Department of Education - Enrolment FAQ

1. For schools with local-intake areas, principals need to reserve sufficient places for
additional enrolments from within the local intake-area during the school year before there
is any consideration of enrolments from students outside the local-intake area, including
applications from students transferring during the year from outside the local-intake area.

2. For schools without local-intake areas and which are near to capacity, principals need to
arrange for local-intake school boundaries with Strategic Asset Planning Directorate.

What happens if the school is currently full or is close to capacity and the principal is
aware of demand for places in the coming years?
Principals of local intake area schools are required to enrol local children; children from outside
the area do not have to be enrolled if classroom accommodation is not available.
Principals of schools without local intake areas do not have to enrol children if classroom
accommodation is not available.

Where there are more applications than places, which applications must be accepted
for a school without a local intake area? Do the rules differ for pre-compulsory?
Where there is no local intake area, students only need to be considered for enrolment if there
are suitable educational programs and places available. In ranking competing applications,
the distance of each child's residence from the school is the only criterion that can be used (in
the pre-compulsory as well as the compulsory levels). The distance from the school to the
usual place of residence must be measured in a straight line on a horizontal plane
(Interpretation Act 1984 (WA), Section 65).
Once the places available have been taken, the principal may be asked for assistance in
locating vacancies in neighbouring schools.

KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENTS
Can a child who reaches compulsory school age start in Kindergarten rather than
Pre-primary (compulsory) especially if the child has not attended Kindergarten or
appears unready for Pre-primary?
All children must enrol as compulsory education students from the beginning of the year in
which they reach 5 and a half years. Parents should be encouraged to enrol their children in
pre-compulsory in the year they reach 4 and a half years so that they prepare for full time
school.
The program for a 'repeat' or 'unready' student will be tailored to meet individual needs. For
instance the principal may decide to offer a kindergarten level program to a student of
compulsory school age, based on s24 provisions (Arrangements alternative to attendance) so
that the student only attends for the time the kindergarten program is operating.

ENTRY LEVEL PLACEMENT
Can I insist on the student being enrolled in a particular year level or educational
program?
Yes. This is the principal's decision based on the student's level of previous schooling or
readiness, achievement levels and identified needs. However the parents' preferences should
also be taken into account. In some cases it is possible to negotiate a trial period in a
particular Year level with a review at the end of the period.

EDUCATION SUPPORT CENTRES
Can Kindergarten and Pre-primary students be considered for enrolment in all types
of schools (local schools, education support centres, education support schools and
alternative models of provision)?
Yes, if they have eligible disability. Kindergarten and Pre-primary students with Global
Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder who meet
Schools Plus eligibility criteria are able to apply to enrol in education support centres. For
further information on the enrolment process see the Enrolment for Students with Disability
attached to the Enrolment policy and for information on the funding eligibility see Students
with Special Needs a tab on the Schools Resourcing and Budgeting website.
Provision is based on availability of an appropriate educational program and classroom
accommodation. A principal should facilitate the enrolment of the child at another school if it
is determined that their school cannot accommodate the child.
Parents need to be made aware that students retain the right to attend their local schools, and
will be required to return to their local schools, should it be established that they no longer
have disability that meets Schools Plus eligibility criteria.

DISPUTES
Can I decline an application or cancel an enrolment?
The legal grounds and processes are different depending on each case (for example disability
issues require different processes). Principals should refer to the Enrolment Disputes section
of the Enrolment Procedures and seek the assistance of the Education Regional Office
before proceeding. It is the Regional Executive Director and principals of the five approved
senior campuses or colleges who may decline an application. It is the Regional Executive
Director who cancels an enrolment. The only exceptions are where:
1. a principal may directly decline an enrolment if the student is already enrolled at a
school and the application is likely to be less than four weeks ( s75 School Education
Act 1999); likewise if the parent is home educating the student as shared school/home
education arrangements cannot be made. The parent must be informed that they may
request the Minister for Education to conduct a review (s 223 School Education Act
1999); or
2. a principal may directly cancel an enrolment because particular information provided
was false, misleading or has not been updated (ss16,17.20 School Education Act
1999). This option is not often used and should first be discussed with the Regional
Executive Director. The parent must be informed that they may request the Minister
for Education to conduct a review (s 223 School Education Act 1999).
Principals need to inform parents as soon as possible of the enrolment decision and that they
may dispute the decision. Enrolment disputes - Parent information and forms includes a
template for written notice and a copy of the Request for Review of Application for Enrolment
Decision Form.

