Lane Cove Library Throws Open Its Doors for HSC Students

If you are a parent and you have had a child go through HSC you know that you become a taxi driver (some schools ban kids from driving to school during exams) and a barista.  It is also a great idea to look for ways to help out your child and the Lane Cove Library is just the place.

Extra study hours, practice exams, free snacks and therapy dogs. Lane Cove Library is offering local HSC students a calm, well-stocked place to get through the final weeks before exams.

With the HSC exams on the horizon, the Lane Cove Library is extending its hours and adding extra support for Year 12 students.

The library’s HSC Study Support program has run on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons since early September.

It continues until 25 October 2026, and the most useful sessions are still ahead.

The library’s slogan for the program sums it up:

For students who find it hard to concentrate at home, or who are tired of fighting siblings for the kitchen table, it offers quiet space, practical resources and a bit of kindness at a stressful time.

Extended Study Sessions

The library will stay  open after hours for HSC study on these dates:

• Fridays, 5:00pm to 8:00pm: 2, 9, 16 and 23 October 2026
• Sundays, 2:00pm to 5:00pm: 4, 11, 18 and 25 October 2026

Students can pick up free HSC study packs and snacks during the sessions. No bookings are needed, so students can come to as many sessions as they like.

One Rule

The Lane Cove Library has one rule: the space is for study. Any group disrupting other students will be asked to leave.

Practice Exams Under Test Conditions

Sitting a practice paper in real exam conditions is one of the best ways to prepare. It builds stamina, helps with time management and makes exam day feel familiar. The library is running two free drop-in practice exams for HSC English:

• English Paper 1 Practice Exam: Friday 2 October, 2:00pm to 5:00pm
• English Paper 2 Practice Exam: Friday 9 October, 2:00pm to 5:00pm

Both are drop-in events and no booking is required. They finish just as the Friday evening study session starts, so students can go straight from the practice paper into a review of how they went.

Time Out for the Mind

The program also recognises that stressed students need breaks. Two mindfulness activities for HSC students run alongside the study sessions:

• Mindful Mandala Designs: Fridays, 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Take a mental break and create a mandala.
• Mindful LEGO Building: Sundays, 2:30pm to 4:00pm. Relax in the library and build your worries away.

Paws Pet Therapy will also visit with its therapy animals. Anyone who has seen a room full of stressed teenagers relax around a friendly dog will understand why.

Managing Exam Stress

Exam anxiety is common and can affect how well students think in the exam room. In the Cove has written before about why this happens and what helps. Psychotherapist Narelle Gillies explained that stress can push the brain into “survival mode”, which makes clear thinking hard. She recommended simple strategies: breathing exercises, staying hydrated, mindfulness and positive self-talk. Her tips still hold up and are worth sharing with any Year 12 student: Taking the Stress out of Exam Time.

Families looking for extra academic help for any student (not just HSC) can read our Lane Cove Tutoring Support Guide for local tutoring options.

Details at a Glance

• Where: Lane Cove Library
• When: Fridays 5:00pm to 8:00pm and Sundays 2:00pm to 5:00pm, until 25 October 2026
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: Not required

More information is on the Lane Cove Council website.

Good luck to all our local HSC students. You’ve got this. Remember the HSC does not define your life.

Your ATAR is just a number. It cannot measure your resilience, your creativity, your kindness, or the unique talents. It’s a key that opens a door, but there are hundreds of other doors, side windows, and alternative pathways waiting for you out there.