Melba College strives to get the best from and for our students by providing a wide range of opportunities for all students to grow both as a learners and individuals. We have an explicit focus on the development of Literacy and Numeracy skills across all learning areas and at all levels, as development in these crucial areas from the very beginning of a student’s educational experience sets the foundation to support life-long learning.

Beyond this, we believe in promoting student pathways, ensuring that all students have every opportunity to engage in a wide range of educational experiences aimed at supporting their journey towards the multitude of dreams, goals and aspirations of our students. We believe learning is lifelong and actively promote the College values of S.T.R.I.V.E in learning - Success, Teamwork, Resilience, Integrity, Valuing Excellence and Engagement. 

Education expands beyond the realms of academic achievement to include the social and emotional development of our students essential for their development as young people engaging and thriving in our modern and ever-changing world. We provide students with a wide variety of opportunities to enhance their digital literacy through varied use of ICT both in and out of the classroom. We support students to do this in a range of ways including actively incorporating hands on learning experiences in a variety of different learning situations. These experiences help students to learn about themselves and the world around them, develop and enhance the necessary skills and knowledge required in the modern world and to consider the sorts of careers they would want in the future.

Finally, we believe in delivering our curriculum in a culture of high expectations, to encourage and show our students that they can achieve, they can do and they can have success.

The college also values continual reflection and building teacher capacity and the practice of:

• embedding literacy and numeracy strategies across the curriculum
• using evidence to determine teaching strategies
• using Learning Intentions, Success Criteria and Assessment Rubrics explicitly in all aspects of teaching
• using a variety of assessment practices to reflect the full range of learning intentions
• setting high expectations
• promoting self-confidence and risk taking
• valuing excellence
• fostering collaboration
• modelling and scaffolding examples of high quality work
• valuing and rewarding improvement in learning and positive behaviour.

The curriculum is based on a core and elective model with increased choice available to students as they progress through the college. A rigorous course counselling session in the middle of the year for Year 10 students and their families assits students in making informed decisions when selecting a VCE or VCAL pathway. Partnerships with well established external agencies exist in relation to VET studies.