The NSW Department of Education recently released a new equity policy to aid disadvantaged and under-represented students by reserving 20% of all enrolments in Selective schools and OC classes for individuals who qualify for the new scheme. So what does that mean for you and your child? 

Equity Placement Model Explained

According to the 2018 review of Selective school demographics by the Department of Education, it was found that while the number of applicants for the entrance exam was rising each year, the applications from students from disadvantaged/under-represented groups were missing out due to various barriers of entry. As such, the Equity Placement Model has been implemented to combat inequality students are facing statewide to increase participation from disadvantaged students alongside diversifying the socioeconomic & cultural background of government schools. 

The policy allocates 20% of the school vacancies to groups in the following manner:

• Students from low socio-educational advantage backgrounds - 10%

• Aboriginal Students - 5%

• Rural/remote students - 2.5%

• Students with disabilities - 2.5%

There is also an additional 5% of spots that will be reserved for students who missed the test on the day for a valid reason. 

Application Process

There is no separate application for the Equity Placement Model. The Department of Education will identify eligible students based on the examination application form and other data held by the Department. 

The eligibility criteria is outlined as followed:

• Students from low socio-educational backgrounds - students who are currently attending schools within communities with high levels of disadvantage will be eligible for this criterion. 

• Aboriginal students - any students identifying as Aboriginal will qualify.

• Rural/remote students - students who have both their home address and current school of attendance located in a rural or remote area qualify for this.

• Students with disability - any student listed on the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) who is receiving supplementary, substantial or extensive adjustment will be eligible.

If a student has been admitted to a school due to the Equity Placement Model, they will not be informed due to student privacy concerns along with considerations for student wellbeing.

Impact of the New Policy

While it is great to see changes implemented to improve the fairness of the OC and Selective exam, it is understandable that parents are worried the degree of difficulty of entry into their desired schools will increase for children who do not qualify for the scheme. 

However, it is key to understand that students who qualify for the new scheme must still score within ten percent of the minimum entry score to be accepted. If the number of students who qualify for each section is less than the amount reserved, the rest of the vacancies will be offered to general applicants instead. 

In summary, while these new changes help even out the equity for disadvantaged students, there is still a relatively high entry requirement for these examinees. It is highly likely that not all twenty percent of the reserved spaces will be filled, and thus, for children who are not included in the policy, the increase in difficulty may not be as severe as initially expected.  

Additionally, the impact will be affected by the overall number of students who qualify as disadvantaged/under-represented students. If the total number is quite low, the overall impact of this new policy will be minimal.

Finally, each school will be affected differently by this new policy. The distance each school is from areas with large demographics of disadvantaged/under-represented students will determine how much impact this new policy has, with schools closer being more heavily affected.