DUAL AND PARTIAL ENROLMENTS
If a student is attending another school, is receiving home education, or wants
private tutoring during school hours, can I enrol them at the school for part of the
program?
If a student is attending another school, is receiving home education, or wants private tutoring
during school hours, can I enrol them at the school for part of the program?
No. A child may not be enrolled in school for part of the program including at the kindergarten
level even if parents are paying fees to the other school. Section 21 provides that the principal
can remove a child from the enrolment register if the Principal believes on reasonable grounds
that the student has enrolled in another school - government or non-government.
However offsite arrangements for an enrolled student may be made through the application of
a Section 24 Arrangement (Refer Related files ‘Information Guide: Approving Alternative
Attendance Arrangements (Section 24 Arrangements) July 2013’. Such arrangements do not
involve dual or partial enrolment.
For students in their final two years of schooling it is possible to combine schooling with other
participation options. Approved ‘Alternative options’ for Year 11 and Year 12 do not involve
dual or partial enrolment.

STUDENTS BEYOND COMPULSORY AGE
A school is not one of the five designated senior campuses or colleges but the principal is
happy for a student from the previous year who is now beyond the compulsory age (18 years)
to repeat year 12 in the school. Can the principal approve the enrolment?
Metropolitan
If the student was enrolled the previous year this is not a case of 'approving an enrolment'; it
is allowing a student to 'continue and repeat' Year 12. The Department's Legal Services branch
has advised that there is no legal barrier to a principal making such a decision. However, if
the student left the school earlier than one year ago, they should be directed to one of the five
senior colleges. If the student is beyond compulsory school age and the enrolment is for a
regional school, approval must be sought from the Regional Executive Director (RED).
Regional
If the student is beyond compulsory school age and the enrolment is for a regional school,
approval must be sought from the Regional Executive Director (RED).
The REDs and principals of Canning College, Cyril Jackson Senior Campus, North Lake Senior
Campus, Sevenoaks Senior Campus and Tuart College will take into account the following
factors prior to approving enrolment for students beyond the compulsory age:
• availability of an appropriate educational program and classroom accommodation;
• educational history of the person;
• individual circumstances of the person;
• record of past behaviour of a student and attitude to school;
• direction from the Department's Criminal Screening Committee.

STUDENTS FROM OVERSEAS
Which students from overseas are to be treated as if they are local residents?
The Enrolment of students from overseas provides details about which students from overseas
have the same enrolment conditions as local students. because they are on 'permanent
residence' visas or certain temporary residency visas All other temporary visa subclasses are
fee paying students (also referred to as 'overseas fee-paying students) subject to different
conditions according to the visa subclass. Further information is available from Education and
Training International (ETI) (telephone [phone]; Email: [e-mail])

Can I decide whether to accept a dependant of an overseas student?
Only schools with the Director General's approval may consider applications for ‘overseas
students’ (fee paying) including those whose parents are themselves overseas students. All
overseas fee-paying students are to be directed to Education Training International (telephone
(ETI, telephone [phone]; Email: [e-mail]) to manage the enrolment
process, placement and fee collection. The enrolment of students on temporary visa
subclasses that are fee-paying is at the discretion of the principal who must ensure that:
• the school must be approved to enrol overseas fee-paying students by the
Director General;
• the school has an appropriate educational program and classroom accommodation; and
• each person who is entitled to be enrolled at the public school has been given priority for
enrolment at the school.
There is no automatic entitlement for overseas fee-paying students to enrol at their local-
intake school.

How do I deal with debt recovery from students from overseas?
Any necessary debt recovery will be undertaken by Education and Training International (ETI)
through which the enrolment of fee paying students was arranged.
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Can ‘overseas students’ appeal enrolment decisions?
(a) Fee Paying Students
Temporary resident students who are not entitled to enrol are defined as ‘overseas students’
and must pay fees. The local-intake rules do not apply and principals need not enrol such a
child even though they may live in the designated local-intake area. Parents of such students
are not able to appeal enrolment decisions except by the general provision of requesting the
Minister to conduct a review of the procedures (s.223 School Education Act 1999).
(b) Permanent and Temporary residents entitled to enrol
Temporary resident students who are entitled to enrol (listed in the Enrolment form Overseas
Students Schedule attached to the Enrolment policy) are treated as local students and do not
pay fees. The local-intake rules apply and schools must enrol a child if they live in the
designated area. Parents need to be informed that they are able to appeal enrolment
decisions to the Regional Executive Director or by requesting the Minister to conduct a review
of the procedures (s.223 School Education Act 1999).

How do I deal with an electronic visa?
Overseas parents may present to enrol their children without visa subclasses stamped in their
passports. Visa holders with label-free passports are able to print out their visas using Visa
Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) at www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/vevo.htm. This is a free
service for the visa holder. Parents wishing to enrol their dependants in public schools with
visa label-free passports must present a copy of their VEVO print out so the visa conditions
can be sighted by the school.

Why use translating and interpreting services?
It is recommended that only trained and qualified persons are used rather than local
volunteers, as information discussed is often personal and confidential.
Interpreting
Information, advice and approval to use of interpreters and translators is available from the
K-12 EAL/D Curriculum Officer at [e-mail] or telephone [phone]