When to start school:
Starting school is an important step in a young child's life and 'Is my child ready for school?' is a question asked by many parents and carers.
Your child can start Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn five on, or before 31 July, in that year. By law, all children must be enrolled in school by their sixth birthday. As students start new work in their new class at the beginning of the school year, it would be an advantage for your child both socially and educationally, to start school as soon as possible in the new year.
When to enrol:
Kindergarten enrolment begins around April the year before your child will start Kindergarten. Schools will often advertise when they are taking enrolments or you can contact the school you are interested in attending to find out about enrolling your child.
The school year starts in late January after the summer vacation period.
Online enrolment:
Our new online enrolment process makes it easier and faster to enrol your child at your local school. To apply online, you must:
- be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- live in the local enrolment area of this school
If you are not eligible to use the online form, or prefer not to, you can download an application to enrol.
Enrolment Form (pdf 324 KB)
The following support documents must be submitted with your application:
- your child's birth certificate or identity documents
- proof of your child's address - originals of different documents such as your council rates notice or residential lease and electricity bill
- immunisation history statement based on the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR)
- family law or other relevant court orders (if applicable).
If your child is not a permanent resident you will also need to provide:
- passport or travel documents
- current visa and previous visas (if applicable).
Enrolment applications can only be accepted if you reside within the designated catchment area for Balmain School. (see below)
Transition to school
We have a set of planned activities to assist your child to make a smooth transition to Kindergarten. Research indicates that children who settle quickly into school are more likely to be socially competent and achieve better results. Contact us to find out about our activities and how you can be involved.
Preparing for Kindergarten
You can help your child prepare for Kindergarten and be organised for the first day. Watch what happens on a typical day in Kindergarten classrooms. Visit our school to help your child feel more comfortable and to start getting to know people there.
Best Start Kindergarten Assessment at Balmain
The best start assessment is a tool to help teachers assess your child's skills as they enter school, and to tailor teaching to their individual needs. Teachers will sit with your child when they start school to assess your child's literacy and numeracy skills so that they can develop an appropriate teaching program that caters for your child.
Individual student assessments with the child's class teacher are held on three consecutive days in January/February. This means that these days are non-instructional days, where students are requested not to attend school unless they have an assessment scheduled.
Assessments take about 45 minutes for each student, but this may vary. Parents are given an interview time, drop off time and time for the child to be collected. Written feedback is provided once data from the assessments has been entered and a report is generated.