Senior College

At Excellere College we aim for “Christianity in living, excellence in learning”. We start each day with devotions in our form classes, and have regular Senior College meetings to build Whanaungatanga. Every year our students achieve highly, due in part to our close knit community where all students are valued as individuals.

We are blessed at Excellere College to have an excellent teacher to student ratio in the Senior School, which has many benefits. Teachers are able to engage with and get to know each students learning style, and know them as an individual in their learning. This has resulted in above average NCEA performance in all year levels at our school, often gaining 100% pass rate for our NCEA students. Through establishing close learning relationships, staff are able to korero regularly with students and their parents to ensure students continue to make progress towards meeting their learning aspirations.

Mrs Danielle Smith, Senior College Leader

Year 10: All Year 10 students follow a common course of core subjects. These include: English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, Health, Art, Music, Food and Digital Technology, Te Reo, and Christian Living.

Year 11: Studies at this level are made up of internally and externally assessed Achievement Standards and or Unit Standards which contribute to the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level One. Students study five subjects with English and Mathematics being the compulsory ones. Standards are also available in ESOL. For the full range of subjects available see the curriculum option booklet. International students will be expected to do some of the ESOL standards when they reach the appropriate level.

Year 12 : Studies at this level are made up of internally and externally assessed Achievement Standards and or Unit Standards which contribute to the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level Two. ESOL standards are available. Depending on their abilities and achievements to date, Year 12 students, on the advice of the Senior College Team Leader, may take a combination of the subjects offered at the Year 11 and 12 levels.

Year 13: Studies at this level lead to assessment against Levels 3 and 4 Achievement Standards and/or Unit Standards in a maximum of five option subjects for each student. Extension opportunities are available in the form of New Zealand Education Scholarship Trust (NZEST) examinations. Depending on their achievements and abilities to date, Year 13 students may, on the advice of the Senior College Team Leader, take a combination of the subjects offered at the Year 11, 12 and 13 levels. The college and tertiary education institutions highly recommend that Year 13 students take English as a desirable basis for future studies and employment. Depending on the student’s level of competence in English, International students are encouraged to sit some New Zealand standards.

Excellere College is an NCEA school which links our students to the New Zealand Curriculum and National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) where students in Year 11 have to achieve Level 1 NCEA, Year 12 Students aim to achieve Level 2 NCEA and Year 13 students aim to achieve Level 3 NCEA and gain their University entrance if that is their pathway. As well as offering in school subjects, Excellere College has Online Learning subjects as well as Academies and Gateway experiences.

Level 1 NCEA Subjects
Visual Art, Christian Living, Digital Technology, Digital Visual Communication, English, Health, Hospitality, Maths & Statistics, Music, Physical Education, Science, Soft Materials, Literacy/Numeracy
Online Learning: Accounting, Business Studies, History, Languages (other subjects available)
Academies and Gateway: Agriculture, Early Childhood, Equine, Retail, Tourism

Level 2 NCEA Subjects
Art Design, Biology, Digital Technology, Digital Visual Communication, English, English (UE), Health, Maths & Statistics, Music, Painting, Photography, Physical Education, Physics
Online Learning: Accounting, Business Studies, Chemistry, History, Languages, Psychology (other subjects available)
Academies and Gateway: Agriculture, Early Childhood, Equine, Retail, Tourism

Level 3 NCEA Subjects
Art Design, Biology, Digital Technology, Digital Visual Communication, English, English (UE), Health, Maths & Statistics, Music, Painting, Photography, Physical Education, Physics
Online Learning: Accounting, Business Studies, Chemistry, History, Languages, Psychology (other subjects available)
Academies and Gateway: Agriculture, Automotive, Construction, Cookery, Early Childhood, Equine, Hair & Beauty, Retail, Tourism

Excellere College runs on a five day timetable with 5 one hour lessons per day. Students start the day with prayer, whanaungatanga and devotions in form class at the start of the day. Each Senior College class has a smaller buddy class that they meet with once a week to foster and strengthen relationships within the school, providing a family like atmosphere throughout the school.

We regularly send our students to compete against other schools in Northland in a range of sporting events, such as Athletics, Cross country, Futsal and Badminton regularly gaining top performances. We strive to offer our students every opportunity to succeed in all walks of life. A number of senior students also participate in our Duke of Edinburgh program, which involves students working on service, new skills other areas, as well as culminating in a number of tramps around our beautiful country. This gives senior students another chance to grow personally and receive internationally recognised qualifications.

In the Senior College students are valued as individuals due to our small class sizes that allow this. Form teachers get to know their form classes very well, and all teachers are able to enjoy teaching the same students year after year, continuing to build on and strengthen relationships.

Parent teacher learning conferences occur twice a year to allow parents, students and teachers to korero around the students’ learning progress and set goals for the future. There are regular credit updates that are sent out to parents so that they are aware of how their child is progressing throughout the year. Reports are sent out twice a year as another form of communication with parents, and these are often used as a basis for discussion in the learning conferences.

In the Senior College students build Whanaungatanga through tight knit form classes where they explore a range of devotions, and also meet up once a fortnight with the whole senior college for an assembly. There are many opportunities for students in the Senior College, ranging from getting to participate in creating the year book, learning to scuba dive, experience different trades through the trades academy, and getting to grow with the support of the amazing Senior College staff.