Fortitude Valley State Secondary College

​Overview

The Fortitude Valley State Secondary College (FVSSC) is an outstanding new secondary school in Fortitude Valley that will welcome its first intake of Year 7 students at the commencement of the 2020 school year.

The FVSSC will increase state secondary schooling capacity in Brisbane's inner city school network to help accommodate the strong and sustained population growth in this rapidly changing urban area.

The school is surrounded by an exciting range of contemporary community, entrepreneurial and sporting associations and is well supported by public transport infrastructure networks in the revitalised Fortitude Valley precinct.

Partnering with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the FVSSC provides students with access to innovative technologies, resources and expertise, enhanced learning opportunities and strong student pathways to further education, training and employment.

The school promotes agile learning, creative thinking and problem solving to deliver a contemporary, future focused education that prepares students for the opportunities of the 21^st century.

Applications for enrolment at the FVSSC will be subject to this Enrolment Management Plan and the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Qld).

The FVSSC primarily exists to provide state secondary education to students who reside within the FVSSC local catchment, which is stated below.

Parents may also apply to enrol prospective out-of-catchment students at the FVSSC. However, enrolment of prospective out-of-catchment students is subject to the FVSSC's enrolment capacity and this Enrolment Management Plan. 

Parents and guardians may be asked to sign statutory declarations under the Oaths Act 1867 as providing legally sworn evidence to satisfy requirements of enrolment.

The Principal is responsible for determining whether, upon an application for enrolment being made, a prospective student is eligible for enrolment. That includes being satisfied that:

1. sufficient evidence is provided in relation to a prospective student as to the student's entitlement to be enrolled at the school; and
2. a prospective student has met the requirements of this Enrolment Management Plan.

Capacity

The FVSSC has the following capacity:

Out-of-catchment enrolment capacity

Out-of-catchment enrolments are permitted if the school's capacity is not met by local catchment enrolments. Enrolment of additional out-of-catchment students may be considered if there is sufficient capacity after enrolment of local catchment students and sufficient capacity has been reserved for future local catchment growth, including students who move into catchment throughout the school year.

Subject to the above, FVSSC has capacity to accommodate the following out-of-catchment enrolments.

FVSSC local catchment area

The FVSSC local catchment area (the FVSSC catchment) is the geographical area from which the school is to draw its core intake of students, defined by EdMap.

The boundaries of the FVSSC local catchment area are subject to periodic review and may change. While a principal place of residence may currently be in the local catchment, there is no guarantee that this will satisfy future enrolment requirements.

At the time of making application for enrolment, please check the school's catchment to determine whether your residence is located within the catchment area.

Kelvin Grove State College local catchment area

The Kelvin Grove State College (KGSC) local catchment area applicable to Year 7 enrolments at KGSC from the 2020 school year and is the area defined by the map available online (the KGSC catchment).

Enrolment policy

Local catchment enrolments

Any prospective student, whose principal place of residence is within the FVSSC catchment is, subject to the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, entitled to enrol at the school. The school's Principal will reserve places for students who move into the catchment area throughout the school year.

The Principal will consider the factors listed under the heading 'Determining Principal Place of Residence' when assessing whether a prospective student's principal place of residence is within the FVSSC catchment.

The following groups of prospective students will be entitled to enrol as if they are in-catchment students, even though they may reside outside the school's catchment area:

1. a student who is subject to child protection orders that grant guardianship or custody to the Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (Child Safety Services);
2. a student who lives outside the catchment area and is verified with a disability and for whom FVSSC's specialised disability program is the closest program to their home and meets their individualised needs;
3. a student who has been excluded from another school, is not prohibited from enrolling in the FVSSC under the conditions related to the exclusion, and who is approved for enrolment in the school by the Regional Director (or delegate) in consultation with the Principal; and
4. a sibling of an existing FVSSC student if that student's principal place of residence was in catchment at the time of enrolment in the school.

