Frequently Asked Questions

These FAQs are specifically for schools. For School Start Bonus information for parents, see: School Start Bonus

Schools FAQs

What is the School Start Bonus (SSB)?

The School Start Bonus was introduced by the Victorian Government in 2006 to help families give students the best start at primary or secondary school through a one-off payment of $300.

The Bonus provides financial assistance to families for expenditure on school and sporting uniforms, school bags, books and related expenses.

For suggested correspondence with parents, see: Communicating with Parents

Who is eligible for the SSB?

To be eligible for the SSB students must to be:

• enrolled and in attendance in either Prep or Year 7 in Term 1, 2010
• enrolled in a Victorian registered government or non-government school.

For more information, see: Eligibility

Who is not eligible for the SSB?

School Start Bonus is not paid to:

• students/families with certain VISA categories.

For more information, see: Eligibility

If the child repeats Prep or Year 7, will they be eligible to receive the SSB again?

No, the SSB is a one off payment.

Is the SSB means tested?

No, it has no connection with the Education Maintenance Allowance eligibility and has no relationship with Centrelink.

How will the new payment process work?

Schools will be asked to produce and distribute the School Start Bonus voucher in Term 4, 2009 for 2010 enrolments.

This will be done through the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) system, using data gathered during enrolment.

Schools will be asked to:

• nominate and register a staff member as an EMA and SSB user to make entries into the SSB system
• check all Prep and Year 7 2010 enrolments for eligibility against the SSB requirements
• enter all eligible enrolments individually or by using a group 'Import' function into the SSB system
  • the school can import data directly into the SSB system from CASES or equivalent enrolment spreadsheet
  • the SSB system is equipped for bulk data entry and printing of vouchers, as well as individual entries and printing of vouchers
• print a black and white voucher on plain A4 paper
• provide the voucher to parents in person or by mail before the end of Term 4, 2009.

Families will take the voucher to Australia Post outlets which display the Bank@Post sign and redeem for $300 cash upon presentation of photo ID from 11 January 2010.

Why are schools administering the SSB?

Schools have been asked to distribute SSB vouchers in response to problems experienced in the last two years, including lost cheques due to incorrect address details. It is also to ensure the payment is available before the start of the school year.

How do I get access to the new SSB database?

The SSB database can be accessed through a link from the EMA system.

To get started you will need:

• internet access
• internet Explorer (the required browser)
• access to the EMA system
• to be registered in the SSB system as a 'User' with an 'Update' role for your school
  • this can be arranged through Head Office by calling 1800 809 834 (select option 6)
  • all users currently registered to access EMA will be automatically granted access to the SSB database

Will I have to double up on data entry?

There will be no double up on data entry. Schools will be able to run a new export job in CASES21 to export the enrolment data directly into the SSB database overnight to enable bulk data entry and bulk voucher printing.

What will happen if a student enrols in multiple schools?

Each voucher has a unique barcode so only one voucher can be issued per child, even if the parent or guardian enrols the student at several schools. The centralised database can be used to check whether a student has already been issued a voucher by another school. Any duplicates can be cancelled easily.  Enrolments can be transferred between schools if necessary so the correct school can continue administering the enrolment.

Can I issue a voucher for students who don't enrol until Term 1 has commenced?

A voucher can be issued for students who don’t enrol until Term 1 commences as schools can input individual entries into the SSB system. Students are eligible to receive SSB until the end of Term 1, 2010.

How do I distribute the voucher?

Schools will retain flexibility about how vouchers are distributed. For example, schools may choose to hand vouchers out to families on orientation days or to mail them.

What if I am not a registered EMA user?

To become a registered user of EMA or SSB simply:

• download the form from: EMA/SSB User Access Request (PDF - 19Kb)
• fill out the EMA/SSB user registration form to obtain your password and fax signed form to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

What do I do if I need help?

To assist your and your team to process the vouchers, all schools will receive the following:

• comprehensive online Help
• a detailed reference guide
• Frequently Asked Questions 

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact the SSB Helpline on 1800 809 834 (option 6) or by email to school.start.bonus@edumail.vic.gov.au

What do I do if a voucher is lost or damaged?

If a parent or guardian loses or damages their voucher, schools will be able to reprint the voucher without having to cancel it.

The vouchers have a unique barcode for each student to combat fraud. This means that only one voucher per parent (for their students at a school) can be redeemed for payment, and only once. 

What if a Parent cannot access a post office or does not have Photo ID?

Where a parent or guardian cannot access a post office or does not have Photo ID, they can:

• contact the Department on the support phone number and request an EFT form be sent to them
  • they will need to complete the form and post it to the Department
  • once received, an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payment will be deposited directly into their bank account.

What can I change on a voucher without having to cancel it first?

Schools can: 

• change any parent information
• change any existing student information.

Schools cannot:

• add or remove a student - this requires the current voucher be cancelled first.

