OLMC Enrolment Policy
Purpose and Context
Our Lady of Mercy College is a Catholic girls school operated by the Sisters of Mercy within the governance of Mercy Education Limited. The Sisters of Mercy are committed to providing secondary education in Australia within a distinctly Catholic context.
This Enrolment Policy reflects their commitment and also is consistent with the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Enrolment Policy 2.4, Enrolment for Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne (revised January 2019) . It is intended to ensure a fair and transparent approach to enrolment at the College.
Enrolment decisions are made by the Principal in line with this policy, however the College reserves the right to exercise discretion to respond to the pastoral needs of individual families.
Definitions
Catholic applicant. A Catholic applicant is considered to be a member of the Catholic Church, usually established by a Certificate of Catholic Baptism.
Designated priority parishes. As mandated for OLMC in the MACS Enrolment Policy 2.4 (2019) Enrolment for Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
Policy Statement
All applicants must return an Application form before the closing date stipulated by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools. Forms are available on request from the College. Late Applications will not be considered. Enrolment decisions are made by the Principal and the College reserves the right to exercise discretion in these decisions and to respond to pastoral needs.
A non-refundable application fee is payable and where appropriate the Application must be accompanied by a copy of the applicant’s Catholic Baptismal certificate.
An Application for Enrolment at Year 7 may be made for a girl only after she starts Grade 3.
Applications for Year 7 will be processed in the student’s Grade 5 year.
Year 7 Order of Preference for Enrolment
- Applicants who have or have had sisters attend the College
- Catholic applicants who have had a mother attend the College and who currently attend a Catholic primary school
- Catholic applicants who are residents of a designated Priority Parish and attend a Catholic primary school (see below)
- Catholic applicants who are residents of a designated Priority Parish and have not attended a Catholic school
- Catholic applicants from other parishes
- Other Christian applicants
- All other applicants
For the purpose of enrolment, a baptism certificate must be provided by Catholic and Orthodox applicants.
Criteria 2 & 3 applies to applicants who are Eastern Orthodox Christians.
The Priority Parishes for Our Lady of Mercy College are:
- Holy Spirit Primary School, Thornbury East
- Holy Trinity Primary School, Eltham North
- Mary Immaculate Primary School, Ivanhoe
- Marymede Catholic College, South Morang
- Our Lady of the Pines Primary School, Donvale
- Our Lady of the Way Primary School, Kingsbury
- St Anthony's Parish Primary School, Alphington
- St Bernadette's Primary School, Ivanhoe
- St Charles Borromeo Primary School, Templestowe
- St Clement of Rome Primary School, Bulleen
- St Damian's Primary School, Bundoora
- St Francis of Assisi Primary School, Mill Park
- St Francis Xavier Primary School, Montmorency
- St Gregory the Great Primary School, Doncaster
- St John's Primary School, Heidelberg
- St Kevin's Primary School, Templestowe Lower
- St Martin of Tours Primary School, Rosanna
- St Mary's Parish Primary School, Greensborough
- St Pius X Primary School, Heidelberg West
- St Thomas the Apostle Primary School, Greensborough North
After offers have been made, Year 7 applicants who have not been offered a place can elect to go on the Year 7 Waiting List. OLMC will also accept Year 7 Waitlist applications after Year 7 offers have been made and accepted. The College will contact families if a place becomes available.
Criteria for Enrolment at Year Levels 8 to 12
Preference will be given to Catholic students who have completed the appropriate level of education. There is a Waiting List for enrolment in Year Levels 8 to 12.
All Enrolments
It is expected that parents / guardians will support the College in the Catholic education of their daughter and involve themselves as much as possible in the College life.
When a student from another Christian denomination or a non-Christian faith is offered a place at the College, the offer is contingent on the willingness of the parents and the student to support the philosophy and ethos of the College.
Enrolment for students with additional needs
1. The College welcomes parents/guardians who wish to enrol a student with additional needs and will do everything possible to accommodate the student's needs, provided that an understanding has been reached between the College and parents/guardians prior to enrolment regarding:
- The nature of any diagnosed or suspected medical condition/disability, or any other circumstances that are relevant to the student’s additional learning needs (for example, giftedness or an experience of trauma)
- The nature of any additional assistance that is recommended/appropriate to be provided to the student (for example, medical or specialist equipment, specialist referrals, specific welfare support, modifications to the classroom environment or curriculum, aide assistance, individual education programs, behaviour support plans or other education interventions as may be relevant)
- The individual physical, functional, emotional or educational goals that are appropriate to the student, and how the parents/guardians and the College will work in partnership to achieve these goals
- Any limitations on the College's ability to provide the additional assistance requested.
2. The process for enrolling students with additional needs is otherwise the same as for enrolling any student.
3. As every student’s educational needs can change over time, it will often be necessary for the College to review any additional assistance that is being provided to the student, in consultation with parents/guardians and the student’s treating medical/allied health professionals, in order to assess whether:
- The additional assistance remains necessary and/or appropriate to the student’s needs
- The additional assistance is having the anticipated positive effect on the student’s individual physical, functional, emotional or educational goals.