Thousands of Newcastle Year 12 students are processing the NSW Government’s recent announcement that their HSC exams have been pushed back to begin on November 9 due to the state’s COVID crisis.
Students had been working towards an October 12 HSC start date. As well as the HSC postponement to November 9, they have endured two lengthy bouts of home schooling during their senior school years, the cancellation of many excursions, trips and celebrations, and their Year 12 formal and graduation plans are tentative at best.
The new HSC schedule is part of the NSW Government’s return-to-school plan, announced on August 27, which will see a staggered return to face-to-face learning from October 25.
“HSC exams will be delayed until November 9 with a revised timetable and guidelines for a COVID-safe HSC to be released by NESA in early September,” the NSW Government said.
“Importantly, the delay of the HSC exams will not disadvantage NSW students when applying to university.
“Vaccinations for all school staff across all sectors will be mandatory from November 8.”
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) said although written exams were to be postponed to November 9, teachers were to provide marks for their students’ HSC performances, oral language exams and most major projects.
Some, but not all, high schools in the area have been forced to cancel their HSC trial examinations. Some schools had conducted their trials before the latest lockdown.
Merewether High School and St Francis Xavier College Hamilton are just some schools that were forced to cancel the HSC trial examinations following the extension of lockdown.
In line with advice from NESA, the schools were unable to find alternative ways of creating an equitable and valid replacement for the trial examinations without the possibility of malpractice or misadventures.
Merewether High School Year 12 student Tulip Cranson said completing Year 12 during a global pandemic had been “indescribably stressful” and had become even more difficult with Newcastle’s recent lockdown.
“Learning from home limits our learning capabilities significantly because the onus is on us to motivate ourselves. Instead of using this time to ‘knuckle down’ and consolidate our learning, we find ourselves lost and burdened by anxiety and doubt during these unprecedented times,” Tulip said.
“Our trial exams had to be cancelled due to difficulties with completing them from home, meaning that our previously completed assessments now carry extra weighting in relation to our internal marks.
“I was relieved that these exams were cancelled because the uncertainty in the weeks leading up to them as to whether they would be on was just torture.”
Tulip said the HSC postponement was just one of the disappointments brought about by COVID. She said her cohort had missed out on some of senior school’s social highlights, including a Year 11 ski trip, school dances, graduation, muck-up week, schoolies and potentially their Year 12 formal.
“All these experiences are regarded as rites of passage during such a monumental chapter in our lives. To think that 13 years of school came to a sudden end on a random Thursday has been the biggest disappointment of this year,” she said.
The University of Newcastle has announced they will be providing increased support for HSC students this year, including five ATAR adjustment points in recognition of the challenges students have faced.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky said the University of Newcastle was committed to supporting Year 12 students’ aspirations of pursuing higher education.
“We know this is an extraordinarily challenging time for Year 12 students, their families and their teachers and we’re here to support them,” Professor Zelinsky said.
“We want Year 12 students to know that if they’re planning to study at the University of Newcastle next year, they’ll still have every opportunity to do that. We’ll make sure our processes are adjusted to take account of the delayed exams recently announced by the NSW Government.”
Pro Vice-Chancellor College of Human and Social Futures Professor John Fischetti suggested students and their families might benefit from practising positivity each day.
“You will go fine and be fine. Go for it but give yourself a break. This is one small phase of a brilliant life ahead,” he said.
“Human brain wiring includes more than 100 billion neurons, which, especially in young people, can be changed by stimulation – good or bad. The unanticipated time that we now have with our children is tough and stressful, but it is also amazing. We are there to see them struggle, we are there to help them succeed.”
Professor Fischetti’s top tips for Year 12 students:
- “The HSC is an important milestone, but it is not the ‘be all end all’ that many people make it. All options for your amazing futures are available after the HSC. Those may involve taking a slightly different path to enabling programs or to a degree that is related and through which you may apply to transfer into later on, based on your success. Don’t give up on your dream.”
- “These are unique times that none of us have experienced. The main thing is to take care of yourself and the people around you. Get outside every day for a walk, jog or bike ride. Eat well and get plenty of rest. The stress we all feel is real but we can moderate it through healthy practices.”
- “Reach out if you’re not going well and reach out to friends. Build a support network around you that ‘gets you’. We have to all breathe through this right now. And feeling connected to supportive friends and family is so crucial.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was prioritising the safety and education of students through the managed return to school as well as encouraging many to seek out vaccination appointments.
“The return-to-school plan provides parents, teachers and students with certainty and a path forward for the return to face-to-face learning,” she said.
“We know the past few months have been tough on the school community, and we are deeply grateful to parents, teachers and students for the sacrifices you have made. Please continue to protect our students by getting vaccinated as quickly as possible.”
While the Government has made it possible for Year 12 students in Sydney’s areas of concern to get vaccinated easily and quickly, vaccination availability in the Hunter region has been sparse.
State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said he was frustrated with the lack of Pfizer supplies in the Hunter.
“A few days ago, I did some media regarding the lack of supply, and therefore appointments, in the Hunter for people who need to receive the Pfizer vaccine,” he said.
“When I did, it was mid-November that people were able to secure a slot at the Belmont hub. Today, you’re lucky if you can find one.”
Crakanthorp said he wrote to the Premier about the vaccine roll-out and the low priority assigned to the Hunter region.
“The failure to secure an adequate supply of Pfizer falls squarely on the Federal Government, but the distribution of the NSW Health supply falls on the State Government,” he said.
“Last month, we saw vaccines taken from regional and rural areas and redirected to Sydney. The next shipment of Pfizer cannot be weighted towards Sydney.
“The Hunter must receive its fair share.”
Hayley McMahon
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