These procedures relate to the Enrolment of students in NSW Government schools policy. The department is committed to high quality educational outcomes for all gifted and high potential students.

Deputy Secretary, Public Schools:

• directs the establishment of opportunity classes and selective high schools, as well as the number of initial vacancies in consultation with the Deputy Secretary, Teaching, Learning and Student Wellbeing
• approves variations to the number of vacancies in later years of placement.

The Selective Education unit:

• administers the statewide placement of Year 5 students in opportunity classes and Year 7 students in selective high schools
• provides guidelines and documentation to selective high schools for Years 8 to 12 placement processes.

Directors, Educational Leadership:

• may chair selection committees or appeals panels on a voluntary basis.

High school principals:

• make facilities available as test centres for placement tests as required, including use of the school hall and separate testing spaces, if required.

Selective high school principals:

• promote the availability of online applications and application information and distribute relevant materials to the public as required
• may take part in the selection committee or appeals process for Year 7 placement
• must coordinate personnel for selection committees and chair selection committee meetings for Years 8 to 12 placement at their own schools and review selection committee decisions on request.

Primary school principals:

• must not schedule school activities that may prevent students from taking placement tests
• promote online applications, inform parents and/or carers of relevant dates
• check information provided by parents and/or carers in the application for accuracy and advise the Selective Education unit about reasonable adjustments that students may require for testing, including where students have the potential to cause disruption at the test centre.

Principals of primary schools with opportunity classes:

• promote the availability of online applications and application information
• may take part in the selection committee or appeals process.

Opportunity classes

For information on where to find classes, refer to the web page, Find an opportunity class.

For students in rural and remote NSW, the online school, Aurora College, also offers virtual opportunity classes from authorised host schools (PDF 232 KB).

Selective high schools

To find selective high schools in NSW, refer to the web page, Find a selective high school. For students in rural and remote NSW, Aurora College provides selective high school education from authorised host high schools.

Apart from Aurora College (which is restricted to host schools as noted in this section), opportunity classes and selective high schools do not have designated intake areas. This means students can apply for and enrol, if successfully placed, no matter where they live.

The department uses the Opportunity Class Placement Test and the Selective High School Placement Test to determine academic merit.

If necessary, and only under specific conditions (as outlined in these procedures), the selection committee may request additional evidence of academic merit. The selection committee will not consider, or use to make placement decisions, any evidence of academic merit that has not been requested.

Agricultural high schools with boarder places give priority to isolated students. These schools may also incorporate an interview into the selection process to determine a student’s suitability for boarding (see section 3.5 for further information).

There is no separate application process for equity placement.

The department will identify students from each of the equity groups using data from the application and other data held by the department. The Selective Education unit may request further documentary evidence from parents and/or carers as needed.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, where there is no school data available, the Selective Education unit can request further supporting evidence that includes confirmation from a Local Aboriginal Land Council or an Aboriginal community organisation. Parents and/or carers can also submit this type of supporting evidence.

Table 1 Eligibility under the Equity Placement Model

Up to 20% of places are made available to students in equity groups (refer to section 2.3). Table 2 outlines the percentage of available places for each equity group. Please note that the equity model percentages and targeted groups can be flexible from year to year to respond to diversity changes in the wider student community, changes in student numbers, and the level of educational disadvantage experienced by under-represented students.

Table 2 Percentage of places available by equity group

Of the available places for opportunity classes and selective high schools:

• 75% are initially offered to students according to their performance in the placement test (including eligible students in equity groups)
• up to 20% are made available to students in the equity groups (refer to section 2.2) who have not already been offered a place, based on their performance in the placement test (which must be either within 10% of the minimum first round offer score of general applicants, or as the selection committee determines)
• up to 5% are available to students unable to attempt the placement test for a valid reason approved by the selection committee, based on alternative academic merit being of comparable level to the minimum first round offer score of general applicants, or as the selection committee determines. For example, an opportunity class with 15 vacancies will have only one place available for students who did not sit the test.

If there are not enough applications from equity group students who meet the minimum test performance requirements, the remaining equity places will be offered to general applicants. If any places reserved for students unable to sit the placement test (as noted above) are not filled, they will be offered to general applicants.

