Selective school (New South Wales)

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Sydney Boys High School, a NSW Selective School

Selective schools in New South Wales are government high schools operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training that have accepted their students based upon their academic merit. Each year, approximately 13,000 Year 6 students from across the state of New South Wales optionally undertake the Selective High Schools Test to seek one of the 3700 places offered for first year entry into selective high schools. For Years 8 - 12 entry into selective schools, students do not take a test, but apply directly to a school for entry. This application package is common to all schools, with a selection committee considering applications each year in August-September.^[1]

These schools are intended to provide a more academically stimulating and educationally enriched environment for students who have gained entry. Students are expected to perform academically at a higher standard than other schools in the state. Hence, these schools are very competitive.

There are currently 17 fully selective high schools, 9 partially selective high schools (high schools with both selective and comprehensive classes) and 4 agricultural high schools offering selective placement. Most are located in Sydney, the capital of the state. The oldest among these is Fort Street High School (1849).

Selective high schools traditionally outperform the other schools in the state. Based on the Higher School Certificate (HSC) results, the majority of secondary schools that are ranked at the top of the state are selective high schools. In 2005, 8 of the top 10 high schools were government selective schools. James Ruse Agricultural High School has been ranked as the top secondary school of the state for the past decade.

1 Selective High Schools Test
2 Criteria for entry
3 Debate
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Selective High Schools Test

The Selective High Schools Test is a set of examinations in New South Wales, Australia designed to test the abilities and knowledge of Grade 6 students who wish to enter a selective high school. These exams include Mathematics, English-Reading and General Ability. In 2005, the examinations were further extended with an English-Writing task.

Three of the tests (Mathematics, English - Reading, and General Ability) consist of multiple choice questions, each lasting for 40 minutes. The last task is the English-Writing task which students are given 20 minutes to complete. Students are given a break in between each test. The Selective High Schools Test normally starts at 9:00am and finishes at 1:05pm.

The examinations for Year 6 students take place in March, and results are published in early July. All students are required to select by preference a maximum of four selective schools of their choice on their application form.

[edit] Criteria for entry

In general, entry into a selective school is determined by a profile score, which is derived by combining school marks with the marks received in the Selective High Schools Test. This is done by first scaling the test marks to a mean of 60 and maximum of 100, then by moderating the school marks to the mean and standard deviation of the school's results in the test. These marks are then averaged and rescaled to give the total profile mark.

By early July, students receive letters informing them of one of three outcomes concerning their application to each school:

offer- the student can apply immediately for enrollment
reserve list- the student is placed on a waiting list, with the possibility of entry if their place on the list is reached
unsuccessful- the student is not being considered for a place

In some cases, an application can be put on 'hold', meaning it is awaiting the result of further enquiries by the Department of Education.^[2]

Other criteria include age and grade, and current residency status in Australia. This usually requires students to be between 11 years and 5 months and 13 years at the start of the year they wish to commence Year 7, be in Year 6 the year before they wish to enter, and be either a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or a citizen of New Zealand. However, exemptions to some of these requirements may be given in special circumstances or through consultation with the Department of Education.^[3]

[edit] Debate

The existence of selective schools in NSW, which do not exist in any other Australian state apart from Victoria^[4] has not been without controversy, with much of it centred around the discrepancies between selective high schools and comprehensive high schools. A significant dismantling of the selective schools system was proposed by an inquiry in 2002, funded by the NSW Parents & Citizens Association and the NSW Teachers Association. At that time, the report called for the changing of 12 of the state's 19 selective high schools to partially selective high schools, with the recommendation justified, from the viewpoint of the inquiry's chair UNSW Professor Tony Vinson, by the fact that 'wherever possible, talented students should be able to remain within mainstream schools to maximise social cohesion and "an inclusive school community"'.^[5]

However, although the report had the backing of the then NSW Education Minister John Watkins^[6], most of the Vinson enquiry's recommendations, including most of the recommendations concerning the status of selective schools, were not implemented by the NSW Government. Another report commissioned by the Department of Education, in 2005, drew on consultation with the public across the entire state school system and found that opinions are still polarised on whether they should continue to exist.^[7] Currently, selective schools appear to have the support of the government, with the current NSW Education Minister Carmen Tebbutt saying in July 2006 that 'NSW selective schools continue to be a popular choice for parents'.^[8]