Preamble
The enrolment policy of Sydney Boys High School was drafted originally in 2001 by a Committee consisting of two senior members of staff, a member of the school community and the Principal. It is reviewed annually in June. The policy explains the process by which students gain entry to Sydney Boys High School by local selection for vacancies in Years 8-12.

Enrolment Limits
An enrolment ceiling for each year was set as follows:

• Years 7-8 (180 per Year)
• Years 9-12 (210 per Year)

The maximum possible enrolment is 1200 students.

School Context
Sydney Boys High School is an academically strong, single sex government school. It caters for the needs of gifted students. It is a member of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools - AAGPS or GPS as it is referred to. The GPS relationship which has involved SBHS since 1906 includes participation in sporting competitions held AFTER SCHOOL HOURS, principally on Saturdays and Friday nights.

Prospective applicants should be aware that our strong expectation is that boys will participate in competitive team sports. Students are expected to compete in a minimum of two GPS sports each year.

Year 7 Enrolment
Each year 180 boys are selected for entry by reference to a state-wide test administered by the High Performing Students Unit, moderated teacher assessments in English and Mathematics, and to an achievement profile supplied by applicants. Boys are offered places on the basis of a rank-ordered composite score and a preference list of up to 4 schools. Application forms are available from Selective High Schools and from State Primary Schools and District Offices. The Application Package can also be downloaded from the High Performing Students Unit website. (Sample questions from past Selective Schools Placement Tests are also available on the HPSU website). The High Performing Students Unit can be contacted on 1300 880 367 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

A Placement Committee, consisting of the School Education Director, the Principal, a Deputy Principal and a parent representative, is involved in the process of selecting students entering Year 7. It considers a variety of additional information supplied by applicants to the High Performing Students Unit. The Committee decides on various claims and illness, misadventure reports. The Placement Committee signs off on a finalised rank order list of applicants’ scores. Places are then offered according to High Performing Students Unit protocols.

Years 8 - 12 Enrolment
Applications for places in Selective Schools for Years 8-12 are advertised in the media from late June each year. Each school has its own policy in respect of filling occasional vacancies. Sydney Boys High has its own expanded Application Form. It is strongly recommended that applicants download and use a form below, or collect one from the school.

All applications are subject to the requirements and procedures of the Department of Education and Communities and the High Performing Students Unit.

Vacancies
Prospective applicants should be aware that for Year 8 there are historically very few vacancies, perhaps one each year. For Year 9, up to 25 places may be offered, subject to applicants satisfying the selection criteria. In Year 10, there are usually very few vacancies, perhaps one a year.

In Years 11 and 12 the policy is to accept enrolments up to 205 places but the Committee may, in special circumstances, decide to accept additional applications.

The Application and Selection Process - Years 8 - 12
Please complete the application form, but before doing so, please read page six of the form which contains examples of information that may be included in support of your application. Supply a copy of each of your last two School Reports. Do not supply any other documents. If you are selected for interview you will then be required to support your claims with appropriate evidence. Return your application to the school, accompanied by a payment of $65 to cover administration costs.

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 30 July 2012 at 3:15pm.
Applications received by mail or in person will not be accepted after this date or time.

Selection Criteria
Students selected for enrolment at SBHS are expected to support and enhance the ethos of the school in its pursuit of academic excellence, through its competition in the AAGPS and by participation in a range of co-curricular activities. The Selection Committee considers:

• the educational history of the student
• his performance in academic competitions
• whether he has siblings already enrolled in the school
• his sporting interests and accomplishments
• his co-curricular interests and abilities
• his reasons for wishing to attend SBHS
• the availability of subjects/courses or combinations of these
• his proximity and ease of access to the school
• compassionate circumstances
• his desire to access single sex education
• the impact on local public comprehensive schools
• the effects on local area selective classes in comprehensive schools

Selection Committee
Applications will be considered by the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee is chaired by the Principal as nominee of the School Education Director, Bondi. A Deputy Principal acts as the Principal’s nominee. A community member is invited to assist in the selection process. The initial assessment of applications is made by a large sub-committee of the Selection Committee, comprising senior teacher assessors, trained in the assessment procedures applied under the local selection policy. Each application is assessed at least twice and the assessors’ scores are tallied and recorded. Once a rank order list is created, the Committee decides on the number of interviews that will be held after reviewing the recommendations of the sub-committee. Applicants are then invited for interview. At this stage, the applicants’ abilities, interests and achievements are taken into consideration including their academic and post-school aspirations, their fit with the school’s ethos in terms of their co-curricular and sporting activities their demonstrated commitment to the values of the school, appropriate course vacancies and the accuracy and quality of their accompanying documentation. At the conclusion of the process, the Principal discusses the revised rank order list with the Selection Committee Members and a final rank order list is completed.

The rank order lists are shared with the School Education Director and the community member for review and comment.

If vacancies exist, a Placement List is created and students are offered places. One place is reserved for seven days after unsuccessful letters are sent to applicants in case a Selection Committee decision is appealed. A Reserve List for future vacancies is created as a result of the process. As vacancies arise applicants are contacted and places are offered. The Reserve List is current until the application process for the following year commences in July and is usually limited to five places for each Year but may be adjusted to reflect revised expectations of potential vacancies. Overseas students and misadventure students are considered for the Placement or Reserve Lists as appropriate when interviews can be arranged. Successful applicants are either offered places or advised of their position on the Reserve List. Applicants are also informed that their position on the Reserve List may be varied if overseas students and misadventure applicants displace them on the list as a result of late interviews.

Family Placement Claim
Where two or more boys have equal merit, a boy with a family placement claim will be given priority. A family placement claim can be made if a brother or sister, parent, grandparent, guardian or caregiver currently attends or previously attended Sydney Boys High School or Sydney Girls High School.