Enrolment Policy

In the Northern Territory, parents may apply to enrol their child in the school of their choice. Schools in the Northern Territory are not zoned for the purposes of enrolment, however, if a school is approaching or has reached operational capacity, then a school may decline enrolment applications from students who reside outside its priority enrolment area, provided that the assessment criteria is applied consistently to all applications.

Applications for enrolment from students who live outside the priority enrolment area will only be considered if the school has capacity, after catering for students from its priority enrolment area. Acceptance of an enrolment application by a primary school of a student who lives outside its priority enrolment area does not guarantee a subsequent enrolment at the middle or senior school that the primary school feeds to.
No eligible student will be denied enrolment, providing they reside within the school’s priority enrolment area.

Assessment Criteria

When assessing enrolment applications from students who live outside the priority enrolment area, the school may take into account the following factors:

    whether the student has a sibling attending the school
    whether the student currently attends a school in the local priority enrolment area
    whether the student is seeking to complete specialised programs offered by the school
    whether there is sufficient, sustainable infrastructure and resources to cater for the enrolment increase as well as any subsequent staffing increase
    individual year level and subject level operational capacity.

Appeals

An unsuccessful applicant may appeal the decision and request a review. The applicant should provide brief claims against the factors outlined in this policy supporting their case for enrolment into a particular school and address the appeal to the relevant Director of School Performance or email: schoolsnorth.det@nt.gov.au .

To view the full policy document please click here.