School sporting scholarships/recruitment

[Azzuri]

What is rubbish, is that the practise is allowed.
It was designed to assist high performing national athletes that couldn't cope with both their training load/ and missing weeks to compete on an international level.

Here we have kids who are basically saying the load to compete for their School against 6 other Schools is too high a burden to study properly.
In Schools that are predominantly the most expensive in the state.

It's ridiculous !

What's ridiculous is the misinformed rubbish posted in this thread when people don't know the facts. I happen to know the Kings lads very well so I have first hand knowledge of the facts rather than the opinion and uninformed speculation that is being peddled as fact on this thread.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Azzuri, I have seen it happen.
I am not aware of how widespread the practice is nor of it's use in the last couple of years, but I assure you it has happened.
The main reason a school and an elite student agree for him to do Year 12 over two years is, age permitting, to play in the top team for one extra year.

Not just the private schools, St Augustines and Westfield Sports have been known to utilise this over the past few years..

 

[Azzuri]

age permitting, to play in the top team for one extra year. .

Bingo!!!!... exactly right... "age permitting". If a kid satisfies the pathways criteria then he's rightly entitled to take advantage of the program. If that means a lad plays another year in firsts then so be it especially as the there is another year of tuition costs to deal with. What's been missed here as well is that one of the lads in question only played his final year in the first XV so it's hardly what you would call a school strategy of holding kids back to shore up the first XV.

 

[Rich_E]

Back in the day, I saw many instances (my younger brother being one) where kids who were young for their year and who would have benefited for a whole bunch of reasons from an extra year at school, that repeated year 11. But being able to do year 12 in two stages would have been a far better solution. So to say that the only purpose of pathways is to shore up a schools 1st XV is a very narrow view.

As alluded to above to qualify for pathways you need to be young for the year that you had been in up to year 11. In other words your age in the second year of year 12 would only be the same as those who were in that year all along. Put another way, it could be argued that pathways enables kids who started young to graduate in a year that they would have graduated had they started in that year group to begin with, at the age most kids would have started.

 

[The Honey Badger]

I don't think anyone is saying it's not legal, or permitted under the rules of AAGPS.

Just a bit hard to believe the the school hasn't had a hand in encouraging the situation. Especially if there were 3 boys involved which you haven't refuted.

 

[I like to watch]

What's ridiculous is the misinformed rubbish posted in this thread when people don't know the facts. I happen to know the Kings lads very well so I have first hand knowledge of the facts rather than the opinion and uninformed speculation that is being peddled as fact on this thread.

My post refers to no one in particular, just to the pathways option generally.

When the kid is 'top age' and is too old to play for the School, or to trial for rep jumpers in his second year of year 12, there are zero participants.
Funny coincidence?

 

[Azzuri]

My post refers to no one in particular, just to the pathways option generally.

When the kid is 'top age' and is too old to play for the School, or to trial for rep jumpers in his second year of year 12, there are zero participants.
Funny coincidence?

Nope no coincidence ILTW.... they are just playing by the rules. If the rules are being rorted or not working then they should be changed.

 

[Azzuri]

I don't think anyone is saying it's not legal, or permitted under the rules of AAGPS.

Just a bit hard to believe the the school hasn't had a hand in encouraging the situation. Especially if there were 3 boys involved which you haven't refuted.

I don't need to refute or confirm anything, these situations are not new and it's preposterous to think that schools are now confirming the makeup of their first XV when the lads are still in year 9. Applying for pathways is up to parents and the child, not schools. Conspiracy theorists will continue to tilt at windmills to service their own agendas, especially when their tin foil hats start receiving transmissions from Uranus.

 

[I like to watch]

Nope no coincidence ILTW.. they are just playing by the rules. If the rules are being rorted or not working then they should be changed.

I'm not suggesting any rules are being broken.
If you can't see it's absurd that a kid does pathways next year to participate in a 6 week local Schools comp,that's ok.
We can agree to disagree.

 

[Rugby Addict]

ILTW I think you are taking a very narrow view of the reasons for doing Pathways. To play in the GPS comp for another year would play a small part in the decision making for many.

Other reasons may include:
- To make school rep teams competing with people your own age (the big one IMO).
- Needs another year at school to reach the maturity for Uni/work.
- Will get a better ATAR by spreading 10-12 units over two years and therefore get a better mark.
- Higher school rep teams will lead to bonus points for Uni entrance.

