Enrolment Policy

Purpose

Maitland Christian School Limited is an independent Christian educational community, that aims to grow faith, character and abilities through teaching and learning excellence, in partnership with families and the local church. It was established by Metford Community Baptist Church in 1983 and continues to be a ministry of Metford Community Baptist Church. Our School Core Values are Faith, Unity, Excellence, Generosity and Growth. Maitland Christian School Limited operates two schools – Maitland Christian School and Arise Christian College

This policy provides the parameters, conditions and procedures for enrolment into Maitland Christian School. It seeks to acknowledge and continue the original vision of those who founded the School as a Christian educational community and in line with the School's Purpose Statement and Strategic Intentions.

Whilst the Policy is as comprehensive as possible, there will inevitably be some situations which are not specifically covered. In such instances, the Executive Principal's decision shall be final.

Scope

This policy including all its conditions and procedures apply to all enrolment applications received from prospective parents and existing parents with students currently or previously enrolled in the school communities of Maitland Christian School Limited, and all Staff.

Biblical Framework and Commitment

Maitland Christian School was founded on the belief that the home, church and school all work together in providing for a child a wholistic, Christ-centred education.

The Old Testament teaches that parents are responsible for their children's education:

• Hear O Israel, The Lord our God the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
• Listen my son to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning so do not forsake my teaching (Proverbs 4:1-2).

The New Testament puts a similar responsibility on parents. Paul says:

• Do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

The Greek word translated 'training' is paidia, which means training of the whole person.

The Christian School is able to assist parents in fulfilling their responsibilities in raising their children; parents should be encouraged to send their children to a Christian school which supports Biblical values, teaches Biblical principles, educates through a Biblical Christ-centred framework, and models Christian community and relationships.

The Bible teaches that the church has an important role in teaching.

• And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles… (1 Corinthians 12:28).
• If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach (Romans 12:7).
• For this reason, I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church (1 Corinthians 4:17).
• Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. (1 Timothy 4:11-13)

Maitland Christian School is committed to:

• growing a learning community embedded in our values:
  • Faith – We know, proclaim, walk in and share the promises of God's word.
  • Unity – We encourage each other and work together in love.
  • Excellence – We pursue the highest possible good for each other.
  • Generosity – We give of ourselves and our resources out of a heart to serve.
  • Growth – We develop our strengths to glorify God.
• providing a safe environment for the school community that promotes knowing Christ and seeking His purpose for each student, to positively impact their learning, personal growth, respect, and self-esteem.

Policy Statement

1. Selection criteria and ethos

1.1 Only applicants who are permanent residents of Australia, or whose families have a current eligible Australian working visa (copy of passport must be submitted) are eligible to apply for enrolment.

1.2 A student must be enrolled in one school only at any given time.

1.3 Applications for enrolment will be considered using the following criteria:

1. Our selection criteria reflect the beliefs and ethos of our School. Consequently, we seek to enrol those children whose families understand and are supportive of the Christian aims and objectives of the School, who we judge to be best able to benefit from the academic program we offer, and who demonstrate a willingness to participate in the full range of activities provided by the School.
2. At the pre-enrolment interview, the Christian beliefs and ethos of the School will be discussed in detail. You will be asked to sign that you have had this important discussion, you understand its relevance and importance, and are supportive of the Christian aims, beliefs, and objectives of the School.
3. The School operates a waiting pool. Christian families will be offered enrolment first, then further offers will be made from the pool, at the School's discretion. The School does not operate a wait list based on when applications were received.
4. Other factors used for selection include, in no particular order:
   • siblings of current students
   • school reports reflecting good engagement, effort and behaviour
   • other information provided that shows the student's willingness to participate in the full range of activities offered by the School, their character and capacity to thrive at Maitland Christian School.
5. An offer of enrolment will be subject to the availability of a vacancy at a year level commensurate with a child's educational standard and chronological age.
6. An offer of enrolment will be subject to the ability and preparedness of parents to pay all School fees, a fee deposit and any other associated costs as and when due.
7. We will assess all applications to enrol against these criteria and consideration will be given to other criteria determined by the School from time to time. The School has an absolute discretion in determining the weight of each of the factors it takes into account in determining whether to offer a place for a child.

1.4 At least one parent will be required to attend a New Parents Information Evening (in the year the child commences their enrolment).

1.5 For the purposes of enrolment, the term 'siblings' refers to children who have at least one parent in common. For our purposes there is no difference between natural and adopted children.

1.6 The School reserves the right to exempt nominated families from any waiting list, if the Executive Principal, or delegate, assesses that a family has good cause for such exemption.

1.7 A child cannot start attending classes until the Offer of Enrolment has been accepted and signed by both parents (subject to relevant clauses in this policy).

