Upper Primary
The threshold of lower secondary, and the point at which preparation for the Selective Entry examination begins in earnest.
Where preparation stops being general and becomes specific.
Grades 5 and 6 are when scholarship tests, SEAL program examinations and Selective Entry preparation all come into view at once. Our curriculum meets that with timed practice on the actual components of the examination.
Upper Primary
Upper Primary is the threshold of Lower Secondary. This is the time when students also appear in various scholarship tests and the SEAL program examination, and when they start demonstrating commitment for Selective Entry School examination preparation.
We, at Melbourne Tutorials, endeavour to direct children towards conceptual enrichment in literacy and numeracy, and towards skill development, with class inputs and comprehensive practice assignments. Special emphasis is given to practice of the various test components under time constraints.
During this time students strengthen life skills related to self management, organising, and following a study routine.
Individual children's learning needs are addressed by placing them in compatible learning groups for an optimised learning experience.
The key focus areas.
Five examined components, practised under time constraints, plus the one area that is not examined but decides how well the others read.
Verbal Reasoning
Word relationships, logic and inference, worked at pace.
Reading Comprehension
Extracting meaning, argument and tone from unfamiliar passages.
Mathematics
Curriculum content carried ahead of school level at every grade.
Numerical Reasoning
Quantitative ability, pattern and number sense under time pressure.
Writing
Both persuasive and narrative, the two forms the examination sets.
English Grammar
Included to strengthen writing accuracy and overall communication, because it is what decides whether the rest of the writing lands.
One program, not three.
We consider the scholarship and SEAL examinations to be important milestones in each student's academic journey. Please note that at this stage we do not run separate classes specifically for SEAL or scholarship examinations.
Our preparation program is structured around the Year 8 Selective Entry Examination model, with the curriculum carefully extended at every grade level. The components those other examinations test are the components we already teach.
Scholarships and SEAL places
Many of our students, both in recent years and in the past, have successfully secured a variety of scholarships and admission to SEAL schools through this pathway.
The online practice database
Our online database of competition style questions is an invaluable resource for scholarship, SEAL and other academic competitions, and it is where students build both speed and accuracy.
Where these years lead.
The same curriculum continues without a break in standard, right through to the Year 9 selective entry examination.
Lower Secondary
Years 7 to 9, running about a year ahead of school level, up to the examination itself.
SEAL Programs
Select Entry Accelerated Learning, sat in Grade 6 for Year 7 entry at authorised Victorian schools.
Scholarships
Provider and criteria vary by school, and the criteria go beyond academics.
Enlist your child on the waitlist.
Admissions happen through an Expression of Interest. Complete one per child for the campus you want, and we will contact you by email when a place opens at that level.