[Transcript of video animation: ‘Get the whole picture about selective high schools’ (3 minutes 50 seconds)]

[Fort Street student 2]
Everyone is super nerdy and always studying.

[Baulkham Hills student 3]
I think everyone is super nerdy.

[Baulkham Hills student 1]

Yeah.

[Baulkham Hills student 3]

We've got an all nerd school. But I think there's a community in that. I'm not even kidding.

[Fort Street student 2]
I think a good balance is what we all have.

[Baulkham Hills student 1]
There is no student diversity.

[Fort Street student 2]
Wrong.

[Caringbah student 2]
It's, you know, people come from all over. And in terms of like diversity, it's a very diverse environment, very, in terms of not just like, you know, appearance or culture, but like in terms of who we are as people, which I think is really important.

There is too much academic pressure.

[Fort Street student 2]
I think there's a there's a healthy, like, push to get us to perform to our best ability. But I don't think like any of it is, like, too stressful or, like, unwarranted. Like everything is for, our like, best performance yeah.

[Caringbah student 3]
I think with the stigma of this pressure, the teachers try really hard to combat it. They always say, 'Just do your best'. And that's that's it. There's no point always aiming to get 100% because that is not achievable. And if you do your best, really, that's what you're improving on and that's the skills you're building and the skills you're going to keep for life.

[Caringbah student 1]
Everyone is super competitive and focused on beating each other

[Baulkham Hills student 3]
I care about how well I do as like myself. I know a lot of other people do feel this competition is a good opportunity for them and they thrive when they're like competing against others.

[Caringbah student 3]
People love to share resources, again, love to make sure everyone else understands the concept and we're just teaching and learning together.

[Baulkham Hills student 3]
It is not a supportive environment. I think it is. I think we are supportive of each other.

[Caringbah student 3]:
It's just a supportive environment that allows everyone to do that best and to, you know, follow their interests.

[Fort Street student 2]
That’s false, I think it is a supportive environment. Yeah.

[Fort Street student 3]
Yeah. We all try and push each other up. We all support each other. We’re all there for each other. We all help each other.

[Fort Street student 2]
The students are all coached. Nope! I’m not.

[Fort Street student 1]
I’m not.

[Fort Street student 3]
Neither am I.

[Baulkham Hills student 3]
No, we are definitely not all coached.

[Caringbah student 3]
The teachers here are excellent at their jobs and they understand what they're teaching very well and they have all the resources to give us.

[Caringbah student 1]
It's hard to make friends.

I was a bit scared to come to this school because I didn't know anyone but, um, you click really, really easily.

[Fort Street student 3]
I really connected with a lot of people really well, really fast. Better than any other schools I've ever been to.

[Caringbah student 2]
We're all really good friends and there's a really positive atmosphere just in the school. And yeah, I think it's I think it's a really, really good environment to be in.

[Baulkham Hills student 1]
Question is, the students are only good at academics.

[Fort Street student 1]
I mean, we're all here because we're good academics, but that's not the only thing.

[Baulkham Hills student 3]
Well, I mean, even if you look at all of us, we all have extracurriculars. And I think, I think everyone in our grade, in our school has something outside of academics that they really are good at or they really like putting in a lot of effort and passion into.

[Caringbah student 1]
A big part of doing well in academics is just having like an all around like balance in your life. And I feel like the school's sense of balance is really good. We have, yes, sport creative stuff. We have. Yeah, it's way more than just academic performance. So yeah.

[Fort Street student 3]
Anyone who's thinking about going to the selective schools test, just give it a go. It doesn't matter if you get in. It doesn't matter if you don't get in, give it a go. If you get into a selective school, that's amazing. Come join our cool, quirky cohorts. Yeah, you'll find people that you belong with.

[End of transcript]

*Alexandria Park, Rose Bay and Tempe have targeted places available for Aboriginal students.

Richmond Agricultural College operates across two campuses: Richmond High School and Richmond Agricultural College Centre of Excellence, Vines Drive Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Campus. Students in the selective stream must study agriculture

Sydney Secondary College Balmain and Leichhardt campuses offer places in Years 7 to 10. Students from these campuses will generally proceed to Sydney Secondary College Blackwattle Bay Campus for Years 11 and 12.

