Enrolment Policy and Fees

Our schools provide a distinctly Catholic education community where your child will be known, respected and cared for and one which will give them an education that will lead them to experience life in all its fullness. As welcoming and inclusive school communities, we aim to reflect the diversity of Australian life and culture. We also seek to support families experiencing financial hardship.

Each primary and secondary Catholic school manages their own enrolment. You can find Catholic schools, their locations and contact details in our School Directory. Once you have selected a Catholic school for your child, contact the school directly.

While you can apply to enrol your child in a Catholic school at any time of the year (subject to availability), the formal enrolment period runs from around mid-March to the end of May each year. There is strong demand for places in many Catholic schools, so it is important to apply before the advertised closing dates.

When spaces are limited, we employ a fair and transparent process to determine the priority of enrolments. You can learn about this process by selecting the 'Enrolment Priority tab'.

For more information about enrolment and fees, please click on the tabs below. To see the full policy, follow this link: Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Enrolment Policy.

To access an enrolment form, please return to your school website.

Enrolment

Enrolment Policy Aims

Catholic education in the Diocese of Lismore commits to the following aims:

  • Supporting the Catholic faith at all levels of Catholic school life with enthusiasm and a sense of vocation.
  • Nurturing each individual student’s growth in faith and unique potential and gifts. This is why the promotion of the student, the human person, is at the centre of Catholic education in the Diocese of Lismore’s Fullness of Life Framework; and recognises the innate dignity of the child and young person, their inherent goodness and their active participation in developing their gifts and talents.
  • Offering excellence in educational opportunities founded on the Mission of Jesus Christ articulated in Catholic Education in the Diocese of Lismore: Foundational Values for Catholic Identity and Mission.
  • Fostering strong parent partnerships and engagement.
  • Creating and maintaining Christ-centred and pastorally caring communities that respect and nurture each other, the wider society and the world, according to the teaching of Jesus.

In such aims, Catholic schools value “who we are and what we do”: parents are invited to enrol in the Catholic school in full knowledge of the expectations around the Catholic Faith and the teachings, beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church. In essence, the Catholic school always remains a ministry of the local parish

Enrolment Priority (Primary Schools)

Catholic primary schools in the Diocese of Lismore use the following order of priority for enrolments:

  1. Baptised Catholic children of Catholic families from within the parish/region.
  2. Children of Catholic families from within the parish/region. Children of other-than-Catholic families who currently have or have had siblings within the school (including children of employees of the Diocese of Lismore).
  3. Other-than-Catholic children transferring from another Catholic school, first from within the Diocese of Lismore, then from other Catholic Dioceses.
  4. Children who access parish early childhood services.
  5. Children recommended for consideration by the Parish Priest.
  6. Children of other-than-Catholic families who are open to and supportive of the spiritual and religious possibilities offered by a Catholic school.

Note: Children enrolling into kindergarten must turn five years of age on or before July 31 of the year of commencement. All children must be in compulsory schooling by their sixth birthday. Students are expected to start school at the beginning of the academic year.

Enrolment Priority (Secondary Schools)

Catholic secondary schools in the Diocese of Lismore use the following order of priority for enrolments:

  1. Children of families of Lismore Diocesan Catholic primary schools within the parish/region (nominally, this enrolment would have been for a minimum four-year period). Also, children of Catholic families who have not attended a Catholic primary school, whose family is active within the parish.
  2. Children of families who currently have or have had siblings within the school (including children of employees of the Diocese of Lismore).
  3. Children of families transferring from another Catholic school, first from within the Diocese of Lismore and then from other Catholic dioceses.
  4. Children of Catholic families within the parish/region enrolled in a non-Catholic school.
  5. Children recommended for consideration by the Parish Priest.
  6. Children of other-than-Catholic families who attend other schools and are open to and supportive of the spiritual and religious possibilities offered by a Catholic school.

The Enrolment Process

Parents and carers are requested to complete the following steps to apply for enrolment:

  1. For kindergarten and Year 7, attend a parent information session at the school.
  2. Complete and submit an application for enrolment, attaching copies of the required documentation. This application form can be found on your school website.
  3. Attend an enrolment interview where original or certified copies of all documentation are required to be presented and verified.

At this interview, you will be provided with an overview of what the school can provide. During the interview, the school's expectations of parents and students are also discussed.

You will be contacted in writing by the school regarding the status of your application. If the application is successful, you will be offered a place or a position on a waiting list.

  1. If offered a place, you will be required to sign a Parent  Enrolment Agreement, accepting the terms and conditions of enrolment by the school by the date indicated in the Letter of Offer. Secondary schools may also require students to sign a Student Enrolment Agreement.
  2. All fee payers will also be required to sign a Fee Payment Agreement that will outline the method and frequency of payment.
  3. You may be required at this point to make a “non-refundable enrolment deposit”, which will be part payment of tuition fees. If you accept and make payment, it is at this point only that enrolment is confirmed.
  4. If your child is in either kindergarten or Year 7, they will be invited to an orientation before the commencement of the school year.

Where a decision has been made not to enrol a student, the family has the right to request that the decision be reviewed. A written request for review of the decision should be made in writing to the Director of Catholic Schools.

Fees

Fees:

Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools set school fees for all primary schools and secondary colleges in our system. Costs such as excursions, camps, extracurricular activities, technology levies, subject levies etc., are generally additional to the set school fee. Fees for the following school year are communicated to families early in Term 4 by each school.

Our schools are committed to providing high-quality education and maintaining the facilities and resources necessary for our students' success. School fees are consistently reviewed and evaluated to ensure the sustainability of our schools.

Financial Assistance:

We recognise the financial pressures that families may face and strive to offer flexible payment options to accommodate different circumstances. DLCSL is developing an organisation fee assistance and debt management processes that will replace the current policies that exist at our schools. 

Please speak with your school principal if your family experiences financial difficulty or hardship, or complete the form below.