Selection procedures

To qualify for enrolment at Hunter Sports High School a student must either live in the local drawing area or be selected on merit as a talented sportsperson. Students participating in the Sports Academy undertake specialised development programs in their chosen sport during school time as a school subject. This is integrated with a full academic curriculum which caters for the special needs of the talented athlete.

Our academies are highly competitive with limited places. Placement in the Sports Academy is dependent on a student meeting ALL of the following criteria, along with there being an availability of places in the student’s particular year group:

• Demonstrated talent and skill in their chosen sport

• Expected to meet required minimum fitness benchmarks (for Year 7 trials only) as below:

  20m SPRINT: 3.8 seconds and under

  VERTICAL JUMP: 20cm and above (hands on hips)

  BEEP TEST: Level 6 and above

• Capacity to be self-directed and self-regulated

• Ability to work well with a partner and in teams

• Positive attitude to their school studies and education, including attendance

Once enrolled and attending, continuation in the Sports Academy is dependent on a student demonstrating:

• Continued development and improvement in the nominated sport
• Meeting required levels of attendance
• Payment of Sports Academy program costs
• Adherence to Hunter Sports High School's Code of Conduct & Student Agreement

Trial Application Procedure:

1.  Complete the online Sports Academy application form  and upload all required documentation including:

• 2 x most recent school reports (Please upload as a PDF file of the complete report, not as images of individual pages)

• Birth certificate

• Photo (portrait-style)

• School Assessment Form completed by the student’s current school.

  NOTE: The school may prefer to email this form directly to HSHS as per the instructions on the form. In this case we will add it to your child’s application when received.

• Sport-specific selection criteria form completed and uploaded. Select the form for the sport/program your child is applying to trial for from the following link: ​Selection Criteria Form

2. Please ensure the information you submit is true and correct. If it is found to be incorrect, any offer of placement may be withdrawn. All information provided is treated in strictest confidence.

3. If the applicant has a diagnosed medical condition, you must provide a copy of their action/treatment plan for each condition. If the applicant has special needs which should be catered for in their trial, please provide any relevant documentation and outline the nature of their special need.

4. A link for the  $40 trial payment  (non-refundable) will be emailed to the address provided in the application within a week of submission. Please make payment via the payment link as soon as possible.

5. Students can only nominate for ONE Sports Academy program.

6. Attend your trial. Only students who have completed their application form, submitted all supporting documentation and paid their trial fee will be able to attend the Phase 1 trial.

NOTE:

• If a trialist sustains an injury/illness that impacts their ability to attend/participate in the scheduled trial, their application will be assessed based on the information provided in the online application. Unfortunately, due to strict timelines, we are unable to offer individual/catch up trials outside of set trial periods. If video footage is available you may submit this to support the application in the case of injury.
• We carefully consider Hunter PSSA trial dates when we set HSHS Sports Academy trial dates, however we cannot avoid all clashes and cannot guarantee progression to the next phase of trials if students do not attend their scheduled HSHS Phase 1 trial. It is the responsibility of parents to decide which event their child will attend if there is a clash of commitments. This also includes other school commitments/camps and family holidays etc. As above, if a student is unable to attend their Phase 1 trial due to other commitments, their application and progression to Phase 2 trials will be assessed based on the information provided in the online application.
• We cannot offer catch up trials due to strict timelines and commitments with current Hunter Sports High programs/teams. If your child is unable to attend their scheduled trial for any reason, additional footage or supporting documentation can be uploaded with the online application or emailed to hunterspt-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au.

7. Trial dates/times are subject to change. Please check dates on this website prior to trials in case of changes – this information is regularly updated.

8. All applicants will be advised of the progress and outcome of their application via email. All communication will be emailed to the email address submitted in the online application. Please ensure the email address provided is spelt correctly and checked regularly. The address provided on the application form does not have to be a gmail address - the google account is only needed initially to access the application form.

9. If offered a position, the program payment must be made in full for the student to confirm their position in the program. Program costs are non-refundable once attending.