Enrolling your child

Primary school enrolment

Children must be five by 30 June in the year they enrol in the Preparatory Year. There is no waiting list for enrolment in the Preparatory Year.

Children must be six by 30 June in the year they enrol in Year 1. Under special circumstances, children may be enrolled at a younger age. For a child entering Year 1, schools require proof of the child's date of birth, such as a birth certificate, passport or visa.

Preparing for the first day at school

When parents feel positive about the school and participate in some way in their child's education, the child is more likely to feel secure and happy and achieve better results.

Think about how you can best prepare your child for the first day at school:

Have some practice runs before school starts and encourage your child to organise clean clothes, books and bag.
Be sure your child has a balanced breakfast and pack a healthy lunch and snacks.
Encourage your child to dress themselves. Look for clothes with easy fasteners.
Label all belongings and find out where lost property is held at school.
Avoid a rush. Leave home on time and allow time to say goodbye. At first you may stay a while to ensure your child feels secure. Once your child has settled in, a short and reassuring goodbye encourages independence.
Check what time schools finishes and arrive in plenty of time to collect your child.

Secondary

Students are eligible to enter the first year of secondary school, Year 8, after completing seven years of primary education.

During the first half of your child's Year 7, you will be asked to nominate the secondary school your child will attend in Year 8.

For many students this will be the closest secondary school to their homes; however, some parents choose to send their child to a different secondary school. This may be because of the curriculum that is available, or because the school has a specific focus, such as creative industries or aviation.

It's a good idea to consider your preferences early in the year and see if your child is eligible to attend the school of your preference.

Parents are encouraged to attend information sessions at local schools to assist them to choose a school for their child.

From 2015, Year 7 will become part of high school in Queensland.

Transition from primary to secondary school

The transition from primary to secondary school is an exciting time for students and their parents. It is the next stage in a lifelong educational journey leading to new experiences and challenges. The more informed everyone is, the more likely the experience will be positive for you and your child.

After the relatively familiar surroundings of the primary school (where there is usually one main classroom teacher for each child and one or two specialist teachers), it can be daunting to move to a secondary school where there are many more teachers, new surroundings and a different approach to timetabling.

Secondary schools have different ways of introducing primary students to their school. Most students settle in quickly. Sometimes it's the parents who are more bewildered and wonder how the system works.

Primary and secondary schools cooperate to ease students through this transition. Often secondary students revisit their old primary school to tell Year 7 students what secondary school is like.

Steps are also taken to prepare children for the different teaching methods of secondary schools.

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This page was last reviewed on 09 Aug 2011 at 02:14PM