There are 182 host public high schools that offer Aurora College for rural and remote students.

The Conservatorium High School is a specialist high school that is not part of the selective high schools program.

However, applicants sit the Selective High School Placement Test as part of the separate application process for Year 7 entry into the Conservatorium High School.

Applicants for the Conservatorium High School must:

• complete the Conservatorium High School application processes — see their website
• apply for selective high school placement and sit the Selective High School Placement Test.

As well as applying for the Conservatorium High School, applicants can choose up to 3 selective high schools.

If applying for entry to the Conservatorium High School only, applicants must select any selective high school in order to submit the application.

Parents must then send a message to the Selective Education Unit to tell us that they are applying only for placement at the Conservatorium High School.

Following the Selective High School Placement Test, students' results will be sent to the Conservatorium High School to be used in their selection process.

For more information visit the Conservatorium High School.

Location of the placement test

The placement test is held in test centres in NSW only.

Students living interstate or overseas should travel to NSW to sit the test, where possible.

Students have a better chance of placement if they sit the test. Only 5% of places are reserved for students who could not sit the test but qualify based on alternative evidence of academic merit.

Returning to sit the test

Parents should enter in their application a suitable suburb so that a nearby test centre can be allocated for their child.

If you intend to return for the test but realise before the test date that you will not be able to, please let the Selective Education Unit know immediately.

Unable to return for the test

If your child cannot be in NSW to sit the test you should:

• submit the online application by the closing date
• submit the Report of academic merit form for interstate and overseas applicants by the due date by sending a message in the application dashboard – see Key dates.

Report of academic merit requirements

• A recent, reliable, full scale Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 5th Edition (WISC V) IQ report in English (conducted within the last 2 years). The test must be administered and signed by a registered psychologist, sourced and paid for by the parent.
• Standardised test results in reading and mathematics. These can be administered by a psychologist or certified teacher. The specific test depends on what is available to the person administering the tests. Examples of standardised tests are the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III and WIAT-IV) or Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) Maths and Reading. The psychologist or teacher should be able to advise which standardised tests would be available.
• A supervised writing task. The topic should be general in nature and must be new to the student at the time of writing. It must be set and supervised by the person administering the standardised tests. The student must have 2 pages and 30 minutes to complete the task. No extra time is to be allowed for planning. The task is to be supervised and certified by the administrator as the student’s own unassisted writing.

Interstate and overseas students do not need to submit any other school reports.

If your child is outside the usual age range or school Year when applying, you should explain the reasons for this in your application.

If your child is in Year 7 at the time of the test, they can only be considered for placement in rare cases. You must provide a full explanation why they are repeating with supporting documentation including from your child's principal.

If you want your child to be accelerated from Year 5 to Year 7 in the following year, you must provide evidence of support from the school principal.

The selection committee will determine whether applications for students outside the usual age or Year range will be accepted.

The selection committee may:

• request further information and evidence
• decide not to accept students who are much older than the usual age range set out above
• decide not to accept students who are seeking to repeat Year 7 in a selective high school
• request an interview if the student is very young to determine any special requirements
• decide that acceleration (skipping a school year) is not appropriate after considering the student's circumstances, including the consultation between the school, family and student, and section 1.4.4. of the High Potential and Gifted Education policy.

Placement for siblings

Entry to selective high schools is based on a student's academic merit. Therefore, the placement of one sibling does not guarantee the placement of another. Each sibling needs to meet the test performance requirements to receive an offer.

Siblings of students placed in a selective high school are not guaranteed a non-selective place at the same school, unless they are living within the school's intake area.

Parents may apply to the school for out-of-area enrolment, but are subject to enrolment eligibility and the schools' capacity to accept non-local students. Parents should consider this when choosing schools. For more information, please refer to the Selective high schools and opportunity class placement procedures.

Boarding at agricultural high schools

Selection committees for boarders can give priority to students seeking placement in a school that their sibling currently attends.