By Christopher Harris
Riot police were called in to manage chaotic crowds at selective school exams on Friday and one test was cancelled after the Department of Education made students sit the assessment in testing mega-centres across Sydney.
The scenes of disarray forced postponement of tests scheduled over the weekend at three large sites in the city.
Police were called to Canterbury Racecourse, where students were due to take the exam at 12.30pm, after crowds became difficult to manage. More than 1000 children sitting the opportunity class placement test and their parents from the morning session swelled with the arrival of another 1300 pupils to sit the selective school entry test.
In previous years, students had sat the test at a local high school. But the department said because the test was online this year they had to hold it in bigger venues.
“Conditions were entirely unsafe for children at drop-off, with poor communication and children having to push through hundreds of waiting adults in crowded conditions,” one parent said. “I was concerned that one of the children would be crushed as parents who had already dropped off children were waiting in the area and had not been forced to move on to make room for the children.”
Another said: “Poor crowd control at the entry to the selective school placement test this morning has resulted in utter chaos.”
The morning test at Canterbury was meant to be from 8.30am to 11am. It ran 45 minutes late, so the test finish time was delayed to 12.30pm.
“It wasn’t until 1pm until we got to the car,” one mother said. “There was a mob of parents sitting outside one single door … there was no organisation.
“There was a lot of yelling. The police came because the test facilitators couldn’t get the crowd to co-operate. There was a mob of hundreds of people waiting to come. They had to wait at least an hour and a half.”
When the announcement was made that the test had been called off at Canterbury Racecourse, those in the crowd started jeering.
“We’ve been working with the police to try and find a way to conduct this test, and unfortunately we’ve had to cancel today’s event,” an event organiser told the crowd. “Excuse me, we’ve also got a number of children who are here by themselves.”
One mother said the treatment of the students in the opportunity class test at Canterbury was suboptimal. “My son told me they were repeatedly told to shut up, otherwise they were going to get a zero on the test.”
The public order and riot squad was called in for assistance. NSW Police said in a statement that officers were told about 1300 students had finished exams and were trying to leave with their parents, while another 1300 students plus parents attempted to enter.
“Police assisted with movement of crowds and traffic to ensure safety at the scene,” they said.
Education Minister Prue Car said she sincerely apologised to families and students who turned up on Friday for what was an important day in their lives.
“Taking an exam is stressful enough as it is, and this isn’t good enough,” she said. “I have asked the Department of Education for an urgent review, and it is working quickly to address the situation.”
Renee Shackle with her daughter, Callie, queuing for the selective test at Randwick Racecourse. Credit: Louise Kennerley
Northern District of P&Cs president David Hope called for a return to sitting the tests at local schools.
“It needs to be a more placid environment,” Hope said. “I think it is ill advised and they shouldn’t do it again.
“It clearly hasn’t worked this time. It is like crowds at sporting events. You don’t want students who are sitting a test subjected to that.”
At Randwick Racecourse, lines of hundreds of students alongside their parents snaked around the car park as they waited in the rain to be allowed to enter.
Among those was Renee Shackle, who travelled with her daughter, Callie, from Narrabeen. She said it was inconvenient, challenging and stressful.
“Logistically for parents, it’s really, really difficult, and it’s also stressful for the kids. If you have got an anxious child, or one that can predispose to anxiety, this sort of situation can be quite stressful,” she said.
“There was sort of no pre-warning that this was going to be the case … it just doesn’t make any sense,” Shackle said, to hold an exam “in a facility where there’s no parking”.
“What occurred was unacceptable and fell well short of the department’s expectations,” NSW Department of Education secretary Murat Dizdar said.
Hon Yap from Miranda with his 11-year-old daughter Rochelle.Credit: Louise Kennerley
“Due to concerns regarding crowd control at the large three test centres at Randwick, Homebush and Canterbury, further scheduled tests to be held at these sites tomorrow and Sunday have been postponed.
“Testing will go ahead as planned at the other 104 testing sites across the state.
“I want parents and carers to know that we are committed to rectifying this situation. The department will be in direct contact with a range of options for make-up tests.”
After complaints from parents across Sydney, additional testing centres were opened by the Education Department in more locations in western Sydney last week.
But that seemed not to have made life easier for parents. Hon Yap took a bus, then a train, then the light rail so he could get his daughter, Rochelle, from Miranda to Randwick.
“The thing is, coming from Miranda, it’s not the most convenient place in the world,” he said.
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