Enrolments

Surf Coast Secondary College
2023 Tours

Please note, our College Tours for 2023 have now concluded. 

Tours for 2024 will be announce in February next year. We thank you for your understanding.

If you have any further questions, please contact Kelly our Enrolments Coordinator via email enrolments@scsc.vic.edu.au. 

Please note: The Placement Policy has changed since the beginning of the 2022 school year. All enrolment decisions made from the start of Term 2, 2022 should be made in accordance with the current Placement Policy. The department’s Placement Policy embeds the legal entitlement for students to enrol at their designated neighbourhood school, and to enrol at another school if there is sufficient accommodation.

All Victorian government schools must manage enrolments in accordance with this Placement Policy, except those schools where the Minister or delegate has approved specific entry criteria, being:

• select entry high schools
• specialist schools
• English Language Schools and Centres
• camp and outdoor schools
• hospital schools and teaching units
• distance schools
• flexible learning government schools and flexible learning campuses
• any other school with entry criteria as approved by the Minister or delegate.

The Placement Policy applies to the placement of students at all year levels, from Foundation/Prep to Year 12.

Right to attend the designated neighbourhood school

Eligible children and young persons have the right to be admitted to their designated neighbourhood government school, regardless of capacity. Accordingly, all students that reside within the area of a designated neighbourhood school (referred to as a ‘school zone’) must be offered a place when seeking enrolment.

A student’s designated neighbourhood school is generally the school that is nearest the student’s permanent address as determined by the school zone. The Find My School website provides guidance on which school zone a student’s permanent residence is located within.

For information on verifying a student’s permanent address, refer to: Determining permanent residence.

The department recognises that some schools may require additional capacity to accommodate students from within their school zone. In these circumstances, schools may be supported by the temporary allocation of relocatable buildings.

International students

Studying in Victoria

Victorian government schools are a destination of choice for international students. Our schools provide international students with a high-quality education, excellent English language tuition and caring welfare support services. To learn more about studying and living in Victoria as an international student, see: www.study.vic.gov.au

How to apply

Most international students must apply to the Department of Education in order to study in a Victorian government school. To learn about the application types and to apply, see: How to apply

Contact our school

For more information about international students, please contact the below staff member.

International Student Coordinator (ISC): Kelly Zois

Phone: 03 5261 6633
Email: enrolments@scsc.vic.edu.au

Surf Coast Secondary College is accredited under the Department of Education’s CRICOS registration (CRICOS provider name and code: Department of Education, 00861K). For more information, see: www.study.vic.gov.au

Exceptional circumstances – compassionate grounds

In exceptional circumstances, a student may be enrolled at a school 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, citing, for example, family violence or specific wellbeing, safety, physical health and/or mental health concerns. Importantly, this is not a comprehensive list of exceptional circumstances whereby a family may seek an enrolment on compassionate grounds; each application will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Exceptional circumstances do not include instances where the designated neighbourhood school is able to make reasonable adjustments for students with disability. Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005, education providers are legally required to make reasonable adjustments for students with disability. For examples of reasonable adjustments and further guidance, refer to: Making reasonable adjustments.

When considering an application or appeal on compassionate grounds, schools and regional staff can request that families provide further evidence. Supporting evidence may include, but is not limited to:

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

Matters of compassionate grounds are of a sensitive nature and may pose risks to health and life (for example, matters related to family violence). Family and student privacy must be maintained when considering applications on compassionate grounds.

Year 6 to 7 placement information packs: Guidance for parents and carers

For all enquiries regarding the transition from Year 6 – 7 please contact your current Government Primary School.

For enquiries regarding transition from non- government primary school or home-schooling please contact our enrolments team.

To assist parents and carers of students transitioning to a government school in Year 7 in 2024, the department has developed information packs with guidance to support effective placement.

Two different parent/carer packs are available to download from Moving from primary to secondary school: information for parents:

• ‘Year 6 to Year 7 placement information pack 2023 to 2024: Guidance for parents and carers with Year 6 children at government schools in 2023’
• ‘Year 6 to Year 7 placement information pack 2023 to 2024: Guidance for parents and carers with Year 6 children at non-government schools (Catholic, independent and home schooling)’.

From the first week of Term 2, 2023, primary schools should distribute the placement pack for government school parents/carers to all Year 6 families. The parents/carers pack includes the current application for Year 7 placement form.

Further information for families on the transition from Year 6 to 7, including a new factsheet translated into Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese (Simplified), is available at: Moving from primary to secondary school: information for parents.

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.

The payment amount this year is $225 for eligible secondary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

It is important that funding made available in 2022 supports students to participate in school trips, camps and sporting activities this year rather than being held for future years. This funding can also be used in conjunction with any funding accrued from previous years. Please note these activities will only take place if they meet COVID-Safe requirements.

If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

If you would like to apply for the first time, please visit the College’s website at www.surfcoastsecondarycollege.vic.edu.au and download an application form from the Enrolments page.

You can also download the form, and find out more about the program and eligibility, on the Department of Education and Training’s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page.
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If you have any questions regarding the Camps, Sports & Excursion Fund please contact us on 03 5261 6633.