Kids banned from sitting exam with students outside their neighbourhood
More than 3000 clever Victorian students vying for a spot at some of the Melbourne’s top government schools can finally sit a select entry exam, but coronavirus restrictions mean it will be tightly policed. See what rules are in play.
Education
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More than 3000 of the state’s smartest year 8s will finally get a chance to sit an entry test for a spot in one of four of Melbourne’s best government schools.
The select entry test for Mac. Robertson Girls’ High, Melbourne High, Nossal High and Suzanne Cory were supposed to be held in June but the covid lockdown meant that they have been deferred twice.
There are less than 1000 spots at the schools.
The tests will be strictly policed, limiting numbers and grouping students from the same schools and neighbourhoods together to assist with contact tracing should there be a positive Covid case.
It will now be held over two days on November 14 and 15 at Melbourne Showgrounds. There will be 10 exam sittings over the two days.
A DET spokesman said there would be “a number of risk mitigation strategies in place to ensure the safety of students”.
Around 3300 year 8s will sit the test. They will get their offers in December for a start in year 9 in 2021.
“The Department is working closely with public health experts to ensure the safe running of the exam, the health and safety of our applicants remains our highest priority,” a spokesman said.
Restrictions include limiting the number of people on site to students and staff. No parents and carers will be allowed.
Within the facility there will be 23 examination spaces to divide students into smaller groups.
Desks will comply with the 1 person per 4 square metre rule, and student will be seated 1.5m apart.
A maximum of 90 students will be present in each examination space. They will be grouped with other students drawn from their home schools or neighbouring areas to reduce mixing. Students vying for the spot at the top schools come from all over Melbourne and some country areas.
Masks will be worn at all times.
There will be a strict register of attendance, seating plan and specific desk allocation for each student. Every position of every student in relation to each other will be known should contact tracing be needed.
Cleaning of door handles and other frequently used surfaces will occur throughout the event and deep cleaning will occur before each day of examinations.
The unzoned schools, in Albert Park, South Yarra, Werribee and Berwick, are appealing for parents looking for an elite education at a fraction of the cost of private schooling with often better academic results.
They also appeal to parents who don’t think their gifted child is being catered for in their current school.
Entry is at Year 9 level and some parents shift their children from higher priced private schools if they win a hotly sought place at one of these schools.
There are limits on how many students from one school that a select entry school can take but each year some of the brightest students from schools leave to take up places.
Many families set their children for the exams several years out, employing tutors to help them win a place to the elite schools which are not zoned and draw students from every postcode.
In a ranking of 2019 median VCE study scores Mac. Rob was seventh and Melbourne High 13th out of 650 schools. Nossal was 35 and Suzanne Cory 58.
The delays have left some families in limbo and unsure about whether to commit to their existing school in case they don’t get a placement at one of the government schools.
In a normal year, students are usually notified of an offer by late August, early September after sitting the exam in June.
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