1.8 Any application to enrol is subject to all relevant requirements found in in this policy and the Enrolment Contract.

1.9 Final decisions on any enrolment placement into a grade cohort is the decision of the Head of School.

2. Entry points for Students

2.1 Our normal entry points are Prep, Kindergarten, Years 7 and 11, at the commencement of the academic year. We will consider applications for entry to other years, but only if places are available. Due to the demand for places, we advise parents to apply for entry for their child well before the desired year of entry.

2.2 We have limited places to offer. After we offer places, we will draw up a waiting pool and will use this pool to make later offers of enrolment if students to whom initial offers were made decide not to accept their offers, or if students already enrolled withdraw from the School.

3. Entry after the start of the academic year

3.1 Where an application for enrolment is approved to commence any time after Week 1 of Term 1 in the academic year, entry shall generally be granted for the start of the following term after the approval of the enrolment. For example, a student whose enrolment is approved in Week 5 of Term 1 in a given year shall be given a start date for the commencement of Term 2 that year.

3.2 The School may vary the starting point for a student where the School agrees it is in the best interest of the student to do so.

4. You cannot defer an offer

4.1 If we offer a student a place for a particular entry point, that offer only applies to that point of entry: it does not apply for a later entry point. For example, if we offer a child a place at the School starting in Year 7, but the parents then decide that they wish to defer the child's entry until Year 10 they cannot defer the original offer to take it up at the later entry point.

4.2 Where an offer of a place is not taken up (for any reason), we will put the child on the normal application list and will reconsider their application at the next entry point.

5. Accepting an Offer

5.1 If families choose to accept the offer of a place, they are required to read and accept the relevant terms and conditions contained in the Enrolment Contract, sign the relevant Enrolment Agreement, and pay the relevant Enrolment Fee, within seven (7) days of the date on the Offer.

5.2 The number of places offered reflects the number of positions available.

5.3 The Enrolment Fee is payable for each student for whom a place is accepted.

5.4 If the offer is not accepted within 7 days, the offer will expire, and the place may be offered to another applicant.

6. Application to Enrol

6.1 In completing the online Application to Enrol form we will ask parents to declare that to the best of their knowledge they have:

1. disclosed any special needs of their child,
2. provided a copy of any Parenting or Restraint Order, or any other relevant information regarding parenting agreements or a shared or recently changed family arrangement that applies to the prospective student and parent(s), and
3. fully completed the Application to Enrol form.

6.2 In submitting the online Application Form we will also ask Parents to acknowledge an enrolment application does not guarantee a place and it is not an offer of enrolment.

6.3 In completing the online Application Form we will also ask Parents to consent to:

1. the School's privacy arrangements, and
2. the School contacting previous schools or early learning centres to gather information to help process and assess an application to enrol.

6.4 If a parent withholds information relevant to the application and enrolment process or provides false or misleading information in the application and enrolment process, then we will reserve the right to refuse or terminate the enrolment process on these grounds.

7. Circumstances under which an application may be declined

7.1 We may decline an application:

1. if they have been refused entry at another school, or if they have been withdrawn from another school pending exclusion, or if they have been asked to leave that school;
2. if any parents/carers are unable to assent to, and sign all components of any application forms;
3. if, the Executive Principal, or delegate, assesses that the enrolment of that student has the potential to create conflict at school or within the family;
4. if the Executive Principal, or delegate assesses that the School does not have the foreseeable ability to provide a successful academic program for that student;
5. if the Executive Principal, or delegate, assesses that there has been lack of disclosure by the family;
6. if the Executive Principal, or delegate, assesses the School is not suited resulting from a child's academic assessment;
7. without specific explanation.

8. Conditions of Enrolment

8.1 When a place at the school is accepted, the student will be expected to attend all the activities of the school, including classes, excursions, camps, mission programs, extra-curricular activities, and special school functions (such as chapel services, concerts, and inter-school sporting events).

8.2 Continued enrolment at the School is dependent upon the student making satisfactory academic progress, attending consistently, and the student and the parent/carer(s) observing all behavioural codes of conduct, meeting the School's expected standards and expectations of behaviour, meeting the terms and conditions found in the Enrolment Contract, and other requirements of the School which are applicable from time to time.

8.3 A student's continuing enrolment is also subject to payment of all invoiced school fees as, and when, due.

8.4 The School reserves the right to terminate an enrolment where the parents have not declared or have withheld known information pertaining to their child's needs.

9. When guardians or carers are enrolling children

9.1 In this Policy, we have referred to 'parents' to indicate those people responsible for enrolling students. Most of our enrolments involve the natural parents of children so we have chosen to use this terminology to simplify our documents. However, we readily accommodate applications to enrol in which guardians or carers have responsibility for a child's application.

