Moving from primary to secondary school is an important step in a child’s education. In Victoria, students start secondary school when they reach Year 7.
Steps to enrol your child in secondary school
Moving from a government primary school to a government secondary school
If your child is in Grade 6 in 2025 and attends a Victorian government primary school, you will need to:
- Refer to the Year 6 to 7 Placement Information Pack for Parents and Carers, which will be provided by your child's primary school from Tuesday 22 April 2025. The pack includes the Year 7 application form. If you have not received the pack, you can access a copy online:
- Year 6 to 7 Placement Information Pack for Parents and Carers (DOCX, 1.5MB)
- Year 6 to 7 Placement Information Pack for Parents and Carers (PDF, 7.17KB). - Use Find my School to locate your local secondary school or preferred government school, and read about School zones and Enrolling in school.
- Complete the application form and return it to your child's primary school by Friday 9 May 2025.
Year 7 placement is decided by secondary schools using the Department of Education's Placement Policy. However, all communication about your child's placement must be with the Year 6 Coordinator or Transition Coordinator at your child's primary school until the placement is confirmed.
You will receive notification of your child's Year 7 placement offer on Tuesday 1 July 2025.
All government secondary schools will host a Year 7 Orientation Day (for Year 6 students) on Tuesday 9 December 2025.
Moving from a non-government primary school or home schooling to a government secondary school
If your child is in Grade 6 in 2025 and attends a non-government primary school or is home-schooled, you will need to:
- Use the Find my School website to locate your local secondary school or preferred government school, and read about School zones and Enrolling in school.
- Contact a government secondary school to learn more about the school. From Tuesday 22 April 2025, schools will provide a copy of the Year 6 to 7 Placement Information Packs, or you can access it online:
- Year 6 to 7 Placement Information Pack for Parents and Carers (DOCX, 1.5MB)
- Year 6 to 7 Placement Information Pack for Parents and Carers (PDF, 7.17KB).
The pack includes the Year 7 application form. - Complete the application form and submit it to your preferred secondary school by Friday 9 May 2025.
You will receive notification of your child's Year 7 placement in a government secondary school on Tuesday 1 July 2025.
All government secondary schools will host a Year 7 Orientation Day (for Year 6 students) on Tuesday 9 December 2025.
Moving to a non-government secondary school or registering for home schooling
If your child is enrolling in a non-government secondary school, contact the secondary school directly to find out about their enrolment process.
Visit Catholic Education Commission of Victoria(opens in a new window) and Independent Schools Victoria(opens in a new window) to find Catholic and independent schools.
For home schooling, find out about the requirements and how to register your child for home schooling.
Additional supporting materials
Factsheet
A factsheet summarising the Year 7 placement process is available to complement the Year 6 to 7 Placement Information Pack for Parents and Carers.
The factsheet includes key dates in the 2026 enrolment process and Frequently Asked Questions. It can be viewed in English and 10 other languages.
Year 7 application form
The Year 7 application form is also available in both portrait and landscape formats:
- Application for Year 7 Placement 2026 - portrait (DOCX, 62.3KB)
- Application for Year 7 Placement 2026 - portrait (PDF, 260KB)
- Application for Year 7 Placement 2026 - landscape (DOCX, 80.7KB)
- Application for Year 7 Placement 2026 - landscape (PDF, 284KB)
Once your child is enrolled
Read our tips for starting secondary school to learn how you can support your child through the move.
Appealing a Year 7 enrolment
If a school decides not to offer enrolment, you can appeal. This situation can happen if you request to enrol at a school outside of your school zone, and the school does not have enough places.
You can lodge a written appeal to the school. The timeline for appeals to the school is detailed in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Placement Information Pack (DOCX, 1.5MB) under the heading “Appeals” on page 8.
Appeals are considered by the school's placement committee and/or principal. They will check the priority order of placement and confirm your address. They will also consider appeals on compassionate grounds on a case-by-case basis.
If your appeal to the school is unsuccessful, you can escalate the appeal to your local regional office. The timeline for appeals to the regional office is also detailed in the Placement Information Pack (DOCX, 1.5MB).
Appeals to the regional office are considered by a panel of senior department staff.
Updated