Enrolment Policy

General information regarding enrolment policy is provided here. A complete version of the enrolment policy of the school and Department of Education & Training is available from the school.

Legislative Context

The government school system in New South Wales exists to provide high quality education for all students. The Education Act 1990 outlines the objects of education and the legal requirements for compulsory schooling.

In brief, the legislation requires students between the ages of six and fifteen to be enrolled at a government or registered non-government school, and to attend school on each day that instruction is provided or to be registered for home-schooling. It is the duty of the parent or carer of the student to ensure that these obligations are fulfilled.

General Principles Governing Enrolment

• A student is considered to be enrolled when he or she is placed on the admission register of a school
• A student should be enrolled in one school only at any given time
• Children are entitled to be enrolled at the government school that is designated for the intake area within which the child's home is situated and that the child is eligible to attend
• Parents may seek to enrol their child in the school of their choice
• School local areas are determined by the Department of Education and Training through a process involving consultation between the Asset Management Directorate and the district superintendent
• Schools are required to set an enrolment number to cater for anticipated local demand and to seek to ensure that every eligible local child has a place at his or her local school if he or she chooses to attend it
• Schools are required to have a written policy which states the grounds on which non-local enrolments will be accepted
• The primary criteria for acceptance of non-local enrolments will include the availability of appropriate staff and permanent classroom accommodation
• The policy and criteria should be expressed in plain English, and in community languages where necessary

It should be made clear what consideration will be given to each of the criteria.

The decision on where to enrol a student, and with what level of support, will depend on a number of factors, including a student's educational needs, the expressed desires of parents and caregivers, the capacity of the system to provide the level of support services required generally and at a particular location and the availability of support services at alternative locations.

Enrolment Ceilings

• Kinder is 20 students per class
• Year 1 is 22 students per class
• Year 2 is 24 students per class
• Year 3 – 6 is 30 students per class
• Years 7-10 is 30 students per class
• Years 11 & 12 is 25 students per class

• Year 7 Visual Art is 20 students per class
• Year 7 & 8 Design & Technology is 22 students per class
• Year 9-10 Technics is 20 students per class
• Year 9-12 Food Technology is 24 students per class
• Year 9-12 Textiles & Design is 24 students per class

In addition to the above provisions, given available accommodation, the total school enrolment K-12 should not exceed 700 students.

Enrolment Buffer

No additional accommodation (permanent or demountable) will be provided to cater for increased enrolments resulting from non-local placements.

Within the enrolment ceiling, a buffer will be determined to accommodate local students arriving throughout the year. The size of the buffer will be based on historical data, on enrolment fluctuations and on the number of families moving into or out of the area. Places in the buffer are not to be offered to non-local students. At Evans River K-12 School, the enrolment buffer for K-6 classes is to be six students. The enrolment buffer for 7-12 subjects is to be eight students.

Placement Panels

In schools where demand for non-local places exceeds availability, the school will establish a placement panel to consider and make recommendations on all non-local enrolment applications. The composition of the panel is to be determined locally but must include at least one staff member, other than the principal, and one school community member nominated by the school's parent organisation. The panel will be chaired by the principal who will have a casting vote.

The panel at Evans River K-12 School is made up of the Principal, a member of the school executive and a nominee of the School Council. While there may be consultation with the school council or other school community representative structures. The development of criteria for the enrolment of non-local students will be the responsibility of the placement panel. The criteria for Evans River K-12 School is listed below.

In assessing the application of the criteria to individual cases, the panel will consider only those matters presented on the application form and not oral or other submissions. The decisions made by the placement panel must be made within the context of the agreed enrolment ceiling and the buffer retained for local students arriving later in the year. The placement panel should record all decisions and minutes of meetings are to be available on request by the district superintendent.

