Sydney Boys High School

Sydney Boys High School - Enrolment Policy

Preamble

The Enrolment Policy of Sydney Boys High School was drafted originally in 2001 by a School Community Committee and ratified by the School Council. It is reviewed annually. The policy explains the process by which students gain entry into Sydney Boys High School. The Year 7 process for enrolment differs from the process used to fill vacancies in other year groups. The latest version of the Enrolment Policy was ratified by the School Council at its meeting held on 8 March 2022.

Enrolment Limits

An enrolment ceiling for each year was set as follows:

• Years 7 and 8 (180 per Year)
• Years 9 and 10 (210 per Year)
• Years 11 and 12 (216 per Year)

The maximum possible enrolment is 1212 students.

Residency Requirements

Applicants must be Australian or New Zealand citizens or holders of a visa granting permanent resident status in Australia. Proof of citizenship/residency must be provided. Parents must be living in NSW by the beginning of the school year. Proof of NSW residency must also be provided.

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. Competition games are held on Saturdays.

Year 7 Enrolment

Each year 180 students are selected for entry by reference to a state-wide test administered by the Selective Education Unit, moderated teacher assessments in English and Mathematics. Students are offered places on the basis of a rank-ordered composite score and a preference list of up to three 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 Selective Education Unit website. (Sample questions from past Selective High Schools Placement Tests are also available on the SEU website). The Selective Education 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 .

Years 8-12 Enrolment

Applications for places in Selective Schools for Years 8, 9 and 11 open 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 the Selective Education Unit.

Enrolment Applications for 2024 are now closed.
Application forms for Years 8, 9 and 11 2025 will be available from mid-June 2024.

Vacancies

Prospective applicants should be aware that:

• For Year 8 there are historically very few, if any, vacancies, therefore places are not generally offered.
• For Year 9, up to 30 places and vacancies, if any, may be offered, subject to applicants satisfying the selection criteria.
• Sydney Boys High School does not accept enrolments into Year 10.
• For Year 11, up to 6 places and vacancies, if any, may be offered, subject to applicants satisfying the selection criteria.
• Sydney Boys High School does not accept enrolments into Year 12.

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 $95 to cover administration costs, processing and assessment of applications.

The closing date for 2024 applications is Friday 21 July 2023 at 3:15 pm. The Sydney Boys High School Placement Test for short-listed applicants will be held on Thursday 3 August at 4:30pm, in the School’s Great Hall. Short-listed applicants were notified by email.

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
• 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
• whether he has siblings already enrolled in the school
• 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. A parent representative is invited to assist in the selection process. A Deputy Principal is a member of the Committee. The initial assessment of applications may be made by a large sub-committee of the Selection Committee, comprising 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 short-listed and invited to sit the Sydney Boys High School Placement Test.

Applicants short-listed must attend the school's Placement Test consisting of a range of literacy and numeracy questions set by the School. At this stage, Placement Test results, 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 validity, 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 community member for review and comment. As a result of the school's testing process, applicants may be invited for an interview.

Interviews for Year 8 will be limited to 5. Should any more applicants need to be considered they will be ranked on the Selective High School Placement test Performance Report or IQ test provided with the application and offered places in rank order. If no Selective High School Placement test Performance Report is supplied, the school's Placement Test results will be used to mesh an applicant into the rank order.

Interviews for Year 9 will be limited to 30 plus vacancies. Should any more applicants need to be considered they will be ranked on the Selective High School Placement test Performance Report or IQ test provided with the application and offered places in rank order. If no Selective High School Placement test Performance Report is supplied, the school's Placement Test results will be used to mesh an applicant into the rank order.

Interviews for Year 11 will be limited to 6 plus vacancies. Should any more applicants need to be considered they will be ranked on the basis of the aggregate score from the school's Placement Test and offered places in rank order.

If vacancies exist, a Placement List is created and applicants are offered places. A Reserve List for future vacancies is created as a result of a different process. Ranked scores from the school’s Placement test held before interview are used to determine any remaining vacancies. 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 June. Successful applicants are either offered places or advised of their position on the Reserve List.

Review of Placement Decisions

Under certain conditions, parents can request that the Principal reviews the decision made by the Years 8 - 12 Placement Committee. Please refer to the following guidelines:
 Guidelines for a review of Years 8 - 12 Placement Decisions

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, sister, parent, grandparent or caregiver currently attends or previously attended Sydney Boys High School or Sydney Girls High School.

Please note Family Placement is a Sydney Boys High School policy. It can only be claimed using the application form obtained from this website. Family Placement is not applicable to applications made using the Selective Education Unit’s generic application form.

School Financial Contributions

All NSW public schools can request contributions to enhance their educational and sporting programs. The school determines the level for contributions and activities contributions in consultation with the school community as part of the school budget process. Sydney Boys High School has set its contribution amounts, ratified by the School council at its 8 March 2022 meeting, as follows:
 Financial Contributions 2024