Everything you need to know on how to enrol your child at Hillsmeade Primary School. If you have questions not answered on this page (and on the linked pages) please contact the school office.

Are We Your Designated Neighbourhood School?

Every student has the right to attend their designated neighbourhood Government school, as per the Department’s Enrolment policy and the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic). Information on school zones and designated neighbourhood Government schools is available on the Find my School website, and further information about the school system in Victoria is available on the Victorian government website.

Our school boundary is available on findmyschool.vic.gov.au which hosts the most up-to-date information about Victorian school zones.

Enrolments from outside the boundary can be submitted for consideration after September 30th, once the demand on our capacity from families within our boundary has become more clear. We cannot provide an outcome to students outside the boundary until we have assessed all applications from students inside the boundary.

Students residing in this zone are guaranteed a place at our school, which is determined on the basis of your permanent residential address. Proof of residential address will be required.

The Department provides guidance through the School Placement Policy to ensure that students have access to their designated neighbourhood school and the freedom to choose other schools, subject to facility limitations.

For more information, you can:

Students Outside our Zone

If you live outside the Hillsmeade Primary School zone you are not guaranteed a place at the school, since we must prioritise enrolments for students that live near our school. Please contact the school to put your child on our waitlist, but we highly recommend that you initiate enrolment with your local school in the meantime, on the assumption that Hillsmeade PS will not be able to accept your enrolment. In almost all cases we do not accept enrolments outside the Hillsmeade PS zone.

An important consideration for out-of-zone enrolment is the transition to high school. The main high school we feed to is Alkira Secondary College, and they are at capacity and do not accept enrolments from outside their zone. This means that if we accept an out-of-zone enrolment at Hillsmeade PS, when that student graduates to Year 7 all their friends will go to Alkira SC and they will have to go to a different high school without their peer group.

New Prep Students

To start primary school your child will need to turn five years of age by 30 April of the year that they start school. Your child must be at school in the year that they turn six years of age – this is the compulsory school starting age. (DET Policy)

If your child will be starting in Prep in 2025 then you will need complete an enrolment application online (below) along with proof of identity and immunisation before Friday July 26, 2024. We encourage parents to enrol their children as early as possible so that their children can participate in the transition program for new Preps that runs in October, November & December each year.

Please note that outcome of enrolment applications will be provided by the school starting from July 29, 2024.

You can only use the online form for new Preps in 2025 — for all other enrolments, please contact the school.

Commence Prep Enrolment

You can only use the online form for new Preps in 2025 — for all other enrolments, please contact the school.

If you need assistance using the online enrolment form there is a Quick Reference Guide for Parents:

Quick Reference Guide for Parents on Digital EnrolmentDownload

Please see the Starting School page on the Dept website for more information.

See below for more information on forms and the transition program.

School Virtual Tour Videos

Transfers from Other Schools

If your child is transferring from another school to Hillsmeade, then you will need to first have an interview with an Assistant Principal. Please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

We encourage parents to tell both Hillsmeade and their child’s current school about the transfer as soon as possible, because there are a number of required administration steps that take some time. Additionally, there is a state-wide Step-Up day in December each year, so if you’re starting at Hillsmeade next year we encourage you to bring your children to Hillsmeade that day so they can meet their new teacher. We will need to have initiated the transfer and assigned classes before Step-Up Day so the sooner you contact us the better.

School Tours

We run periodic tours of the school for prospective parents to learn about Hillsmeade and see the facilities and teaching in person.

You must register for the school tour, you can get tickets here.

The school tours depart from the School Office at 10 am. We do not run individual tours, so if you would like to see the school please attend on one of these days. Tours are run by a member of our Principal team and our student leaders.

Term 1

  • Monday February 19
  • Friday March 8
  • Tuesday March 19

Term 2

  • Friday April 19
  • Tuesday May 7
  • Friday May 31
  • Tuesday June 18

Term 3

  • Friday July 19
  • Tuesday August 20

Term 4

  • Tuesday October 15
  • Friday November 15

You must register for the school tour, you can get tickets here.

Transition Program & Step-Up Day

Every year we run a 6-week transition program in November and December for new Prep students the following year. This transition program provides a number of opportunities:

  • For Children: a chance to learn how their Prep classes will be structured each day, to meet their new teachers and fellow students.
  • For Parents: while the students are meeting their new teachers, parents are provided with information sessions about every aspect of Hillsmeade, and are given an opportunity to ask questions.
  • For Teachers: the transition sessions provide an opportunity for all Prep teachers to meet and interact with all future students, and to watch their interactions with other students. This informs their decisions about class and teacher allocations.

Additionally, the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) has an annual Step-Up Day in December for Year 6 kids to attend their high school for the following year. On this day we have all our students “step up” for the morning to their classes for the following year to meet their new teachers and fellow classmates. If you will be attending Hillsmeade the following year we encourage you to bring your children to our Step-Up Day.

Required Forms

Enrolment Form

For Prep students, you can use the online form linked above in the Prep section.

To enrol your non-Prep child at Hillsmeade Primary you will need to complete an enrolment application and provide specific information about your child. This information is listed on the Department of Education and Training (DET) website, and we are unable to enrol your child until we have received all the required forms. To commence this process, please contact the school.

Enrolment application forms for non-Preps are available for collection from the school office. Enrolment application forms for non-Preps are not available online.

Please note that the forms need to be completed and signed by both legal guardians. If you are unable to get both parents signatures please contact the school office.

Immunisation History Statement

You will also need to provide your child’s immunisation status via an Immunisation History Statement (IHS) before we can complete enrolment — you can get the IHS through Medicare Online. If you need to get it through the post it an take up to 14 days.

Medical Information (Management Plans)

If your child has a medical condition that may require support during school hours then you should provide details (e.g.: asthma management plan, required daily medications, etc) with your enrolment. Our school nurse can discuss the support we can provide at school, so please contact the school office if you need to discuss your child’s needs.