education.vic.gov.au

Policy last updated

1 March 2022

Scope

  • Schools

Date:
January 2020

Policy

Policy

This policy sets out the process and requirements for naming Victorian government schools, school campuses, buildings and spaces.

Summary

Details

The naming processes in this policy and the associated guidelines on the Guidance tab must be followed to ensure the consistent naming of new and established schools, campuses, and school buildings and spaces. Appropriate naming is essential for identifying locations in emergencies and delivering goods and services.

The naming process requires careful consideration, consultation, and approval by the naming authority.

The following information outlines the principles and other requirements that must be considered when naming a school, campus, building or space.

The Guidance tab outlines the naming processes for:

  • naming a new school
  • naming a new school campus
  • re-naming an existing school or campus
  • naming a school building or school space.

Approval of names

The Minister for Education is the naming authority for school and campus naming and must approve all school and school campus names.

Ministerial approval is also required for the naming of any new building, oval or sports facility that has been funded by the Victorian Government.

Additional approval information can be found on the Guidance tab.

General principles

The following principles underpin the application of the naming guidance provided in this policy.

Names are to be assessed against Geographic Names Victoria (GNV) naming rules (section 2, Naming rules for places in Victoria (DOCX)External Link ). This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Geographic elements such as town/suburb names (must be the official locality name) or proximity to a geographical feature may be used subject to the requirement that names must not be duplicated and be unique.
  • Victorian Aboriginal language names – this is subject to agreement from the formally recognised Traditional Owner group.
  • Commemorative names of people must:
    • be applied posthumously
    • be applied during a person's lifetime only in exceptional circumstances, with initial endorsement sought from the School Operations and Statewide Services Division (SOSSD) which in turn will seek approval from the Registrar of Geographic Names
    • preferably only use the last name of a person, not first or given names.
  • Names of commercial businesses, private benefactors or not-for-profit organisations must not be used.

Other requirements

In addition to the principles set out in the naming rules, the following requirements also apply to the naming or renaming of schools and campuses.

In keeping with the Victorian Government’s commitment to self-determination, the naming process must consider local Aboriginal cultural heritage and names as a priority, where the entity to be named is located on lands with a formally recognised Traditional Owner group. Where Traditional Owners have been formally acknowledged (through the Native Title Act, Victorian Traditional Owners Settlement Act or Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act), advice should be sought through formal consultation from the appropriate Traditional Owner Group for cultural heritage purposes, in any naming process.

Proposed school names must include an education provision description. Standard naming conventions are:

  • primary provision – Primary School
  • secondary provision – Secondary College or Secondary School or school year level descriptors, for example, 7-12 College
  • both primary and secondary provision – year level descriptors, for example, P-9 College, P-12 College
  • kindergarten services – may include K in the year level descriptor, for example, K-12 College or if offering secondary provision only, College or School may be used without a year level descriptor
  • special education provision to students with:
    • a mild intellectual disability: Special School
    • moderate to profound intellectual disabilities: Special Developmental School
    • schools specifically catering for students with a certain type of disability may wish to represent this provision in the school name, for example, Deaf School, Autism School
    • schools offering more than one type of provision, for example, special and special development, may wish to describe this dual mode by using Specialist as their descriptor.

Refer to the Guidance tab for detailed information on the required process for naming schools, school campuses, and school buildings and spaces.

Minimum Standards and School Registration

Relevant legislation


Guidance

Guidance

This guidance contains the following chapters:

  • Naming a new school
  • Naming a new school campus
  • Renaming an existing school or campus
  • Naming a new or existing school building or space

Naming a new school

Naming a new school

The new school naming process should begin 15 to 18 months prior to the scheduled school opening to allow sufficient time for community consultation and provide enough lead time to finalise other important operational matters such as the design of school uniforms and other branding.

Initiation

  1. A regional advisory group is formed to support the establishment of a new school in the absence of an interim school council. The regional advisory group is chaired by a senior education improvement leader (SEIL) nominated by the region. The regional advisory group, for the purposes of school naming, is a working group responsible for generating a ‘seed list’ of possible names to be put forward to the community for consultation via the Engage Victoria platform. Representation from the department’s Koorie Education Workforce should be sought when establishing regional advisory groups.
  2. School Operations and Statewide Services Division (SOSSD) provides naming process guidance to the chair of the regional advisory group, including the due date to deliver the list of possible school names.

