HSC pressure on students means more seek disability provisions
A rise in stressed-out HSC students has been blamed on parents putting too much pressure on children to excel.
Southern Courier
Don't miss out on the headlines from Southern Courier. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Folau's views have not split Waratahs: CEO
- Randwick Council seeks halt to medium density housing push
A rise in stressed-out HSC students has been blamed on parents putting too much pressure on children to excel.
Education Minister Rob Stokes has called for an independent review into the Higher School Certificate disability provisions program after last month’s release of the 2017 report which showed significantly more students needed breaks for anxiety-related issues than the previous year.
The new data reveals a tripling last year in the number of students across NSW given extra time due to learning difficulties and more rest breaks for children with “demonstrated pain, anxiety or concentration issues”.
Hundreds of students were approved to have snack, drink and towel breaks as well as receive “special furniture” such as a padded chair. And there was also a rise in toilet breaks and a doubling of students with permission to periodically stand and stretch.
Randwick’s Emanuel School had the region’s highest proportion of students with a HSC disability provision last year, with one in four of its 78 students having a special need.
Marcellin College had one in five (out of 167 students) with a disability, slightly more than Brigidine College where 24 of its 154 students had a provision. It was well behind Sydney Distance Education High School which had nearly half of its final-year students (45 of 93) approved for a special need provision.
A spokesman for Mr Stokes would not comment on why he directed the body which runs the program, the NSW Education Standards Authority, to commission an independent review into it.
But in a statement the minister said: “Disability provisions are essential when it comes to making the exams accessible for everyone and creating a level playing field for all students.”
Prominent child psychologist John Irvine blamed anxious parents for causing the rise in burnt-out teens.
“Anxiety is breeding anxiety,” said Dr Irvine, author of the book Thriving At School, which helps parents develop their children’s attitudes and good habits. “Anxious parents who want their kids to do well are putting that pressure on the kids in the first place. So once they have created the anxious kid, they are getting a medical certificate in support of that.”
Independent schools across Greater Sydney have the highest proportion of students with a HSC disability provision, including seven of the top 10.
NSW Secondary Principals’ Council president Chris Presland said there was “no question the independent schools work the system more effectively”.
“Some of the statistics around independent schools are stunning. Schools that are better resourced, in general, have a greater capacity to apply for special provisions,” the St Clair High School principal said.
“The reason for that is that the application process is reasonably time-consuming and in many cases requires specialist reports.”
NSW P & C Federation vice-president Joel Matthews blamed the system — not the parents — for rising levels of anxious students.
“The pressure to do well in a standardised testing system that is constantly failing to serve as a diagnostic educational tool is pushing our children towards stress and anxiety,” Mr Matthews said.
Area’s top 5 schools with special needs
24.4% Emanuel School
19.2% Marcellin College
15.6% Brigidine College
13.9% De La Salle Catholic College
7.2% Champagnat Catholic College
Parents urged to ease up on children
Leading child psychologist John Irvine is urging parents to come “off the boil” in what they expect of their children in HSC exams.
“We’re seeing a lot more anxious kids in schools now and a lot of it is ... coming from the parents,” Dr Irvine said.
Parents needed to understand the “tone of the home” was often leading to overanxiety.
“The HSC is not the be-all, end-all. Kids can come through the side and back door to achieve their dreams. It is merely a gateway to the next gateway,” Dr Irvine said.
Students “needed balance”: a part-time job, exercise and a social life.
“You can’t drop everything for the HSC,” Dr Irvine said. “A balanced life, meditation and breathing exercises can bring down anxiety.
“I’ve seen kids who have done very, very well in their HSC and then gone on to fall apart at university. They haven’t coped with it because they were used to a structured regimen.”