Restricting enrolments
Please note: This chapter of the Enrolment policy was added to PAL in February 2025 and outlines how and why the department restricts enrolments to support designated neighbourhood government schools. This chapter reflects processes that have been in place over the last few years, with the school website content a new part of the process from 2025.
Designated neighbourhood government schools (referred to as ‘local schools’) are responsible for managing their enrolments in line with the Placement Policy. Effective enrolment management helps manage demand across the government school network and helps to ensure that every student can enrol at their local school.
Enrolment management supports schools with planning for their current and future enrolments and to remain within their capacity where possible. It also helps the department to improve student distribution and to prioritise additional accommodation for schools with high local demand.
In some cases, the department will provide schools with an enrolment restriction in the form of an Enrolment Management Implementation Plan (EMIP).
EMIPs are applied to support schools that are under enrolment pressure, and to encourage improvements in student distribution and the effective use of building infrastructure.
Schools with enrolment restrictions in place:
- must restrict the enrolment of new students in line with the directions set out by their regional director
- must include information about their enrolment restriction on their school website (refer to Sample wording for school )
- may contact their regional office if they are seeking support in implementing their enrolment restriction.
Enrolment management implementation plans
Every year, as part of the EMIP program, the department undertakes an assessment to identify schools across Victoria that require enrolment management support via an enrolment restriction.
The EMIP program supports schools to meet their legal obligation for students to be guaranteed enrolment at their local school, or to be enrolled at another school if there is sufficient accommodation.
The department is given the power to restrict enrolments under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic). This power has also been delegated to the department's 4 regional directors (Instrument of Delegation No. 2023/D08 (staff login required)).
In Term 2 each year, the regional director informs schools in writing if they are receiving an enrolment restriction for the following school year. All restrictions apply for one year and are reviewed annually to determine if they are still required or need to be modified. Schools will also receive information regarding their current and projected enrolment demand to support their planning.
Note: The EMIP program outlined in this chapter relates to local schools (those with a school zone). It does not apply to select entry high schools, specialism schools, English Language Schools and Centres, camps and outdoor schools, hospital schools and teaching units, distance schools, flexible learning government schools and flexible learning campuses. The department has a separate process to support specialist schools (for students with disability) to manage enrolments.
Purpose of enrolment restrictions
The main purpose of EMIPs is to:
- ensure every child is able to attend their local school if they choose
- ensure schools are consistently supported with early enrolment management interventions when they are at risk of exceeding their capacity by over-enrolling out-of-zone students
- promote effective use of infrastructure assets by supporting improvements in student distribution
- prevent unnecessary relocatable allocation when a school can manage their current and anticipated enrolments within their existing capacity
- increase clarity for principals regarding the Placement Policy and enrolment management expectations.
How schools are identified for EMIPs
Schools that receive an EMIP are generally those that are under significant enrolment pressure, schools that received a relocatable building for growth in the most recent school year, and schools that opened in the last 5 years. Schools may also receive an EMIP to support improvements in student distribution.
Types of EMIPs
The type of EMIP that a school receives depends on a variety of factors including enrolment behaviours and trends, available capacity, forecast demand and student distribution.
The 2 different types of EMIP restrictions are:
- restriction to in-zone students and out-of-zone siblings. This can be for the entry year (for example, Foundation or Year 7) or applied to the whole school
- restriction to a sufficient accommodation figure (or ‘enrolment cap’) for a specific year level or for the whole school (for example, 300 Year 7 students or total school enrolments of 1,400). In these cases, schools must enrol all in-zone students, out-of-zone siblings and, where places remain, may offer out-of-zone enrolments (according to next closest to the school) up to the sufficient accommodation figure.
Important: Schools with EMIPs must continue to consider students seeking enrolment on compassionate grounds. For more information, refer to: ‘Exceptional circumstances – compassionate grounds’ in the Placement Policy.
Factors considered when assessing schools for EMIPs
The department takes a number of factors into consideration when determining the appropriate enrolment restriction for schools needing enrolment management support. Further information on the factors considered for each enrolment restriction are listed below.
In-zone and sibling restriction:
- enrolment pressure is high and the school is under pressure from high and/or increasing local demand
- the school has high or rapidly growing local demand and/or enrolments indicate near future enrolment pressure
- the school has recently received a relocatable building
- it is a new school with high demand but low enrolment pressure due to the progressive addition of year levels.
Sufficient accommodation restriction to address enrolment pressure:
- enrolment pressure is high and local demand is high but stable
- enrolment pressure is high, but local demand is at, or less than, capacity, and an in-zone and sibling restriction would reduce class/cohort sizes too severely
- it is a small school where restricting enrolments will negatively impact the school’s ability to run an appropriate curriculum.
Sufficient accommodation restriction to improve student distribution:
- the school has significant relocatable capacity
- the school has capacity that significantly exceeds their local demand
- the school is contributing to underutilisation at surrounding schools.
Enrolment guidance for schools approaching their capacity
Schools approaching their capacity are also identified through the department’s annual EMIP program. These schools may receive a reminder to follow the department’s Placement Policy.
Schools with a Placement Policy reminder are not required to restrict their enrolments. Placement Policy reminders reiterate to schools their obligations under the Placement Policy and highlight how schools must prioritise enrolments from outside the school zone if they have limited places available. This approach supports the department to prioritise additional accommodation to schools with high local demand.
Schools receiving a Placement Policy reminder will also receive information regarding their current and projected enrolment demand to support their planning.
Sample wording for school websites
Schools with an EMIP must include information about their enrolment restriction on their school website. Sample wording for use on school websites is provided below.
Option 1a: For schools with an in-zone and sibling restriction for a specific year level
has an enrolment restriction under section 2.2.16 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic). Approved entry criteria for our school for the 202X> school year are:
- students who live within the school zone
- students with a sibling attending the school at the same time
- students seeking enrolment on compassionate grounds, in exceptional circumstances.
Students seeking enrolment in must meet one of the above criteria to be eligible for enrolment in 202X>. Students seeking enrolment in other year levels continue to be subject to the Placement Policy.
The department will review this enrolment restriction yearly and provide updated advice as necessary for the subsequent school year.
Option 1b: For schools with an in-zone and sibling restriction for all year levels
has an enrolment restriction under section 2.2.16 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic). Approved entry criteria for our school for the 202X> school year are:
- students who live within the school zone
- students with a sibling attending the school at the same time
- students seeking enrolment on compassionate grounds, in exceptional circumstances.
All students seeking enrolment at our school must meet one of the above criteria to be eligible for enrolment in 202X>.
The department will review this enrolment restriction yearly and provide updated advice as necessary for the subsequent school year.
Option 2: For schools with a restriction to a sufficient accommodation figure
has an enrolment restriction under section 2.2.16 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic). The restriction limits enrolments for the 202X> school year.
Our school will accept enrolments from:
- students who live within the school zone
- students with a sibling attending the school at the same time
- students enrolling on compassionate grounds, in exceptional circumstances.
Depending on available places, our school may be able to accept a limited number of out-of-zone enrolments according to next closest to the school.
The department will review this enrolment restriction yearly and provide updated advice as necessary for the subsequent school year.
Reviewed 03 February 2025