Oxley High School has a strong history of supporting, developing and teaching students to perform at the highest levels of sport, academics and culture.
In light of our history of developing highly talented sportspeople, Oxley High School has implemented the Talented Athletes Program as a means of furthering the opportunities for our students to achieve the highest levels of sporting attainment possible and to compete on the world stage.
Oxley High School has developed a sport specific program to assist Gifted and Talented sports people to excel in the following areas:
Boys and Girls
-Football (Soccer)
-Basketball
-Hockey
Girls Only
-Netball
-Rugby Union/League/Oztag
Our TAP program has been developed in consultation with Sports High Schools across Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, as well as sporting associations (local and NSW). The program is focused on developing sporting talents across the Tamworth and North West area.
The aim of the TAP program is to develop the skills of our students to excel at Combined High Schools (CHS), All Schools (CHS, Independent and Catholic Schools), NSW and Australian Championships.
TAP aims for our students to be afforded every opportunity to perform at their highest levels possible and to maximise their capacity to be selected for higher levels of attainment (NSW and Australian selection) in their chosen sport.
The TAP program runs concurrently with students' regular timetable and includes sport-specific coaching sessions:
Specific (and higher level) sports skills
Resistance training, strength and conditioning coaching
Opportunities to explore accredited coaching qualifications
Opportunities to explore accredited umpiring/refereeing qualifications
Students enrolled in TAP will have opportunities to access high level state, national and international coaches and to train with and compete against other Gifted and Talented athletes enrolled in sports high schools.
All our coaches are highly qualified and experienced from a variety of organisations. Previously coaches have been affiliated with NSW Rugby, NSW Hockey, NSW Netball and Northern Inland Football. Some sports have teachers as the coach who have years of playing and/or coaching experience.
TAP is held concurrently with the normal school timetable, so depending on the allocated time, students will miss some of the regular classes. It is up to students to catch up on any missed work and assessment tasks/tests will take priority over TAP.
In 2026, TAP sessions will be held through sports afternoons and timetable lessons.
TAP students have the opportunity to attend various workshops throughout the year; such as Sports Performance Psychology, Performance Nutrition, Careers in Sports, Sports Injury Management to value add to their development.
The Oxley High School Talented Athlete Program operates under the user-pays system, that is, the school receives no government funding to operate these programs. All Talented Athlete Program students must make an annual contribution towards the operation of their program.
Annual Program Fees for 2027 are $350 for each sport offered. The cost is heavily subsidised by Oxley HS to keep the cost to a minimum. The fee covers coaching, venue hire, uniform, administration and most excursions. There may be additional costs on a sport by sport basis depending on activities throughout the year.
In order to ensure that we can continue to offer quality programs to your child, fees are to be paid in full. Students cannot be permitted to commence TAP training or participate in excursions/games until fees are paid.
• Fees are to be paid in full by Week 5 of Term 1.
• Fees can be made in person or via School Bytes.
Students will trial for a position in the Talented Athlete Program by attending the TAP Testing Day. No spectators allowed.
Students will be assessed on four main areas:
Talent in their chosen field of sport
Capacity to be coached to higher levels of skill
Teamwork and attitude
History of sport representation (relevant to the identified sport)
All students across the Tamworth and North West area are eligible to apply for enrolment (including non-local enrolment) to Oxley High School upon acceptance into the Talented Athletes Program.
See 'How to Apply' for Application Form and enrolment steps.