Consultation-starter list

The purpose of the ‘Consultation-starter list’ activities is to identify a ‘seed list’ of possible names that can be put forward to the community for consultation on Engage Victoria. The steps for this activity are:

  1. SOSSD submits requests to the formally recognised Traditional Owner groups to seek their participation in the naming process by suggesting one or more Aboriginal naming options.
  2. At the same time, the regional advisory group agrees on list of possible names and submits them to SOSSD.
    Note: Broader local community consultation is not permitted at this stage as this will occur through Engage Victoria.
    Note: As the naming authority, the Minister for Education can decide to directly name a school through ministerial or local announcement. In this case, community consultation through Engage Victoria would not proceed (skip to ApprovalExternal Link activity).
  3. SOSSD in conjunction with Geographic Names Victoria assesses the naming suggestions from the Traditional Owner groups (if provided) and the regional advisory group and assesses the resulting ‘seed list’ of possible names against naming principles outlined in this policy, noting whether each suggested name complies.
  4. The ‘seed list’ of possible names, with their compliance status, is presented to the Minister for Education as the proposed consultation-starter list for Engage Victoria consultation.

Engage Victoria community consultation

The department uses Engage Victoria as a digital way for school communities to participate in the naming process and have a say in shaping their local community.

The purpose of the ‘Engage Victoria community consultation’ activities is to consult with the community to seek their input on the future name of the school. The steps within this activity are:

  1. SOSSD seeks approval from the Minister for Education to commence Engage Victoria consultation on the consultation-starter list of possible names.
  2. Once approved, SOSSD lodges a request to the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) to begin the community consultation on Engage Victoria.
    Note: Once the consultation period begins, the Engage Victoria consultation can be promoted to the prospective school and local community via social media, newsletters, email and websites.
  3. Once the consultation period is closed, the VSBA compiles results and provides them to SOSSD.

Approval

The purpose of the ‘Approval’ activities is to gain approval from the Minister for Education, as the naming authority for schools and campuses, on the recommended name. The steps within this activity are:

  1. SOSSD submits a brief to the Minister outlining consultation results, seeking approval of the recommended name. As the naming authority, the Minister for Education approves the new name.
  2. The regional advisory group, school and local community are informed of the name. This may be by ministerial or local announcement.
  3. SOSSD seeks confirmation of the school’s address from its local council. This typically cannot be confirmed until the later stages of the school’s build. Once confirmed, SOSSD lodges a request with Geographic Names Victoria to gazette the new school name.
  4. SOSSD formally advises relevant parties of the gazetted name, including:
    • the Performance and Evaluation Division who will formally update the department’s Entity Register
    • the School Provision and Establishment Division who will advise the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) of the gazetted name, and once registered the school is added to the VRQA state register.

The new school community is encouraged to promote and celebrate the selected name and incorporate it into all future communications. The interim name (if different to the selected name) should be decommissioned. School materials, policies, and procedures must be updated to reflect the gazetted and registered name.


Naming a new school campus

Naming a new school campus

The new school campus naming process should begin 15 to 18 months prior to the scheduled campus opening to allow sufficient time for community consultation.

Initiation

School Operations and Statewide Services Division (SOSSD) provides naming process guidance to the school principal and advises them of the due date for the provision of a list of possible names for the school campus.

The introduction of a new campus often also triggers the renaming of existing campuses. SOSSD will discuss this with the principal during the initiation phase.

Consultation-starter list

The purpose of the ‘Consultation-starter list’ activities is to identify a ‘seed list’ of possible names that can be put forward to the community for consultation on Engage Victoria. The steps within this activity are:

  1. The principal establishes a working group of school community members to suggest name options.
    Note: Broader local community consultation is not permitted at this stage as this will occur through Engage Victoria.
    Note: If the new campus is on land with formally recognised Traditional Owners, the principal must invite the Traditional Owner group to suggest name options.
    Note: As the naming authority, the Minister for Education can decide to directly name a school through ministerial or local announcement. In this case, community consultation through Engage Victoria would not proceed (skip to ApprovalExternal Link activity).
  2. The principal collates local suggestions and submits the list to SOSSD.
  3. SOSSD in conjunction with Geographic Names Victoria assesses the suggested names against the naming principles outlined in this policy, noting whether each suggested name complies.
  4. The suggested names, with their compliance status, are presented to the Minister for Education for review.