10. Withdrawal

10.1 Parents may terminate this Enrolment Agreement with written notice of at least ten school weeks
if they decide not to continue the enrolment for any reason.
10.2 Scheduled vacations of MCSL do not constitute adequate notice.

11. Our Enrolment Policy may change

11.1 MCSL reserves the right to alter its enrolment policy.
11.2 The School may alter the terms and conditions of enrolment at any time by giving not less than
two (2) term’s notice to the Parent/guardian(s) in writing which shall apply to both current and
future students and parent/guardian(s) from the date specified in the notice.
11.3 The most up to date version of the enrolment policy is available from the School’s website.

12. Definitions
In this policy and its terms and conditions and procedures:
Parent means the parent/guardian(s)/carer(s) who entered into the contract of enrolment with the School.
School means the Maitland Christian School Limited.
Student means the student who is named in the contract of enrolment.
Enrolment Contract is the document containing the terms and conditions that the parent agrees to as part of the enrolment process.

1. List of Enrolment Process Actions

1.1 There are four parts to the enrolment process at Maitland Christian School and Arise Christian College:

1. The Application to Enrol process and application review (which may involve seeking further information, student pre-enrolment assessment and reference checks).
2. The Interview process (which may also involve seeking further information and further reference checks).
3. The Offer of Enrolment, which if accepted by the parents in accordance with the conditions outlined in this policy, forms the Enrolment Agreement.
4. Acceptance of an Offer of Enrolment, student commences and at least one parent attends a New Parents Information Evening.

2. Table: List of Enrolment Process Actions

3. Fees during the enrolment process

3.1 We will charge:

1. An Application Fee of $40 to be paid by the parents following the completion of the online Application to Enrol form. This amount is non-refundable and does not guarantee a place at the school.
2. An Enrolment Fee of $500 to be paid by the parents when they accept an offer of a place. This amount is credited to the family's school fees upon successful completion of the Maitland Christian School New Parent's Information Evenings. This fee is non-refundable even if the parents should subsequently decide not to proceed with the enrolment offer.

4. Privacy of information

4.1 All enrolment information parents supply during the enrolment process will be kept confidential and accessed only by those staff involved in the enrolment process.

4.2 If an application to enrol is not successful we will retain the information, with the permission of the parents, in case a place should become available later. Further information on our handling of information is available in the School's Privacy Policy.

5. Accepting an Offer of Enrolment - Enrolment Contract

5.1 Parents may accept a place for their child by signing the Enrolment Confirmation and paying the Enrolment Fee. This will establish the parents' agreement to support the school rules and policies, to pay the School Fees, to accept the Enrolment terms and conditions and the consequences of suspension or termination.

Summary version - Enrolment Process actions

Appendix A

Students with Disabilities

The following guidelines are designed to establish a process for determining any adjustments that the school would need to make if it offered enrolment for a student with a disability.

1. Access to information

1. Enrolment information is available on the School website or School prospectus.
2. Families are able to contact the enrolment officer for further information or assistance with enquiries about enrolment.
3. If assistance is required with accessing documentation relating to enrolment, contact should be made with the School.

2. Identification of Specific Needs

1. The School enrolment forms require parents to identify any specific needs they have which may impact on their child's education and/or participation in the programs and opportunities provided by the School.

3. Parent Permission

1. Written permission is obtained from parents by the school to seek further information about the student's needs from other educational institutions the student has attended, and from the student's relevant medical specialists and therapeutic providers.

4. Information Gathering

1. Information about the student's needs and advice from independent specialists can be obtained from appropriate agencies, previous schools and medical allied health professionals.
2. The School reserves the right to obtain information from a third party to assist in the process. As a member of the Association of Independent Schools (AISNSW), expertise and advice from their Student Services Division is regularly utilised.
3. Up to date documentation is required by the School that provides accurate information about the student's needs. The School is not able to proceed with an enrolment without necessary information being provided to the School by the parent/carer(s).
4. The collation of information will help ascertain the reasonable adjustments to meet the student's needs:
   1. specific teaching strategies
   2. communication
   3. physical access – equipment, building modifications
   4. personal care
   5. health care management.
5. To assist in identifying any adjustments to cater for a student's needs as part of the individual planning process, the School requires relevant information which could include:
   1. previous school or preschool reports, noting current achievements and areas of need.
   2. up to date (no older than 12 months) psychologist's reports documenting functional skills and recommended strategies for working with the student.
   3. speech pathologist's report documenting receptive and expressive language skills and any recommendations for programs or technology in the classroom.
   4. occupational and physiotherapy reports documenting self-help skills and mobility, including assistive technology reports recommending equipment and access audits regarding access to premises.
   5. medical specialist reports identifying issues which need to be considered by the school.
   6. vision and hearing reports documenting level of functioning and recommended strategies.
   7. current Individual Education Plans and/or other planning documentation (i.e. health care plans, behaviour plans) from the student's school / preschool.
6. An assessment of the School environment will be undertaken and evaluated as part of the enrolment process for students with a physical disability.
7. If a student with a physical disability has difficulty with the School's physical environment, the School may require an access audit from a specialist paediatric occupational therapist to have a comprehensive assessment of accessibility of the site.
8. Feedback and suggestions from relevant staff at the student's current School and also from within the Maitland Christian School staff will also be sought about adjustments and impact of any adjustments.

