The new rules on local school enrolments, which come into effect in term 2, have reignited debate about school zoning, with the opposition calling for zoning to be scrapped.
Public schools will no longer be able to admit students outside their catchment area on curriculum grounds after school zoning rules were tightened in Victoria.
In leaked internal communication to schools, the Education Department said the changes will “provide greater clarity for schools and parents/carers and support consistent and fair decision-making”.Opposition education minister Matthew Bach said school zones should be scrapped.The policy is designed to promote students attending their designated local school.
The opposition’s education spokesman, Dr Matthew Bach, said school zones denied parents choice about where to send their children.Bach said parents were already voting with their feet and enrolling their children in schools outside their local zone, or in the independent system, where enrolments have been increasing at the expense of government schools.
Parents Victoria executive officer Gail McHardy said some public schools offer specialist programs that others do not, which makes them attractive to many parents.