Executive Directive
Enrolment
Community
Objective
The Executive Directive– Enrolment outlines the directives for enrolment of students at Catholic Education Western Australia Ltd (CEWA), in accordance with the School Education Act 1999 (WA) and the Bishops’ Mandate.
Sources of authority
Catholic Education Commission Western Australia Community Policy – Effective 22 February 2021.
Principles
- CEWA exists to provide a distinctly Catholic education for children enrolled in Catholic schools.
- CEWA recognises the uniqueness of each student.
- CEWA promotes justice to all, with due consideration for the diversity of those who are culturally, socially, physically, intellectually, financially, emotionally or spiritually disadvantaged.
- CEWA clearly aligns its enrolment policies and practices with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE), and therefore schools are required to consider the rights and protection this legislation affords prospective students, their parents/guardians as well as their own schools (Part 4 Standard for Enrolments).
- Financial grounds must never be the reason for the non-enrolment in, or exclusion of, any child from a CEWA school.
- CEWA fulfils their mission in partnership with parents, who are the first educators of their children.
- Catholic students will be given enrolment preference wherever possible and practicable.
- Aboriginal students must be given enrolment preference wherever possible and practicable.
- Enrolment in a CEWA school does not guarantee enrolment in any other CEWA school.
- Participation in programs run by a CEWA school (e.g., three-year-old programs, out of school hours care) does not guarantee enrolment in any CEWA school.
Directives
- Principals must comply with CEWA’s Enrolment Priorities (Appendix 1)
- Principals must comply with CEWA’s Enrolment Process (Appendix 2).
- Principals must follow the Procedure for enrolling overseas students in Catholic schools in Western Australia (Appendix 5).
- Principals must follow the Enrolment guidelines of Full Fee-Paying Overseas
Enrolment Priorities
A principal must adopt the enrolment priorities for all students: Primary
- Catholic students from the parish with a Parish Priest reference
- Catholic students from outside the parish with a Parish Priest reference
- other Catholic students
- siblings of non-Catholic students
- non-Catholic students from other Christian denominations
- other non-Catholic students.
Secondary
- Catholic students from CEWA schools with a Parish Priest reference
- Catholic students from non-Catholic schools with a Parish Priest reference
- other Catholic students from Catholic schools
- other Catholic students from non-Catholic schools
- siblings of non-Catholic students
- non-Catholic students from Catholic schools
- non-Catholic students from other Christian denominations
- other non-Catholic students.
A principal may seek the written consent of the Executive Director for a variation to the enrolment priorities to meet particular circumstances.
CEWA’s Enrolment Process
A principal must publish CEWA’s enrolment process on the school website, or if approved the variation to the Executive Directive
CEWA’s Enrolment Process
- A principal must accept all application forms for enrolment.
- To process an application CEWA schools will need to request a copy of the candidate’s
- baptism certificate;
- immunisation statement issued by the Australian Immunisation Register.
- Schools may charge a modest application fee to administer the enrolment process as directed in the Executive Directive: School Fees.
- Schools must inform parents of the provision of the health care card scheme which provides automatic discount relief.
- The acceptance of an application form does not guarantee an enrolment interview or subsequent offer of enrolment.
- Before an offer of a place is made, prospective students and their parent(s) or guardian(s) must be interviewed by the principal or a member of the school leadership team.
- The Catholic/Non-Catholic Enrolment Percentage Parameters approved by the Bishop of the Diocese must be referred to when enrolling students.
| Catholic/non Catholic Enrolment Percentage Parameters | ||
| Non-Catholic | Notes | |
| Metropolitan Region | 0 – 20% | New or developing schools – percentages are to be established with interim Board and endorsed by the Bishop of the Diocese. Other special circumstances – schools can request variations due to special circumstances. Variation requests can be made in writing to the Executive Director and then submitted to the Bishop for his endorsement. |
| Country (Diocese of Bunbury, Geraldton and Archdiocese of Perth) | 0 – 33% | |
| Country (Diocese of Broome) | Individual percentages are to be determined school by school, after discussion and consultation with each parish as appropriate. The outcome of discussion will be reviewed by the Executive Director and forwarded to the Bishop for his endorsement. | |
- Enrolments must comply with government entry age requirements.
- Enrolments must comply with government immunisation requirements.
- Enrolment may take place at any year level, K–12. A parent of a child eligible for kindergarten may, in consultation with the principal, defer the taking up of an offer of enrolment into the school until the commencement of pre-primary.
- Enrolment Procedure (compliance with Disability Standards in Education 2005):
- The Application for Enrolment Form should be free of disability details.
- The Application for Enrolment Form should be free of financial details and employment status.
- If the parent is offered an interview, then a Student Information Form is to be given to the guardian/parents to complete and submitted with other supporting documentation at or prior to the interview.
- The Student Information Form detailing the child’s additional needs may be discussed at the interview.
- The identification of additional support needs will not affect the enrolment decision; however a full discussion is encouraged to enhance the school’s ability to plan and support their child.
- A decision is made by the principal regarding enrolment.
The family must be informed of the enrolment decision and the reasons for the decision should an enrolment not be offered by the school.
Guidelines for CEWA’s Application for enrolment forms
The CEWA Application for Enrolment forms must be used to demonstrate:
- an acknowledgement that completing an Application for Enrolment form and its acceptance by the school does not guarantee an enrolment interview or a place at the school;
- an acknowledgement that enrolment in that Catholic school is not a guarantee of enrolment in any other Catholic school;
- a statement that if a parent(s) or guardian(s) has knowingly withheld material information relevant to the application/enrolment process then the principal reserves the right to refuse or terminate enrolment on that ground;
- a declaration signed by all custodial parent(s) or guardian(s) that, to the best of their knowledge, they have:
- provided a copy of any Parenting or Restraint Order that applies to the prospective student;
- provided the necessary documentation that the school may request, to confirm the student’s Australian residency status;
- fully understood, agreed, and accepted that their child will participate in all required parts of the education program of the school, including the religious education program;
- viewed, fully understood, and agreed to the terms and conditions set out in the school’s fee collection procedure;
- received a Privacy Collection Notice;
- fully and truthfully completed the Application for Enrolment form.
When enrolling children in the three-year-old educational program:
- Children must have attained the age of three.
- Enrolment into the program must relate to participation in the program and not
enrolment into the school. This point must be clearly stated on the ‘Entry Form’ for parent(s) or guardian(s) and they must be advised that formal enrolment into the school occurs via an application at the time of seeking enrolment into kindergarten or subsequent year levels.
- It is recommended that the ‘Entry Form’ for the program be visually different from the enrolment forms of the school to assist in clarifying the situation with the program.
- The following entry priorities must be adopted for the program:
- a) Catholic children from the parish with a Parish Priest reference
- b) Catholic children from outside the parish with a Parish Priest reference
- c) other Catholic children
- d) siblings of non-Catholic students
- e) non-Catholic children from other Christian denominations
- f) other non-Catholic students.