5. Collaborative planning

1. Parent/carer(s) will be invited to attend an interview at the school as part of the enrolment process. The interview will discuss the student's needs and consider the reasonable adjustments required to meet the needs of the students to enable them to access and participate on the same basis as other students.
2. A collaborative planning approach, using the combined expertise of the family and their specialists with the School and their advisors is utilised.
3. Provision of the student's Individual Education Plans from their current school and possible liaison with / visits to the student's current school will assist in the collaborative planning and transition approach for students.

6. Documentation

1. Collaborative planning will involve the documentation of:
   1. the people involved,
   2. the issues raised,
   3. agreed actions, and
   4. timelines.
2. A working document will form the basis of a Preliminary Education Plan.
3. An update of the Preliminary Plan may be required once the School has observed the student in their new class environment. To facilitate best outcomes the School may use the experience and advice of external advisors such as AISNSW.

7. Expediency

1. To best support students with disability, it is a requirement that the School is provided with up to date diagnosis/information from the family. The family commits to providing this information to the School in an expedient manner.
2. Liaison with external agencies / providers will be utilised to best identify and plan for the needs of a student with a diagnosed disability. Availability of external providers and timeliness of their availability/response may add to the overall timeframe of the enrolment process.
3. The School will continue to liaise with the family regarding progress of the enrolment.

8. Offer of Enrolment – Reasonable Adjustments

1. Offers of enrolment will note the reasonable adjustments that the School is able to provide to assist a particular student in a main-stream integrated classroom environment.

Appendix B

The Enrolment Contract and family circumstances

The following information is for internal advice / processes regarding enrolment.

1. The Enrolment Contract

1. Unless a court order states otherwise, both Parents have:
   • Equal shared parental responsibility for a child under 18 years, and
   • A corresponding right to information.
2. An offer of enrolment and the requisite fee arrangements must be accepted by both Parents. In certain circumstances the School may decide to waive the requirement for both parents to accept an offer (subject to a child's best interests).
3. Upon acceptance, all signatories to the terms and conditions in the Enrolment Contract will be jointly and severally liable in respect of the obligations contained in these terms and conditions.
4. Where Parents are separated, the School is to be provided with a copy of any relevant court orders or mediated agreements.
5. Full documentation must be supplied to ensure that a child is enrolled under the correct name.

2. One parent enrols the child

When the School waives the requirement of both parents signing the form:

1. Where only one parent has enrolled the child, the School will attempt to obtain from the other parent authority for the School to accept decisions from, or only share information with, one parent (subject to a child's best interests).
2. Where families have parents living in different locations, we will send communications (such as Newsletter and School Reports) to the address indicated upon enrolment and as modified from time to time. Under Australian law both parents are to receive information and be involved in decision-making about their child's education unless the courts have indicated otherwise.
3. The family information form issued in relation to each student will be the way we will confirm the contact address / addresses for reporting and other communications.
4. Where one parent has enrolled a child at the School and another parent contacts the School to enquire if the child is enrolled there, Court Orders will inform the School's decision of what to do in this circumstance (subject to the child's best interests).
5. If court orders were not provided to the School as part of enrolment, the School is entitled to assume that the other parent retains the right to be involved in his or her child/children's education and the school is able to inform the parent of the date on which his or her children were enrolled at the School. Due to privacy laws the School is not able to disclose who enrolled the children.

3. Court Orders binding actions of the School

1. Strictly speaking, court orders do not bind the School because the School is not a party to proceedings. However, the Family Law Act section 70NC provides that someone who is not bound by the Orders will nonetheless be taken to have contravened them if he or she has:
   • Intentionally prevented compliance with the order by a person who is bound by it; or
   • Aided or abetted a contravention of the order by a person who is bound by it [s70NC(b)]

   This means that any member of the school staff who assists one of the parties to contravene the Orders will also be contravening the Orders themselves.

2. A person who has contravened an order may have a reasonable excuse for doing so. What constitutes a reasonable excuse is defined by Section 70NE of the Family Law Act and includes that the breach occurred because the person causing the breach did not understand the obligations imposed by the order. The onus for proving that the excuse for breaching an order is reasonable lies with the person who committed the breach.