2024 Foundation (Prep) enrolments

The Department of Education (DE) has released a new statewide Foundation (Prep) enrolment timeline.

The timeline advises families when and how to enrol their child into Foundation (Prep) at a Victorian government primary school, including Coburg West Primary School.

The new timeline will apply for children starting Foundation (Prep) in 2024. All government primary schools will follow the new timeline in 2023 to support Foundation (Prep) enrolments for the 2024 school year.

You can find information and resources about the new timeline, including factsheets, at: Enrolling in Foundation (Prep). You can also download the ‘Foundation (Prep) Enrolment Information Pack for Parents/Carers for the 2024 school year’ from the Starting School webpage (available from 24 April 2023).

You will be able to apply to enrol your child in Foundation (Prep) 2024 at Coburg West Primary School from 24 April 2023.

What you need to do:

1. Contact our school on 9386 1286, to book a school tour or to learn more about our school and the enrolment application process
2. Download the Foundation (Prep) enrolment information pack from Enrolling in Foundation (Prep) (available from 24 April 2023)
3. Submit an enrolment application for Foundation (Prep) by Friday 28 July 2023
4. You will be notified of the outcome of your application by Friday 11 August 2023. If you receive an offer of placement, you should contact our school to accept the offer by Friday 25 August 2023
5. Take part in enrolment information and transition sessions during Term 4, 2023
6. Your child will start Foundation (Prep) from Tuesday 30 January 2024.

Enrolment applications submitted after 28 July 2023 will be processed by our school as they are received, in accordance with the department’s Placement Policy.

We are now taking tours for 2024 enrolments.

To start primary school your child must turn five years of age, or older, by 30 April of the year that they will start school. Before you enrol your child in a primary school, you may wish to visit a number of schools to decide on the best one for your child. Once you have made your choice you will then be ready to enrol.

For more information and to book in for a personalised enrolment tour, please phone the office on 9386 1286.

Our school follows the Department of Education's Enrolment Policy for the enrolment, placment and transfer of students. 

Students who live within the school zone are guaranteed a place at our school. To find out whether you live in zone, visit findmyschool.vic.gov.au 

All other applications will be considered subject to available space, and prioritised according to:

1. students with a sibling at the same permanent address who are attending the school at the same time
2. all other students in order of closeness of their home to the school.

Our School Zone

Our school zone is available on findmyschool.vic.gov.au which hosts the most up-to-date information on school zones in Victoria.

Students residing within our school zone are guaranteed a place at our school, which is determined on the basis of your permanent residential address.

Our school manages enrolments using the Placement Policy to ensure that students have access to their designated neighbourhood school and may enrol at another school, if there are available places.

For more information, you can:

• visit School zones for answers to frequently asked questions
• call the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) on 1800 896 950
• email the VSBA at vsba@education.vic.gov.au

2023 Enrolment Form

If Coburg West Primary School is in fact your Designated Neighbourhood School, you may complete an enrolment form and submit it to our school office, either in person or email it to coburg.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au with copies of the necessary documents as listed beow.

The 2023 Enrolment Form can be accessed here.

The 2024 Enrolment Form is available following an enrolment tour. Please call 9386 1286 to arrange your personalised tour. 

Enrolment Requirements

To enrol your child we will need the following:

• A copy of your child's Birth Certificate and Immunisation Status Certificate
• A copy of your most recent Rates Notice and Driver's License for address verification  
• Names and addresses of the child and parents, guardians or carers
• Parent's phone numbers (home, work, mobile) and email address
• Names and contact details of emergency contacts
• Doctor's name and contact details
• Medicare details
• Health and welfare information - for example, does your child have asthma, diabetes, allergies, poor eyesight or hearing problems?
• Specific custody arrangements (copies of court orders are required)
• Information about the language(s) your child speaks or can understand (to help the school build on your child's knowledge)

Student Identification Number

The VSN is a student identification number that will be assigned by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to all students in government and non-government schools, and students up to the age of 24 in Vocational Education and Training Institutions. The number, which is unique to each student, will be used as a key identifier on a student’s school records, and will remain with the student throughout his or her education, until reaching the age of 25.

Please see the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority's School Administration page for more information.

Is my child ready for school?

There are many things to consider when deciding if your child is ready to start school. Please ask your child’s kindergarten teacher for advice. If your child’s kindergarten teacher recommends a second year of kindergarten please take this into serious consideration. An extra year will give your child time to develop the skills they need to succeed at school.

Here are some questions to consider:

• —  Are my child’s self-care skills developed?
• —  Are my child’s social skills with peers established?
• —  Does my child appear to be emotionally mature?
•   Does my child demonstrate self-control?
• —  Can my child tolerate frustration?
• —  Can my child cope with things that are worrying?
• —  Is my child able to communicate their needs and express their feelings?
• —  Can my child understand and follow directions?
• —  Is my child flexible and able to adapt to changes of routine?
• —  Does my child persist when faced with a difficult task?
• —  Can my child concentrate and pay attention?
• —  Can my child hold a pencil confidently, use scissors and recognise their name?
• —  Does my child show physical confidence?
•   Does my child’s kindergarten teacher feel that he/she is ready for school?

Starting School – Literacy at School

When children are about to begin school, it gives them a good start if they are able to:

•  Recognise and write some letters of their own name.
•  Notice signs, symbols, letters and words that they see in the environment.
•  Pay attention to repeated sounds in rhyme, jingles, ads and stories.
•  Tell stories about events in their lives in sequence.
•  Listen with interest and courtesy when other people speak.
• Talk about favourite stories and describe some of the characters or things that happen.
• Hold a book the right way up and trace their finger from top left to bottom right as they pretend to read.
• Have experience with drawing, scribbling and making marks on paper.

Helping children get ‘ready for school’ at home or kindergarten:

• Support them to develop self-help and self-care skills (independent toileting, dressing, eating, cleaning up after themselves).
• Follow a routine together (eating and opening wrappers for lunch at a set time, read a story before playing etc).
• Help children learn to recognise and write their name.
• Provide many opportunities for them to develop their fine motor skills (such as play dough, Lego, threading beads, cutting paper, undoing buttons and zips, drawing with different tools and finger plays and rhymes).
• Slowly introduce them to more structured activities.
• Practise sitting and focusing on small and whole class group activities for extended period of time.
• Learn to wait their turn to speak by saying ‘excuse me’ or putting up their hand.
• Support them to handle their emotions by reminding them to ‘use their words’ to resolve conflicts.
• Practise taking turns and asking to join in game.
• Visit local schools to become comfortable in the environment.
• Practise playing ‘school’ and dress up in a school uniform.
• Read picture books about starting school and talk about how the characters feel.