There may also be variations to the number of vacancies in later years of placement (Years 8 to 12). Students apply directly to their selective high school of choice (refer to section 3.7).

Students who do not meet residency requirements at the time the application is made, but expect to meet them before initial offers are made, can sit the Opportunity Class Placement Test or Selective High School Placement Test. However, they will not be offered a place unless an eligible visa has been granted. Enrolment conditions for each visa subclass are maintained in the Visa subclasses and enrolment conditions (PDF 200 KB) list. Parents and/or carers are advised to check the list regularly for the latest residency rules governing selective high school enrolment eligibility.

Parents and/or carers must indicate whether the student will be in NSW to sit the test. There is no alternative test date, and the test cannot be taken outside of NSW.

Where an interstate or overseas student will not be in NSW to sit the test, they must first submit the online application by the relevant due date (refer to section 3.1). They will also need to submit an academic merit report:

• for opportunity classes, submit the Report of academic merit (PDF 191 KB) – refer to opportunity class residency requirements for further information on the report
• for selective high school Report of academic merit form (PDF 272 KB) – refer to selective high school residency requirements for further information on the report.

The selection committee will consider these applications and decide on placement (refer to section 5).

Applicants must show evidence that residency requirements have been met before being offered a place.

Principals of opportunity class or selective high school candidates must check claims of residential status and citizenship against school records. Offers will be cancelled if the placement was based on false or misleading information.

Parents and/or carers of all successful students need to show original documentation, such as a birth certificate, Australian citizenship certificate or visa, before the school can finalise their enrolment.

Applications from parents and/or carers who continue to live outside NSW when the school year begins will be considered only if there are vacancies after all suitable applicants from NSW have been placed.

Table 3 Applications and placement tests for Years 5 and 7

*Students will generally be aged between 9 years and 5 months, and 11 years at the beginning of Year 5.
** Students will generally be aged between 11 years and 5 months, and 13 years at the beginning of Year 7.

If a student is out of this age range or in another school year when the application is made, the selection committee will carefully check the reasons parents and/or carers give for requesting placement. They may ask for more information, or for an interview with the parent and/or carer and the student if they are very young, to determine suitability for placement or whether there are special requirements the school can provide.

The selection committee may:

• decide not to accept students much older than the usual age range set out in Table 3
• decide not to accept students already in Year 5 and seeking to repeat Year 5 in an opportunity class or those already in Year 7 and seeking to repeat Year 7 in a selective high school.

When deciding on applications for students seeking acceleration from Year 3 to Year 5 or Year 5 to Year 7, the selection committee will consider the level of consultation that has taken place between the school, family and student in accordance with section 1.4.4. of the High potential and gifted education policy.

The application process for Year 5 opportunity class placements opens the year before placement, when the student is in Year 4. The application period usually begins in April and closes in May, with the test taking place in August. Refer to the opportunity class application process for the dates for each year.

The Year 7 selective high school applications usually begin when the student is in Year 5 (applications open towards the end of October and close in November). The test takes place when the student is in Year 6. Refer to the selective high school application process for the dates for each year.

Students can also apply for entry to selective high schools in Years 8 through 12, although they can be placed only if there are vacancies. If there are no vacancies, they may be placed on a reserve list. An application form is available in late June (for entry the following year) from the web sites of all selective high schools. Refer to the Selective high schools –Years 8 to 12 applications for the dates for each year.

Table 4 outlines the key steps for each application process.

Table 4 Key steps by type of application

Information that parents and/or carers and schools provide about disability is:

• used for approving and arranging reasonable adjustments for the test. The Selective Education unit sends advice to principals and chief invigilators in test centres to ensure the approved adjustments are implemented
• considered for equity placement (refer to section 2.2)
• if your child is successful in gaining a place, shared with the receiving school to facilitate transition to the opportunity class or selective high school.

This information cannot be used to restrict access to opportunity class or selective high school placement in any way.

