Enrolment


Parent Information Booklet

School Readiness Flyer

Enrolments

Hampden Specialist School is not a designated neighbourhood school.  Enrolment at schools like ours, as well as any select entry, specialist and specific purpose school, is determined based on the school’s local Enrolment policy and/or Entry criteria. If you are interested in enrolling at our school, please give us a call to book a tour and discuss your child’s needs.  Once a decision to proceed with enrolling your child at Hampden Specialist School is made, a School Enrolment Form will need to be submitted with additional required documents including:

  • Evidence of identity and date of birth (for example, birth certificate or passport)
  • Immunisation Status Certificate (available from MyGov site)
  • You will also be required to provide information such as:
  • Your contact details
  • Emergency contact details
  • health information about your child (such as allergies or illnesses they need to manage)
  • Legal orders relating to your child (if any).

 

An enrolment pack will be provided when placement is offered.  You can also request a pack to be emailed or posted to you:

Required documents

Required documentation includes:

You will also be required to provide information about:

  • your contact details
  • emergency contact details
  • health information about your child (such as allergies or illnesses they need to manage)
  • other legal orders relating to your child and their welfare (if any)

Parent payments

Under the Department of Education and Training’s Parent Payments Policy, Victorian government schools are required to provide transparent information to their school community on voluntary parent/carer contributions.

 

Our school does not request payments or contributions for curriculum or optional extra items, and all services are provided at no cost to parents/carers.  We do request payments for extra curricular activities, estimates of these amounts are outlined in our parent payment letter, which is approved by school council and distributed annually.

 

Before and after school supervision arrangements

Student safety at Hampden Specialist School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school.

 

Before school: School administration area is supervised at both Campuses from 8:50.

 

After school: School administration area is supervised at both Campuses until 3:10.

 

Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless prior permission has be sought from the parent/carer).  Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times.

For a copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy, contact the school office. This policy includes Hampden Specialist School’s student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school.

 

Child Safe Standards

Hampden Specialist School is committed to providing a child safe and child friendly environment, where students are safe and feel safe. 

Our child safety and wellbeing policies outline the measures and strategies we have in place to support, promote and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students:

  • Bullying Prevention Policy
  • Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
  • Child Safety Code of Conduct
  • Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedure
  • Complaints
  • Digital Learning Policy
  • Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy
  • Volunteers Policy
  • Visitors Policy

As valuable partners in promoting and maintaining child safety and wellbeing at Hampden Specialist School we welcome and encourage your feedback.

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions in relation to our child safe policies and practices, please contact our school principal, Kylie Carter on 5595 1995.

 

School policies

In Victoria, all schools must meet the minimum standards for school registration. The minimum standards provide a foundation for quality schools through.  All polices noted below that are required as a department minimum standard are available on our policies page on this website:

  • good governance
  • strong financial management
  • effective curriculum
  • sound teaching practices
  • safe environments for children.

The following policies support us in these aims and in meeting the minimum standards:

Good governance and strong financial management

  • Attendance
  • Complaints
  • Enrolment
  • Parent Payments
  • Privacy
  • Statement of Values and School Philosophy

Effective curriculum and sound teaching practices

  • Aboriginal Learning, Wellbeing and Safety
  • Curriculum Framework
  • Digital Learning
  • Homework
  • Mobile phones

Safe environments for children

  • Anaphylaxis
  • Asthma
  • Bullying Prevention
  • Camps And Excursions
  • Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
  • Child Safety Code of Conduct
  • Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedure
  • Duty Of Care
  • First Aid
  • Health Care Needs
  • Inclusion And Diversity
  • Medication
  • Photographing, Filming and Recording Students
  • Student Wellbeing and Engagement
  • Visitors
  • Volunteers
  • Yard Duty and Supervision

School preparedness and pre-emptive actions for the bushfire season

Fire danger ratings indicate how dangerous a fire would be if one started in those conditions and provide clear direction on the safest options for preserving life. They can be a trigger for action in community and for school and household level fire plans.

Schools and children’s services listed on the Department of Education and Training’s Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) and those at some lower risk of bushfire or grassfire on the Category 4 list will be closed when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their Bureau of Meteorology district. 

Schools and early childhood services listed on the Department of Education and Training’s Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) and those at lower risk of bushfire or grassfire on the Category 4 list take pre-emptive actions on elevated fire danger days to minimise the risk of being caught in a fire in these conditions. The category of risk (per the BARR or Category 4 list) determines the actions that the school or early childhood service will need to take on days of elevated fire danger.

 

Our school has been identified as being one of these schools at high bushfire or grassfire risk, and is listed on the Bushfire at Risk Register (BARR) as a category 4 school.

 

Our school will close on a day forecasted as Catastrophic fire danger rating in South West fire district.

 

The department will advise our school of the potential for a Catastrophic fire danger rating as information becomes available, however the pre-emptive closure will be confirmed by 1pm the day prior to Catastrophic fire danger day. 

 

Fire danger ratings are forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology up to four days in advance. Should a Catastrophic day be forecast, we will notify you of the potential closure by an email or hard copy letter and SMS message via Xuno to the students primary contacts.  Closure of the school due to a forecast Catastrophic day will be confirmed on the day prior and we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day.

 

Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, regardless of improvements in the weather forecast.  This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child.  It is also important to note that:

  • No staff will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Catastrophic day.
  • School camps will be cancelled if a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast for the Bureau of Meteorology district in which the camp is located, or if the travel involves passing through areas that have Catastrophic fire danger.
  • All bus routes that travel through the Catastrophic area will be cancelled.
  • Depending on which fire weather district is impacted, bus route cancellations may affect our school.

Families are encouraged to enact their Bushfire Survival Plan on Catastrophic fire danger rating days. On such days, children should never be left at home alone or in the care of older children.

 

For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advises that when Catastrophic days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Catastrophic day.

 

As part of preparing our school for potential hazards such as fire, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan and reprioritised any maintenance works that may assist in preparing for the threat of fire and cleared our facility’s grounds and gutters.

 

What can parents do?

  • Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is relocated / undertaking remote and flexible learning and/or closed due to elevated fire danger or a Catastrophic fire forecast. Further information can be found on the CFA’s website.
  • Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers. Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters, checking our website [insert URL], by talking to your child’s teacher or any other member of the teaching staff about our emergency management plan.
  • Most importantly at this time of year, if you’re planning a holiday or short stay in the bush or in a coastal area, you should check warnings in advance of travel and remain vigilant during your stay.
  • If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s Bushfire Survival Plan.
  • You can access current information about school and early childhood services closures, including those due to elevated fire danger, on the Department of Education and Training’s website – see http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/pages/closures.aspx

Multiple sources that offer information on emergencies are listed below:

ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters


Translator