Criteria for Non-local Enrolment Applications

• proximity and access to the school
• siblings already enrolled at the school
• medical reasons
• safety and supervision of the student before and after school
• availability of subjects or combinations of subjects
• special interests and abilities
• compassionate circumstances
• structure and organisation of the school

The principal will ensure that the established criteria are applied equitably to all applicants. Parents should be provided with an explanation of the decisions of the placement panel in writing, should they request it.

Waiting Lists

Waiting lists may be established for non-local students. Parents should be advised in writing if their child is to be placed on a waiting list and his or her position on it. The size of the waiting list should reflect realistic expectations of potential vacancies.
Waiting lists are current for one year.

Appeals

Where a parent wishes to appeal against the decision of the placement panel, the appeal should be made in writing to the principal. where required, the principal should provide or arrange assistance, such as an interpreter, to enable the appeal to be set out in writing. The principal will seek to resolve the matter.

If the matter is not resolved at the local level the district superintendent will consider the appeal and make a determination. The district superintendent will consult with the relevant principals and school communities as necessary.

The purpose of the appeal is to determine whether the stated criteria have been applied fairly.

Kindergarten Enrolment

The principal will advise the parent body and the school community of the enrolment arrangements for the next year's Kindergarten children, including the policy on immunisation. Advice will generally be provided through the newsletter and P & C meeting.

Children may enrol in Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn five years of age on or before 31 July in that year.

Documentation providing proof of age, such as a birth certificate or passport, is required on enrolment. The enrolment of eligible children in the Kindergarten year is to commence within the first week of the school year.

Enrolment of Students with Special Learning Needs

Students with Disabilities

The Department of Education and Training provides a range of services and resources to support the education of students with disabilities. These include:

• targeted funding, specialist teachers and consultancy services to support students enrolled in regular classes
• special classes within regular schools
• special schools
• modifications to buildings to facilitate access
• provision of specialised equipment and technology
• special transport services

When considering the enrolment of a student with a disability, all these provisions should be considered. The decision on where to enrol a student with a disability, and with what level of support, will depend on a number of factors, including the student's educational needs, the expressed desires of parents and caregivers, the capacity of the system to provide the level of support services required generally and at a particular location and the availability of support services at alternative locations.

In many situations it will be possible to enrol a student with a disability at the desired school with the necessary level of specialist support. In some circumstances the level of support required, or the specialist nature of that support, will necessitate alternative enrolment options being provided. In each case, when a student with a disability presents for enrolment, it is the responsibility of the principal to ensure that an appraisal of the student's educational needs is carried out. For some students appraisal will have occurred as part of a planned transition process. For others, the appraisal will take place at the time enrolment is sought.

Appraisals will involve parents or caregivers and will entail consideration of the student's support needs in areas such as curriculum, mobility, social skills, personal care and communication. It will often involve consideration of supporting documentation from medical practitioners and other health and education professionals. District special education consultants are available to assist in this process, in particular, to identify the resources which may be available to support the enrolment.

Requests for enrolment in special classes or special schools are considered by a district placement panel. The Special Education Handbook for Schools contains descriptions of services available, eligibility criteria for access to services and procedures to be adopted in enrolling students with disabilities.

Enrolment in Distance Education

The provision of distance education is primarily for the purpose of ensuring access to education for students who would otherwise have limited chances at educational participation. Single subject (Years 9-12) programs are provided to students who qualify for enrolment in the categories specified in the enrolment guidelines. This provision applies when the subject they wish to study is not available at their home school.

Part-time Enrolment

Students are generally enrolled in a school on a full-time basis. Part-time enrolment, however, is possible in some situations, including:

• students in Years 11 and 12 who choose the HSC Pathway option to accumulate units towards their HSC over several years
• students who undertake some of their studies external to the school
• students with disabilities involved in post-school options
• mature age students re-entering the school system
• students with medical conditions enrolling in distance education (medical documentation must be provided)

Students seeking to enrol part-time should consult the principal.

Refusal of Enrolment

Principals may refuse enrolment of a student on the grounds of previously documented violent behaviour if there is evidence that the student has not learned the appropriate skills to manage this behaviour.