The school is divided into four successive “Classes”: Elementary, Middle School, Junior High and High School. Students are assigned to their respective classes according to their age and the curriculum levels they are working on in their core subjects (also considering the places available in each Learning Centre):
| Class |
Age-Range (years) |
PACE Numbers |
Curriculum Levels |
Singapore Equivalent |
| Elementary |
6 – 10 |
1001 – 1048 |
1 – 4 |
P1 – P4 |
| Middle School |
9 – 12 |
1049 – 1084 |
5 – 7 |
P5 – Sec 1 |
| Junior High |
13 – 17 |
1085 – 1099 |
8 – 9 |
Sec 2 – Sec 3 |
| High School |
16 – 19 |
1100 – 1144 |
9 – 12 |
Sec 3 – JC 2 |
Each class has its own Learning Centre headed by one or more Supervisors (corresponding to teachers) assisted by one or more Monitors (corresponding to teacher aides). The ACE® guideline is one Supervisor plus one Monitor per up to thirty students; VLCS typically maintains a higher staff-to-student ratio than this, especially at lower grade levels.
Students are taught to self-study in the Learning Centre, with the Supervisor inspiring achievement and providing academic guidance while the Monitor looks after non-academic requests and administrative support. In essence, the curriculum PACEs are the teachers, and the students are trained by VLCS staff to be active learners. There is minimal whole-class teaching (apart from supplementary curriculum), allowing maximal one-on-one support (on a time-shared basis) as and when required by individual students.
Students may also complete extra PACE work at home (amount set according to their own goals).
Next: Student Support Services
