(Years 9 to 12)
Senior students learn from teachers with real subject knowledge and experience in each course they choose, with a dedicated Life Group teacher (the daily pastoral care class) keeping watch over how they are travelling.
Years 9 and 10 follow the Australian Curriculum. Years 11 and 12 can choose from a wide range of QCAA subjects to work towards their QCE, ATAR or various VET options and accelerated subjects.
The day runs as daily live lessons with qualified subject teachers, on a compacted timetable. All lessons are also recorded, enabling students' flexibility for live, catch-up, or accelerated classes.
Life Group pastoral care, the SECRET Skills framework, and Faith and Life Skills are scheduled into the senior week, backed by the College wellbeing team, so character and life skills grow alongside academic knowledge as the foundation for each student's future.
The Senior VLC is the final phase of school at Hillcrest, Years 9 to 12. It is a season of significant growth, when a young person's identity begins to take a more defined form as they move toward adulthood. The Senior VLC is built for that, carrying the academic rigour of a full senior school alongside the room for a young person to become who they are.
In Years 9 and 10, students study the Australian Curriculum. In Years 11 and 12, they choose from a wide range of QCAA General and Applied subjects that count toward a Queensland Certificate of Education, and an ATAR where university is the goal. Teachers bring real subject expertise to every course they lead.
These are the years of goal-setting and higher expectations, of independence, responsibility and self-motivation. A dedicated teacher and the Pathways team walk beside each student, so the freedom to drive their own learning never means doing it alone.
Years 9 to 12 carry real weight: a QCE, an ATAR, the first true steps toward a future. Choosing where those years happen can feel daunting. Our Senior VLC team meets you where you are, listens to what your child is working toward, and walks beside you from the very first conversation.
Hillcrest has educated Queensland families for more than 40 years, with a Biblical worldview and wellbeing at its heart. The Virtual Learning Community brings that same teaching and care to families right across Queensland, as an online learning community where senior students are known, supported and stretched toward the pathway that is right for them.
Learning in the Senior VLC is built around the pathway each student is driving toward. Students are guided through the art of goal-setting, and grow into the higher expectations of the senior years: independence, responsibility, self-motivation and self-discipline.
A dedicated teacher and the Pathways team support every step, so a young person learns to lead their own education without ever being left to do it alone. The result is a senior phase that draws out each student's interests and strengths, and points them toward a future that is genuinely their own.
The College Values (Integrity, Service, Respect, Courage, Humility, Diligence and Discernment) are woven into the fabric of the Senior VLC. Students who outwork these values are encouraged to put themselves forward for student leadership throughout the year.
SECRET Skills (Self-Manager, Effective Participator, Creative Thinker, Reflective Learner, Enquirer and Team Worker) carry through the senior years, shaping confident, independent learners ready for life beyond school.
In Years 11 and 12, students choose from an extensive range of QCAA subjects and courses, so the senior years lead where each student is headed, not down a single fixed track.
Senior subjects on offer include: English and Essential English, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics, General Mathematics and Essential Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Psychology, Legal Studies, Modern History, Business, French, Design, ICT and Visual Arts in Practice, alongside VET courses, with further options added as the VLC grows. *Some senior subjects run when minimum student numbers are met each year.
Our Pathways team works with each family to map the route that is meaningful for their child, and to help them reach it.
Meet our VLC leadership, see a day in the life of a Year 9 to 12 student,
and ask the questions specific to your child's pathway.
“
Caden recently helped his team win at the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro, and he is still chasing his passion for surfing. He was also one of the students who inspired us to create and offer the Virtual Learning Community.
When he was in Year 5, as Hillcrest went online during COVID, Caden found that the flexibility and independence suited both his learning and his surfing. Now, as a Virtual Learning student, he balances the freedom of learning and surfing, wherever it takes him.
Because the enrolment holds, your child moves through the whole of school in one place, and each stage hands on to the next. Here is what the learning actually looks like, in plain terms.
