Enrolment

Appealing enrolment decisions

Parents and carers can appeal against a school’s decision not to offer their child a place at the school. This can occur at any year level from Foundation to Year 12, when enrolling for the first time in a Victorian government school, or when seeking a transfer from one government school to another. This may also include students moving from non-government schools.

When providing notification of an unsuccessful enrolment application, schools must refer parents and carers to the Appeals information pack for parents and carers (DOCX), available on the Enrolling in school page. The appeals information pack contains important information about the grounds for an appeal, timelines and the appeal form.

When considering an appeal, schools must:

• communicate the school’s decision in writing to parents or carers
• respond to parents or carers within the statewide timelines for Foundation enrolment and Year 7 placement, or within 2 to 3 weeks of receiving an appeal for a transfer
• continue to process appeals lodged after the set due dates for Foundation and Year 7, and respond within a reasonable timeframe.

Grounds for appeal

Parents and carers may submit an appeal on the following grounds:

• compliance with the priority order of placement – parents or carers believe the school has incorrectly applied the department’s Placement Policy when prioritising applications
• permanent address – parents or carers believe that the school has not followed the correct process for determining their child’s permanent address
• compassionate grounds – parents or carers require compassionate consideration of their child’s exceptional circumstances, which make an enrolment at their designated neighbourhood school unsuitable.

Appeals process

Parents or carers must lodge a written appeal with the school at which their child has been unsuccessful in gaining a place, in the first instance.

All schools must engage in the appeals process across all year levels, regardless of capacity or whether a school has an enrolment management implementation plan.

The school’s placement or enrolment committee and/or principal must consider the appeal and communicate the school’s decision to the parent or carer in writing.

When assessing the information in the appeal form and any supporting documentation, schools must check to ensure that there is compliance with the priority order of placement and the processes used to verify a permanent address. Schools must assess and make a decision for appeals based on compassionate grounds on a case-by-case basis.

Timelines for appeals

Schools must follow the statewide timelines for appeals at Foundation and Year 7 for enrolments in the following school year:

• for Foundation appeals, refer to Foundation (Prep) enrolment
• for Year 7 appeals, refer to Year 6 to 7 placement.

For appeals at all other year levels and for transfer appeals at Foundation and Year 7, schools are encouraged to send parents or carers an acknowledgement that the appeal has been received within 3 working days. An official outcome of the appeal must then be sent in writing within a reasonable timeframe. This timeframe is typically within 2 weeks of receiving a completed appeal form and any supporting documentation. During school holidays, response times may be longer.

Managing late appeals

While parents and carers are strongly encouraged to lodge school level appeals by the set due dates for Foundation and Year 7, there may be instances where an appeal is submitted after the relevant set due date. Appeals lodged after the set due date must continue to be processed by schools.

Appeals lodged with schools after set due dates or during school holidays are likely to require a longer processing time. Schools are encouraged to set this expectation with parents and carers when acknowledging receipt of the appeal.

Outcome of appeals

Schools must notify parents and carers of the outcome of an appeal in writing. Schools are recommended to use the Appeal outcome templates for schools (DOCX) (staff login required) which provides parents and carers with information on next steps. This includes:

• if an appeal is successful, parents or carers being advised to finalise the enrolment or transfer process for their child
• if an appeal is unsuccessful and parents or carers are not satisfied that the school has correctly applied the Placement Policy or adequately considered their circumstances, being advised that they can escalate the appeal to the relevant regional director by lodging a further written appeal.

Appeals to the regional director will not be considered if parents or carers have not appealed to the school first. Regions may request a copy of the school level appeal and/or unsuccessful appeal letter from the school if these have not been provided by the parent or carer. Appeals to the regional director are considered by a panel of senior regional staff, who then provide advice and a recommendation to the regional director who makes the final decision. This concludes the appeal process.

For designated neighbourhood schools, appeals to the regional director are considered using the priority order of placement in the Placement Policy. For specialist schools, refer to Enrolment in specialist schools for more information.

Regional office contact details and locations are on the department’s website, visit: Office locations.