Out-of-catchment enrolments

The following out-of-catchment students are able to enrol at FVSSC, subject to the availability of places at the school in accordance with the Out-of-Catchment Enrolment Capacity of the school:

1. priority out-of-catchment students;
2. students eligible for selective entry under the selective entry process; and
3. other out-of-catchment students entitled to enrol at the school in accordance with this Enrolment Management Plan.

Priority out-of-catchment students

Priority out-of-catchment students are:

1. a prospective student:
• who on 3 May 2019 was enrolled in Prep to Year 6 and whose principal place of residence was in the KGSC catchment; and
• whose principal place of residence has remained in the KGSC catchment from 3 May 2019 to the date of the application for enrolment at FVSSC (priority category (A)).
2. any current or future sibling of a prospective student mentioned in priority category (A) or a student enrolled at KGSC on 3 May 2019 and at the date of the application for enrolment at the school, the child's principal place of residence is in the KGSC catchment.   

Process for enrolment of priority out-of-catchment students

In relation to applications for enrolment of priority out-of-catchment students, the Principal will consider the factors listed under the heading 'Determining principal place of residence' when assessing the applicant's principal place of residence.

Priority out-of-catchment students who are entitled to be enrolled at FVSSC must be given priority over selective entry students and other out-of-catchment enrolments.

Selective entry program

Prospective students will be considered for select entry to the school in accordance with any processes determined and managed by the Principal, and outlined on the school's website.

The Principal is responsible for all decisions on selective entry enrolment and the decision will be final.

Siblings of out-of-catchment students are not eligible for automatic enrolment.

Fees for selective entry applications

Under the department's User charging procedure, a Principal of a state school with an approved school Enrolment Management Plan is able to charge a fee for recouping costs of enrolment processing where:

• the Enrolment Management Plan permits the enrolment of a student living outside the catchment area based on selective entry criteria

• the significant number of prospective students living outside the catchment area and applying to enrol results in abnormal administrative costs to the school, for example, enrolment examination supervision and marking.

To participate in the FVSSC selective entry program, applicants may be required to pay the application fee.

Participating in the selective entry program selection process will be no guarantee of successful enrolment at FVSSC and any fees paid are non-refundable.

The Principal reserves the right to grant exemption for this fee payment in genuine circumstances of financial hardship.

Other out-of-catchment enrolments

Other prospective out-of-catchment students will be considered for enrolment at FVSSC if there is capacity after enrolment of local catchment students, priority out-of-catchment students and selective entry students, if any, and allowing reserved student enrolment capacity for future local catchment growth, including students who move into catchment throughout the school year.

Subject to available out-of-catchment enrolment capacity, the Principal may also reserve places for:

• disadvantaged or vulnerable out-of-catchment students
• overseas students enrolled in accordance with section 63 of the Education (General Provisions) Regulation 2017.

Prospective out-of-catchment students will be placed on a waiting list, with applications assessed in order of receipt.

Determining principal place of residence

Parents or legal guardians who seek to enrol their child at the school as a local catchment enrolment will need to demonstrate that the student's principal place of residence is within the FVSSC catchment as at the date of the application for enrolment.

Parents or legal guardians who seek to enrol their child at the school as a priority out-of-catchment enrolment will need to fully demonstrate that the student's principal place of residence has genuinely been within the KGSC catchment from 3 May 2019 to the date of application for enrolment.

Factors that may be considered in determining a student's principal place of residence include:

• where the student sleeps
• where the student eats meals
• whether the student also resides in other premises and if so, the reasons for doing so and the extent of time spent there
• the place of residence of the student's immediate family, especially a parent, carer, step-­parent or sibling
• whether there are other occupants of the residence, and their rights to and control over the property
• the connection of utilities such as telephone, internet, subscription services (for example Foxtel), gas and electricity under the name of the student or their parent
• whether the amount of electricity and/or gas used is consistent with the student and/or the student's immediate family occupying the residence as a home
• whether the student and/or their immediate family have moved their furniture and personal effects into the residence
• whether the residence is used as the student's, or the student's immediate family members, mailing address or address for other purposes such as the electoral roll, driver's licence and vehicle registration. If another residence is used, the reasons for using that other residence
• whether home insurance for the building and/or contents has been taken out for the benefit of the student's family
• whether 'landlord' insurance has been taken out for the benefit of the student's family or otherwise in relation to the subject property
• the type of finance acquired by the student's family for the residence (for example, obtaining finance as an owner/occupier or under an investment loan).

