Enrolling at HEPS

Visit findmyschool.vic.gov.au and type in your home address. The website will then locate your designated neighbourhood school.

Those requiring translation assistance can call their regional office on 1300 338 691. Free translation services are available.

Those without internet access can call the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) hotline on 1800 896 950 for assistance to locate their designated neighbourhood school.

Yes, all public schools, including primary, secondary and specialist schools, can be found on findmyschool.vic.gov.au. Type in your address and click on the ‘Secondary schools’ tab to find your current secondary school zone.

The Department reviews school zones on a regular basis. As such, your school zone may change in the time period between your child enrolling in primary school and secondary school.

All public primary, secondary and specialist schools are on findmyschool.vic.gov.au.

For more information on Catholic schools you can contact the Catholic Education Office or visit: https://www.cem.edu.au/SchoolSearch.aspx

For independent schools that are members of Independent Schools Victoria you can visit: https://www.is.vic.edu.au/who-we-are/member-school-details

There are no changes to the Department’s Placement Policy or the relevant legislation that guides every Victorian child’s right to enrol in a government school, the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic).

Under the Placement Policy, schools are required to prioritise enrolment for students living in that school zone. This has not changed, and the Department always seeks to ensure the policy is applied consistently across the state.

Parents who want to send their children to schools located outside of their school zone still have this choice. However, students enrolling at a school from within the school zone will have first priority. This is consistent with current policy.

For more information, see: Placement Policy

Designated neighbourhood schools are generally the public school within closest proximity to the student’s permanent residential address, unless the Minister for Education or Regional Director has restricted the zone of the school.

Closest proximity is calculated as the nearest school by straight line distance in metropolitan areas (including Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo), or the nearest school by shortest practical route (in regional areas).

In Victoria, all children are entitled to be enrolled at their designated neighbourhood school as a right under the legislation. Designated neighbourhood schools are generally the public school within closest proximity to the student’s permanent residential address, unless the Minister for Education or Regional Director has restricted the zone of the school.

For children residing in metropolitan areas, Ballarat, Bendigo or Geelong, the designated neighbourhood school is usually the nearest public school in a straight line from your child’s permanent residential address. In any other area of Victoria, it is the nearest school by the shortest practicable route by distance.

When a new school is established, zones for neighbouring schools are adjusted to accommodate the new school. The Department works closely with schools to address the changing demographics of the local population. This process also occurs when there is any change to provision of education offered by the Government in an area as a result of a school closing or merging, or the addition or removal of a year level offered by a particular school, as approved by the Minister for Education.

All public primary and secondary schools, including Prep/Foundation to Year 9 and multi-campus schools have zone maps. This does not include schools with specific enrolment criteria including English Language Schools and Select Entry Schools. Specialist schools also do not have zones and have special enrolment criteria.  You can see all Specialist schools by clicking on the ‘specialist’ button.

Specialist schools are an important part of Victoria’s education landscape but do not have zones as they are not designated neighbourhood schools under the legislation. You can still search for specialist schools on findmyschool.vic.gov.au.

Specialist schools do have designated transport zones. If you are considering enrolment at a specialist school, contact the school directly for information about designated transport zones.

Your child or children are guaranteed the right to enrol in their local school by the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic), specifically S 2.2.13 (1), which states:

A child of compulsory school age is entitled to be enrolled at his or her designated neighbourhood Government school.

Children of school age have the right to be enrolled at their designated neighbourhood school. They can attend another public school of their choosing if that school has the capacity and accepts their enrolment.

Section 2.2.14 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) states:

A child of compulsory school age may be enrolled at a Government school which is not the child’s designated neighbourhood Government school if there is sufficient accommodation for the child at that school.

If your child is already enrolled at that school, you do not need to do anything further. Your child will maintain their existing enrolment.

You can still request enrolment at a school that is not your designated neighbourhood school.

That school can only accept your enrolment if there is sufficient capacity at the school.

If a school has some capacity, but not enough to fit everyone from outside its zone, the school uses the Placement Policy to determine enrolments.

For more information, see: Placement Policy

The Department’s Placement Policy indicates that where there are insufficient places at a school for all students who seek entry, students are enrolled in the following priority order:

• Students for whom the school is the designated neighbourhood school.
• Students with a sibling at the same permanent address who are attending the school at the same time.
• Where the Regional Director has restricted the enrolment, students who reside nearest the school.
• Students seeking enrolment on specific curriculum grounds.
• All other students in order of closeness of their home to the school.
• In exceptional circumstances, compassionate grounds.

For more information, see: Placement Policy

The Placement Policy recognises there are exceptional circumstances where a student may be unable to attend their designated neighbourhood school, or where on compassionate grounds, the student should be offered a place at another public school.

Applications for enrolment on compassionate grounds are considered by the enrolling school, per the Placement Policy.