Honours Classes
Providing an enriched curriculum as a catalyst for highly able students to fulfil their talent and realise their potential.
Developed with the wellbeing of students in mind, the program seeks to shape academic talent into strength awareness and ultimately, mastery. The program emulates global best practice by drawing on the literature and investigative practices of noted leaders in the field of gifted and talented education and offers academic extension, enrichment and acceleration to high performing and high potential students.
The Honours Program is available to students from both the Junior School (Years 5 and 6) and the Secondary School (Years 7 to 12).
Honours classes are delivered by specialist teachers and provide opportunities for problem-based enquiry and investigation, curiosity, interest and thought in an environment of like-minded scholars.
Interested students are invited to apply for entry into the program, with suitability determined by a number of factors, including academic performance and ranking, and also academic potential as evidenced by qualities such as conscientiousness, deliberate practice, love of learning, will power and grit. Academic scholarship recipients are automatically considered for entry into the Honours Program.
Identification of students
Interested students will be invited to apply for entry into the program. Suitability will be determined by a number of factors, including:
- Standardised testing data
- Academic results
- Ranking
- Academic scholarship recipients will be automatically considered.
Students most likely to find the program of benefit will possess many of the following characteristics:
- Academic talent and a love of reading and learning
- Superior language ability
- Large knowledge base
- Keen observation
- Efficient, high-capacity memory
- Superior reasoning and problem solving
- Ability to engage in abstract, complex, logical, and insightful thought
- Mature sense of humour and enjoys playing with concepts and ideas
- A commitment to learning
The Program
BBC Honours Classes seek to stimulate curiosity, interest and thought in an environment of like-minded scholars.
Junior School
- Designed to extend students who are high achievers in most of their subjects
- Classes complete compacted year level curriculum with extension
- Focus on enrichment, extension and problem-based enquiry
- Identified students offered acceleration opportunities in Mathematics
- Students will be expected to represent the College in academic co-curricular activities such as DaVinci Decathon, Readers Cup and Future Problem Solvers
- Classroom teacher(s) and the Gifted and Talented Coordinator will mentor students to achieve their personal excellence goals
Middle School
- Designed to extend students who are high achievers in most of their subjects who are performing, or have the potential to perform, in the top 15 percent of the state
- Honours classes will be offered in English, Mathematics, Science and multidisciplinary subjects such as Humanities
- Identified students offered acceleration opportunities in Mathematics
- Students will be expected to represent the College in academic co-curricular activities such as Future Problem Solvers, DaVinci Decathlon and Readers Cup
- Students will be guided to establish personal excellence goals
Senior School
- Bespoke program tailored to the individual strengths of top performing students
- Identified students will be encouraged to select extension and acceleration courses in English and Mathematics. Students will continue to be challenged in these demanding subjects and during Year 12 will have the opportunity to study the higher-level English and Literature Extension and Music Extension
- Students will be mentored to establish personal excellence goals
- Opportunities for tertiary study at partner universities (for potential university credit), participating in UCAT study groups, and practical experiences with industry connections