Changes to HSC practical performances and major projects impacts Tamworth students' preparation

But it's student's practical performances and major projects that will be mainly impacted by timetable changes.

Some, like those studying Industrial Technology, will have more time to prepare, while pupils performing Dance for the HSC will have less time than their city counterparts.

Music performances will go ahead as planned from August 30 to September 10, but Drama has been moved back two weeks and will run from September 6 to 17.

Among the most notable changes for regional kids is HSC Dance performances which will be marked in Week 5, while students in Greater Sydney will be judged in Week 10, giving them an additional five weeks to prepare.

But while Dance students might "suffer a little bit" others have been handed an advantage, Calrossy Anglican School's head of maths Stephen Lawson said.

"Industrial Technology's major projects were due next week, and they've been given a four week extension," he said.

"So while Dance students might suffer, Industrial Tech has certainly had a bonus four weeks to finish off their projects and polish them off."

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Mr Laswon said he can understand why there has been the extension because a lot of the children in Sydney would be struggling to get to workshops to finish their projects.

But regional NSW has largely escaped lockdowns, and still gets the four-week extension, he said.

One of the school's smallest year group's this year, 80 Year 12 students at Calrossy will begin their trial HSC exams on Monday and the school is hoping they can go ahead as scheduled.

"We left our dates the same because we really wanted to get them done before any potential lockdown," Mr Lawson said.

"On Tuesday afternoon Calrossy Music students will sit a trial run of their HSC performance, whereas kids in Sydney are going to be sitting at home practicing rather than actually getting to do it in exam conditions.

"For the kids in Sydney who are potentially going to miss out on trials and miss out on that experience of sitting down for three hours producing what they need to produce, it might be a disadvantage.

"Our students will be at a little bit of an advantage if they get to have their two week trials and have that rehearsal."

Oxley High School deputy principal Mark Baldwin agreed that students in regional areas were feeling quite lucky to be able to sit their trial exams uninterrupted. Oxley will begin its second week of HSC trials on Monday.

"The year advisers have been speaking to students about how they're feeling, they're understandably more anxious than what they normally would be but they're feeling quite positive," he said.

"We have precautions in place such as tables being set out as far as possible in the hall and office staff checking students as they walk in to the hall in the morning to see how they're feeling."

The NSW Education Standards Authority announced the additional changes to the HSC timetable last week, in recognition of the evolving COVID-19 situation and in line with health advice.

The hand in date for all major projects was extended by two weeks, with the exception being Industrial Technology.

Written HSC exams will begin one week later on October 19, with HSC results out on December 17.

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