Some bright students may be academically advantaged by them, but there is evidence that some of the lower 50 per cent in these schools may have been better in their local comprehensive schools, with more opportunities for leadership in the schools and communities. This was a client-driven decision. Parents wanted selective schools, so it was a matter of equity that they be available to everyone and their academic level was enhanced by making them more selective than before. Looking back, from the vantage point of HSC results this year and from a marketing point of view, the policy has been a resounding success. More than 15,000 students compete each year for about 8,000 places available in these schools.
Students travel all over the metropolitan area to attend, passing many good schools on the way.
Of course, comprehensive schools have suffered as a result of the success of selective schools. A comprehensive school, by definition, suggests both girls and boys, the full range of academic and other educational capacities represented in the local community and, in a multicultural society such as ours, a variety of backgrounds, cultures and religions. Such schools have been at the forefront of forging the cohesiveness and vigour of contemporary Australian society. Yet, in competition with the selectives that have creamed off the academically most gifted, the teachers and students in these schools have to fight a constant battle to counter the perception that they are second best. Some of them are doing it magnificently, against the odds.