The Selective Education unit may contact the parent and/or carer and/or the school to confirm the existing adjustments the student has at school. In many cases, if the requested adjustments are already provided at school, the Selective Education unit can arrange for these in the test.

These could include, but are not limited to:

• large print or coloured test papers – the question papers and answer sheets for the test are printed in Arial font in size N12 (size 12 font). For students requiring large print and/or enlarged papers, the following options are available: size 18 (A4 paper), size 24 (A4 paper), size 24 (A3 paper) and size 36 (A3 paper). All large print and/or enlarged test papers are printed in Arial font
• extra time
• medical equipment
• specific seating.

A person trained in anaphylaxis response will be present at each test centre. Parents and/or carers of students with anaphylaxis must take an anaphylaxis kit to the invigilator before the test starts. The Selective Education unit will send these parents and/or carers information about the anaphylaxis kit well before the test day.

Parents and/or carers do not need to request arrangements for the student to bring glasses or asthma medication. These are automatically allowed for any student.

The Selective Education unit will try to assist in unforeseeable emergency situations (for example, a broken arm just before the test).

The only circumstances under which a late application can be considered are:

• where there may be a shortage of suitable applicants in some (mainly rural) schools. If successful, those applicants cannot apply later for other opportunity classes or selective high schools even if they move their residence
• where both parents and/or carers have documentary evidence to support a claim that circumstances beyond their control prevented them from completing an application. The application takes a maximum of 20 minutes to complete and is available 24 hours a day on any internet enabled device.

A request for approval to apply late will only be considered once.

The application will only be considered for approval if it contains all the following information:

• a detailed request for approval
• a description of factors that prevented both parents and/or carers from applying for the whole time that applications were available
• external supporting documents, such as detailed medical reports.

Requests will not be approved if parents and/or carers:

• forgot to apply, were too busy with work or had problems that are not described
• had technical problems on the last few days that applications were available and did not ask for assistance from the Selective Education unit during office hours (8.30am to 4.30pm).

If parents and/or carers believe the public school did not advise them of the process and closing dates (such as via a notice in the school newsletter or on the school website), they must get a statement from the principal that confirms this.

Table 5 outlines the application process.

Table 5 Applying for opportunity classes (Year 5) and selective high schools (Year 7)

The boarder selection committees give higher priority to applicants living in isolated areas than to applicants living in other country areas and cities.

Schools may invite applicants to an interview to determine their suitability for boarding placement. Following the interview, students may be eligible for an early offer.

Early offers are available for students who live in rural or remote locations and who apply for boarding at:

• Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School
• Hurlstone Agricultural High School
• Yanco Agricultural High School.

Applicants still complete the online application. Additionally, parents and/or carers will need to provide recent academic reports for their child. The school will contact parents/or carers directly to request academic reports if they are eligible to apply for an early offer.

The student’s academic merit will be considered, along with confirmation that they live in an eligible rural or remote location.

The student may be asked to attend an interview at the agricultural school that is highest on their list. This will help the school to get to know the student and their interest in an agricultural boarding school experience. Early offers will commence at the beginning of Year 6.

Students who have received an early offer will still be required to sit the Selective High School Placement Test. Test results help schools to plan for their students’ learning needs.

Fees will be payable for boarding. The department offers 2 financial support programs for eligible families whose children must board away from home to obtain secondary education. Refer to rural and remote education scholarships for further information or contact the rural and distance education team.

If, after gaining a boarding place, parents and/or carers want to change to a day place, they will need to apply in the following year – refer to Selective high schools –Years 8 to 12 applications. Students cannot transfer directly from a boarder to a day place.

To apply for places that are currently available or may become available in Years 8 to 12 (for up to 3 selective high schools):

• contact the school or check the school website to find out about specific assessment requirements and selection criteria
• read the application information for entry to Years 8 to 12 in 2023 (PDF 171 KB) for more information
• access and complete the application form from each school’s website (only available while applications are open – June to July) and submit or send (email or mail to) the school/s by the due date.

The Opportunity Class Placement Test (PDF 7.3 MB) and the Selective High School Placement Test (PDF 2.3 MB) allow students to demonstrate their abilities across a range of areas, including reading, writing (for selective high school only) mathematical reasoning and thinking skills. The tests measure ability rather than academic performance.