Engage Victoria community consultation

The department uses Engage Victoria as a digital way for school communities to participate in the naming process and have a say in shaping their local community.

The purpose of the ‘Engage Victoria community consultation’ activities is to consult with the community to seek their input on the future name of the new school campus. The steps within this activity are:

  1. SOSSD seeks approval from the Minister for Education to commence Engage Victoria consultation on the consultation-starter list of possible names.
  2. Once approved, SOSSD lodges a request to the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) to begin the community consultation on Engage Victoria.
    Note: Once the consultation period begins, the Engage Victoria consultation can be promoted to the prospective school and local community via social media, newsletters, email, and websites.
  3. Once the consultation period is closed, the VSBA compiles results and provides them to SOSSD.

Approval

The purpose of the ‘Approval’ activities is to gain approval from the Minister for Education, as the naming authority for schools and campuses, on the recommended name. The steps within this activity are:

  1. SOSSD submits a brief to the Minister outlining consultation results and seeks approval of the recommended name.
  2. As the naming authority, the Minister for Education approves the new name.
  3. The school community will be notified. This may be by ministerial or local announcement.
  4. SOSSD seeks confirmation of the school campus address from its local council. This typically cannot be confirmed until the later stages of the school campus build. Once confirmed, SOSSD lodges a request with Geographic Names Victoria to gazette the new school campus name.
  5. SOSSD formally advises relevant parties of the gazetted name, including:
    • the Performance and Evaluation Division who will formally update the department's Entity Register
    • the School Provision and Establishment Division who will advise the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) of the gazetted name, and once registered the school is added to the VRQA state register.

The school community is encouraged to promote and celebrate the selected name and incorporate it into all future communications. School materials, policies and procedures must be updated to reflect the gazetted and registered name.


Renaming an existing school or campus

Renaming an existing school or campus

This guidance applies to the renaming of existing schools and campuses.

Initiation phase

To initiate the process to rename an existing school or campus, contact the School Operations and Statewide Services Division (SOSSD) at srs.priorities.unit@education.vic.gov.au

Consultation-starter list

The purpose of the ‘Consultation-starter list’ activities is to identify a ‘seed list’ of possible names that can be put forward to the community for consultation on Engage Victoria. The steps within this activity are:

  1. The principal establishes a working group of school community members to suggest name options.
    Note: Broader local community consultation is not permitted at this stage as this will occur through Engage Victoria.
    Note: If the school or campus is on land with formally recognised Traditional Owners, the principal must invite the Traditional Owner group to suggest name options.
    Note: As the naming authority, the Minister for Education can decide to directly name a school or campus through ministerial or local announcement. In this case, community consultation through Engage Victoria would not proceed (skip to ApprovalExternal Link activity).
  2. The principal collates local suggestions and submits the list to SOSSD.
  3. SOSSD in conjunction with Geographic Names Victoria assesses the suggested names against the naming principles outlined in this policy, noting whether each suggested name complies.
  4. The suggested names, with their compliance status, are presented to the Minister for Education for review.

Engage Victoria community consultation

The Department of Education and Training uses Engage Victoria as a digital way for school communities to participate in the naming process and have a say in shaping their local community.

The purpose of the ‘Engage Victoria community consultation’ activities is to consult with the community to seek their input on the future name of the school or campus. The steps within this activity are:

  1. SOSSD seeks approval from the Minister for Education to commence Engage Victoria consultation on the consultation-starter list of possible names.
  2. Once approved, SOSSD lodges a request to the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) to begin the community consultation on Engage Victoria.
    Note: Once the consultation period begins, the Engage Victoria consultation can be promoted to the prospective school and local community via social media, newsletters, email, and websites.
  3. Once the consultation period is closed, the VSBA compiles results and provides them to SOSSD.

