All enrolment enquires should be directed to the front office. You will be required to fill out a pre-enrolment application, and then wait to be contacted by the Assistant Principal who oversees the year level.
School Context
Epping Secondary College is an established secondary school within the northern suburbs of Melbourne, located in the City of Whittlesea. The suburb of Epping has seen substantial growth at a rate of 9.1% which has had a significant impact on the growth of student numbers.
Epping Secondary College, established in 1976, has seen consistent enrolments above 1100 students for the past 5 years.
Policy Framework
The 2006 Education and Training Reform Act (ETRA) underpins the Department of Education and Training (DET) enrolment policy which can be found at: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/Pages/azindexe.aspx
The policy states that all eligible children and young people have the right to be admitted to their designated neighbourhood government school.
A student’s designated neighbourhood school is generally the school that is nearest the student’s permanent address as determined by the school zone. The website https://www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au provides guidance on which school zone a student’s permanent residence is located within.
School boundaries often move to accommodate demographic changes and the establishment of new neighbouring schools. As is the case with any new school the enrolment boundaries for it and neighbouring schools must be adjusted to reflect the closest school.
The potential future demand for enrolment places from within the local community indicates that Epping Secondary College must manage enrolments carefully and in accordance with the Priority Placement Order in the Enrolment Policy.
A student’s permanent place of address determines eligibility for enrolment at Epping Secondary College.
Where there are insufficient places at a school for all students who seek entry, students are enrolled according to the Placement Policy’s priority order of placement, which has three criteria.
Priority Order of Placement
In circumstances when a school may not be able to accept all applications due to existing or future capacity concerns, schools must manage enrolment applications in accordance with the following priority order of placement:
- Students for whom the school is the designated neighbourhood school.
- Students with a sibling at the same permanent address who are attending the school at the same time.
- All other students in order of closeness of their home to the school.
The current capacity needs at Epping Secondary College means that enrolments will be considered against the priority order criteria above. In exceptional circumstances, a student may be enrolled in the school on compassionate grounds. This is an overarching consideration and does not form part of the priority order of placement. Schools are permitted to assess and make a determination for exceptional circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
Schools must ensure that all applicants eligible under a criterion have been offered a place before moving to consideration of the next. All students for whom the school is the designated neighbourhood school are guaranteed a place.
Implementation
Year 6 to 7 Transition for Year 6 Government School Students
Year 6 to 7 transition is managed through the state-wide Year 6 to 7 Transition Program. This program has a number of processes and key dates that must be adhered to.
Our local government primary schools will provide Year 6 students with information about transition and enrolment in government secondary schools.
All Year 7 enrolments will be considered against the priority order of placement criteria.
Year 6 to 7 Transition for Year 6 Catholic and Independent School Students
Parents with students at Catholic or Independent primary schools may download the Non-Government Parent Transition Pack and follow the instructions for non-government students. The same enrolment conditions regarding
students attending their designated neighbourhood schools apply.
Year 6-7 placement pack – parents-carers-non-gov-schools (education.vic.gov.au)
Accelerated Cluster Education (ACE) Program
Only students who are enrolled in a cohort will be eligible to be offered a place in the Epping Secondary College ACE Program. Places will be offered on the basis of student achievement levels and performance on independent AAS testing conducted by the school.
Years 8-12 Enrolments
Students who reside in the Epping Secondary College designated neighbourhood zone have the right to enrol at Epping Secondary College. To locate your designated neighbourhood government school, please visit the Find My School website at https://www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au
Please visit our website for further information about Year 8-12 enrolment and transfers between school. Students transferring from other secondary schools will be considered in line with the priority order of placement and may be required to commence at the start of a semester when not within our designated neighbourhood zone.
Sibling Claim Enrolments that are Outside the Designated Neighbourhood Area
In the event that a Year 6 student has a sibling, who will be attending Epping Secondary College and whose residential address is located outside the designated neighbourhood, then the Year 6 student can apply for enrolment.
International Students
For information about our International Education Program please visit
https://www.eppingsc.vic.edu.au/student-life/international-students/
Epping Secondary College will only enrol international students who reside in the Epping Secondary College designated neighbourhood government school area.
If you have any questions regarding the Epping Secondary College Enrolment Management Plan, please contact the school.