Ryde Secondary College

Enrolment Policy

Ryde Secondary College has a geographic enrolment area defined by the Department of Education and Training and has a ceiling on the number of enrolments that can be accepted.  The enrolment ceiling is 180 students for each of Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. Successful placement at Ryde Secondary College depends upon meeting a set of criteria determined by the College community.

Student enrolments are in three categories:      Mainstream
                                                                                Selective
                                                                                Special Education (Support Unit)

Mainstream Placement

Enrolment Criteria

Criteria for selecting amongst enrolment applications for Years 7 to 12 (listed in priority order)

1. Local Residence

a) residential location within the geographic enrolment area.

2. Non Local Residence

a) residential proximity to the College;
b) siblings already enrolled at the College (offers to non-local siblings will be prioritised on the basis of residential proximity to the College);
c) long-term affiliation with the College (prioritised on the basis of residential proximity to the College);
d) Aboriginality;
e) compassionate/special circumstances considered on an individual basis;
f) Temporary Visa Holders prioritised on the basis of residential proximity to the College (successful applicants must provide original passport/visa information);
g) International Fee Paying students to be placed after all non-locals and Temporary Visa Holders.

Note: Special arrangements apply for students on accredited exchange programs.
 
Enrolment Procedures

1. Local Enrolment

A local enrolment is a student whose permanent residence is situated within the geographic enrolment area.

a) Applicants residing in the College’s geographic area should complete and submit the form Application to enrol in a NSW government school. This form is available at: https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/languagesupport/documents/enrol/application.htm .

b) The College will seek two pieces of evidence demonstrating local resident status through the provision of current original documents. These are listed below.

c) Visa Status of non-Australian citizens will be checked with regard to fees necessary to be paid to the Government (Temporary Resident Visa Unit).

d) Guardianship arrangements for enrolling students will need to be confirmed with the College by the students’ parents.

e) Court Orders for enrolling students will need to be confirmed with the College by the student’s parent.

2. Non Local Enrolment

A non local enrolment is a student whose permanent residence is beyond the College’s geographic enrolment area. Parents or caregivers living outside the College’s geographic enrolment area may apply to enrol their child(ren) at the College.

a) Places for non-local applicants will be considered in the light of whole school and each academic year’s enrolment figures, given:
i. the number of learning spaces available, and
ii. that sufficient buffers be left to accommodate possible new local enrolments throughout the school year.

b) Satisfying one or more of the enrolment criteria does not guarantee enrolment. Offers of enrolment to non local applicants may only be made when places are available. Having a sibling enrolled does not automatically guarantee enrolment. Applicants who satisfy any one or more of the above non local enrolment criteria will not be made offers of enrolment if places are not available.

c) Non local applicants who are made offers of enrolment will be required to complete and submit the form Application to enrol in a NSW Government school prior to their enrolment being finalised and commencement of attendance at the College.

d) Waiting lists for each academic year may only be established if there are realistic expectations of places becoming available for non local applicants. 

Required Identification for Enrolment

Two pieces of evidence are required upon enrolment.
1. If a parent/care giver owns their local property/residence – they must produce originals of:
• Local Government Council Rate Notice
Plus one of the following:
• Gas, water or electricity account
• Electoral enrolment
NB driver’s licence is NOT acceptable              OR

2. If parent/care giver is renting – they must produce originals of:
• current Tenancy agreement (showing agreement of 12 months or more)
• current rental receipts (original Department of Fair Trading Rental Bond Lodgement receipt, plus latest receipt)
Plus one of the following:
• Gas or electricity account
• Telephone account
• Electoral enrolment
NB driver’s licence is NOT acceptable              OR

3. If parents are living with others where there is no formal lease agreement then they need to provide a Statutory Declaration to this effect, signed by a Justice of the Peace, or make legal arrangement through a solicitor. A Statutory Declaration from the “landlord” is also required confirming arrangements that are in place and his/her understanding the person intends to reside there during the school year.

Legal Ramifications of providing false information in order to gain enrolment at a particular school

The College checks all documents and information provided to support enrolment.

If a person provides materially false or misleading information to a school when making an application for enrolment, this is an offence under Section 307B of the Crimes Act 1900 and carries a penalty of up to two (2) years imprisonment, $22,000 fine or both.

If a person provides a statutory Declaration he or she knows to be false, for the purposes of gaining entry to a school, he or she commits an offence under Section 25A of the Oaths Act 1900 which carries a penalty of seven (7) years imprisonment.
 
Proof of Identity

a) Students enrolling must produce one of the following documents:

• Birth Certificate – if the child and parent/s born in Australia or New Zealand
• Passport or Australian Citizenship – if the child born overseas and is an Australian Citizen
• Passport – if the child born overseas and not Australian citizen

If a child born in Australia and both parents are born overseas, it is necessary to sight the child’s passport and also the parents’ passports.

b) If your application is successful for appropriate class placement to proceed, the Enrolment Officer must see most recent school reports and NAPLAN results, if applicable.

International Fee Paying Students

• International fee paying students may apply for enrolment at the College.

• The College will consider these applications in light of the availability of places.

• Under Australian Government regulations, overseas students and their dependents have a lower enrolment priority than Australian citizens, permanent residents and temporary residents.

Applications are made through the International Student Centre. Students holding a 571 Student Visa who apply for entry into year 11 for the HSC will be considered for placement after interview with the Principal. Placement is also dependent on availability of courses that the student has chosen to study. Students must reside within the geographic enrolment area.

Students holding a 571 Student Visa wishing to enrol into Years 7 to 10 will only be considered if there are no local students waiting for placement. Students must reside within the geographic enrolment area.

International Student Centre
NSW Department of Education and Training
PO Box 707
(827-839 George Street)
BROADWAY  NSW  2007
AUSTRALIA

Telephone:  02 9217 4801 or 02 9217 4808  1300 302 456 (in Australia)
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Principal is to make the final decision and give the final approval for enrolment.
 
Selective Placement

Ryde Secondary College is a partially selective high school. Selective high schools provide an educationally enriched environment for highly achieving, academically talented students. Partially selective high schools have community-based (mainstream) classes as well as selective classes.

Year 7 Application

This process starts in Primary School and involves lodging an application (online) and the Year 6 student sitting the Selective Schools Placement Test in March. The outcome of the application is usually notified in July. The individual school does not have any control over Year 7 placements.

Years 8 – 12 Application

Vacancies can occur in Years 8 to 12 in selective classes in these schools. Entry to selective high school classes in Years 8 to 12 do not depend on a centralised program as entry to Year 7 does. A common application package applies to all schools and is available from selective high schools, school education group offices and on the internet, and is available from mid-June each year. The application is usually available for download nearer the time of application with a closing date the last Thursday of July.
See: http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/7-12assessments/selective8_12.php

A selection committee is established to consider and rank applications. Criteria for entry are:
           Academic merit
           Australian citizenship and residency status
           Residential address (in NSW)
           Enrolment policy
           Courses of study
           Family placement claim

Special Education (Support Class) Placement

Ryde Secondary College provides specific classes to support students with mild intellectual disability and moderate intellectual disability.
Enrolment in these classes are subject to regional placement panel procedures.

Northern Sydney Regional Office:  Ph:  9987 3917