I also think it costs the same for Pathways (2 years at half the going rate) as a normal year 12 (1 year) so no cost imposte on the parents.

 

[I like to watch]

Do an extra year for a rep jumper?
It's not a year it's 6 months in most cases (bottom age kids born first 1/2 year, top age 2nd 1/2)
Pathways is designed for elite athletes with a heavy workload,not for average students to maximise ATAR !!!!
Not to mention kids who do pathways who do not seek an ATAR!!!

 

[Azzuri]

I'm not suggesting any rules are being broken.
If you can't see it's absurd that a kid does pathways next year to participate in a 6 week local Schools comp,that's ok.
We can agree to disagree.

No disagreement that it would be absurd if the reasons you suggest are the reasons why someone would do Pathways.

 

[Prince Henry]

I don't need to refute or confirm anything, these situations are not new and it's preposterous that you appear to believe schools are now planning the makeup of their first XV and when the lads are still in year 9. Applying for pathways is up to parents and the child, not schools. Conspiracy theorists will continue to tilt at windmills to service their own agendas, especially when their tin foil hats start receiving transmissions from Uranus.

BBC in Brisbane don't plan from year 9. They plan from year 8!

......and good luck to them. Their 14As came third last year.

 

[Spieber]

Nope no coincidence ILTW.. they are just playing by the rules. If the rules are being rorted or not working then they should be changed.

One of my children competed against an U19 pathways student in a sport that allowed it (someone who also coincidentally competed at a National level and was at a school with a statistically improbable number of top athletes). Do you have a link to a site where it states it is restricted to U18 kids. One site I found in board of studies indicated it can be done over 5 years.

 

[White line fever]

Having heard all the discussions I think the answer is that the term "pathways"could be used for whatever agenda a school may have.

So you could ALL be right BUT...

I do think that in reality, parents and therefore their boys, choose this direction ULTIMATELY for a career reason, not a sport reason in the VAST majority of reasons.

The days of a 20 year old, no school named ( but starts with J) playing a 3rd year in the 1sts just to win another premiership, I think are gone.
No longer is the wife and 3 kids left in the Volvo while he slips out for a quick game for his school!

I would guess that the word and meaning of "pathways" means exactly that a way/path to a working career, and that is why it was introduced!

So I think Azzuri case is typically most accurate.

 

[The Honey Badger]

One of my children competed against an U19 pathways student in a sport that allowed it (someone who also coincidentally competed at a National level and was at a school with a statistically improbable number of top athletes). Do you have a link to a site where it states it is restricted to U18 kids. One site I found in board of studies indicated it can be done over 5 years.

A boy can turn 19 and compete in any AAGPS sport, EXCEPT rugby.

 

[formerflanker]

Having heard all the discussions I think the answer is that the term "pathways"could be used for whatever agenda a school may have.

In trying to be accurate but not pedantic, "pathways" has a very specific educational definition. From the Board of Studies (now BOSTES) website:
What is meant by HSC ’Pathways’? HSC ’Pathways’ describe the options available to students to gain the HSC more flexibly. One option is to accumulate the HSC over a five-year period. Read about HSC Pathways on Students Online.How do students apply for HSC Pathways?There isn’t an application form for HSC Pathways. Each pathway needs to be negotiated with the school or TAFE concerned. Students need to make sure that there is a route they can follow to complete the requirements.
So, WLF, you are correct. Doing the HSC Year 12 program over 2 years is one pathway. The Scots method of sending elite athletes to do some subjects at Sydney University with guaranteed uni entrance is another pathway. The UNE offers yet another pathway for academically gifted students who have done an ATAR eligible subject before Year 12. There are many more examples.
All "pathways" means is the range of options available to all students to complete their HSC.

 

[sidelineview]

I'm not sure if any schools would be encouraging eligible students to do pathways but they'd be mad if they didn't welcome talented rugby players making that choice.

It sounds like a win/win/win situation to me concerning the student's education, his chances of making higher rep honours and strengthening the school's 1st XV team.

 

[The Honey Badger]

So does anyone just repeat Y12 in order to try and improve their ATAR? This wasn't too uncommon in my day.

Is this Pathways as well?

 

[Prodigy]

A boy can turn 19 and compete in any AAGPS sport, EXCEPT rugby.

More than likely, due to the ARU's two-year window policy and the fact that a number of 16 & 17 year olds may take part in the 1st XV competition


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