Sample tests are available on the department’s website. Results of sample tests do not show how a student will perform in the test and selection committees do not consider performance on sample or practice tests.

The tests are paper-based and follow the structures laid out in tables 6 and 7. For further information and practice tests, refer to the Opportunity class practice tests and Selective high school practice tests.

Table 6 Opportunity Placement Test structure

Table 7 Selective High School Placement Test structure

Students should:

• arrive at the test centre no later than 9 am (note that late arrivals will be allowed to sit the test but will finish at the same time as other students)
• wear school uniform
• bring food to eat during the breaks (no nuts or nut products).

Tests will begin at 9 am. There will be short breaks between the tests for students to eat or go to the bathroom as needed.

Parents are asked to wait quietly at the test centre entrance to collect their child. If someone else is to collect the child, parents need to send a note with the child explaining the arrangement.

If something happens to delay or disrupt the test, parents will be informed by text message as soon as possible.

Students found to be cheating or involved in malpractice risk disqualification (refer to Malpractice below).

The department has robust measures to identify student malpractice for the Opportunity Class Placement Test and the Selective High School Placement Test. These measures ensure that no student receives an unfair advantage or causes disadvantage to other students.

Students sitting the placement tests are required to observe the test rules and guidelines and avoid any irregular conduct that disrupts other students, including anything that can be considered as malpractice.

The Notice to Candidates, which is displayed outside all test rooms, warns students of the consequences of such actions.

Examples of malpractice include, but are not limited to:

• copying answers from another student during testing
• collaboration or attempted collaboration between students during testing
• using or trying to use unauthorised material during testing such as notes, study guides, mobile phones and electronic devices
• disruptive behaviour or not following the instructions of a test coordinator and/or invigilation staff during testing
• student impersonation (pretending to be someone else)
• any other conduct that provides an unfair advantage.

On the day of the test, malpractice can be identified either by:

• the invigilation staff observing a student or students breaching test rules and guidelines or engaging in irregular conduct
• a student observing another student or students breaching test rules or guidelines or engaging in irregular conduct and reporting this to invigilation staff.

When malpractice is reported or observed, the invigilation staff will complete an incident report, which is made available to a malpractice panel for investigation.

After completing the test, potential malpractice could also be identified through post-test statistical analysis on individual student results, pairs and groups of students in the same test centre venues. The analysis compares, but is not limited to:

• the similarity of response patterns between two or more students
• performance on one test paper in comparison to performance on the other test papers.

A malpractice panel reviews each potential malpractice case and considers all available evidence. Where malpractice is confirmed, the panel will inform parents and/or carers. Students will not be offered placement and their outcome advice will be withheld. Parents and/or carers will be advised of an appeal process (refer to section 6.1) should they wish to appeal the decision.

Parents and/or carers can submit a request for illness/misadventure (see definitions) in situations where:

• a student’s performance was negatively affected on the day of the test
• a student missed the test because of a medical condition or other incident (for example, Sorry Business or other bereavement).

Parents and/or carers must submit all requests within 7 days from the test date, supported by:

• a medical certificate (if relevant) and/or
• an independent evidence of illness form or
• any other evidence that covers the test day.

If possible, it is better for the student to sit the test and make an illness/misadventure request afterwards. Students who sit the test have a much greater chance of placement than students who do not. This is because only 5% of places at any opportunity class or selective high school are available for students who have been unable to sit the test. However, students must not attend the test if there is a risk to their health or the health of others, such as in cases of contact with contagious disease.

The test provider will investigate any illness/misadventure matters relating to performance in the test.

The result of an illness/misadventure request becomes available with the placement outcome (refer to section 5). After the Selective Education unit sends placement outcomes to parents and/or carers, parents and/or carers cannot appeal (refer to section 6.1) about concerns that were or should have been addressed through the illness/misadventure process.

Students who were unable to sit the test, where parents and/or carers have lodged an illness/misadventure request, will be considered for placement using alternative evidence of academic merit.

