Queensland Academy for Creative Industries


The Queensland Academies - Creative Industries Campus is a selective entry senior state high school in Queensland, Australia which offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The school aims to provide a platform for like-minded students wishing to incorporate creative subjects such as dance, film, music, visual arts, design and theatre into their rigorous academic programme. Students are selected through a process of testing, interviews and auditions to ensure that they are suited to the demands of the Academy. It is located within the Kelvin Grove Urban Village. The Queensland Academies - Creative Industries Campus is Queensland’s first vertical school, opened in 2007.

History

The creation of the Queensland Academies was announced by Premier Peter Beattie on 17 April 2005 as part of the Queensland Government's Smart State Strategy - a policy designed to foster knowledge, creativity and innovation within the state. The Creative Industries Campus subsequently opened in 2007 in partnership with the Queensland University of Technology.

Principals

QACI is a 7-level high rise school which possesses an industry standard art gallery, film editing studios, a green room, visual art studios, a music recording studio, a dance studio, a black box theatre studio and a 360-seat performance theatre. The whole building is air conditioned. The refectory on level 4 has fridges, microwaves and hot water to accommodate students during lunch as well as two outdoor courtyards and a beanbag lounge. The academy has 4 elevators to assist with traveling around the school as well as a swipe card system to ensure student safety. The academy's Information Research Centre has a range of IB subject specific books. In addition to this, students are also able to have access to the library at the nearby QUT Kelvin Grove campus.
The facilities are available for hire for external use, and have a moderate lamp stock for the venue. The Music recording studio is run by a company named lot 17 studios, and is also available for external hire through the company.

Technology

All students who enter the school are required to obtain a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro for use in their classes, and subsequently the majority of the work conducted is able to be completed digitally utilising software such as the Adobe Creative Suite. Additionally, classrooms contain interactive whiteboards and the entire campus features wireless internet access. Each classroom is equipped with an Apple TV.

Curriculum

Because of the selective nature of student entry, the two-year International Baccalaureate courses studied at the school is fast-tracked. Year 10 students at the Academy study an IB preparation program known as Pre-IB and begin their Year 11 education in Term 4. A student may do two Group 6 subjects instead of a science but is required to study Environmental Systems and Societies as their Group 3 subject, or a student may select two Group 4 subjects and no Group 6 subject.
GroupAvailable subjects
Group 1 English Literature, English Language and Literature, School-Supported-Self-Taught Literature
Group 2 English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Non-Mainstream Language
Group 3 Environmental Systems and Societies, Business and Management, Psychology
Group 4 Design Technology, Chemistry, Biology, Physics
Group 5 Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations, Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches
Group 6 Music, Visual Art, Theatre, Film, Dance
Mandatory IB ComponentsTheory of Knowledge, Creativity, Activity and Service, Extended Essay

House system

QACI has three houses, each name represents a different cultural or language group thus reflecting QACI's global outlook.
These three houses are:
The Queensland Academies - Creative Industries seeks to build partnerships with leading artistic leaders and organizations. The theatre and gallery spaces are commonly used by world-renowned artists and performers to exhibit their work, intended to expose students to the potential of their art subject.