- Date:
- 14 July 2025
Policy
Please note: This policy replaces the Specialism Schools and Programs policy.
Policy
The purpose of this policy is to define designated purpose settings (DPS), outline the different types of DPS available to students, and describe their role within the Victorian government education system. The policy also provides overarching guidance for establishing and modifying special entry criteria at these settings.
Summary
- A DPS is a school, campus or program that specialises in a specific subject or activity or supports a particular student cohort.
- These settings typically do not have a school zone and enrol or admit students under department approved special entry criteria aligned to their purpose.
- Principals of DPS must publish their special entry criteria on their school’s website, either by uploading a school-level enrolment, selection or referral policy or by linking to a related department policy or webpage with the relevant information.
- Principals of DPS must follow the guidance in this policy when seeking to establish or modify their setting’s special entry criteria.
Details
Within the Victorian government school system there are 2 overarching categories of educational settings. These are:
- designated neighbourhood schools (DNS)
- designated purpose settings (DPS).
Eligible students have a legislated right to enrol at their designated neighbourhood school. DNSs must follow the department’s Placement Policy when enrolling students.
DPS enrol or admit students who meet the special entry criteria outlined in their enrolment, selection, or referral policy (where there is sufficient accommodation) and have no legal obligation to enrol or admit local students into the DPS. The one exception is DNSs that offer a bilingual program through the department’s Designated Bilingual Program, where locally enrolled students are required to participate in the program.
DPS offer environments that cater to diverse learning needs and provide students with greater choice and flexibility to achieve their education aspirations while at school.
Victorian government DPS include standalone schools, or campuses and programs of DNSs, that:
- specialise in a specific subject or activity, for example, science or performing arts, or
- support a particular cohort, for example high achieving students, students with diverse learning needs, or students with disability and/or high support needs.
These settings must have a designated purpose from one of the following categories:
- Alpine/Seasonal
- Complementary (including Community schools and Flexible Learning Options)
- English language (for newly arrived students)
- Health Services (including Hospital schools and schools working with mental health services)
- High-Ability (including select entry secondary schools, sport, science, and performing arts)
- Language (including Binational and Bilingual)
- Outdoor Education
- Specialist (for students with disability and/or high support needs)
- Virtual
- Youth justice.
DNSs that operate a designated purpose campus or program must continue to apply the Placement Policy for enrolments into all areas of the school outside the designated purpose campus or program.
Some DNSs have a local enrolment policy that contains an adjusted priority order of placement which applies to all enrolments, including enrolments into the DPS campus or program (e.g. DNSs with deaf facility campuses). In these cases, all enrolments into the school must be managed in accordance with the school’s adjusted priority order of placement.
Special entry criteria guidance
Special entry criteria are specific requirements or conditions that students must satisfy to be considered for enrolment or participation in a DPS.
Special entry criteria may include factors such as demonstrated aptitude or talent in a particular area (for example, sport), specific academic achievements, specific diagnoses and support needs, or other relevant attributes that align with the designated purpose (for example, proficiency in spoken languages).
Special entry criteria must be measurable, objective, and clearly defined to ensure transparent and fair decision making when enrolling or admitting students.
Approval of special entry criteria
Special entry criteria must be approved by the Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services or the relevant regional director, as authorised delegates of the Minister for Education (Instrument of Delegation No. 2025/D02 (PDF)(opens in a new window)).
Principals must seek approval to add, remove or change special entry criteria for a DPS (refer to guidance tab for further information).
Where applicable, special entry criteria must also align with any statewide eligibility requirements for certain types of DPS.
Application of special entry criteria
Principals of DPS must ensure that special entry criteria are consistently applied when selecting students. This includes the prioritisation of students where the number of applicants exceeds sufficient accommodation.
Publication of special entry criteria
DPS must detail and publish their special entry criteria on their school website.
This requirement can be met by either:
- uploading an approved school-level enrolment, selection or referral policy outlining the special entry criteria
- providing a link to the special entry criteria that applies to the DPS set out in a related department policy or webpage, for example, the Flexible Learning Options policy for FLO settings.
If additional enrolment requirements for a DPS extend beyond those specified in a related department policy or webpage, an approved school-level enrolment, selection or referral policy detailing the special entry criteria is required and must be published on the school website.
School-level enrolment, selection or referral policies are recommended to be easily accessible and promptly updated if any modifications are made to the special entry criteria (please refer to guidance tab for further information).
The school-level enrolment/selection/referral policy or related department policy/webpage must also outline:
- the minimum and maximum ages for enrolment or participation in the DPS
- how parents or carers appeal a decision not to provide placement.
Department oversight of special entry criteria
The department may initiate reviews of special entry criteria arrangements at any time to ensure continued alignment with educational objectives or to address enrolment challenges within local school networks.
Please refer to the guidance tab for more information on:
- modifying special entry criteria
- establishing a new designated purpose setting
- designated purpose schools in Victoria and the complete list
- designated purpose campuses in Victoria and the complete list
- designated purpose programs in Victoria and the complete list.
Related policies
- Curriculum Programs Foundation to 10
- Designated Bilingual Program
- EAL – Provision for Newly Arrived Students
- Enrolment
- Flexible Learning Options
- Outdoor Education Schools
- Students with Disability
- Supporting High-Ability Students
Relevant legislation
- Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)(opens in a new window)
- Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017 (Vic)(opens in a new window)
Contact
Schools may contact the relevant Executive Director Area for queries about:
- modifying special entry criteria at a new or existing DPS
- establishing a new DPS in Victoria.
For queries about individual DPS, schools may contact the individual setting or the relevant Executive Director Area. Refer to Office locations(opens in a new window) for contact details for each regional office.
