Alice Springs School Priority Enrolment Areas Review

Background

The Department of Education is conducting a review of all Alice Springs primary schools’ priority enrolment areas in order to ensure that access to schools is fair, transparent and that schools’ infrastructure resources are used efficiently. Current priority enrolment areas were determined in 2008.

A priority enrolment area is the designated geographical area surrounding a school that includes residential properties. Children residing within the priority enrolment area have priority of placement within the school over children who live outside the priority enrolment area. When a school’s student population is below 85% of the school’s operational capacity, schools can accept children from outside their priority enrolment area.

When a school’s student population reaches 85% of the school’s operational capacity, schools implement Enrolment Management Plans, limiting new enrolments to students living in their priority enrolment area. Bradshaw, Larapinta and Ross Park primary schools currently have an Enrolment Management Plan in place. Braitling, Gillen and Sadadeen primary schools do not have an Enrolment Management Plan in place.

Proposal

It is proposed to amend all current priority enrolment areas. Proposed amendments are intended to ensure that wherever possible students are in the priority enrolment area of their closest school, that schools reflect the diversity of the community and the priority enrolment areas help to relieve capacity pressure on schools. It is acknowledged that parents are still able to choose where they send their child to school if an Enrolment Management Plan is not in place at that school. Maps of the current and proposed Alice Springs primary schools priority enrolment areas are provided below.

Maps of Alice Springs Primary Schools Priority Enrolment Area

Current priority enrolment areas

Proposed priority enrolment areas

Implementation

Should proposed amendments to priority enrolment areas proceed, students currently enrolled would be able to continue in their current schools. Additionally, in line with current Enrolment Management Plans at Ross Park, Bradshaw and Larapinta primary schools, siblings of enrolled students would be able to enrol in that school regardless of where they reside.

To manage the impact of changing priority enrolment areas on school capacity, changes would need to be staged over a number of years. It may be that in the first year of implementation only preschool and transition students can access the school of their new priority enrolment area.

Example scenarios are provided below to help you understand the impact of the proposed changes to priority enrolment areas.

Scenario 1
Peter lives in the Golf Course Estate and is in Year 3 at Ross Park Primary School in 2021. He has two siblings aged 4 and 3.

In 2022, Peter can remain at Ross Park Primary School as he is already a student at this school. Peter’s siblings, who are not yet school age, can also attend Ross Park Primary School when they reach school-age, providing Peter is still enrolled when his siblings enrol.

Scenario 2
Michelle lives in the Golf Course Estate and is in Year 5 at Ross Park Primary School in 2021. She has one sibling aged 1.

In 2025, when Michelle’s sibling reaches school-age, she will be able to attend Sadadeen Primary School. She will not be able to attend Ross Park Primary School as she resides outside of Ross Park Primary School’s priority enrolment area and does not already have a sibling attending the school.

Scenario 3
Ruby will be moving to Alice Springs from interstate in 2022 and is a new resident on the Ross Highway. She is in Year 4.

In 2022, Ruby can attend Gillen Primary School as the Ross Highway falls within Gillen’s priority enrolment area. Ruby cannot attend Bradshaw Primary School as Ross Highway would not be in Bradshaw’s priority enrolment area.

In each of these scenarios, families may choose to enrol their child in a different school providing it does not have an Enrolment Management Plan in place.

The community is invited to submit feedback on the proposed changes.