Enrolment Policy

Definitions

• Catholic applicant: For the purpose of enrolment in a Catholic school, a child is considered to be Catholic if they are a member of the Catholic Church, usually established by a Certificate of Baptism.
• Orthodox child: Orthodox refers to non-Catholic Eastern churches which includes Greek Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox and Other Orthodox.
• Enrolment catchment area: The enrolment catchment area is a defined area from which a school enrols students as officially designated to a school by the CECV/MACS Board.
• Designated priority parishes: As mandated for OLMC in the CEM Enrolment Policy 2.4 (2019), Enrolment for Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
• Parish ‘Parish’: Refers to the local parish as defined by its geographical boundaries and student location is based on home address.

Policy Statement

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

Applications will be reviewed with preference given according to the following criteria:

1. Applicants who have or have had sisters attend the College
2. Catholic applicants who have had a mother attend the College and who currently attend a Catholic primary school
3. Catholic applicants who are residents of a designated Priority Parish and attend a Catholic primary school in one of those parishes (see below)
4. Catholic applicants who are residents of a designated Priority Parish and have not attended a Catholic school
5. Catholic applicants from other parishes
6. Other Christian applicants
7. All other applicants.
   

Criteria 2 & 3 apply to applicants who are Eastern Orthodox Christians.

For the purpose of enrolment, a baptism certificate must be provided by Catholic and Orthodox applicants.

The lodgement of the Enrolment Application Form does not guarantee enrolment at the College. If the information requested is not provided, the College may not be able to enrol the student. To meet School and government requirements, the parent will need to provide the College with a completed Enrolment Application Form.

Signatories

The Enrolment Application Form and the Enrolment Agreement require the signatures of:

• any enrolling student who is over 15 years of age and living independently
• any parent as defined in the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)
• both parents (including parents that are separated or divorced) or a copy of the court order with any impact on the relationship between the family and the College or
• an informal carer, with a statutory declaration, who:
  • may be a relative or other carer
  • has the day-to-day care of the Student with the Student regularly living with them
  • may provide any other consent required e.g., excursions

Note:

• In the absence of a current court order, each parent of a child has shared parental responsibility
• Statutory declarations of an informal Carer apply for 12 months
• The wishes of a parent prevail in the event of a dispute between a parent legally responsible for a student and an informal carer

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.

Enrolment for students with additional needs

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.

The process for enrolling students with additional needs is otherwise the same as for enrolling any student.

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.

Referenced and Related Documents

Policy Updated: April 2023