Out of Area Enrolment Tasmania: How Kinship Carers Enrol a Child at a New School

When You Need an Out-of-Area Enrolment

Every Tasmanian government school has a designated intake area. If a child moves in with a kinship carer who lives in a different area from the child's current school, the carer faces a choice: transfer the child to the local school, or apply to keep them where they are.

For children who've already experienced upheaval — a parent going to prison, a family crisis, a sudden move — staying at a familiar school can matter enormously. DECYP's Out-of-Area Enrolment Procedure (V6.3) allows it, but you need to apply.

The DECYP Out-of-Area Procedure

The process starts with an Expression of Interest (EOI) submitted to the principal of the school you want the child to attend. Exceptional circumstances that support out-of-area approval include:

• Proximity to the carer's workplace — if picking up the child from the local school would be impractical given your work location
• Educational continuity — keeping the child in a familiar school environment during family disruption
• Absence of appropriate out-of-school care at the local intake school
• Student wellbeing needs that the non-local school is better equipped to support
• Family safety considerations — including child protection arrangements

The principal assesses the application against available capacity and the child's circumstances. Schools prioritise educational continuity and the child's safety over formal legal paperwork.

What Evidence Informal Carers Need

If you're an informal kinship carer without a court order, the school will want to see that the child genuinely lives with you and that you have authority to manage their education. Accepted evidence includes:

• An Informal Care Statutory Declaration explaining when and why the child came to live with you
• A letter from a professional who knows the arrangement — the child's GP, a social worker, a school guidance officer, or a police officer
• Proof of residential address showing the child lives at your home
• The child's birth certificate or passport (or ImmiCard) for identity
• Immunisation history statement from the Australian Immunisation Register

If you don't have the birth certificate — common when the move was sudden — talk to the school. DECYP policy gives principals discretion to accept alternative identity evidence, and the school's priority is getting the child enrolled and learning, not blocking them over missing paperwork.

In-Area Enrolments: The Simpler Case

If the child is moving to your local intake area school, the process is straightforward: contact the school office, provide the identity and care evidence above, and enrol. You don't need the out-of-area procedure.

For informal carers, the school principal has discretion to accept an Informal Care Statutory Declaration in place of a formal court order. Schools in Tasmania operate under a duty-of-care framework that prioritises the child's educational continuity.

Applying for STAS at the Same Time

Once the child is enrolled, apply immediately for the Student Assistance Scheme to waive school levies. If you hold a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, the application takes minutes online through the DECYP STAS portal. Don't wait for the levy notice — apply at enrolment.

The Full Enrolment Walkthrough

The Support for Grandparents and Kinship Carers in Tasmania guide includes a step-by-step school enrolment checklist covering in-area and out-of-area scenarios, the evidence to gather, what to say to the principal, and how to simultaneously apply for STAS, Ticket to Play vouchers, and transport assistance.

See more Tasmania guides →