EDUCATED EQUIPPED EMPOWERED ENERGISED
Tell us where your family is and where your child is up to. We will talk you through whether VLC is the right fit.
See the live lessons and how VLC learning works, and ask the questions that matter for your child.
When you are ready, we will guide you through enrolment, including mid-year entry.
Please find additional information and frequently asked questions.
Yes, Hillcrest Christian College is an evolution of more traditional Distance education.
Distance education programs have traditionally catered to students with limited access to mainstream schooling, such as students living in regional or remote locations. Our VLC has adapted the benefits of distance education to offer all families a world-class, independent school education that can be completed at home.
Unlike homeschooling, where parents need to source, plan and assess student lessons, your family will have access to dedicated and trained staff to engage them in daily online classes, working through an innovative and future-focused curriculum.
The VLC mirrors our on-campus communities with stages of age-appropriate learning.
Junior VLC (Prep – Year 4): Focuses on foundational literacy and numeracy through our I Love Reading program, integrated projects, and core Australian Curriculum subjects. Students also participate in Life Groups, Christian Living, online Gathering (Chapel), and Assemblies.
Middle VLC (Years 5 – 8): Supports students through Design-Centred Learning (DCL) projects, SECRET Skills development, and micro-credentialing, integrating core subjects and elective learning. Yearly camps foster personal growth.
Senior VLC (Years 9 – 12): Prepares students for post-school pathways with QCE, ATAR and non-ATAR options, plus access to VET courses. Core subjects and electives align with career and tertiary goals, complemented by leadership development, camps, and faith-based engagement.
Junior VLC (Prep – Year 4): Focuses on foundational literacy and numeracy through our I Love Reading program, integrated projects, and core Australian Curriculum subjects. Students also participate in Life Groups, Christian Living, online Gathering (Chapel), and Assemblies.
Middle VLC (Years 5 – 8): Supports students through Design-Centred Learning (DCL) projects, SECRET Skills development, and micro-credentialing, integrating core subjects and elective learning. Yearly camps foster personal growth.
Senior VLC (Years 9 – 12): Prepares students for post-school pathways with QCE, ATAR and non-ATAR options, plus access to VET courses. Core subjects and electives align with career and tertiary goals, complemented by leadership development, camps, and faith-based engagement.
Students in Years 11-12: choose five subjects from the following: English OR Essential English (compulsory); General Mathematics, Essential Mathematics OR Mathematical Methods (compulsory); Modern History; Legal Studies; Biology; Psychology; and Business. VET and other courses are also available in ATAR and non-ATAR pathways. As the VLC continues to grow, further options will become available. Please contact our enrolments team if you have any questions.
Students in the VLC also build a portfolio of SECRET Skills (Self-Manager, Effective Participator, Creative Thinker, Reflective Learner, Enquirer, Team Worker) as a key component of Hillcrest’s mission to develop the whole child. As a Christian College, units are taught from a biblical world view.
Students participate in live, daily online sessions with their teacher between 1-2 hours in total, depending on the year level. If they can’t attend the online sessions, students will be expected to watch these back in their own time throughout the week.
They will also have individual learning activities to complete each week in their own time. Students and families can structure the learning week to suit their circumstances. In general, students can expect their weekly workload to be a lot faster compared to a mainstream schooling setting.
NAPLAN testing is compulsory for all Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students across Australia, whether in a mainstream or Distance Education setting. However, parents may withdraw their child because of philosophical or religious reasons.
NAPLAN testing takes place in Term 1 each year. More information will be sent to parents about the testing (and process for withdrawals, if applicable) at the beginning of each school year. If you cannot arrange for your child to attend the Hillcrest Christian College Home Campus (Reedy Creek), arrangements can be made with your local school to complete the testing.
© 2026 Hillcrest Christian College. All Rights Reserved.
ACN 010 381 334 I ABN 68 947 459 366 I CRICOS No. 01043C
Site: Hillcrest Christian College
