Victorian Essential Learning Standards (Vels)

The VELS, for whole school curriculum planning, is being fazed into Victorian School over the next few years. It has three interwoven purposes to equip students with capacities to:

• Manage self and relationships with others
• Understand the world
• Act effectively

to prepare them for success in education, work and life. This is achieved through the three core, interrelated strands of:

1. Physical, Personal and Social Learning – This includes knowledge, skills and behaviours in Health and Physical Education; Personal Learning; Interpersonal Development; Civic and citizenship.
2. Discipline- based Learning - This includes knowledge, skills and behaviours in The Arts; English and Language; The Humanities; Mathematics; and Science.
3. Interdisciplinary Learning - This includes knowledge, skills and behaviours in Communication; Design; Creativity and Technology; Information and Communications Technology (ICT); and Thinking.

These three interrelated strands go across the stages of learning – Years Prep to 4 , Laying the foundations; Years 5 to 8, Building breadth and depth; and Years 9 to 10 , Developing pathways – form the Victorian Essential Learning Standards for Whole School Curriculum Planning.

School plan their teaching and leaning programs, using the three strands, to enable their students to achieve the essential Statewide Learning Standards.