Running from today until Friday 22 September, Check-In Week aims to promote conversations about student wellbeing so that young people feel empowered to take a proactive approach to their mental health in the lead up to exams.
While the week-long campaign ends on Friday, the tips, resources and advice aim to support students from now, into exams and onto the next chapter of life.
Students will benefit from mental health information, tips and personal stories from youth mental health service, ReachOut including:
- Taking a proactive approach to getting a good night’s sleep, including setting routines such as waking up at the same time each day
- Using tools to help keep motivated. Simple things like walking around the block, ticking off achievements for the day or putting on some upbeat music in a study break can make a big difference
- Seeking support if needed. Students might choose to speak with an adult they trust or make an appointment with their GP or mental health professional. ReachOut has a range of information available to help.
The 2023 HSC Enrolment Snapshot has also been released today, showing 76,839 students are studying one or more HSC course, as well as enrolments by course, gender and location.
The data shows trends in course enrolments, with Mathematics (60,093 students), Biology (19,808) and Business Studies (19,087) seeing the highest enrolments after English over the past 10 years.
Japanese (1,250 students), French (817), Chinese (625) and Italian (405) have the highest Language enrolments again in 2023, unchanged in a decade.
Entertainment Industry (975 students) is back in the top 5 VET courses in 2023, replacing Primary Industries in 2022. It follows Hospitality (7,040), Construction (3,521), Business Services (2,198) and Retail Services (1,555).
Around 900 siblings will sit exams this year, with 878 sets of twins and 14 sets of triplets and quadruplets enrolled in an HSC course.
This year HSC written exams will commence on 11 October with English paper 1 and conclude with Food Technology on 3 November.
View the 2023 HSC enrolment snapshot here.
Download NESA’s Check-In Week Kit or visit reachout.com for more tips and resources.
CEO of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Paul Martin said:
'My message to HSC students is to celebrate all that you have achieved already and back yourselves.
'You have done the hard work. Prioritise your wellbeing so that you can confidently show what you know in exams.
'Remember - exams, your HSC mark or your ATAR do not define you – they are stepping stones to the next adventure.
'Thank you to the teachers of NSW who have expertly guided their students to this point.'
Chief Executive Officer of ReachOut Ashley de Silva said:
'For some students, the lead up to final exams can be challenging.
'We encourage young people to take a proactive approach to their mental health and seek support if they need it.
'We know that many parents and carers will be supporting their young people right now and there is support available for you too. At ReachOut Parents, families can find information, tips and support.
'This is a really good time for parents and carers to be checking in with their young people to find out how they are coping and what they may need.'