Secondary School
Year 7-Year 12
What does it mean to be your best self? Our Secondary School invites students to answer this question, by providing unique learning and personal experiences that help them to discover and pursue their passions, enjoy school and develop capabilities that will take them far in life.
Why our Secondary School?
Investigator College is an Early Learning to Year 12 Anglican School in Victor Harbor. Secondary education commences in Year 7, welcoming both continuing Junior School students and new families seeking a world-class Anglican education. Families and staff consider us the first choice on the Fleurieu Peninsula for several key reasons.
Academic excellence
Our region-leading NAPLAN and ATAR results reflect a culture of aspiration and achievement, backed by strong investment in teaching. Our approach pairs traditional tuition with the development of capabilities and character that help students thrive in and out of the classroom. Smaller class sizes mean more individual attention and stronger teacher-student bonds, while our Enrichment Program accelerates learning through on-campus challenges and interschool competitions for students who are excelling.
Diverse pathways
Our dedicated SACE & Pathways Coordinator helps students find their direction, as does Investig8 — a Friday afternoon program for Years 7 to 10 that allows students to explore a range of subjects outside of the curriculum, ranging from basketball and outdoor skills through to food truck cooking and costume design.
From Year 9, fewer ‘core’ subjects make room in the study load for deeper engagement with elected specialist subjects. These include Design and Technologies, Digital Technologies, Drama, Food Technology, Japanese, Media Arts, Music, Sustainability Studies, and Visual Arts.
As students begin to complete their SACE, they get to choose from a wide range of subjects, whether they’re aiming for tertiary study or direct employment. Investigator students also have the opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications through in-house VET courses that integrate seamlessly into the timetable and contribute to SACE, or through a school-based apprenticeship.
Unique social, sporting and learning opportunities
In 2025, Investigator College had the highest level of SSSA participation of any country school in the state. Our diverse sporting program ranges from an annual Gold Coast volleyball trip to regular qualification for the National Team Sailing Championships, in addition to regular interschool competitions and carnivals, and development squads in basketball and volleyball.
Subject-based and extra-curricular learning in unique learning areas such as robotics, agriculture and conservation gives students room to explore future careers, while guest speakers (from Brainstorm Productions to SA Police) extend learning beyond the curriculum. Opportunities for personal growth and fun — for example, Year 12 Spirit Week, the Year 7–12 Surf Carnival, and our biennial Japan trip — also set Investigator apart.
Excellent facilities
Our modern, well-equipped facilities create the right environment for deep engagement — but it’s the learning they unlock that makes them special. Year 7 students begin their journey in the Aurora Building, which opened in 2026 and features new art, digital media, robotics, 3D printing, and homegroup spaces, as well as our state-of-the-art library.
From there, learning moves into our purpose-built Secondary School Building, home to our food tech kitchens, science labs and Year 12 common room. Our theatre sets the stage for drama and music students, while our Currency Creek EcoCentre supports aspiring horticulturists and conservation/land management professionals.
Our welcoming, fun-loving community
Good times and laughter are built into our calendar — from Dogs in the Quad to student-led events. Supported by a comprehensive wellbeing framework, our positive campus culture is tangible when you visit. In fact, it’s one of the reasons why 2 out of every 3 families who take a school tour choose to enrol.
Scholarships
We offer scholarships to make a world-class Anglican education accessible, including the prestigious Spirit of Investigator Scholarship (50% tuition coverage from Years 7 to 12). Explore scholarships.
Unique learning at Investigator
In Years 7 to 9, students move into new subject areas and build the confidence to find their direction, supported by extensive subject choices and co-curricular programs. That foundation carries into Years 10 to 12, where our offering — outlined in our Curriculum Guide — opens pathways into Australia’s top universities and the workforce. Below are just a few of the distinctive learning opportunities on offer at Investigator.
Horticulture & Conservation
In Years 11 and 12, students can complete a Certificate II in Horticulture and/or Certificate III in Conservation & Ecosystem Management at our Currency Creek EcoCentre (featuring classrooms, a plant nursery, wetlands, bushland, ongoing projects and more). Both contribute to SACE and are accessed by bus from our Victor Harbor campus. They prepare students for careers in conservation, horticulture, parks and wildlife, land management and environmental science.
