Subject Changes

• Term 4 Week 9: A google form will be posted on compass on the Wednesday. The due date will be on the 4:00PM Friday of that same week. Late submissions will not be considered.

• Term 2 Week 10: A google form will be sent to your parents for approval on the Monday. The due date will be on the 4:00PM Wednesday of that same week. If there is no response from the parents, then you request will be removed.

• Term 2 Week 11: The timetabler will try to fulfill all of the approved subject change requests.

You will be notified whether your subject change request was able to be fulfilled or not.

It is important to remember that not all subject change requests can be fulfilled. Consider the following example:

Imagine a hypothetical student who wants to drop Legal Studies and pick up Chemistry. They submit their request during the designated window. 

Once the system opens, here are the sequential steps the timetabling team takes to try and make it work:

Step 1: Same Subject Block

The team looks at the student's schedule and identifies that their current Legal Studies class runs during Period F. The most straightforward solution is a direct swap.

• The Constraint: The team checks the Chemistry class running in Period F. It is already at maximum capacity. A direct switch is impossible.

Step 2: Alternate Subject Block

Assume chemistry runs at several other times throughout the week (Blocks A, B, C, D, and E). However, the Chemistry classes in Blocks D and E are also full.

To get the student into one of the remaining open Chemistry classes, the team must try to shuffle the student's entire existing schedule. This creates a domino effect with their other subjects. For example: English (Block A), Maths Methods (Block B), and Psychology (Block C):

• Testing Period A: We try moving the student to Chemistry in Block A. This means they must drop English in Block  A. To keep English, we must move it to Block F (where Legal Studies was). But the English class in Block F is full. This option fails.

• Testing Period B: We try moving the student to Chemistry in Block B. This means they must drop Maths Methods in Block B. To keep Methods, we must move it to Block F (where Legal Studies was). But the Methods class in Block F is also full. This option fails.

• Testing Period C: We try moving the student to Chemistry in Block C. This means they must drop Psychology in Block C. To keep Psychology, we must move it to Block F. But unfortunately the Psychology class in Block F is also full. This option fails.

At this point, every single structural combination hits a wall because the corresponding classes are completely capped.

Step 3: Testing Backup Alternatives

When the primary subject choice is blocked, the team meets with the student to find alternative interests, such as Information Technology, History, or Applied Computing.

The system then repeats the exact same multi-step testing process for each of these backup subjects. If those alternative classes, or the required shuffle blocks, are also at maximum capacity, the grid remains locked and unfortunately we cannot fulfill your subject change.

Even if you are in Year 11, there are further restrictions as to what subject changes are permitted.

The following subject changes are not permitted under any circumstances:

• Any subject → Unit 2 Literature

• Any subject → Unit 2 English Language

The following subject changes are not permitted unless you receive approval from the subject teacher:

• Any subject → Unit 2 Specialist Maths

• Any subject (except Unit 2 Specialist Maths) → Unit 2 Math Methods

• Any subject → Unit 2 Physics

• Any subject → Unit 2 Chemistry