Annandale North Public School
Enrolment Policy 2014
1. POLICY FRAMEWORK
Annandale North Public School (ANPS) is required to have a written policy which deals with an enrolment ceiling, enrolment buffer, placement panel, non-local enrolment criteria, waiting list and appeals and grounds on which non-local enrolments will be accepted.
This Enrolment Policy (Policy) is to be read in conjunction with the NSW Department of Education and Communities - Enrolment of Students in NSW Government Schools: A Summary and Consolidation of Policy(Ref: PD/2002/0006/V01) (DEC Policy).
2. POLICY PURPOSE
This Policy:
(i) specifies the requirements and procedures for enrolling children at ANPS for the information of parents and carers;
(ii) specifies the grounds on which local and non-local enrolments will be accepted at ANPS;
(i) establishes an enrolment ceiling based on available permanent accommodation;
(ii) outlines when, and for what reason, a placement panel will be convened; and
(iii) outlines how an appeal against a decision of a placement panel may be made.
- ENROLMENT PRINCIPLES
The enrolment of children at ANPS will be consistent with the Education Act 1990 (NSW) (Act) and the DEC Policy, and will be based on the following principles:
(i) children of compulsory school age must 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.
(ii) children are entitled to be enrolled at the government school that is designated the intake area within which the child's home is situated and that the child is eligible to attend;
(iii) school intake areas are determined by the Department of Education and Communities;
(iv) the primary criteria for acceptance of non-local enrolments will include the availability of appropriate staff and permanent classroom accommodation
- LOCAL ENROLMENT APPLICATIONS
4.1 Intake Area Enrolment
Children are entitled to enrol at ANPS if their home is within the designated intake area.
The local intake area for ANPS may be amended from time to time and details of the intake area can be obtained by contacting ANPS or the NSW Department of Education and Communities.
4.2 Sibling Enrolment
ANPS will enrol siblings of children enrolled for the year in which the applicant sibling is applying for enrolment, if:
(a) that applicant sibling's home was, prior to the changes to the designated intake area in 2011, within the designated intake area; and
(b) the enrolled child and their parent(s) or primary carer(s) resided in that home at the date of those changes; and
(c) remain resident within the 2011 (unamended) intake area at the time of enrolment.
(d) any local area student enrolment whose family moves out of the local catchment area will not have automatic enrolment rights for siblings
4.3 Enrolment Numbers (Ceilings and Buffers)
Having regard to the requirement to establish an enrolment ceiling based on available permanent accommodation, ANPS has an enrolment capacity of 427 (P2 ceiling = 450) students based on 18 permanent classrooms. That enrolment ceiling includes a 5% buffer to accommodate local students enrolling throughout the year.
Limited classroom accommodation and playground space currently prevents further expansion in enrolments.
4.4 Class Sizes
ANPS is committed to complying with the following DEC average class size requirements:
K= 20 students
Year 1= 22 students
Year 2= 24 students
Primary Classes Years 3 to Year 6= 30 students
- DOCUMENTATION IN SUPPORT OF ENROLMENT
The Principal of ANPS is entitled, for the purpose of establishing a child's eligibility to attend or entitlement to be enrolled at the school to require proof, to their satisfaction, of the child's identity, date of birth and/or home address.
In addition to the documentation provided in support of an Application to Enrol in a NSW Government School, parents and/or carers may be required, to provide additional documentation and/or a Statutory Declaration to evidence those matters.
Annandale North Public School is requesting five pieces of evidence at the time of application to enrol to prove place of residence. These must be current and original copies must be presented. A drivers licence will not qualify as evidence as this is too easily changed.
A new set of five pieces of evidence will be requested on the day the child is officially enrolled to prove currency of address.
If a person provides materially false or misleading information to a school when making an application for enrolment, this is an offence which has a penalty of up to 2 years imprisonment, $22,000 fine or both.
A child's enrolment at ANPS may be terminated if the child was enrolled as a result of false information or a false document provided to the Principal.
- NON-LOCAL ENROLMENT APPLICATIONS
6.1 Placement Panel
In schools where demand for non-local places exceeds availability, the school is required to establish a placement panel to consider and make recommendations on all non localenrolment applications.
The placement panel must, at a minimum, consist of the School Principal (who is the Chair and holds the casting vote), one Assistant Principal and one nominee of the Parents and Citizens Association.
Current and projected enrolments at ANPS currently exceed the established enrolment ceiling. Accordingly, ANPS has established a placement panel to consider and make recommendations on all non localenrolment applications.
It is considered unlikely that, subject to clause 4.2 of this Policy, any child whose home is not within the designated intake area, would be able to be accepted for enrolment at ANPS. This includes siblings of currently enrolled students.
6.2 Additional Capacity
At any time, should enrolments at ANPS fall to a level which would facilitate the enrolment of children whose homes are not within the designated intake area for ANPS, the placement panel will consider and make recommendations on all non-local enrolment applications having regard to the requirements of the Act and the DEC policy, which require that non local enrolments not generate demand for extra staff or accommodation, or disrupt school routines.
Preference for placement of those students will be given to siblings of students who will be enrolled at ANPS in the year in which the applicant sibling is applying for enrolment.
6.3 Other Circumstances
In all other cases regard will be had to:
(a) school organisation;
(b) grade and class numbers;
(c) proximity of the applicant's home to the school;
(d) medical reasons;
(e) compassionate circumstances; and
(f) the safety and supervision of students before and after school.
In assessing applications, the placement panel will consider only those matters presented on the application form and will not consider oral or other submissions.
The placement panel must record all decisions and maintain minutes of the meetings. These are to be made available on request to the Director, Public Education NSW.
Parents and/or carers will be informed in writing of the placement panel's decision.
- Appeals
Parents and/or carers who wish to appeal against any aspect of this policy or any decision of the placement panel may do so in writing to the Principal. If the matter is not resolved at the school level, the Director, Public Education NSW, will consider the appeal and make a determination. The purpose of the appeal is to determine whether the stated criteria have been applied fairly.
- Policy Review
This Policy will be reviewed annually in response to local enrolment demand. Please check with the school to ensure you have a current copy of the school's Policy.
Reviewed – 4th March, 2014
S.Bollard