When to enrol children into primary school

[oysterbay]

Hi

 

did you wait till you arrived in Perth before sorting schools out? or did you contact schools while still in the uk. I have emailed schools and education authority a few weeks back and not one got back to me. TIA x

[ali]

We contacted 3 schools when we knew the area we were going to be living, one didn't reply, one sent a one line telling me about catchment areas and another wrote a brilliant reply. We did already have an address that we could give them to show we were going to be living in the catchment area, we completed forms but the children weren't actually enrolled until we went to the school and completed all the other stuff of showing visa's, vaccinations etc.,

 

Schools may let you put your name down but you can't complete the enrolment until you're there, you will also need to have an address in their catchment - some won't accept a short term rental (e.g. a few weeks).

[SJT]

Hi

 

When we went through the procedure, we were only looking in a small area in Scarborough/Wembley Downs, but every house that was a possible, had a different primary school, as there are so many around. Before we arrived we had emailed the one in catchment to our short term holiday let and they did email back saying if they had spaces when we physically got there, the head teacher might consider taking on our children. They have so many children starting all the time, I don't think many state primary schools hold places. The one we eventually got said we could enrol the day we had signed our long term lease and could show them a copy of the lease, so we met the rental agents at 9.00am on a Fri morning, at 9.30am we where in the school enrolling them, Mon morning back to the school to get the uniform and they started the next day. It happens very quick here, once you have all your documentation in place. For the senior school it was a lot harder, we had to have a long term rental, our first gas and electric bill, as they are very strict on catchment areas for our high school.

 

Once you know make the decision of what area you will be staying in, it really is easy. Good luck with it all.

[Lou8670]

Hi

 

did you wait till you arrived in Perth before sorting schools out? or did you contact schools while still in the uk. I have emailed schools and education authority a few weeks back and not one got back to me. TIA x

 

We enrolled ours at some of the privates before we arrived but they won't offer a firm place until you've and your child have had an interview. The local State schools will only taken them if you're in catchment. We're staying with family at the moment and the local school will take them with proof that our family live in catchment permanently (evidenced with utility bill, lease/purchase agreement and driving licence) along with two affidavits, one signed by us saying we are residing with at the address and one from our family, all appropriately witnessed by accountant or Police Officer etc. Our eldest started private school a week after we arrived following an interview with the Principal and having purchased the uniform and books etc.

 

You can certainly contact States schools for more information and obtain details on catchment areas etc. also they have to take your child if you live in catchment.

Edited May 30, 2014 by Lou8670