The issue of whether a residence is a student's principal place is to be decided by the Principal. The relevance and weight of evidence provided on behalf of a prospective student will be considered in light of the individual circumstances of each prospective student. However, examples of proof of residency documents under the relevant category that are required to be provided with the enrolment application to confirm the student's principal place of residence may include the following:

Owned property

• a current certificate of title
• unconditional sale agreement demonstrating fair market value
• evidence that the property is the legitimate family residence (e.g. a statutory declaration by an applicant/parent for enrolment outlining the individuals who reside in the property and their relationship to the prospective student)
• the most recently issued rates notice
• a minimum of 3 current bills and evidence of payment (e.g. electricity, gas, internet, telephone) that demonstrates reasonable levels of usage
• a current home and contents insurance policy in relation to the property
• a current motor vehicle insurance policy, with the property being the nominated address.

Tenanted property

• a current residential tenancy agreement in the name of the legal parent or legal guardian, which includes an obligation to pay rent, with such rent being at approximately market rate
• a current bond receipt lodged with the Residential Tenancies Authority for the stated residence
• current bills and evidence of payment for electricity, gas, internet, telephone (demonstrating reasonable levels of usage as compared to other households)
• a current contents insurance policy in relation to the property
• a current motor vehicle insurance policy, with the property being the nominated address
• evidence of currently paid up rent at the amount outlined in the tenancy agreement.

For lease holders the school may also assess:

• evidence of payment of effective market value rent (for example, an opinion from a real estate agent who practices within catchment)

• evidence that the property is the legitimate family residence (e.g. type, size and nature of the accommodation).

Personal information documents, including:

• driver's licence
• electoral roll.

Other evidence that may be required:

• a properly sworn Statutory Declaration from a legal representative demonstrating guardianship/parenting arrangements
• a properly sworn Statutory Declaration from the enrolling parent or legal guardian attesting that the student's principal place of residence is the place nominated in the enrolment application.

The Principal may request to sight original documentation and require copies of documents to be sworn or affirmed in front of the School's Commissioner for Declarations or Justice of the Peace (Qualified).

Enrolment decisions

The Principal is responsible for determining whether a prospective student satisfies the requirements for eligibility to enrol. The Principal may request any additional documentation or conduct other enquiries deemed necessary to be so satisfied.

Where the Principal forms a preliminary view that an application does not satisfy the requirements for eligibility to enrol, or contains false or misleading statements or assertions about the student's principal place of residence, applicants will be notified in writing.

Applicants may respond to the Principal's preliminary view by making a submission to the Principal, no later than seven days after receiving the preliminary view letter.

If no submission is received, the Principal's preliminary view will be treated as the final decision and no further notice will be provided.

If a submission is received, the Principal will consider the submission and make a final decision. A final decision notice will be provided to the applicant as soon as is practicable.

A person aggrieved by an enrolment decision of the Principal can find information about the available complaints processes at:

• the Department of Education Complaints Management Framework
• Queensland Ombudsman.

False or misleading statements

False or misleading statements or assertions about a student's principal place of residence may amount to an offence.

The Principal will revoke the enrolment of an existing student, where enrolment has been obtained through false or misleading statements about the student's principal place of residence.

Gazettal date

This version of the School Enrolment Management Plan of the FVSSC was gazetted on 11 October 2019.

The School Enrolment Management Plan is reviewed periodically and, if required, updated in accordance with the processes set out in the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 to reflect any changes.