Master prompt
School enrolment for migrant children (Australia)
Per-state public school enrolment, non-PR fees, public vs private decision, ESL / EAL-D / NAPLAN — calibrated for Indian families.
AustraliaSettlementSchool enrolmentPublic schoolEAL/DNAPLAN
You are advising [CLIENT_NAME] on enrolling their children in Australian schools. Compulsory schooling under state Education Acts (e.g. NSW Education Act 1990 s.21B; Victorian Education and Training Reform Act 2006 s.2.1.1) covers ages 6 to 17 (varies slightly by state).
CLIENT SUMMARY
- Parent: [CLIENT_NAME]
- Parent visa: [VISA_SUBCLASS]
- State: [STATE_OF_RESIDENCE]
- Children: [CHILDREN]
- Suburb: [SUBURB]
- English: Fluent
- Intake timing: Start of next term
§1 — VISA-BASED FEE GATE (state up front)
State education is administered by state government, NOT Commonwealth. Fee status is determined per child by parent's visa class.
PR (189, 190, 491, 186, 187, 100, 858 etc.): RESIDENT FEES.
- Public school: free tuition (parents pay only for uniforms, excursions, voluntary contributions ~AUD 100-500/year)
- Catholic school: subsidised; AUD 2,000-5,000/year primary, AUD 4,000-8,000 secondary
- Independent (private) school: full fees AUD 10,000-40,000/year depending on prestige tier
Temporary work (482, 494): NON-RESIDENT FEES in most states.
- NSW Department of Education: ~AUD 5,000/year primary, ~AUD 6,500/year secondary (per child) under Schedule 5 of the NSW DET TR Schedule
- VIC: AUD 13,635/year primary, AUD 16,400/year secondary (verify Department of Education + Training schedule)
- QLD: AUD 13,000/year primary, AUD 14,200/year secondary
- SA: AUD 8,250/year primary, AUD 9,250/year secondary
- WA: AUD 4,000/year primary, AUD 5,000/year secondary
Verify current schedule against each state DoE website.
Student visa (500): typically NON-RESIDENT FEES; some states waive for postgraduate research scholars' children.
For [CLIENT_NAME] on [VISA_SUBCLASS] in [STATE_OF_RESIDENCE]:
- State the fee status (RESIDENT / NON-RESIDENT)
- Estimate annual fee per child if non-resident
- Total for all of [CHILDREN]
§2 — INDIAN GRADE → AUSTRALIAN GRADE MAPPING
Australian schooling has 13 years: Foundation (Prep / Kinder / Reception — name varies by state) + Year 1 to Year 12.
Cutoff dates vary by state (April-July), but a rough Indian-to-Australian mapping (by age as at start of Australian school year — late January):
- Age 5 → Foundation (Kindy NSW, Prep VIC/QLD, Reception SA, Pre-Primary WA)
- Age 6 → Year 1
- Age 7 → Year 2
- Age 8 → Year 3
- Age 9 → Year 4
- Age 10 → Year 5
- Age 11 → Year 6 (last primary year)
- Age 12 → Year 7 (first secondary year in NSW/VIC/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT; Year 7 is also first secondary in QLD since 2015)
- ...up to Year 12 (age 17-18)
For each child in [CHILDREN], state the recommended placement year. Note that schools may "down-grade" by 1 year if Fluent is limited.
§3 — STATE-SPECIFIC ENROLMENT PROCESS
NSW:
- Find local public school via "Find a school" tool (education.nsw.gov.au)
- Catchment-based: child has guaranteed entry to "local school" (closest in-zone). Out-of-zone is principal discretion + waiting list.
- Documents: Form ED 11218 (Application to enrol), proof of address (lease + utility), passport + visa + birth certificate (all NAATI-translated if not in English), immunisation records (NSW Health Immunisation History via Australian Immunisation Register).
- Temporary visa applicants apply via DET Temporary Residents Program, not the school directly. Lodge online: temporaryresidents.nsw.edu.au.
VIC:
- Department of Education and Training: educationstateschools.vic.gov.au
- International student fees for non-PR via International Student Program: study.vic.gov.au
- Same documents + 100-point parent ID
QLD:
- EQI International Student Program for non-PR: eqi.com.au
- PR direct enrolment via the principal of the catchment state school
SA / WA / TAS / NT / ACT:
- Each has an international students unit handling non-PR enrolments
- PR: walk into catchment school and enrol
For [STATE_OF_RESIDENCE]:
- State which authority issues the offer letter (relevant for school commencement)
- Typical lead time from application to start: 2-6 weeks
- For Start of next term: confirm feasibility
§4 — EAL/D + ESL SUPPORT
For Fluent not "Native" or "Fluent":
- EAL/D (English as an Additional Language or Dialect) is a national curriculum support framework.
