Years 1 – 6
EMG, WEMT and the 6+ Course
The three on-campus programs that carry a student through primary school — foundations in Year 1, the four core subjects through the middle years, and the bridge into Year 7.
Year 1
EMG Course — English, Mathematics and General Ability
The Year 1 EMG program gives talented and dedicated students a series of challenging modules covering English, Mathematics and General Ability, developing advanced critical thinking and problem solving through the study of intricate concepts. Students reinforce the foundations of their learning and get ahead of their peers, and are introduced to a new General Ability module that builds reading, conventions of language and numeracy skills.
English
Reading comprehension, spelling, vocabulary and language conventions, taught through engaging activities on age-appropriate texts — the correct spelling of common words, a wider vocabulary and the basic rules of grammar.
Mathematics
A range of topics designed so students grasp fundamental mathematical theories and principles. Interactive activities build arithmetic understanding, explore shapes and patterns, and sharpen problem solving.
General Ability
Puzzles, discussion and exploration that strengthen critical thinking, problem solving and general knowledge — the reasoning the later selective and scholarship tests are built on.
How a term runs
- A weekly face-to-face lesson introducing the new concepts, with materials reviewed and updated to match the latest syllabus
- Homework, plus a Special Online Quiz (S.O.Q) in weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8 — ten questions per subject
- Video lessons on Cyberschool to review each week at the student's own pace
- Weekly vocabulary tests, and GA practice for scholarship tests covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning
- A Term Progress Test in week 7, reviewed in the first week of the holidays
- My Result — scores and detailed reports, so progress is tracked student by student
Years 3 – 6
WEMT Course
Writing, English, Maths and Thinking Skills. WEMT is a comprehensive course built to give students a strong foundation for success in their future exams — four subjects taught together each week, with Cyberschool video lessons for full class-work revision at home.
Writing
The most efficient skills for organising the structure of a piece of writing, with a focus on developing critical thinking and reasoning.
English
Constant interaction between student and teacher while reading and answering questions, focused on reading skills and practice with comprehension and language convention questions.
Mathematics
Essential tuition to fully understand mathematical theories, principles and formulas, with organised materials and a wide variety of practical questions. Students are grouped by similar level so teaching stays efficient and targeted.
Thinking Skills
Challenging problem-solving and critical thinking questions. Students build the ability to use knowledge, facts and data to identify a problem and its solution, to reason through an argument logically, and to recognise assumptions and evaluate arguments.
Year 6 · High school preparation
6+ Course
The 6+ Course supports students through the move from primary school to high school. It builds a strong foundation in the Year 7 English and Mathematics they are about to meet, bridging the gap between the two so they start high school with the skills and the confidence to do well.
English
The tools to read and analyse a range of text types, and to carry that into essay writing and extended responses — competence that serves not only English but Science, Geography, History, Commerce, PDHPE, Drama and Visual Arts.
Mathematics
A variety of problem-solving skills built by reviewing Year 6 content and previewing Year 7 — numbers, fractions, algebra, geometry and probability, through activities that strengthen the fundamentals.
Across the four terms
- Reading comprehension across poetry, scripts, articles and narratives
- Writing — procedures, explanations and essays
- Grammar, literary devices and text analysis
- Face-to-face lessons with Cyberschool access included
Years 4 – 5
Trial test courses
Exam-style practice under exam conditions, sat weekly and marked on the day — for the two placement tests that decide a selective or opportunity class offer.
Year 4 · OC preparation
Opportunity Class Trial Test Course (OCTTC)
The OCTTC helps students make real progress and build confidence for success in their OC Placement Test, and has been shown to be a significant factor in ensuring success. The course is unique in that it lets students practise exam-style questions under exam conditions. While the answer sheets are being marked, teachers review the entire paper with particular focus on the difficult questions, explaining each one thoroughly, step by step. Students receive their individual results at the end of the session as a record of their performance.
It will help your child manage time efficiently, minimise errors, overcome exam nerves and perform at their best under examination conditions.
What are the benefits to your child?
- Increases accuracy and helps minimise errors
- Increases the speed of answering questions — the real test allows 35 questions in 30 minutes for part 1, and another 35 in 30 minutes for part 2
- Results and competence improve steadily by practising exam questions every week
- Weekly result sheets show each student's strengths and weaknesses, giving parents immediate feedback on where to focus
- Performance and progress are assessed accurately on a weekly basis
Year 5 · Selective preparation
Selective Trial Test Course (STTC)
A practical course that is essential preparation for the Selective High School Placement Test. The STTC helps your child manage time efficiently, minimise carelessness and overcome exam nerves. Students don't just sit the tests — difficult questions and incorrect answers are corrected and explained by teachers and tutors, and students are taught how to perform to the best of their abilities.
What benefits will your child have?
- Increases accuracy
- Increases speed
- Results and abilities improve through practising exam questions every week
- Weekly result sheets indicate weak areas, giving parents immediate feedback on which fields to concentrate on
- Performance and progress are assessed accurately on a weekly basis
More than 4,000 selective exam-style questions are available for students under exam conditions. The most relevant and accurate question types are developed by our group of professionals in line with recent trends and feedback from teachers and our top-achieving students. Each year more than 30% of the questions are updated so they properly support students' preparation.
Our special strategies
- Master Thinking Skills
- Advanced skills and work
- Minimising disadvantages in English
- Practice makes perfect