Eligibility

Applicants must be:

• an Australian citizen, or a student with relevant specified visas
  see: International Student Program
• at least 5 years of age by 30 April in the year of first enrolment unless there is :
  - written approval from the regional director to admit a younger child, or
  - evidence of enrolment and full time attendance, where the child is transferring from an interstate school.

Note: Evidence of date of birth can be:

• official, such as a birth certificate or where this is not able to be produced
• unofficial, such as a doctor’s note attesting to a child’s age.

 Important: Schooling is compulsory for students between 6 to 17 years of age unless an exemption from attendance has been granted by the relevant regional director.

Note: Schools should refer to Circular S544-210 Age Requirements Regulations – Enrolment Arrangements for further details about school attendance eligibility and associated approval processes see: Department resources below.

Early age entry enrolment

Early age entry must be:

• requested in writing to the regional director by parents/guardians
• approved in writing by the regional director.

The regional director will only grant early entry in exceptional circumstances when there are strong grounds for believing long-term educational disadvantage would otherwise occur.

To determine student readiness on admission schools should consider:

• entry assessment from kindergarten and
• informal observations to assess development, literacy and numeracy and academic and social needs.

See: School Entry Assessment Kit from Curriculum Press within Other resources below.

Identification and student name

For applicants who are:

• Australian-born, a birth certificate or equivalent
• non-Australian-born, a passport or travel document such as a visa.

Immunisation status of students

Parents or guardians of school applicants must provide an immunisation certificate from the:

• local municipal council or
• Australian Childhood Immunisation Register.

Additional information is also provided in the Department of Health’s primary school immunisation fact sheet see: Starting Primary School?

Consent

The signature of:

• parent as defined in the Family Law Act 1975
  Note: In the absence of a current court order, each parent of a child who is not 18 has equal parental responsibility.
• student, if they are over 15 and living independently
• both parents for parents who are separated, or a copy of the court order with any impact on the relationship between the family and the school
• an informal carer, with a statutory declaration. Carers:
  - may be a relative or other carer
  - have day-to-day care of the student with the student regularly living with them
  - may provide any other consent required e.g. excursions.

Notes for informal carer:

• statutory declarations apply for 12 months.
• the wishes of a parent prevail in the event of a dispute between a parent legally responsible for a student and an informal carer.

For more information on informal carer status see: Child Safety Commissioner.

Note: Secondary students may complete parts of the form and co-sign.

When consent is disputed

Whenever faced with parent disputes, principals and staff should:

• avoid becoming involved
• avoid favouring one parent
• act in accordance at all times with the best interests of the student and the school community and
• act sensitively and realise that a resolution, satisfactory to both parents, may not be possible.

See: Parental Responsibility 

17 year old applicants

Applicants aged 17 or over who wish to return to school:

• must make a new application for enrolment to the principal.

Note: Applicants may appeal to the relevant regional director if their application to the principal is refused.

Privacy

Schools must provide a privacy notice to parents explaining the use to be made of admission information.

For sample notices see: Privacy within Department resources below.

defer admission of a student for up to 5 days

• requests that the enrolling parent or guardian provide the missing information
• advises the parent or guardian they are legally responsible for ensuring a child of school age attends school.

conditionally enrol the student:

• if the information is not provided after 5 days and 
• further delay in enrolling the student is likely to affect the student’s education and wellbeing.

• records the enrolment conditions and
• advises the parents or guardians in writing that the enrolment:
  - is conditional upon providing the missing information
  - will only be formally completed when these conditions are met.

Obtain copies of official immunisation certificates from parents/guardians prior to enrolment.

Note: It is not sufficient to site the stamped immunisation booklet.

Update CASES21 to show whether the student:

• is completely immunised
• is not completely immunised or
• does not have an immunisation certificate.

Maintain a file containing:

• immunisation certificates and
• names of students who are incompletely immunised.

Note: If students transfer to another school the immunisation certificate should be attached to the transfer form.