The Academy of Accredited SEAL Schools (TAASS) is a collective of like-minded schools who strongly value Gifted Education in Victorian Government secondary schools.
SEAL Academy schools offer engaging accelerated programs for their groups of gifted students. They meet regularly to share and learn from each other’s experiences of their gifted education programs.
SEAL Academy schools offer their teaching staff an extensive professional development program in gifted education, and, through their networks, can source outstanding educators for their programs.
Victorian Government secondary schools have been operating specific programs at authorised schools for gifted students since 1980. These have been known as Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) schools. The Academy of Accredited SEAL Schools (TAASS) has been established to maintain this tradition to enable groups of like-minded students to develop academically, socially and emotionally. The SEAL Academy follows Gagné’s model for the definition of gifted and talented students.
The Department of Education in Victoria ceased accreditation of SEAL schools in 2014. Since then, the SEAL Academy has implemented its own accreditation scheme. SEAL Academy schools seek accreditation every three years by undergoing a thorough review process undertaken by independent educators. This ensures that parents and students can have confidence that SEAL Academy schools provide quality and leading edge programs to their group of gifted students.
Students must achieve high entrance exam results to enter the SEAL program of a SEAL Academy school.
Students who wish to undertake the program in a particular school year, must sit the entrance test the year before. The exam takes place at each school at varying dates – please refer to the respective SEAL Academy school websites.
Our dedicated team of professional educators have decades of combined knowledge in supporting gifted students as they meet their potential.
Our children developed great confidence through the SEAL program and feel respected by the teachers and other students. They are proud of themselves and of their cohorts, who are their friends outside the classroom as well.
When I was in Year 6, my parents encouraged me to see if I could get into the SEAL program at Balwyn High School, which was my local secondary school.
“Being in a SEAL program through secondary school helped me in so many ways. It was incredibly helpful in setting me up for VCE.”
“Teaching SEAL allows me, and other teachers, to see our students through a completely different lens.”
Year 10 student, Maddie, and her mum Lucy tell us about their experiences with the SEAL program and the support and opportunities it offers.