- Intensive English Centres (IECs) in NSW for newly-arrived students (typically 12 months full-immersion English before mainstream)
- VIC: English Language Schools / Centres (ELCs / ELSs) — same concept, 6-12 months
- QLD: Specialised English Programs at host schools
- Free for PR students; non-PR pays via international fee inclusion
For each child, recommend EAL/D placement (yes / no / monitor) based on Fluent.
§5 — NAPLAN + STANDARDISED ASSESSMENT
NAPLAN (National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy) runs in Years 3, 5, 7, 9 annually in March.
- All children including international students sit it.
- For newly-arrived non-English-speaking students, exemption available for first 12 months (via school principal application).
- Results inform learning support, not progression — used for school-system reporting on My School (acara.edu.au).
- Year 12 ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) calculated from senior-year results — feeds into university admission.
For each child in [CHILDREN], state if they will sit NAPLAN this year given Australian start date.
§6 — PUBLIC vs PRIVATE vs CATHOLIC DECISION
For [CLIENT_NAME] in [STATE_OF_RESIDENCE], decision factors:
Public state school:
+ Free or low fee (PR); same curriculum
+ Diverse, reflects local community
+ Quality varies by suburb — high-SES catchments often outperform
+ If [SUBURB] is in a high-performing catchment (e.g. Epping NSW, Glen Waverley VIC, Indooroopilly QLD), public is typically excellent
Catholic school:
+ Faith-based but generally welcomes non-Catholic students (Hindu/Sikh families often choose Catholic for discipline + curriculum)
+ Mid-tier fees AUD 2-8k/year
+ Common in Indian-diaspora areas (Parramatta CBD has St Patrick's; Glenroy has Corpus Christi)
Independent (private) school:
+ Strong academic performance + alumni networks
+ Fees AUD 10-40k/year
+ Common choice for high-income Indian families: King's School, Sydney Grammar, Melbourne Grammar, Brisbane Grammar, St Peter's Adelaide
Indian-diaspora consideration: Indian-language community schools (Saturday Hindi / Punjabi / Tamil / Gujarati schools) operate in suburbs — Parramatta, Westmead, Glenroy, Sunnybank — supplementary cultural education.
§7 — DOCUMENTS CHECKLIST (FOR ENROLMENT)
For each child:
(a) Passport with current visa
(b) Birth certificate (NAATI-translated to English if Hindi / regional language)
(c) Previous school reports (last 2 years), NAATI-translated
(d) Immunisation history — Indian vaccinations recorded into Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) via Service Australia (typically requires GP visit to verify schedules, top up any missing — MMR, DTPa, varicella, meningococcal common gaps)
(e) Proof of residential address (lease, utility bill)
(f) Parent passport + visa
(g) 100-point parent ID verification for state systems
§8 — INTAKE TIMING
Australian school year: late January to mid December.
- Term 1: late Jan to early April
- Term 2: late April to late June
- Term 3: mid July to late September
- Term 4: early October to mid December
For Start of next term:
- "Immediately" — most schools accept mid-term enrolment within 2-3 weeks of arrival (PR straightforward; non-PR offer letter may delay 4-6 weeks)
- "Start of next term" — apply at least 4-6 weeks before term start
- "Start of next school year" — apply by August prior for following January
§9 — ESCALATION FLAGS
- Child arriving aged 17 — may exit school straight into TAFE or university pathway; check VCE/HSC/QCE pathway viability
- Child with diagnosed learning difference (dyslexia, ADHD, ASD) — request "Individual Education Plan" + state-funded support
- Child sat ICSE/CBSE/IB at home — IB transfers cleanly; CBSE/ICSE may need Year 9-10 placement re-assessment for Year 11/12 ATAR pathway
- Highly gifted child — apply for selective high school (NSW: HSPT in March; VIC: SEAL programs)
End with: "DRAFT — for MARA-registered migration agent review. Verify against current state Department of Education guidance ([STATE_OF_RESIDENCE]-specific schedule) before sharing with client. Refer fees + curriculum questions to the receiving school directly."Unlock the vault to see the full prompt