When does a voucher have to be cancelled by the school?

A voucher would need to be cancelled by the school:

• if you need to remove or add a Student, this can only be done after the current Voucher has been cancelled
• after the cancellation has been completed, you can change the details, then print a new voucher (with a new bar code number) and give it to the parent.
• if the parent decides they do not want the voucher at all, they can return the voucher and it can be cancelled, with no new voucher printed.

Please note: Before 4 January 2010, you will be able to cancel a voucher and immediately print a new voucher. After that date, the cancellation will take 3 days to complete. See the question below: "I have cancelled a voucher but cannot print a new one".

I have cancelled a voucher but cannot print a new one?

Before 4 January 2010, you will be able to cancel a voucher and immediately print a new voucher. After 4 January 2010, the cancellation will take 3 working days to complete. After you go through the cancellation process, the enrolment status will be 'Voucher Cancellation Requested'. You cannot print a voucher at this time.

You will need to check the enrolment after 3 working days (not including the day you do the cancellation). Once it has an enrolment status of ‘Ready to Print’ you can print a new voucher.

What if the SSB System will not accept the enrolment data being entered?

The SSB System may not accept the enrolment date for the following reason:

• validation - such as duplicate student checks may prevent the information from being saved into the SSB system
  • if you cannot resolve the problem, you can add the enrolment manually and send it to Head Office. This will place the enrolment in an on hold state
  • once Head Office has resolved the issue, they will contact you to advise the outcome. This may result in you printing a voucher and giving it to the parent, or advising the parent that they cannot receive a voucher from your school (in the case where the system has their child also recorded at another school and a voucher has been printed there).

I am a Government School. Do I have to extract enrolment information from CASES21?

Where there are a number of students to be added into the SSB system, extracting the data from CASES21 using the new 'Export Job' is the most efficient and least error prone method. The day after you run the job in CASES21, you can use the 'Import Enrolments' function in SSB to complete the import process for your school.

If the number of students is not high (say less than 10)  and you need to complete your import in one day, you can opt to use the 'Add Enrolment' function in the SSB system to add students individually.  This takes less than 1 minute per enrolment.  However the CASES21 method is the best to use in nearly all situations.

Refer to the SSB Voucher Reference Guide for Schools (PDF - 1.6Mb) for more details.

I am using the SSB Import spreadsheet and get a ‘run time 1004’ error when transmitting. What does this mean?

When you click on the spreadsheet link on the Documents and Forms page, you may have opened the file rather than saving it first.

Try the following:

1. select the File menu, then Save As, and save the file somewhere
2. close the window (Internet Explorer)
3. open Excel and then open the spreadsheet as you would any other
4. view your enrolments and click 'Validate' again, then try to transmit.

If it still does not work, and you can see another button - Create CSV - under the Validate button, click on it to create a CSV file containing your enrolments.  

Follow the instruction in the SSB Voucher Reference Guide for Schools (PDF - 1.6Mb) on how to import a CSV file, otherwise contact the SSB support number for assistance.

I have produced a voucher for a family but the student has also enrolled at another school and will not be attending my school. What should I do?

If you have produced a voucher for a parent, you have the responsibility to distribute that voucher to the parent, even if they have also enrolled their student elsewhere and will not be attending your school in 2010.

For ongoing administration of the particular enrolments, and if all students on the enrolments are affected, you can use the 'Transfer Enrolment' function in SSB to move the enrolment to the correct school.  Make sure you contact the other school and let them know.

I have a family whose students are attending my school but I did not produce their voucher. What should I do?

Where a student has been enrolled at more than one school, which ever school first loaded the enrolment into the SSB will have produced a voucher and had the responsibility to distribute it to parents.

If the student is now attending your school and the parent has been issued with their voucher, you can contact the school that produced the voucher to get them to transfer it to your school.

If you still have issues please contact the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s Information and Referral Service on 1800 809 834 option 6.

What are the allowable DOB date ranges for Prep and Year 7 for the 2010 School year?

The 2009 Date of birth (DOB) date range for:

• Prep:     1/01/2003 - 30/04/2005 
• Year 7:  01/01/1996 - 01/01/1999 

You can extend the allowed ranges by 6 months by using Year Level '0OR' or '7OR' in place of 0 or 7.

If the student's DOB is still invalid and the student is eligible for the bonus, please contact Head Office via the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s Information and Referral Service on 1800 809 834 option 6 for approval and advice.

What happens to the voucher in shared custody arrangements?

The SSB should be paid to the parent and legal guardian registered with the child’s school as being the primary carer. Vouchers cannot be split into two payments for shared custody arrangements.

In 50/50 custody arrangements, if the parents cannot decide between themselves who should receive the Bonus, the dispute should be referred to the Family Law Court system - schools should not be put into the position of arbitrating in decisions such as this.