics and Statistics)
  • Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS)
  • Victorian Opera
  • Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) (Strathmore Secondary College)

Further information

For further information on individual activities and events within the series, please contact the relevant provider.

For more information on the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series initiative more broadly, please contact Student Excellence at student.excellence@education.vic.gov.au.