Where students have sat NAPLAN, they will be given a ranking based on their NAPLAN results. The score is based on a statistical model the department’s Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) has developed to enable comparison between students who missed the test and those who sat it. The model predicts placement scores using data from students who take both the Opportunity Class Placement Test or Selective High School Placement Test, and NAPLAN tests and then uses a regression analysis to estimate the relationships between the NAPLAN scores and the results of the test.

Where students have not sat NAPLAN, the department will predict a placement score using data collected from students who sat both the Opportunity Class Placement Test or Selective High School Placement Test and also provided IQ scores as alternative evidence of academic merit:

• for non-government school students, parents and/or carers will be asked to provide the results of a Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) individual IQ test conducted by an authorised practitioner (test to be obtained at the parents and/or carers’ expense)
• for public school students, the school counsellor will be asked to conduct an individual WISC-V IQ test.

For each school choice, the application dashboard will show one of four possible outcomes. Table 8 provides a summary of possible responses. Note that there is no reserve list for Aurora College as the process requires a lengthy liaison period with the host schools the college partners with. Accordingly, offers to all eligible applicants are made at the same time.

Table 8 Summary of possible placement outcomes

Reserve lists have a date after which the student’s name will be removed from the reserve list if an offer remains accepted. This will generally be the beginning of the school year of entry for opportunity class placement and end of the school year before entry for selective high school placement (refer to key dates). To remain on the reserve list after this time, the student must decline the placement offer before the advertised date.

Where students have qualified for a reserve list, reserve bands will be included in outcome information. Reserve bands – listed as A, B, C – provide a general, estimated, idea of how long it took for students in a similar position to receive an offer during the previous year’s placement process. Table 9 outlines the possible options for reserve lists.

Further information about reserve bands will be made available at the time of the placement outcome advice at Opportunity class reserve list bands and Selective high school Year 7 reserve list bands.

Table 9 Possible options for reserve lists

Applicants are informed about how to make a results enquiry at the time outcomes are released. A results enquiry must be submitted within 7 days after the original outcome notification.

A senior examiner will review examiner-marked components to ensure that the marking criteria have been appropriately applied.

A results enquiry may change the original outcome for each school choice, or it may result in no change.

If the student’s performance is lowered by a results enquiry, any existing offer(s) may be withdrawn.

Requesting a results enquiry will not mean that a placement score or rank will be provided to parents and/or carers. However, parents and/or carers will be told if the student’s outcome changes after a results enquiry and, if the student’s performance bands change, a new performance report will be provided.

Invalid grounds for appeal include matters that should have been dealt with in an illness/misadventure request (refer to section 4.3), including:

• difficult family circumstances and bereavements in the period leading up to the test or on the test day
• illness, injury, anxiety, fatigue or stress at the time of the test
• test centre problems such as disruptions during the test or suspected shorter time given for the test
• anything voluntary and avoidable that stopped the student from sitting the test or doing their best in the test, such as participation in entertainment, sporting events, attendance at excursions, camps, or a holiday trip
• matters that have or should have been dealt with as a results enquiry that includes a request for a re-mark of the writing test.

Other invalid grounds include:

• concern about recent changes to selection processes
• suspected problems with the teacher, for example extended teacher absences, or changes of teacher or school
• the process used to determine academic merit, such as consideration of IQ results in the Interstate/overseas process or alternative evidence of academic merit
• lack of familiarity with the placement process, the English language, Australian culture and/or the NSW education system
• the student’s academic performance on the practice opportunity class or selective high schools placement tests on the Selective Education unit’s website or other measurements or reports, such as IQ score, NAPLAN results, International Competition and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) testing, school reports or certificates and scholarship or coaching college testing
• requests for reconsideration of an application on the basis of parent and/or carer or student expectation or disappointment at not receiving an offer or not being placed on a reserve list
• young age of the student, lack of test preparation, educational disadvantage, or failure of the student to complete one or more tests and/or the perceived failure of the student to demonstrate their potential
• perceived advantage the student may gain from placement in an opportunity class or selective high school, including travel convenience, attendance with friends/siblings, benefits to the family.

