Principal
Welcome to the web site of the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.
We are a school that enables secondary age students to concentrate on music and dance without jeopardising academic success and the school runs world class dance and music programs for secondary students.
Our VCE (Unit 3 and 4) results see us ranked for Victorian Certificate of Education achievement among the top schools in the state and matching the best schools in the country.
Our school is unique, offering opportunities to talented young dancers and musicians to combine their specialist training needs with a high quality education from Year 7 through to Year 12. As you look through our web site, the unique nature of our school will become clear.
What is more difficult to impart is the very special culture that exists within our artistic community, our students are a close knit and supportive body of young people. Each person is a valued member of the VCA Secondary School family of students, parents and teachers. We are located at 57 Miles Street, Southbank. We were founded in 1978 and it are situated in the Arts precinct at Southbank in Melbourne.
As well as meeting the needs of VCA Secondary School students our school is also the academic provider to highly gifted young people from the Australian Ballet School, National Institute of Circus Arts, Diving Victoria and Gymnastics Victoria.
We have a very high expectation of commitment from our students, not only to their specialist area but also to their academic studies. We offer a complete program and students are expected to aim for excellence in all areas of the curriculum.
Entry to our school is by competitive audition, which is held in August each year and overseas students are able to audition by video. Graduates from our school gain placements and perform at the highest levels in Australia and throughout the world.
Welcome to the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.
Colin Simpson
Principal
Biography
Colin Simpson is one of Australia's leading arts educators and school leaders.
Mr. Simpson has worked in state and private schools as well as teaching primary, secondary and tertiary age students. He has taught at a range of state and independent schools and La Trobe University.
He is the co-author of the ‘Art Now’ series of books and has worked extensively developing visual arts education and the teaching of contemporary art in Australian schools. As a freelance writer and consultant he has worked for The University of Melbourne, Monash University Gallery, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and AXA.
During the late 1980s he had two one man exhibitions, worked as a community artist at the famous Redletter Press and dabbled in fringe fashion. He has worked at the National Gallery of Victoria, The Asialink Centre at The University of Melbourne and was the visual arts writer for ‘The Bulletin’ magazine during the mid 1990s.
Mr. Simpson has travelled extensively overseas making contact with and building connections with other leading secondary arts schools.
Mr. Simpson was appointed Assistant Principal of the VCA Secondary School in 2002 and Principal in 2004. He is a leading Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Principal and has been ranked as a High Performing Principal. In 2009 Mr. Simpson was Awarded the Oustanding School Leadership Award for his work in the school. Link here. He is married with two children.