Mount Waverley Secondary College

Mount Waverley Secondary College is a state school in Melbourne, Australia. It that consists of a junior (years 7 & 8) and senior (years 9-12) campus on the top and bottom of a hill respectively. The campuses are situated in Mount Waverley, a suburb of Melbourne which is east of the city centre. The school emblem is a Unicorn standing on its hind legs. The colours green and gold are reflected in the uniform; VCE students (years 11 and 12) wear navy jumpers.

History

The school opened in 1967 on Stephensons Road. In the early 90s the school merged with Waverley High Scool on Waverley Road to form the college across two campuses. In 1996 the Stephensons Road site became the senior campus and the Waverley Road site became the junior campus (years 7 and 8).

Later that year, the Waverley Road site was closed, and the junior school moved to the rebuilt and extended old campus of Waverley North Primary School, also on Stephensons Road.

In January 2003, a large portion of the senior campus was tragically burnt down, believed to have been a possible arson attempt by a local teenager. Reconstruction has attempted to provide more impressive facilities than prior to the incident.

Curriculum

Mount Waverley Secondary College has had a reputation whereby as students are about to begin their VCE studies the following year, students that the college's year level coordinators deem unlikely to contribute favourably to the school's ENTER averages (though whom nonetheless would satisfactorily obtain their VCE certificate) in popular units, are strongly urged to consider studying their chosen subjects at another school, or take up enrolment in a TAFE course.

Disputes often arise where such students wish to study a particular university course prerequisite VCE unit and are told the subject is "full" or are urged to enrol in a subject that coincidentally has less student demand due to its lack of presence in university course prerequisites. Toward the end of 1998, a number of VCE Arts units including Media Studies were removed from the school's curriculum.

Members elected to the Student Representative Council (S.R.C.) have, in the past, been subject to approval of Year Level Coordinators in order to stand for the ballot. Those refused the opportunity to stand for election have alleged this may have been done in order to ensure the student body is represented by a student whom would portray the preferred academic image of the school.

These various actions often draw the observation and/or criticism that the school is a state-funded public institution, wishing to conduct itself in the overly selective and autonomous manner that is characteristic of a private school. Previous students have expressed that a varied and balanced education at the school had been compromised in order to enhance the school's successful appearance to fee-paying overseas students.

Incidentally, Mount Waverley Secondary College is participant to the self-governing schools program (a result of the previous Victorian State Kennett Liberal Government). Self-Governing Schools (which have drawn public criticism from the Australian Education Union) grants the school itself, as opposed to the education department, increased "authority" to select staff and allocate funding and subjects available.

Incidents of parents of students attending M.W.S.C. being pressured to pay a voluntary fee have been quietly discussed amongst those involved with the school. Such experiences could be attributed to many public schools in the State of Victoria, nonetheless accounts of such experiences are common amongst past students of Mount Waverley Secondary College for at least the last ten years approximately.

External links

• Official website (http://www.mwsc.vic.edu.au/)