2026 Year 7 Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) Class
Balwyn High School intends to use the ACER High Ability Selection Test (HAST) for entry into the 2026 Year 7 class.
The test will be conducted on Monday 18 August at Balwyn High School and registrations will open in July once primary school placements are confirmed. Only students who have received a ‘High School Placement Notification’ for Balwyn High School will be allowed to register.
The test will have four parts: Reading Comprehension, Written Expression, Mathematical Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning.
The HAST Sample Question Booklet is suitable for both tests and can be purchased from the ACER website HERE
After the test has been conducted, Year 6 students will be shortlisted for interviews. Interviews will be conducted early in Term 4 and candidates will be informed of their success or otherwise early in November.
2026 Year 9 SEAL Classes
Balwyn High School will again be inviting approximately 25 students currently enrolled in Year 8 at Balwyn High School to join the SEAL program in Year 9. The selection process does not involve a test or interview; we use a range of data, including Victorian Curriculum and learning behaviour judgements, to select students for the program.
SEAL Program Information
Education research shows that accelerated learning – the delivery of curriculum at a faster rate – matches the learning needs of academically gifted and talented students, who are quick to grasp basic concepts and are thus ready sooner to be challenged by the increased complexity that comes from advanced level curriculum. Accelerating the curriculum is shown to be twice as effective for gifted and talented students than conventionally paced teaching.
How Does the Program Work?
Those students selected to join the program after testing and interview form a discrete class at years 7, 8 and 9. Curriculum in the core subjects of English, Maths, Science and Humanities is accelerated, such that the students complete Years 7-10 in three years.
This allows students to undertake a three-year VCE, broadening the range of subjects they undertake and allowing them to complete more year 12 (Unit 3 & 4) studies than a mainstream student. As a result, SEAL students are in a position to calculate a higher ATAR score at the end of their VCE than are mainstream students. As part of this VCE program, some students undertake VCE Extension Studies which allows them to complete one or more university subjects.
