Fears for vulnerable Victorian students as ATAR release date set

Victorian Year 12 students will be given their ATAR results in time for university offers, but teachers are worried the chosen date will prevent vulnerable pupils from getting much needed support.

Victorian Year 12 students will receive their ATAR on NYE.

VCE students will get their ATAR results on December 30, spurring criticism from some educators that there will be a lack of support for vulnerable pupils.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) on Thursday confirmed to principals that student results would be released at 7am the day before New Year’s Eve — about three weeks after ATARs are typically distributed.

It will mean students will get their results in time for university offers, putting them on par with other states and territories.

However, the date has created concern among some in the education sector that students would not have access to campus support with schools closed for the holidays.

Peter Hutton is the Co-Founder and Director of the Future Schools Alliance and for 25 years has been a school leader in four state and independent schools - picture supplied

Former Templestowe College principal and director of the Future Schools Alliance, Peter Hutton, said he was “incredibly concerned for the welfare of vulnerable people” in getting results they hadn’t anticipated.

“In most schools, they won’t be able to contact staff to talk about their options or to console them,” he said.

Mr Hutton said schools typically contacted concerned students and asked them to come to the campus if they didn’t get the results they’d hoped for.

“That’s not going to be possible on the 30th of December,” he said.

He suggested results could be released earlier with a boost to the number of VCAA examiners, a modification of exams so they could be automatically marked or by bringing the English exam forward as it took the longest to mark.

VCAA chief executive Sharyn Donald said in the letter to principals that the timing “enabled students to receive their results, access course and career counselling, and adjust their preferences, if required, prior to the first round of offers from Victorian tertiary institutions”.

VCE results had been planned to be released in 2021 due to the impact of the coronavirus and remote learning.

But the release date has been brought forward after students returned to campuses earlier than expected.

Students in NSW will get their results on December 18.

VCAA did not respond to requests for comment before deadline.

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