Curriculum

If you have a child in Year 10, 11 or 12, make sure that you know your way around the HSC.

The Department of Education has a comprehensive guide for Parents and Carers

The HSC- A guide for parents and carers.

Each student has five years to complete their HSC, although most prefer to get it over and done with as quickly as they can. If you have a child in Year 10, now is the time to think about subject selection. UAC (the Universities Admissions Centre) has a handy compass if you want to move on to university after school or want to understand more about what subjects lead to which courses.

HSC subject selection made easy - UAC

Year 11 students are about to become Year 12 students in Term 4, so if you have a child in Year 11 who may need accommodations when they sit their HSC exams next year, now is the time to approach the school and submit paperwork. There are still opportunities throughout the year to apply for accommodations if something comes up – a new diagnosis, an injury or illness- but if your child has an existing condition you need to submit your application in Term 4. 

For information about disability provision:

HSC disability provisions guide for teachers and parents | NSW Education Standards

With the Trials behind us, the reality of the HSC is probably causing a few sleepless nights in the homes of the 75,000 2023 HSC students who will be starting their written exams on Wednesday, October the 11^th this year, kicking off as always with the first of the English papers.  If you haven’t seen the exam timetable yet, here it is:

HSC Timetable 2023

This year the lucky last exam is Food Technology on Friday the 3^rd of November.

If your student is applying for a university place, they can make applications right through until February next year, but the cut off for the early bird processing fee is Friday 29 September. Early Birds pay $80 and after that the cost jumps to $200, so its worth putting your application in before the end of September. You can update preferences when the ATAR comes out on December 14^th if needed. (There are 2000 courses to choose from. Its OK to change your mind).

Once your student has their Trial marks back, they might want to try and think about what sort of ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) to expect. The ATAR is not a grade, it’s a rank, so while better results mean a higher rank, its always partly calculated on what the other students in your cohort achieve. Understanding how the ATAR is calculated is feels pretty complicated, but this super helpful guide demystifies the process:

ATAR Essentials

There is still time between the Trials and the HSC to help your student improve knowledge and understanding- and maybe their marks. The HSC study guide is a good reference, but many local libraries run study sessions, some of which are free or low cost.

SMH HSC 2023 Study Guide

The best thing is that if you have a child in Year 12, by the second week of November the HSC will be behind them, even if they have the occasional late-for-my HSC-maths-exam dream in later life- although it is possible to repeat a HSC subject within 5 years of starting to improve your mark or rank.

If your child gets an ATAR that is less than they hoped for and doesn’t get them directly into University, there are many pathways including TAFE. Through TAFE, there are opportunities to do degrees, apprenticeships, diplomas and a whole range of short course. Many TAFE courses don’t require an ATAR at all, just completion of the HSC, so even if it feels like things aren’t going well, its worth completing all the required exams and tasks.

Studying at TAFE

Different students need different things, and its very likely you know better than anyone if your job is just to keep providing food and reassurance, or if you need to help with study timetables, flashcards and testing.  Whatever you do, make sure you continue to take care of yourself, and manage your own stress! Taking a break if you can, and remembering to do the activities that support your own wellbeing, can help keep your household calmer. While a great HSC result is a terrific outcome, we as adults recognise that there are many pathways to success, and that some are more winding than others.