The development of a national curriculum continues and further information can be found on the VCAA and ACARA websites.

Almost all schools use Years 7 to 10 to give their students a solid grounding in the most important areas of learning and a chance to find out what they like and are good at before they specialise.

Most often, schools award scholarships to students who demonstrate outstanding abilities in a number of nominated areas, ranging from the creative and performing arts through to peer leadership.

There are a number of schools that focus on special areas of the curriculum, or on developing children?s unique talents.

Information on the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).

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Wherever you choose to study in Australia - whether in a big city or at a regional campus - safety is an issue for every student.

Your first week of semester at university is widely known as Orientation Week - or 'O Week'. The actual dates for each O Week differ from university to university, so please check your relevant uni website to confirm the dates.