Click on one of the Frequently Asked Questions below to read the answer to that question. Please feel free to phone our Head Teacher Enrolment on (02) 9381 4807/4808 if your question is not covered in the list below.
When should we submit our application to Open High School?
Applications should ideally be submitted, through the home school, in Term 4. If this is not possible, then very early in Term 1. Fees must accompany the application form. Applications sent without payment will be returned.
Are there fees applicable to Open High School courses?
Yes. Please refer to our Single Course Information Handbook, and to information in the individual Languages sections of our website.
What are the Board of Studies course codes?
Can my son/daughter use my email?
What’s the meaning of ‘ERN’ on the application form?
This means ‘Enrolment Registration Number’.
The Department of Education and Communities issues these numbers to all government students. The home school should know this number, and through this number must electronically ‘share’ the student’s details with Open High School before enrolment.
Non-government schools should just submit the enrolment application without this number.
It’s already late in Term 1. Can we fax or email our application without the fee, and post it in later?
No, fees must accompany the application form. This can be sent by Express Post.
Can we send in the application form now but pay later?
No, the fee must accompany the application form. Applications will be returned to the home school if there is no proof of payment made to Open High School.
Can we pay by instalments?
No, the home school must provide the full fee with each application.
Can we pay by credit card?
No, Open High School has no facility to accept payments by credit card.
Can we pay by personal cheque or must it be a school cheque?
The student’s school must provide a cheque or confirmation that the school has made a direct deposit for the school service fee. Payment from the parent or guardian cannot be accepted.
Can I just study an Extension language with Open High School?
Yes, provided:
- You have satisfactorily completed the Preliminary course, and
- You are currently doing, or have completed, the HSC Continuers course in the language, and
- You apply late in Term 3 or no later than early in Term 4.
Submit an application with the appropriate fee as quickly as possible.
A student has just enrolled at our school and has been studying a language with Open High School. We don’t offer this language. Can he/she still study with you?
Yes, but your school must submit a new Single Course application. Please do this as soon as possible so that the student’s studies will not be interrupted.
A student has just enrolled in our school and needs to continue with his/her Open High School subject. I know we must submit a new application, but is a fee required?
This depends:
- If changing between government schools, no extra fee is required.
- If changing from government to non-government, a fee is required. Ring 02 9381 4807/4808 for further advice on how much to pay.
- If changing from a non-government to a government school, a fee may be required. Ring 02 9381 4807/4808 for further advice.
We want to enrol a student in 100 hours of a language in Year 10. Will the student still be eligible for the Beginners course in Year 11?
Yes, provided that the student has no more than this 100 hours of learning or knowledge of the language. The Board of Studies eligibility rules for Beginners are explained in our Single Course Information Handbook. The bottom line is that the Beginners courses are for beginners - those with either no prior learning or no more than 100 hours.
We have a Year 11 student returning from an exchange visit of considerable time in eg, Italy. Can s/he enrol in Preliminary Italian Beginners when he/she returns?
Our school has a policy where we only allow students to take a language at Open High School as additional to their electives (Year 9 or 10) or additional to their 12 or 13 units of study (Year 11 or 12) for a trial period of one term. Is this acceptable?
No, single course provision through distance education is provided primarily to enable students enrolled in a full time school to meet the mandatory minimum requirements of the Board of Studies. As distance education is a finite resource, the Department of Education and Communities has imposed a limit on the maximum number of units or electives that can be studied by a student. This must commence from the beginning of the student’s study by distance.
Our school has a very bright Year 9 student who can cope with doing the Open High School subject as additional to his/her electives at our school. Is this acceptable?
No, single course provision through distance education is provided primarily to enable students enrolled in a full time school to meet the mandatory minimum requirements of the Board of Studies. In the case of Year 9 or Year 10 students, the distance education subject must replace an elective at the home school.
My son/daughter really wants to study a language which is not offered at his/her school. What do I do now?
Provided the language is for Stage 5 (Years 9-10) or Stage 6 (Years 11-12), your child can study by distance with Open High School. You should contact your child’s school to discuss the matter with them, and then enrol through the home school.
We have a very bright Year 11 student who can cope with doing the Open High School subject as additional to his/her 12 units at our school. Is this acceptable?
No, single course provision through distance education is provided primarily to enable students enrolled in a full time school to meet the mandatory minimum requirements of the Board of Studies. The Department of Education and Communities has imposed a limit on the maximum number of units that can be studied by a student. In the Preliminary Course, this must not exceed 13 units.
I have a timetable clash. Can I do the language with Open High School even though it is offered at my school?
Yes, but please explain why you need the language, eg, career enhancement.
My child is in Year 7 but we want him/her to study a language not offered at school. Can he/she enrol in this language at Open High School?
No, Open High School offers languages from Year 9 onwards.
My child is in Year 8 and is good at languages. Can he/she accelerate into a Year 9 language course at Open High School?
Please discuss the situation with the Deputy Principal at your son/daughter’s school after referring to our Acceleration Policy.
Can my son/daughter in Year 10 do a language additional to his/her other electives at school?
No, the Year 9 or Year 10 language studied through Open High School must be part of the whole elective pattern. This means that your son/daughter must replace an elective at the home school with the Open High School language.
My son/daughter at a government school is not continuing from the Preliminary Course to the HSC Course, but has paid for the two years. Can we have a refund?
No, the $120 fee is a school service fee and, as explained in the Single Course Information Handbook, there is no refund.
My son/daughter attends a non-government school to which we pay considerable fees. Who pays the Open High School fee, us or the school?
That is a matter for you to discuss with your child’s school. However, payment in the form of a school cheque or proof of electronic funds transfer must accompany the application.
