Information on our catchment area can be found at http://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/maps/edmap/.
This School Enrolment Management Plan (School EMP) sets out the conditions under which students may be enrolled into The Gap State School, subject to any other requirements or limitations in:
- the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006
This School EMP is supported by:
- Enrolment in State Primary, Secondary and Special Schools procedure
- School Enrolment Management Plans (School EMP) procedure
Local Catchment Area
A school’s local catchment area is the geographical area from which the school is to have its core intake of students. A catchment map defines the catchment area for The Gap State School.
This school operates under an equidistant catchment area.
The school’s catchment map is available to be viewed at either the school’s administration building or online at http://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/maps/edmap/.
Enrolment Policy
Students within catchment:
Any student, whose principal place of residence is within the school’s catchment area/s, is (subject to the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006) entitled to enrol at the school. The school Principal will reserve places for students who move into the catchment area throughout the school year.
Parents or legal guardians who wish to enrol their child at the school will need to demonstrate that the student’s principal place of residence is within the catchment area. Current proof of residency at the address indicated can be provided by way of one of each of the following:
- One primary source – a current lease agreement, or rates notice, or unconditional sale agreement, in at least one parent’s/legal guardian’s name, and;
- One secondary source – a utility bill (e.g. electricity, gas) showing this same address and parent’s/legal guardian’s name.
If the Principal is not satisfied that the documentation provided by an applicant demonstrates adequately that the address stated is the student’s principal place of residence, then the Principal may request further sources of proof of residence, such as an additional utility bill (e.g. water) showing the same address.
The Principal may also request 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.
Applicants should note that a false statement / assertion about the student’s principal place of residence may amount to an offence and may be reported to police. The school Principal may repeal a decision to enrol a student in such circumstances.
Other students who are entitled to enrol as if in-catchment:
The following groups of students will be entitled to enrol, even though they may reside outside the school’s catchment area:
- Children and young people who are 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)
- Siblings of current students at the school
- Students whose parent or legal guardian is employed by the school
- Students who live outside the catchment area and are verified with a disability can enrol in the school to attend the specialised disability program if it is the closest program to their home and meets their individualised needs
- Students who have been excluded from another school, dependent upon the conditions related to the exclusion, subject to agreement of the Regional Director.
Out-of-Catchment application
Applications from any other person, not meeting the criteria outlined above, is an out-of-catchment application. Enrolment of students from outside the local catchment area is restricted to ensure that the total current and forecast enrolments do not exceed the Student Enrolment Capacity. This school can only enrol out-of-catchment students:
- if there is sufficient spare capacity after reserving places for students who move into the catchment during the year; and
- after taking into account the school’s projected future enrolment growth.
Out-of-catchment students applying for enrolment at this school are placed on a waiting list and assessed in order of receipt.
All other enrolment applications.
Fees
Under the Department’s State Education Fees procedure, a principal of a state school with an approved School EMP is able to charge a fee for recouping costs of enrolment processing (subject to consultation with the Parents and Citizens’ Association) where:
- the enrolment management plan permits the enrolment of a student living outside the catchment area based on cultural, sporting or academic merit, and
- 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.
Acceptance and Assessment Process
Out of catchment enrolment applications will be recorded in order of receipt, by date and time. These applications will remain current only for the school year in which they are applying to enrol.
Decisions on Enrolment
The Principal is responsible for all decisions on enrolments.
Where a Principal forms a preliminary view that an application will not succeed, 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 school 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. There is no internal review of the Principal’s decision.