Performing Arts
Drama begins in Year 7, is incorporated into our Investig8 program, and is available as an elective from Year 9, with a pathway to Stage 1 and 2 Drama in Years 11 and 12. Students perform in shows, create short films and podcasts, design backstage elements and view live professional productions, supported by our 240-seat Theatre and our annual College Musical. Many old collegians have gone on to careers and further study in the performing arts.
Robotics
From Digital Technology in Year 7 through to Stage 2 Design, Technology and Engineering — Robotic & Electronic Systems (available from 2027), students learn in our purpose-built robotics studio with its professional robotics field in the Aurora Building. Curriculum learning is paired with the chance to join our highly successful Robotics Club. One of our teams, Invictus, has held the #1 Australian ranking more than once and competed at the VEX World Championships in the USA.
Agriculture
Agriculture is offered as a Year 10, 11 and 12 subject, delivered at our Agricultural Centre (featuring greenhouses, chicken coops, aquaponics, an animal yard with Hereford cows, plus more) and extended through hands-on excursions to local farms for real-world tasks like lamb marking. In both 2024 and 2025, an Investigator College Agricultural Systems student achieved a SACE Merit — making us the ideal choice for aspiring farmers.
Business Innovation
From Year 7, students develop their own small business ideas through HASS and compete in Future Anything’s Social Enterprise Showcase, building towards our Year 12 Business Innovation subject. Business Innovation is the clearest expression of a philosophy that runs across every subject at Investigator: that identifying a problem and finding your own way to solve it builds capability and agency, not just knowledge.
Sports Coaching
Investigator College offers a Certificate III in Sports Coaching, delivered on campus in partnership with the Australian College of Sport. The qualification develops real coaching skills and opens pathways into community and elite-level sport and physical activity, while providing an optional pathway into a Diploma of Sport. It’s a strong option for those who love and are involved in sport, giving them a way to turn that passion into a career direction.
Becoming fulfilled, resilient young adults
Our focus on wellbeing supports students through one of life’s biggest transitions — from childhood into young adulthood — helping them find their direction and their people while fostering a positive mindset for learning.
It all starts with a culture of respect and with Positive Education in pastoral care, where students build skills in empathy, goal-setting and character strength. Further support is always available — through our on-site College Chaplain, our counselling team, or our emerging Wellbeing Space (a safe retreat for students in need).
Camps are a cornerstone of student growth:
- Year 7 — Port Hughes (Yorke Peninsula) with Wilderness Escape Outdoor Adventures
- Year 8 — Camp Illawonga (Murray River) with Beyond the Classroom
- Year 9 — Currency Creek Solo Night, as part of the Rite Journey Program
- Year 10 — West Beach, with West Beach Parks
- Year 12 — Year 12 Retreat at St Ann’s College, and Mid-year Retreat at Currency Creek
Other camps and journeys sit outside this list too — extracurricular trips like the Australian Schools Volleyball Cup on the Gold Coast, or our biennial Japan trip.
Our Rite Journey Program is another important aspect of wellbeing in the Secondary School. Completed as a subject in Year 9, it guides students towards self-awareness, responsibility and resilience through single-sex classes, a camp-out at our Currency Creek EcoCentre, and challenging, formative experiences, such as a guided tree climb excursion.
The completion of schooling for our Year 12s is celebrated in style with a range of special events, including the Year 11/12 Formal and Spirit Week, which involves student-versus-staff sports, themed dress-ups, a guard of honour, a farewell assembly and a graduation dinner.
Our Student Leadership Program provides further opportunity for personal growth, while fostering wellbeing for the whole school community. From House Leaders in Year 7 to our Year 12 Captains (including dedicated Wellbeing Captains), leaders organise events that bring the community together for a good cause. For example, in 2026, Year 12 Captains coordinated a DIY Big Freeze Friday for FightMND, raising over $16,000 and making Investigator College the highest-contributing school in the country that year.
Key Secondary School Staff
John Robinson
Principal
Jodie O'Donnell
Head of Secondary School
Scott McGregor
Deputy Principal
Melissa Kerin
SACE & Future Pathways Coordinator
Enrol in Our World-Class Secondary School
at Investigator College!