Glenunga International High School has consistently produced excellent results in its International Baccalaureate Diploma and its Ignite Program for high achieving students. In the 2019 SACE, 333 of its students scored 591 A grades, which is really amazing.
The school is renowned for encouraging students to perfect their abilities and excel in their potential as internationally-minded responsible citizens. The school instills creative thinking and harmony among students and offers the opportunity to reach excellence through a host of special programs.
- IGNITE Program
This program is for the students who have high intellectual and analytical potential (who were earlier called ‘Gifted and Talented’ or ‘Students with High Intellectual Potential’). At Glenunga, this program allows students to
- expedite at a pace corresponding to their abilities
- mix in a class filled with intellectual peers
- work in an environment that focuses on (4C’s) creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication
The school offers two program options for IGNITE:
- Vertically Accelerated Course (2 Year)
It emphasizes learning quicker and deeper. Those students who perform exceptionally well in the Australian Council for Educational Research assessment are considered for this program. It allows them to complete 3 years, i.e.,Years 8, 9, and 10 in just 2 years and directly move to Year 11 in the 3rd year.
- Subject Accelerated Courses (3 Year)
It emphasises deeper and more elaborate learning, with the pace of learning in subject accelerated courses like English, Science, and Maths. The subject accelerated plans emphasise enrichment and extension, coupled with faster-paced training.
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
The IB diploma is a rigorous and comprehensive pre-university course for Year 11 and 12. It aims at:
- Providing a challenging yet balanced academic experience focusing on the whole education of the person for nurturing socially responsible citizens.
- Providing a globally accepted university entrance qualification for universities in Australia and more than 74 other countries.
- Building and reinforcing the students’ sense of cultural awareness.
- Developing compassionate and critical thinkers and wise participants in local and global affairs.
How can your child gain a place in Glenunga?
Unless your child resides within the Glenunga high school zone, the other way of entry into the school is via the Ignite program. Even if your child resides in the zone, applying for the Ignite program is worthwhile as your child needs to prove himself or herself gifted to do the Ignite program.
Applying for the IGNITE Program
For the IGNITE Program, the students are shortlisted through the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) assessment test, which is conducted once in February every year. Gelnunga accepts around 100 students yearly based on their performance in the ACER assessment.
At the time of assessment, every Year 7 student is eligible to sit. That being said, exceptionally talented and mature students of Year 6 can also sit for the assessment. However, if a student takes the assessment in Year 6, he/she can’t sit in Year 7 again. All the students, irrespective of the year, get only one chance to appear for the assessment. Students of Year 8 are not eligible to sit.
The assessment test has 4 sections: Reading Comprehension, Writing Expressions, Mathematical Reasoning, and Abstract Reasoning. Therefore, students must have a comprehensive knowledge of the English language and significant skills in mathematics with excellent reasoning abilities, as the assessment stresses these subjects.
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