CARDIJN COLLEGE
Middle School Curriculum Guide
2025
The Middle Years at Cardijn College aim to provide an exciting and dynamic experience of schooling for our students in Years 7, 8 and 9. Middle schooling is an educational approach that better caters for the physical, social, emotional, moral and cognitive needs of young people. It bridges the divide between primary and secondary education by extending students in this middle phase, equipping them with the skills to become independent learners and successful citizens in this new and ever-changing world.
Cardijn College is committed to best-practice middle schooling through an approach to teaching and learning that is student-centred, authentic, collaborative, developmental and challenging. We offer our students a diverse range of experiences that foster students’ love for learning and enthusiasm to participate in a range of activities that nurture a sense of community commitment and outreach.
Our teachers play a critical role in each student’s success. They stimulate and challenge students to think beyond the next question and encourage them to be co-constructors of their learning and development. Teachers differentiate and extend the curriculum to meet the needs of all students, whereby students can develop self-confidence through achieving success. Students progressively develop a sense of who they are and of the personal, spiritual and social values which will be part of their lives.
We work together to give Middle Years students the confidence and self-worth to effectively tackle the challenges of the more exclusively academic orientation of the senior curriculum. This Curriculum Guide details the course offerings at Cardijn College for 2025.
For further information please contact:
Ashleigh Taylor
Director of Teaching and Learning
Tasha Trenorden
Deputy Head of Campus
Flexible Learning Options
Vocational Education and Training (Years 10 – 12)
Cardijn College supports students in gaining nationally recognised Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications. VET is a significant component of the SACE. At Cardijn College we are committed to providing students with a wide variety of VET opportunities.
VET aims to
- Allow students to graduate with dual qualifications (VET & SACE) effectively future proofing post-school options.
- Prepare work-ready students whose agility allows them to explore multiple career and study pathways.
- Assist in the transition of students from school into the workforce or further study.
- Provide a gateway for a school-based apprenticeship while still at school.
- Provide a transition option of a full-time apprenticeship where student learn and earn.
- Provide knowledge, skills and dispositions required for tertiary studies at universities. All VET courses listed can be used for the Flinders University Non-ATAR Entry Pathway. Note – for some degrees specific SACE subjects are required.
Factors your family must consider in deciding if your child should undertake VET;
- Some VET courses are offered on Cardijn campuses and are timetabled into lessons.
- Some of the above courses are delivered as one full day. Where this occurs, your child will receive a study line to support their learning for lessons missed on their training day. This will occur at the discretion of Mr Chris Burrows and in consultation with the student’s family.
- Some VET courses are off site. Transport arrangements to and from these off campus courses are a family responsibility.
All VET courses count towards SACE.
Information about VET in SACE can be found at: www.sace.sa.edu.au/web/vet/what-is-vet/vet-in-sace
Download the 2025 VET handbook
To discuss options relating to Vocational Education & Training or post school pathways such as employment, apprenticeships or university entry, please contact the VET & Pathways Coordinator Mr Matt Kempson via email at [email protected] or phone 8392 9497.
Courses vary in location, length and standard. Below are vocational opportunities on offer:
- Automotive
- Business
- Construction
- Electrotechnology
- Engineering (metal fabrication)
- Individual Support (Aged Care and Disability)
- Early Childhood Education and Care
- Fitness
- Hospitality
- Kitchen Operations
- Hair
- Makeup
- Beauty
- Photography
- Sport & Recreation
- Screen & Media
- Information Technology
- Plumbing
- Animal Care
Interested students and families need to make contact with the VET & Pathways Coordinator, the year prior to course commencement.
School-based Apprenticeships
School-based Apprenticeships are a combination of:
- Formal lessons at school, which allow students to complete their SACE
- School lessons which are reduced through negotiation with Mr Burrows and supplemented with VET study time, in a dedicated study room
- External employment with a guaranteed minimum eight hours employment per week; students usually have one day off a week for employer contact
- External training through TAFE or another Registered Training Organisation; this training is at a Certificate III or higher standard and occurs as block training throughout the academic year.
Students will need to organise a school-based Apprenticeship directly with the employer. Cardijn College can assist with organising an Australian Apprenticeship Centre contact in cases where the employer is unable to do so.
School-based Apprenticeships commence at the beginning of Year 11, however some industries can take students sooner. Successfully completed external training is credited towards the student’s SACE.
Vocational Education Programs
Qualifications
Cardijn College is committed to ensuring that our graduates have a diversity of skills for a dynamic and ever-changing world. We support all of our students to undertake vocational training as part of their learning journey.
Nationally accredited qualifications in Vocational Education and Training (VET) open up a myriad of employment and study opportunities. Students can utilise VET for direct employment pathways or use completed qualifications to gain access to further tertiary studies.
Balancing a program of VET and SACE can be challenging but ultimately rewarding. Our Vocational Education Students are supported with the offering of; VET study periods, assistance with both VET theory and SACE work and ongoing Careers Counseling. The College reserves the right to remove students from their training when academic requirements are not met.
VET students have the opportunity to work in adult learning environments and gain valuable industry experiences. As a result, they develop resilience, adaptability and the skill set to work in an evolving employment landscape.
Vocational Education and Training is recognised as a valued component of the South Australian Certificate of Education. The majority of completed Certificate III qualifications, can be counted as university entrance subjects in the calculations of a student’s Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR). Increasingly, universities see a diversity of student skills as an advantage to their prospective graduates; with some universities accepting completed VET as a pathway into varying courses.
Qualifications are completed within one year and students train on-site at our campuses and in some cases, at off-site locations.
In addition to qualifications delivered by the College’s RTO – MTC Training, Cardijn College also supports students undertaking external vocational training available to secondary school students provided by Registered Training Organisations. Students may have to pay fees and will be required to make their own transport arrangements for these courses if the training is held off-site. To discuss the option of other vocational training, please contact the Pathways Hub.
R – 9
GALILEE
ALDINGA
At Cardijn College Galilee in Aldinga, we offer education from Reception to Year 9, creating a nurturing environment where each student feels a unique sense of belonging. This campus is known for its focus on ecological awareness and community involvement.
7 – 12
MARIAN
NOARLUNGA DOWNS
Cardijn College Marian, located in Noarlunga Downs, educates students from Years 7 to 12. It is celebrated for its comprehensive curriculum and vibrant extra-curricular program that caters to a diverse student body, providing varied learning pathways that meet individual needs and aspirations.
10 – 12
MARCELLIN
CHRISTIE DOWNS
Cardijn College Marcellin in Christie Downs is focused on providing extensive vocational education and training opportunities for students in Years 10 to 12 and beyond. Our strong industry partnerships help extend relationships into our students’ future careers, offering real-world experiences that are second to none.