Mentone Girls’ Secondary College offers an Enhancement Program for students who seek a greater academic challenge.
The Enhancement Program runs from Years 7 to 9 and has been designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn through higher-order thinking, inquiry, and rich tasks as part of an enhanced curriculum in English, Mathematics, Humanities and Science. Students work on more complex tasks and learn topics to a greater depth and breadth.
In 2026, all Enhancement Program students participated in the Instrumental Music and Band Program.
From 2027, participation in the Instrumental Music Program will be optional for students in the Enhancement Program. Participation in the Enhancement Program is not dependent on involvement in the Instrumental Music Program.
Students who choose to participate in the Instrumental Music Program can nominate preferences from a range of instruments. No prior musical studies are required.
Instrumental Music lessons are offered as an optional program on a user-pays basis. The cost in 2026 was $600 per year. Students are encouraged to purchase their own instrument, however, a limited number of instruments are available for hire at a cost of approximately $250 per year.
Year 7 students apply to be part of the Enhancement Program after they have been offered a place at MGSC.
For further information about the application process, please refer to the Enhancement Program application materials.
The student experience
I am a student in year 8 part of the first group of students in the Enhancement program at MGSC. Being part of the Enhancement program has helped me step out of my boundaries and meet new, amazing people. It runs from year 7 to year 9. The two enhancement classes work quite closely together and follow the same structure. It allows you to make new friends and develop connections between the enhancement classes in class time, but also to make friends from other classes at recess and lunch time. The work and CATs (Common Assessment Tasks) are mostly different to the other classes. The work is more extended and we usually do topics at different times. The texts studied in English are different to the other classes. The teachers and classmates are always ready to help if someone’s struggling in grasping the content. Enhancement students also have the chance to participate in things like ICAS for Maths and Science and the Australian Maths Competition. This may not seem very fun, but it is important to test your knowledge on more difficult things that are not based on the school curriculum and revolving around only one topic. The Enhancement Program is a great opportunity for students willing to challenge themselves a bit more. It is a good experience and I encourage new students to be a part of this community.
- Akshaya