Ilia missed out on selective school – until he found another way in

When Ilia Ebrahim Nejad failed to score the required marks for selective school he thought his inability to gain entry was permanent.

“I sat selective, I tried my best, I didn’t get through,” he said.

In year 9, a classmate told him Sydney’s selective schools offer a second chance, adding an extra class of students in either year 9 or year 11.

“It was a pathway most families don’t know exists. Most parents don’t even know you can apply,” he said.

For later entry, admission requirements go beyond academics, with schools also asking students about their distance to travel to school as well as sporting achievements.

“I made sure my grades were good and improved my extracurriculars and got in for year 11 to North Sydney Boys,” he said.

His initial fears about a highly competitive environment subsided and he focused on his own progress, taking up opportunities to strengthen his essay skills with extra writing workshops, and enjoying extracurricular activities by joining the hundreds of students who played chess at lunch.

“Throughout year 11, I kept my cool. I was just going to do the work and tried not to compare myself to others,” he said.

By the end of year 11, he’d topped the year. After finishing year 12, he was admitted to medicine at the University of NSW.

“It was a key moment in my life to get an offer to North Sydney Boys,” he said. “That opportunity gave me so much.”

He has set up a coaching business to help others navigate the different criteria schools have for late entrants.

This week, thousands of year 6 pupils are expected to sit the selective entry test for next year. Last year, about 17,000 students applied for 4300 spots for year 7 entry.

The state’s top performing co-ed school, James Ruse, takes an additional 30 students in year 9. Families must pay $180 to sit a test and are asked about extracurricular activities, their greatest strength and how long they will spend travelling to and from the school each day.

Students are also asked to describe “a situation in which you have experienced disappointment. How did you cope?”

Sydney Boys also admits an extra 30 students in year 9. Students detail their performance in academic and sporting interests and accomplishments, which a selection committee reviews before allowing certain applicants to sit an entrance exam.

Normanhurst Boys offers 10 to 15 places for entry into year 9 and year 11, the school tells parents.

A former head of North Sydney Boys, Robyn Hughes, said in her experience there was often less competition for year 11 entry.

“Far fewer students apply in the second round,” she said.

She retired in 2022 but said the pipeline of top students transferring to her school had dwindled in recent years, a decline she believed was due to a requirement for private school scholarships to be repaid should students leave a school before finishing year 12.

“They have golden handcuffs stopping them from moving,” Hughes said. “We tried to have a year 9 intake instead of year 11, but there weren’t enough quality candidates. They would have struggled at our school … they are competitive places.”

She said that in her time, the school only chose students who had the aptitude to thrive academically, but the criteria went beyond that.

“We were looking for kids who would get involved holistically in school life, in things like the mock trial, the musical. It was based on those things as much as academic results.”

Diva Govindasamy’s son Shuveernth was not selected for year 7 entry to Normanhurst Boys but gained year 9 entry. He loved the school because of the breadth of academics on offer.

“It is not just academic; they have a holistic view focusing on wellbeing, sports and extracurricular activities,” she said. “He could see himself fitting in better than all the other schools.”

The school runs its own test, and she estimated that hundreds of students sat the exam to vie for entry. “There were very minimal spots available.”

A NSW Education Department spokesperson said that post-year 7 entry pathways into NSW selective schools follow a transparent, publicly documented process.

“It outlines clearly that students can apply for years 8 to 11 entry at all selective high schools, with each school managing its vacancies based on student departures,” the spokesperson said.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.