By Lucy Carroll
The state’s schools regulator has ordered a sweeping review of the HSC disability provisions scheme as new data reveals almost 12,000 students this year lodged claims for extra help in their final exams.
One in five students from private schools now apply for HSC disability provisions. Schools in Sydney’s most affluent suburbs, in the north, the inner city and the east, submit the highest number of claims.
Rest breaks, extra test time and having a personal exam reader or writer comprise the bulk of disability provisions, which have skyrocketed by almost 60 per cent since 2019.
More than 76,000 year 12 students completed their HSC this year.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
The independent review, to be run by consultancy Urbis, will be the seventh inquiry into the scheme since 2008. It comes amid persistent concerns about the gap in claims made between private and public schools and issues around disproportionate use.
Provisions are designed to create a level playing field for students. Examples of accommodations include rest periods, stretch breaks for students with chronic pain and readers for students with low reading ability.
NSW Education Standards Authority chief executive Paul Martin said support systems for students were critical, as was the integrity of Australia’s largest public exam.
He said the process was rigorous but the rise in applicants, now more than 15 per cent of the HSC cohort, had prompted NESA to commission an independent review to ensure equity and fairness.
“We need to reassess our processes and think about whether reform is needed,” he said.
Part of the rise over the decade is for psychological issues such as ADHD, anxiety and depression, and the review would examine that, Martin said.
“Without pre-empting the review’s findings, the evaluation will also look at whether it is appropriate for some provisions to be approved by school principals,” he said.
Some of Sydney’s wealthiest private schools lodge the most claims, despite federal data showing public schools have the highest proportion of pupils with the greatest disability needs.
Last year, SCEGGS Redlands on the north shore had some 50 per cent of HSC students given provisions, while at least 20 of the highest-fee private schools, including Kambala, Ascham and Cranbrook, had at least 20 per cent of pupils applying for provisions which include scribes and extra writing time.
However, there were no applications from students at some state schools, including Parramatta High, Plumpton High and Liverpool Boys.
Claims have more than doubled since 2011, when about 5200 students applied. Last year, 19.5 per cent of private school students made claims, compared with 12 per cent of public school pupils.
NESA, which is publicly funded, has a team of assessors to review claims. Once approved, provisions can involve giving students special equipment, laptops, isolated rooms with individual supervisors and designated readers or scribes.
The review will examine the process involved for teachers, schools and parents; evidence guidelines and requirements; if all students needing provisions can access the program; and the balance between school- and NESA-approved claims.
A former head of Victoria’s curriculum authority, John Firth, who ran the last inquiry in 2018, found NESA provided the highest proportion of provisions for exams in Australia, while flagging concerns about a surge in last-minute applications and the large number of appeals.
Almost 8000 students were given rest breaks under the HSC disability provision program last year.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
Former NESA chief executive Carol Taylor, who is also a former teacher, said more students were being identified with anxiety and autism who may need provisions, and awareness was increasing, so it “shouldn’t surprise us we are seeing more claims”.
“The process is thorough,” she said. “But the resources and staff required by schools to go through the process is a problem.”
NESA rejected only about 3 per cent of claims last year, compared with the 6.7 per cent that were knocked back in 2011. Each application must provide evidence of a diagnosed disability, functional evidence and teacher comments.
Occupational therapist Lisa Celi said there had been a rise in anxiety and mental health concerns in children, which was contributing to more students applying for extra time or separate rooms.
“If they have reading or learning difficulties, or handwriting challenges, they may apply for a scribe,” she said. Some schools had more resources to devote to applications, she said.
Nearly 8000 students were given rest breaks for anxiety or concentration issues last year, up 70 per cent from 2019. More students are being given scribes, or exam writers, for poor or illegible handwriting, or because handwriting was painful.
Martin said: “Most applications require a student to have an assessment made by a paediatrician or specialist, and that brings the issue of fairness into question.”
NESA will present the final report findings late next year. Any changes will be implemented for the 2026 HSC.
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