Enrolling your child in secondary school
Surfside Primary School
Secondary School Transition Information
Most secondary schools have recently conducted information sessions regarding enrolment for 2025. The following supports explain the enrolment process and if you have any questions please touch base with your child's teacher or the administration team:
Moving from primary to secondary school is an important step in a child’s education. In Victoria, students normally start secondary school when they reach Year 7.
Steps to enrol your child in secondary school
Moving from a government primary school to a government secondary school
If your child is seeking a place in Year 7 at a secondary school next year, you will need to:
- download the Year 6 to 7 Placement Information Pack 2024-25. The pack includes the application form. Your child's primary school will give you a copy of the pack in week 1.
- use Find my School to locate your local secondary school or preferred school, and read about School zones and Enrolling in school.
- complete the application form and return it to your child's primary school by Friday 10 May 2024.
Year 7 placement is decided by secondary schools using the Department’s Placement Policy. However, all communication about your child's placement must be with the Year 6 Coordinator or Transition Coordinator at your child's primary school until the placement is confirmed.
You will receive notification of your child's Year 7 placement offer on Wednesday 17 July 2024.
All government secondary schools will host a Year 7 Orientation Day (for Year 6 students) on Tuesday 10 December 2024.
Moving to a non-government secondary school or registering for home schooling
Contact the secondary school to find out their enrolment process.
Visit Catholic Education Commission of Victoria(opens in a new window) and Independent Schools Victoria(opens in a new window) to find Catholic and independent schools.
For home schooling, find out about the requirements and how to register your child for home schooling.
Additional supporting materials
A factsheet summarising the Year 7 placement process is available to complement the Year 6 to 7 Placement Information Pack for Parents and Carers.
The factsheet includes key dates in the 2025 enrolment process and Frequently Asked Questions.
Factsheet for Year 7 placement process
- Factsheet - English (PDF, 226 KB)
- Factsheet - English (DOCX, 2.9 MB)
- Factsheet - Arabic (PDF, 282 KB)
- Factsheet - Arabic (DOCX, 3.0 MB)
- Factsheet - Chinese (simplified) (PDF, 383 KB)
- Factsheet - Chinese (simplified) (DOCX, 3.1 MB)
- Factsheet - Dari (PDF, 339 KB)
- Factsheet - Dari (DOCX, 1.2 MB)
- Factsheet - Vietnamese (PDF, 300 KB)
- Factsheet - Vietnamese (DOCX, 1.9 MB)
Once your child is enrolled
Read our tips for starting secondary school to learn how you can support your child through the move.
Appealing a Year 7 enrolment
If a school decides not to accept your enrolment, you can appeal. This situation can happen if you request to enrol at a school outside of your school zone, and the school does not have enough places.
You can lodge a written appeal to the school. The timeline for appeals to the school is detailed in the 'Placement Information Pack'.
Appeals are considered by the school's placement committee and/or principal. They will check the priority order of placement(opens in a new window) and confirm your address. They will also consider appeals on compassionate grounds on a case-by-case basis.
If your appeal to the school is unsuccessful and you're not satisfied with the outcome, you can escalate the appeal to your local regional office. The timeline for appeals to the regional office is detailed in the 'Placement Information Pack'.
Appeals to the regional office are considered by a panel of senior department staff.