AMEB SA & NT COVID-19 updates
The safety and wellbeing of our examiners, teachers, supervisors, candidates and their families is our priority. The guidelines and practices we have implemented since the outset of the pandemic continue and exams will run according to the recommendations and requirements set out by government and SA Health. The University of Adelaide and AMEB SA & NT continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and respond to ensure the safety of all participants in exams. As restrictions change, we will issue updates on this page.
Update 27 July 2021 - South Australia
On 26 July, Premier Steven Marshall announced that the statewide SA lockdown will end midnight Tuesday 27 July, with Level 4 restrictions in place from 28 July. Restrictions will be reviewed weekly and lifted/tightened as required.
AMEB SA & NT Office
The University plans to open its campuses from 28 July, but the State Government has encouraged people to remain working from home if they have the ability to do so, in order to reduce the amount of movement around the community. As such, we will be extending our current arrangement until the end of the week and reopening as usual 9am, Monday 2 August 2021. For the remainder of this week, where possible, please email ameb@adelaide.edu with any questions you have. The office premises will not be staffed, but one phone line will be open for enquiries 9am-1pm until Friday 30 July.
Exams from 29 July in SA will take place under Level 4 restrictions
For AMEB exams, we will continue with our established COVID-19 procedures, to ensure the safest possible exam environment we can for all participants, and will also continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly.
Please note the following RE mask use at exam venues: The SA government today announced that masks will be required on public transport, indoors and in all public spaces for at least the next seven days. It has been strongly recommended by SA Health that universities follow the same rules as schools. For those attending SA exam venues whilst this restriction is in place, a mask will need to be worn when indoors. Candidates 11 years and under are exempt from this requirement.
Thank you for your continued support. We hope that these past days at home, albeit locked down and very rainy, have provided a chance to relax and take some necessary time out.
Stay safe
Kind regards,
AMEB SA & NT
Who is eligible for a free medical transfer?
Candidates are eligible for a free medical transfer if they are (or their accompanist is), at the time of the exam, required to self-isolate or quarantine as a result of COVID-like symptoms/COVID-19/potential exposure to it/a pending test result/as per advice from a medical professional. Requests for free medical transfers due to COVID-19 (as outlined) must be substantiated by evidence of the requirement to self-isolate or quarantine. If a candidate/accompanist has COVID-like symptoms and cannot attend the exam, they will need to undergo a COVID-19 test in order to be eligible for a free medical transfer.
What measures do we have in place currently when exams are running?
- The Central Venue, and Private Venues that have been pre-approved by our office, can all accommodate the tightened density requirements (up to 1 person per 4m2).
- Candidates are required to attend exam venues no sooner than 15min prior to their exam
- Support people and accompanists attending must sign in via the COVID-Safe QR check-ins in place (unless at private venues without a COVID-safe plan, in which case attendance is noted by supervisors via a sign-in form)
- Pianos and other touch points in exam rooms are cleaned in-between exams
- Supervisors are present at exams to ensure our COVID-19 measures are adhered to
- Those scheduled to attend exam venues who have COVID-like symptoms, even if they are mild, must not attend exam venues unless they have a negative result for a recent COVID-19 test. Please read above 'Who is eligible for a free medical transfer?'
- Page turners must be from the same household as the person requiring page turning (except at primary and secondary schools, where a fellow student may turn pages.)
Mask use
The SA government announced on July 27 that masks will be required on public transport, indoors and in all public spaces for at least the next seven days. It has been strongly recommended by SA Health that universities follow the same rules as schools. For those attending SA exam venues whilst this restriction is in place, a mask will need to be worn when indoors. Candidates 11 years and under are exempt from this requirement.
View the current exam dates for 2021
* Private Venue Pre-approval Process
To ensure that all exams take place in a COVID-safe manner, any private venue sessions will need to be pre-approved. AMEB SA & NT staff will assess applications to determine whether exams can be conducted whilst adhering to government social distancing requirements and recommendations from SA Health.
To apply to host exams at your venue, please:
1. Register as an Account Holder in SCORE (instructions) if not already registered.
2. Create the venue in SCORE (instructions)
3. Prior to the closing date of the relevant session, download and fill in the Private Venue Pre-approval Application form, if hosting for the first time during COVID-19.
4. Once signed, email the form to ameb@adelaide.edu.au and await approval from AMEB SA & NT before enrolling candidates. This generally takes up to 2 business days. Once approval has been received, the venue code for your venue (available once the venue is created) can be shared with any other Account Holders with candidates joining the session.
5. For any subsequent hosting during COVID-19 - if you wish to host more than one session and there is no change of supervisor or venue details, the application process does not need to be undertaken again. However, AMEB SA & NT will need to be advised and the total examining time must be a minimum of 2hrs. If over 3.5hrs, the session may be split to ensure waiting areas do not become over-crowded.
AMEB SA & NT will only consider sessions with mixed, practical music AMEB subjects, should a suitable, non-specialist examiner be available.
If you would like others to join your venue, you can post to our Facebook group 'AMEB SA & NT Venue Connect', a private facebook group of teachers and parents interested in sharing or joining venues for exams.