Applications for the 2011 Selective Schools test are now open.

Applications open Monday 25 October, 2010

Applications forms must be returned by Friday 19 November 2010

Online applications close Monday 22 November 2010

2011 Selective Schools Test will be held on Thursday 17 March, 2011

All Year 7 enrolments are managed by the Selective Schools Unit, NSW Department of Education. All applicants with Internet access are expected to apply online. Applications submitted online will be made available to Government school principals to complete the school's section. You will receive by email a printable version of your application for your reference. The Selective Schools test is held in March each year for Year 6 students and families are notified of the results towards the end of Term 2.

Academic Merit
Students must compete academically with all other candidates for entry to each selective high school. Academic merit is determined mainly by the combination of the results of the Selective High Schools Test in English Language, Writing, Mathematics and General Ability, together with the primary school assessments of students’ performance in English Language and Mathematics.

Additional information may also be provided by parents or principals to support the application and will be considered at the discretion of the selection committee.

The selection committee will give consideration to students with sensory or physical disabilities and to students of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander or non-English speaking background.

Age & Grade
Students entering Year 7 in selective high schools will usually be aged between 11 and 13 on 1 January and are normally in Year 6 in the year prior to enrolment in high school.

Where students will be younger than 11 on 1 January or have not reached Year 6, parents may be asked to give further information about their social and emotional development. Students in this situation must satisfy the ‘Guidelines for Accelerated Progression’ published by the Board of Studies. In part these guidelines state:

Academically, the child should demonstrate skill levels above the average of the class she or he desires to enter.

Students already attending Year 7 at other high schools in NSW are not permitted to apply for Year 7 entry to the selective classes. Application forms for Year 8 to 12 entry to the selective classes at Parramatta High School are normally available from mid June.

Residence
Students must be Australian citizens or holders of a visa granting permanent residence in Australia to enrol in the selective classes at Parramatta High School. Parent/Guardians must be living in NSW by the beginning of the school year. If Parents/Guardians normally live in NSW but are temporarily out of the state, they should expect to return in the near future.

Successful applicants will be required to show proof of residency before enrolment.

Family Placement Claim
Where two students have equal results, the student with a family placement claim will be given priority.

Twins and Younger Children
Because there is so much competition for entry to selective high schools parents should not expect that if one of their children has been successful, the other children in the family will be placed. This includes twins.

Selective Schools Unit
Entry into Year 7 in a selective high school is managed by the Selective Schools Unit:

PO Box 6109
Milperra DC NSW 1891
Ph. (02) 9707 6262
Fax (02) 9707 6265
Email: ssu@det.nsw.edu.au

Criteria for entry into Years 8 to 12:

Applications
Application forms may be obtained from the school in June each year. The date for the submission of the application is determined each year by the Selective Schools Unit and all applications must be received at the school by this date – usually in July. Completed forms are returned to the school and are accompanied by copies of school reports from the current year and previous year.

Selection Committee
This consists of the School Education Director (or representative), a parent, the school counsellor or DGO and the school principal.

It is helpful for the school’s selection committee, if applicants include documents that can demonstrate their academic ability, learning attributes and commitment to school life.

Additional documents could include:

• external test results
  
• competition results - for example, Australian Mathematics or Science compeitions
  
• school and external awards
  
• merit certificates
  
• documents relating to extra-curricular activities, school service and citizenship
  
• certificates relating to hobbies or outside interests

The selection committee arranges the applications in order of academic merit based upon the evidence submitted. The committee considers material that provides evidence of high academic achievement and participation in extra curricula activities. Residential status requirements and family placement claims follow the Year 7 entry criteria. The selection committee may request students complete a test in order to assess academic merit.

Waiting Lists
Students are initially placed upon a waiting list. The order on the list is determined by the Selection Committee. This list is current until the end of Term 2 each year.

Filling of Vacancies
When a vacancy occurs, the applicant whose name appears on the top of the waiting list is offered a place in the school. If the applicant declines the offer then their name is removed from the waiting list and the vacancy is offered to the next applicant on the list.

If the applicant accepts the offer then they have the option to:

• start immediately at the school; or
  
• if the offer is made after the end of Term 2, then the applicant may defer starting until the commencement of the following year.