For general queries about this policy please contact the Designated Purpose Settings Unit at: designated.purpose.settings@education.vic.gov.au
Guidance
Guidance
This guidance contains the following chapters:
- Modifying special entry criteria and establishing new designated purpose settings
- Designated purpose schools in Victoria
- Designated purpose campuses in Victoria
- Designated purpose programs in Victoria
Modifying special entry criteria and establishing new designated purpose settings
Modifying special entry criteria and establishing new designated purpose settings
Modifying special entry criteria
Modifications to special entry criteria at existing designated purpose settings (DPS) must be approved by the Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services or the relevant regional director as authorised delegates of the Minister for Education (Instrument of Delegation No. 2025/D02 (PDF)(opens in a new window)).
This includes changes that alter:
- the purpose of the DPS
- the student cohort for which the DPS was established
Principals should contact their relevant Executive Director Area to discuss any potential modifications to their school’s special entry criteria. The Executive Director Area will facilitate the approval process in consultation with relevant regional and central teams.
Changes to existing selection processes and procedures (for example, whether students need to participate in trials/exams, testing requirements, or deadlines) must also follow this approval process.
Approval for modifying special entry criteria is subject to consideration of both local and statewide educational priorities, and the potential impact on local school networks. Proposals may also be subject to other government decision-making processes, which assess priorities across the education portfolio.
Principals may make adjustments to any additional guidance and supporting information in their school-level enrolment, selection or referral policy, provided these changes do not alter:
- the approved special entry criteria
- selection process and procedures
- minimum/maximum age requirements
- the appeals process.
Establishing a new designated purpose setting
The department has processes in place for assessing proposals from schools to establish new DPS in Victoria, including new schools, campuses, and programs.
These processes ensure that all proposals are rigorously and consistently evaluated in alignment with the department’s strategic objectives(opens in a new window).
Approval for new DPS is granted only in rare circumstances when there is a clear, demonstrated need that aligns with both local and statewide educational priorities, and where the potential impact on local school networks has been carefully assessed. Operational scope, feasibility and financial viability, including whether the proposed DPS can operate within existing resource allocations will also be considered.
Schools will not generally receive additional funding or infrastructure support for such changes, and decisions will reflect both budgetary constraints and equitable resource distribution. Proposals may also be subject to other government decision-making processes, which assess priorities across the education portfolio.
Schools should contact the relevant Executive Director Area to discuss the assessment process, which includes a pre-briefing to determine the suitability of the proposal. If the proposal is considered suitable for further development, the regional office – not the school – will prepare a business case.
The assessment process may take up to 24 months, depending on the complexity of the proposal.
Designated purpose schools
Designated purpose schools
Designated purpose schools specialise in a specific subject or activity, or support a particular cohort, for example, high achieving students or students with diverse learning needs.
Designated purpose schools vary in registration type. Some are registered as specific purpose, others as specialist, and some as primary or secondary schools. Their curriculum requirements may also vary, allowing them to focus on specialised subjects or activities. For information on the registration type of designated purpose schools, search for the specific school using the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority’s (VRQA) State Register(opens in a new window).
Some designated purpose schools have multiple campuses in different locations. In these cases, all campuses must be registered with the VRQA.
Some designated purpose schools may also deliver programs. If designated purpose schools are considering delivering a program in a different location to the main campus, they should contact their Executive Director Area to determine whether that location should be registered with the VRQA as an additional campus.
The tables below provide an overview of each category of designated purpose school, including current schools within each category.
For information on the location of designated purpose schools, search for the specific school using the search function on the Find my School(opens in a new window) website.
Designated purpose campuses
Designated purpose campuses
Designated purpose campuses are supplementary campuses of designated neighbourhood schools (DNSs), that specialise in a specific subject or activity, or support a particular cohort, for example, high-achieving students or students with diverse learning needs.
These campuses are often in a different location to the main campus.
Designated purpose campuses vary in registration type. Some are registered as specific purpose, others as specialist. Their curriculum requirements may also vary, allowing them to focus on specialised subjects or activities. For information on the registration type of designated purpose campuses, search for the applicable school using the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority’s State Register(opens in a new window), and then select ‘view details’ of the relevant campus.
The tables below provide an overview of each category of designated purpose campus, including current campuses within each category.
For information on the location of designated purpose campuses, search for the specific campus using the search function on the Find my School(opens in a new window) website.
Designated purpose programs
Designated purpose programs
A designated purpose program is a program delivered by a designated neighbourhood school (DNS) with department-granted special entry criteria, enabling the school to selectively enrol out-of-zone students to support or sustain the program.
This differentiates designated purpose programs from other curriculum-aligned programs commonly offered by DNSs in Victoria (for example, music or sports programs), which may only select students for participation after they are enrolled in the school in accordance with the department’s Placement Policy.
DNSs offering designated purpose programs are required to provide the full curriculum to all students, both program and non-program, consistent with their registration as designated neighbourhood primary or secondary schools.
The tables below provide an overview of each category of designated purpose program, including current programs within each category.
Designated purpose programs are not searchable on the Find my School(opens in a new window) website. For more information, please contact the applicable school.
Resources
Resources
- Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority: State Register(opens in a new window) – The State Register provides information about education and training providers registered by the VRQA, and the accredited courses and qualifications they deliver. The State Register can be used to find information on the registration type of designated purpose schools
- Template enrolment policies for specialist settings (including specialist, supported inclusion, and deaf facilities) (staff login required)(opens in a new window) – template enrolment policies for Specialist Schools, Supported Inclusion Schools and Deaf Facilities are available on the School Policy Templates Portal