Approval

The purpose of the ‘Approval’ activities is to gain approval from the Minister for Education, as the naming authority for schools and campuses, on the recommended name. The steps within this activity are:

  1. SOSSD submits a brief to the Minister outlining consultation results seeking approval of the recommended name.
  2. As the naming authority, the Minister for Education approves the new name.
  3. The school community will be notified. This may be by ministerial or local announcement.
  4. SOSSD lodges a request with Geographic Names Victoria to gazette the revised school or campus name.
  5. SOSSD formally advises relevant parties of the gazetted name, including:
    • the Performance and Evaluation Division who will formally update the department's Entity Register
    • the School Provision and Establishment Division who will advise the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) of the gazetted name, and once registered the school is added to the VRQA state register.

The school community is encouraged to promote and celebrate the selected name and incorporate it into all future communications. School materials, policies and procedures must be updated to reflect the gazetted and registered name.


Naming a new or existing school building or space

Naming a new or existing school building or space

This guidance applies to the naming of new school buildings and spaces, as well as the naming or renaming of existing school buildings and spaces.

The naming of school buildings and spaces is optional. School buildings and spaces include, but are not limited to:

  • physical buildings
  • sporting facilities such as ovals or courts
  • school spaces such as the name of a room or gardens.

The following principles guide the application of naming provided in this policy:

  • For physical buildings and sporting facilities, names are to be assessed against Geographic Names Victoria (GNV) naming rules general principles (section 2, Naming rules for places in Victoria (DOCX)External Link ). This includes, but is not limited to:
    • geographic elements – town/suburb names or proximity to a geographical feature may be used subject to the requirement that it be unique
    • Victorian Aboriginal language names – this is subject to agreement from the formally recognised Traditional Owner group
    • commemorative names – commemorative names of people are to:
      • be applied posthumously
      • be applied during a person's lifetime only in exceptional circumstances, with initial endorsement sought from the School Operations and Statewide Services Division (SOSSD) which in turn will seek approval from the Registrar of Geographic Names
      • preferably only use the surname of a person, not first or given names.
  • Names of commercial businesses, private benefactors or not-for-profit organisations are not to be used.

For school spaces, schools can choose names in addition to the above as long as they are respectful and inclusive.

Initiation

The naming process can be initiated at any time. Consideration should be given to any joint use of the building, sports facility or space when considering names, however naming of school buildings, sport facility and spaces remains the responsibility of the principal in consultation with the school community.

To begin the initiation activity, the school’s leadership team should refer to the principles in this policy – refer to the Policy tab. The principles must be followed when considering naming a school building, sports facility, or space.

Questions regarding a name’s suitability can be directed to SOSSD at srs.priorities.unit@education.vic.gov.au

Consultation

The purpose of this consultation activity is to invite the school community’s input on the naming of a school building, sporting facility, or space. The steps within this activity are:

  1. If the building or space is on land with formally recognised Traditional Owners, and the school wishes to use an Indigenous name, the school principal must obtain approval from the Traditional Owner group.
  2. The principal must also invite local and school community members, including the school council, to suggest name options. The school’s email, newsletter, website, and social media can be used.
  3. The principal collates local suggestions, shortlists appropriate options in line with the naming principles and invites the school community to participate in selecting the building or space name, subject to the requirements outlined in the Approval section below.

Approval

Ministerial approval is required for the naming of any new building, oval or sports facility that has been funded by the Victorian Government.

For the naming of other school buildings or spaces, the regional director must approve the name (or name change):

  • if the proposed name involves the name of a serving or former public servant
  • where a name is proposed and that individual is still living
  • where names do not meet the naming principles set out in this guidance.

The regional director has the authority to deny any building, oval or sporting facility name changes.

The principal can approve all other names.


Resources

Resources

The following resources should be referred to when naming or renaming schools and/or school campuses.

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

Department resources

Entity search

Entity Register SearchExternal Link (staff login required) – provides accurate, up-to-date details on Victorian schools, kindergartens and maternal and child health centres. School and/or corporate staff involved in the naming process should check the site when considering any proposed school or campus name.


Reviewed 26 March 2020