I encourage you to personally tour the school and meet the educators and students, form your own opinion and leave a comment here.
Best of luck with your search for the perfect school!
Tour Details
Vibe at Diamond Valley College
Diamond Valley College (DVC) is located on Hurstbridge Road, Diamond Creek, about a 6 minutes bus ride from Diamond Creek Station. The vibe of DVC can be described in two words – calm and confident. Despite being a medium to large size school with approximately 840 students and situated next to a main road, it has a surprisingly cosy feel.
The campus is set on hilly terrain, surrounded by trees, and the buildings are so well distributed that, from the outside, it doesn’t seem overwhelmingly big. Once inside, however, the school opens up into a spacious and well-connected environment. Being next to Community Bank Basketball Stadium, makes it feel like an integral part of the community.
From the moment we arrived, my family and I felt very welcomed. The school staff, along with some of the students, greeted families with a sausage sizzle and handed out bags containing useful materials such as a prospectus, notepad, pen, fidget toy and a scavenger hunt sheet to encourage families to explore every part of the school
The evening began with a presentation in the auditorium, hosted by the school captains and a group of five student leaders who spoke about their experiences at DVC. They then introduced their principal, Sam Luck, who explained that this was the new way to present the school, in a more intimate and fun way. He also spoke about the transition process from Year 6 to high school and the enrolment process.
As a part of the scavenger hunt activity, each building had an interactive activity related to its subject area. For example, in the literacy building, my daughter had to identify whether a word was a noun, adjective, or verb and throw a bin bag into the correct bucket, each representing one of the three word categories.In the arts room, students could design their own badge, while in the kitchen, they decorated cookies, this was fun introduction to the school’s Food Tech program.
Throughout the event, students actively approached families, offering to answer questions or guide them around the campus.
Hearing the students share their journeys from starting at DVC in Year 7 to finding their unique paths within the school was truly insightful.
Transition to High school
During the auditorium presentation, a Year 11 student spoke about the ‘Bigger Buddy Program,’ where Year 10 students support Year 7 students in their transition to high school.
Principal Sam Luck, who spoke afterward, highlighted one of the school’s key differences: a five-day intensive transition program for Year 7 students. He emphasised the school’s strong focus on easing the transition to high school and mentioned that families will hear from them starting in November, with various activities to support Year 6 students moving into Year 7.
Enrolment at DVC
During his presentation, Principal Sam Luck explained the enrollment process. By the second week of Term 2, Year 6 students will receive an expression of interest form at their school, where families must list their top three preferences. They didn’t mention if the school is strictly zoned, however it’s quite likely that students need to live in the zone.
For students transferring from another school into a year level other than Year 7, families need to contact the school directly
Sports at DVC
The School offers PE and Interschool sports, where students have the opportunity to try different sports such as: AFL, Cricket, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Netball, Volleyball, Tennis, table tennis and more.
DVC Sports Academy
The DVC Sports Academy is for high performance athletes and students need to apply to be part of the program.
In the academy, PE is replaced with a chosen sport, such as Basketball, Tennis, AFL, or Netball.
Students train four times a week during school hours, with a fifth day dedicated to physical strength training.
Apart from your regular physical training sessions, activities may also include learning about nutrition, sports science, attending important games, participating in a session with an elite athlete, watching videos of key matches for learning purposes and more. They emphasised that they want to cultivate a love of sports in the children. Some teachers also enjoy attending their students’ weekend games to show their support.
There are only 50 spots available, and they encourage families to apply as soon as possible. Applications are due by mid-July of the year before starting high school.
DVC arts program
One of the arts teachers greeted us and mentioned that the Arts Program started a few years ago with only 19 students. Today, it has grown to nearly 100 students. Last year, students went to see Wicked the musical and this year, they are going to see Beetlejuice.
The arts program includes Visual Communication and Design, Drama, Music, Visual Arts, and Media.
In the Music section, we were greeted by the music teacher who had a selection of instruments available for visitors to try. She explained that the school has its own jazz band and choir. Some students have formed a rock band, though it operates more independently. Music lessons are offered in Years 7 and 8, and from Year 9, it becomes an elective.
While exploring the school, I came across the impressive Textile Room. Mannequins displayed dresses designed and made by students and a great variety of eye-catching fabrics. It was an inspiring space, and I would have loved to explore it further, but there was so much to see.
Later, I learned that Textiles is part of the curriculum in Year 7 and becomes an elective from Year 9.
The high achiever program (HAP)
The DVC academic extension program, known as the Higher Achiever Program (HAP), is designed for gifted and high-achieving students, offering personalised learning.
HAP is available for students in Years 7 to 10 who wish to extend their current learning.
Applications are due by mid-July of the previous year. Students are then tested in literacy and numeracy. By mid-August, they attend an interview at the college, and by the end of August, they receive their notification offer
Neurodivergent support:
One of the lead teachers from the Inclusion Program explained that there is strong support for neurodivergent students from the beginning of their time at the school.
An initial interview is conducted with parents to gather detailed information about the student, which is then used to develop a tailored support plan.
The school also accommodates visits from external specialists, such as occupational therapists or psychologists, and provides Inclusion Aides in classrooms to support students as needed.
Camps
DVC offers camps, tours, and school experiences starting from Year 7.
During the auditorium presentation, some students mentioned overseas opportunities. Later, I read that for students in Years 9 to 12, DVC offers biannual camps and tours including the Central Australia tour, NASA Space Camp, and cultural study tours.
Students comments
“DVC will try to give you any opportunity for you to succeed in life”
“ Even when the school seems to be very focused on sports, they also push academics and leadership”
“The best part of the school are the teachers, they are willing to give you their extra time to support you”.
Final comments
What really stood out to me was how DVC went beyond a traditional school tour by hosting an “Interactive Open Afternoon”. Instead of simply walking families through the campus, the experience was engaging and insightful, especially for prospective students. A particularly clever touch was having the event led by Year 11 and 12 students, giving visitors an opportunity to hear firsthand about their experiences at the school. I was especially impressed by the confidence and communication skills of these students.
I was looking forward to visiting this school, as it has a strong reputation for sports in the region. However, I was pleased to find that while they do have an excellent sports program, they also appear to offer a well-developed music and arts department, along with a strong focus on other subjects.
I especially appreciated hearing from one of the teachers that the school is big enough to provide a wide range of programs and electives, yet small enough to truly get to know each student.
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