All decisions made by the selection committee and appeals panel are based on the way students are ranked by academic merit for placement in opportunity classes or selective high schools.

Parents and/or carers may appeal against the outcome if something specific happened that prevented the parent and/or carer from submitting an illness/misadventure request at the time of the test.

Appeals that have the greatest chance of being upheld are those where the parent and/or carer:

• knows what happened to prevent the student from doing his or her best or from attending the test
• has written evidence to support the case.

All relevant documentary evidence must be included with all appeals at the time they are submitted.

The Selective Education unit will not request additional material and it cannot be considered after the due date.

Parents and/or carers can also appeal:

• against the outcome of their results enquiry (selective high school placement only) by the due date specified in the letter
• against the determination of malpractice using the link within their malpractice letter by the due date specified in the letter.

Students are not guaranteed a place in an opportunity class or selective high school because they have a sibling there, for example one twin or triplet being offered a place does not guarantee a place for another. Placement is based solely on academic merit. Siblings will be offered a place in the same opportunity class or selective high school only if they are ranked highly enough to qualify.

Where brothers or sisters of students placed in a school with an opportunity class are not in the catchment area for that school, parents and/or carers may apply for out-of-area enrolment at that school. There is no guarantee that the application will be successful.

In the case of boarders at agricultural boarding schools, selection committees may give some consideration to applications where a brother or sister is already enrolled at that school.

Enrolment cannot be delayed beyond the first 4 weeks of Term 1 for opportunity class placement or beyond Term 1 for selective high school placement.

If a parent and/or carer needs to delay their child’s attendance beyond the first day of the school year, the parent and/or carer must discuss it with the principal of the opportunity class or the selective high school (or message the Selective Education unit if there is a need to negotiate a delay during school holidays) before submitting enrolment forms. The principal may or may not approve the delayed start.

General support

• Fact sheets translated into 25 languages and videos in Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese – Resources in other languages
• Opportunity classes and selective high schools cater for High potential and gifted students
• Information on the Equity Placement Model

Opportunity classes

• General information on Opportunity classes (Year 5 – 6)
• rural and remote/virtual – authorised host schools (PDF 232 KB), Find an opportunity class
• Application and placement test dates – Application process
• Reasonable adjustments for tests – Reasonable adjustments
  
• Reserve band information – Opportunity class reserve list bands
• Placement outcome – Outcomes
• Preparing for tests – Opportunity class practice tests; Opportunity Class Placement Test (PDF 7.3 MB); and Opportunity Class Student Resource Hub

Selective high schools (Year 7)

• General information on Selective high schools – Year 7
• rural and remote/virtual – Find a selective high school
• Application and placement test dates – Application process
• Reasonable adjustments for tests – Reasonable adjustments
  
• Reserve band information – Selective high school Year 7 reserve list bands
• Placement outcome – Outcomes
• Preparing for tests – Selective high school practice tests the Selective High School Placement Test (PDF 2.3 MB); and Selective High School Student Resource Hub

Selective high schools (Years 8 to 12)

• General information on Selective high schools –Years 8 to 12 applications
• Application dates – Selective high schools –Years 8 to 12 applications
• Application process – Selective high schools –Years 8 to 12 applications
• Application information – Application information for entry to Years 8 to 12 in 2023 (PDF 171 KB)

Rural and remote support

• The online school – Aurora College
• Scholarships – rural and remote education scholarships
• Further information – rural and distance education team

Overseas and interstate applicants

• Opportunity classes – Residency requirements and the Report of academic merit (PDF 191 KB)
• Selective high schools – Residency requirements and the Report of academic merit form (PDF 272 KB)
• the Visa subclasses and enrolment conditions list

• Enrolment of students in NSW Government schools policy
• High potential and gifted education policy
• Disability Discrimination Act 1992
• Disability Standards for Education 2005

Executive Director, Educational Standards
EducationalStandards@det.nsw.edu.au
02 7814 3626

The Executive Director, Educational Standards monitors the implementation of this procedure, regularly reviews its contents to ensure relevance and accuracy, and updates it as needed.