Location Profile Altona College is a Prep to Year 12 school situated in the local government area of Hobsons Bay, located approximately 15km west of the Melbourne CBD. Altona consists of a mixture of low-density housing to the south of the suburb, with mixed industry in the north. Altona is well resourced with recreational facilities, strong transport links and a strong hospitality culture. A key attraction to the area is Altona Beach and its refurbished pier located at one of only two swimming beaches in the western suburbs (the other being Williamstown Beach). In 2023, enrolments continued to increase, but were managed carefully in compliance with a compulsory Enrolment Management Plan. This year we have a total of 704 enrolments across Prep-12. Despite having a relatively small school zone and proximity to larger established secondary schools, Altona College has continued to receive significant interest for enrolment. The primary school is one of four located within the suburbs of Altona and Seaholme and as such enrolments are greater in the secondary than primary years. Having recently completed two stages of Capital Works, community confidence continues to grow in our capacity to deliver a breadth of well-resourced programs. The Altona Early Years Hub is co-located onsite ensuring a smooth transition for students attending Kindergarten programs at that venue. Primary students access specialist programs in Music, Physical Education, Mandarin and Art. The learning areas of Science, Humanities (History, Geography, Economics, Civics and Citizenship), Health, Design and Technology are taught through an inquiry approach. Further, primary students have access to secondary school resources and facilities, particularly in STEM and the arts. Secondary students access the full breadth of the Victorian Curriculum in specialist classes across years 7-9 before transitioning into a personalised program based on extensive careers education. The college also delivered a high ability class in Years 7 to 9 with places filled by students within the designated enrolment zone. The College has successfully implemented the new Victorian Certificate of Education including the Vocational Major. Additional resources including VETiS (Vocational Education and Training in Schools) and HeadStart have supported students to access vocational pathways where the traditional ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) based pathway does not meet their needs. Beyond the classroom, secondary students participate in programs such as Wyn-speak and network debating competitions where the college achievements are celebrated. Strong performances in sports (particularly Volleyball) are a positive reward for the growing levels of engagement, commitment and pride that characterise Altona College students and staff. The over-arching goal of our 2021-2024 Strategic Plan is to ensure the growth of every student across the school. In line with the 2023 Annual Implementation Plan, the clear focus for 2023 was to strengthen learning outcomes in reading and numeracy across the school. Both learning and wellbeing outcomes are strong and improving in most areas. NAPLAN data continues to show positive trends particularly in years 5 and 9, noting that smaller primary cohorts do contribute to volatility in the year-to-year data. Despite this, additional tutoring and
