YEAR 7 ENROLMENT POLICY 2024

Thank you for taking the time to consider Montmorency Secondary College as a secondary school option for your child entering Year 7 in 2024. Please read the following information carefully. Montmorency Secondary College is committed to providing a clear and transparent Enrolment Policy.

Montmorency Secondary College is a highly regarded school and as such is in high demand. The College has an enrolment ceiling and must offer all students living within our zone boundary a place at the school. 

The College will work with its feeder primary schools, to ensure addresses are verified, and may request documentation from families, such as copies of Rental Agreements and/or Council rates notices, as proof of living within the College zone boundary.

Privacy Notice - Montmorency Secondary College may need to collect your personal information to establish that you reside within the school’s neighbourhood boundary. Your information will not be disclosed to any other organisation without your consent, or unless authorised or required by law. Copies of any documents you provide to establish your permanent residence are not retained. If you choose not to provide some or all the information asked for, we may not be able to enrol your child at Montmorency Secondary College.

Note: Due to expected high local and sibling enrolment demand, it is essential to give close attention to selecting a second and third choice of school if you reside outside our zone boundary.   Further information on the Department of Education and Training’s Placement Policy can be found here .

YEAR 6 TO YEAR 7 PLACEMENT TIMELINE FOR 2024 

For students attending a government primary school
From Week 1 in Term 2, families of Year 6 students attending a government primary school will be provided with a Placement Information Pack for Parents/Carers 2024 from the primary school as part of the
state-wide transition application process.  The Parent/Carer pack will contain an Application for Year 7 Placement Form for families to complete.  Once the form is completed, families will need to return it to the primary school which will then forward it onto the secondary school that families have listed as their first preference.

For students attending a non-government primary school
Families of Year 6 students attending a Catholic or independent primary school may approach Montmorency Secondary College directly for a copy of the state-wide Application for Year 7 Placement Form if their child’s non-government primary school is not supporting the state-wide transition application process. This form needs to be submitted by 4pm on Friday 12th May, 2023. Parents may post the completed form directly to Registrar, Montmorency Secondary College, Para Road, Montmorency VIC 3094, or email it to rosa.taranto@education.vic.gov.au by the due date.

The Process 

Once Montmorency Secondary College receives the 2024 Application for Year 7 Placement Forms for processing, the College will follow the Department of Education and Training’s Placement Policy when enrolling students at the College.

Please note that the Department of Education and Training’s Placement Policy, in particular the priority order of placement has recently changed. All enrolment decisions made from the start of Term 2, 2023 will be made in accordance with the current Placement Policy as outlined on the Department of Education and Training’s website.

In accordance with the updated Placement Policy, students have a legal entitlement to enrol at their designated neighbourhood school, regardless of capacity.  

1. In circumstances where Montmorency Secondary College does not have sufficient accommodation to accept all students who apply from outside their school zone, the College will manage enrolment applications in accordance with the following priority order of placement:students with a sibling at the same permanent address who are attending Montmorency Secondary College at the same time,
2. all other students in order of closeness of their home to Montmorency Secondary College.

In exceptional circumstances, a student may be enrolled in a school based on compassionate grounds. This is an overarching consideration and does not form part of the priority order of placement.

Priority 1. Siblings

A sibling is defined broadly and can include step-siblings and students residing together as part of a multiple family cohabitation or out-of-home-care arrangements, including foster care, kinship care and permanent care. Students seeking enrolment on sibling grounds should be residing together at the same permanent address and must be attending the school at the same time.

Where siblings do not reside together on a full-time basis, families may still seek enrolment on sibling grounds. These applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

Priority 2. Order of Closeness of their home to the College

When considering applications for placement under this priority, Montmorency Secondary College will refer to the Find my School Website to determine the order of closeness to the College. 

Timelines will be strictly observed for Year 7 placement applications. If an application for Year 7 placement misses the deadline, it will be considered after the applications that are received on time (if the student does not live in the school zone or does not have a sibling attending the school at the same time).

 EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES/COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS

There may be some situations where, due to exceptional circumstances, a student may be unable to enrol at their designated neighbourhood school.  In such circumstances, a student may be enrolled at Montmorency Secondary College on compassionate grounds. This is an overarching consideration and does not form part of the priority order of placement.

Families must be able to clearly demonstrate the exceptional circumstances which they believe make an enrolment at their designated neighbourhood school unsuitable for their child or children.

Exceptional circumstances may include family violence, wellbeing and safety concerns, physical and/or mental health concerns.  We understand that there may be many other reasons why a family may seek enrolment on compassionate grounds and for this reason each application will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

When considering an application or appeal on compassionate grounds, families may be asked to provide further evidence. This may include:

• legal documentation
• reports from allied health and/or medical professionals, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing practitioners, Victoria Police, and/or family violence services
• court orders.

Montmorency Secondary College will maintain family and student privacy when considering applications on compassionate grounds.

It is important to note, under the Disability Standards for Education 2005, education providers are legally required to make reasonable adjustments for students with disability. On that basis, grounds for exceptional circumstances do not include concerns related to a student’s disability where those concerns can be addressed by making reasonable adjustments.

APPEALS PROCESS 

Families can appeal against the College’s decision not to provide a Year 7 place for their child.  Written non-placement appeals must be lodged with the College by Friday 28th July, 2023.

Appeals are considered by the College’s Placement Committee and the Committee’s decision will be communicated to the parent/carer in writing by the 8th August 2023. In assessing the appeal, the College will check to ensure compliance with the priority order of placement, and the processes for verifying permanent address, as appropriate. 

Appeals on compassionate grounds will be assessed by the College on a case-by-case basis.

If the appeal lodged with Montmorency Secondary College is unsuccessful and families are not satisfied that the College has correctly applied the Placement Policy or adequately considered their circumstances, they are able to escalate the appeal to the Regional Director, North Western Victoria Region, by lodging an appeal in writing. Appeals to the Regional Director for 2024 Year 7 enrolment must be lodged by Tuesday 22nd August, 2023.

Appeals to the Regional Director are considered by a panel of senior regional staff which then provides advice and a recommendation to the Regional Director who makes the final decision. This concludes the appeal process.