Enrolments

Enrolment Management Plan

Benowa State High School

Overview

Benowa State High School recognises as its prime obligation, the provision of access to an appropriate educational service for students whose principal place of residence is within the schools catchment area.

Because of enrolment capacity and growth Benowa State High School may be unable to meet this obligation in the future, unless action is taken now to manage enrolments. Benowa State High School has limited ability to accept enrolments from outside the catchment area.

This School Enrolment Management Plan (School EMP) sets out the conditions under which students may be enrolled into Benowa State High School, subject to any other requirements or limitations in:

• The Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Qld) - (PDF, 1.46MB)

This School EMP is supported by:

• Enrolment in State Primary, Secondary and Special Schools procedure

• School Enrolment Management Plan (School EMP) procedure

Enrolment Capacity of School

• 475 students in the Academic Program of Excellence;
• 475 students in the Sport Program of Excellence;
• 475 students in the Cultural Program of Excellence.

Local catchment Area

A schools local catchment area is the geographical area from which the school is to have its core intake of students. A catchment map defines the catchment area for Benowa State High School. A hard copy of this map is available at the schools administration building and it can be viewed online at http://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/maps/edmap/

Enrolment Policy

Any student, whose principal place of residence is within the schools catchment area/s, is (subject to the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006) eligible for enrolment at the school. The school Principal will hold places for students who relocate to within the catchment area throughout the school year.

Parents or legal guardians who wish to enrol their child at the school will need to demonstrate that the students principal place of residence is within the catchment area. Current proof of residency at the address indicated can be provided by way of one of each of the following:

• One primary source - a current lease agreement, or drivers licence, or unconditional sale agreement, and

• One secondary source - a utility bill (e.g. electricity, gas), or rates notice showing this same address and parents/legal guardians name

If the Principal is not satisfied that the documentation provided by an applicant demonstrates adequately that the address stated is the students principal place of residence, then the Principal may request further sources of proof of residence, such as an additional utility bill (e.g. water) showing the same address.

The Principal may also request a properly sworn Statutory Declaration from the enrolling parent or legal guardian attesting that the students principal place of residence is the place nominated in the enrolment application.

Applicants should note that a false statement / assertion about the students principal place of residence may amount to an offence and may be reported to police. The school Principal may repeal a decision to enrol a student in such circumstances.

Other students outside the catchment area deemed to be eligible for enrolment

The following groups of students will be deemed as eligible for enrolment, even though they may reside outside the schools catchment area:

• Children and young people who are subject to child protection orders that grant guardianship or custody to the Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (Child Safety Services)

• Siblings of current students at the school (excluding siblings of Program of Excellence students)

• Students whose parent or legal guardian is employed by the school

• Students who live outside the catchment area and are verified with a disability can enrol in the school to attend the specialised disability program if it is the closest program to their home and meets their individualised needs

• Students who have been excluded from a school other than this school, dependent upon the conditions related to the exclusion, as determined by the Regional Director.

Out of catchment Enrolments

Enrolment of students from outside the local catchment area will be managed to ensure that the total current and forecast enrolments do not exceed the schools current capacity and, where applicable, will ensure there is an even spread of students across year levels or class groupings.

Students from outside the schools catchment area applying for enrolment at that school are placed on a waiting list in order of receipt of application.

Subject to the capacity conditions of the school, enrolment applications from outside of the catchment area will be assessed in order of receipt, as follows:

For schools with a Program of Excellence:

• Places will only be available to 'out of catchment' enrolments if they satisfy the schools criteria for placement in that particular Program of Excellence and the defined number of places has not yet been filled by enrolments from within the catchment. (Please note: The enrolment criteria for the Program of Excellence is available from the school).

• Siblings of students who have enrolled in the school through a Program of Excellence.

All other enrolment applications.

Fees

Under the Departments State Education Fees procedure, a principal of a state school is able to charge a fee for recouping costs of enrolment processing by a State school with an approved School Enrolment Management Plan of a prospective student who lives outside the school's catchment area, where:

• the enrolment management plan permits the enrolment of a student living outside the catchment area based on cultural, sporting or academic merit, and

• the significant number of prospective students living outside the catchment area and applying to enrol results in abnormal administrative costs to the school, for example, enrolment examination supervision and marking.

Acceptance and Assessment Process

Out of catchment enrolment applications will be recorded in order of receipt, by date and time. These applications will remain current only for the school year in which they are applying to enrol.

Decisions on Enrolment

The Principal is responsible for all decisions on enrolments.

Where a Principal forms a preliminary view that an application will not succeed, parents will be notified in writing. Parents may respond to the Principal's preliminary view by making a submission to the Principal, no later than seven school days after receiving the preliminary view letter.

If no submission is received, the Principal's preliminary view will be treated as the final decision and no further notice will be provided.

If a submission is received, the Principal will consider the submission and make a final decision. A final decision notice will be provided to the applicant as soon as is practicable.

There is no internal review of the Principal's decision.

Gazettal Date

This updated version of the School Enrolment Management Plan of Benowa State High School was gazetted on 6 December 2013.

The School EMP is internally reviewed each year, and if required, updated to reflect any changes to enrolment capacity and/or Programs of Excellence.