State or territory education department

Department of Education and Training
02 6207 5111
www.det.act.gov.au

The Department of Education and Communities
02 9561 8000
www.dec.nsw.edu.au or www.schools.nsw.edu.au

Department of Education and Training
08 8999 5659
www.det.nt.gov.au

Department of Education, Training and Employment
07 3237 0111
www.education.qld.gov.au

Visit the Queensland Catholic Education Commission website for details about Catholic education in Queensland.

Department for Education&Child Development
1800 088 158
www.decd.sa.gov.au

Department of Education
1800 816 057
www.education.tas.gov.au

Department of Education&Early Childhood Development
03 9637 2000
www.education.vic.gov.au

Department of Education
08 9264 4111
www.det.wa.edu.au

Compulsory schooling

Six years old to end of Year 10, then continue education, training or employment (or a combination of these) until 17 years old.

Six years old to end of Year 10, then continue education, training or employment (or a combination of these) until 17 years old.

Six years old to end of Year 10, then continue in education, training or employment (or a combination of these) until 17 years old.

Six years old to end of Year 10 or 16 years old (whichever comes first), then continue education, training or employment (or a combination of these) until 17 years old.

Six to 16 years old, then continue education, training or employment (or a combination of these) until 17 years old.

Five to 16 years old, then continue in education or training (or a combination of these) until 17 years old.

Six years old to end of Year 10, then continue education, training or employment (or a combination of these) to 17 years old.

Six years old to end of Year 10, then continue in education, training or employment (or a combination of these) to 17 years old.

Name of pre-school education

Preschool

Preschool

Preschool

Kindergarten or Pre-Prep

Preschool or Kindergarten

Kindergarten

Kindergarten

Kindergarten, then Pre-primary

Pre-schooling (non-compulsory)

Preschools offer full or half days, for students who turn four on or before 30 April.

Preschools run 1-2 years before compulsory schooling, for students who turn four on or before 31 July.

Preschools operate approximately 12 hours per week for students who turn four on or before 30 June.

Kindergartens usually run 2 or 3 days per week, for students who turn four on or before 30 June.
Then, Preparatory (Prep) is a year of fulltime schooling for students who turn five on or before 30 June.

Preschools or kindergartens offer four half-day or two full day sessions per week, for students of four years of age.

Kindergartens are provided for a minimum of 10 hours per week, in either half or full days, for students who turn four on or before 1 January.

Kindergartens usually operate 10-12 hours per week and are available for students four years old on or before 30 April.

Kindergartens offer 11-15 hours per week (either half or full days) for children turning four on or before 30 June.
Then, Pre-primary is a year if fulltime schooling for children who turn five on or before 30 June. This year will be compulsory from 2013.

Name of first full-time year

Kindergarten

Kindergarten

Transition

Preparatory

Reception

Preparatory

Preparatory

Pre-primary

Eligibility for full-time schooling

Five years of age on or before 30 April

Five years of age on or before 31 July

Five years of age on or before 30 June

Five years of age on or before 30 June

Five years of age

Five years of age on or before 1 January

Five years of age on or before 30 April

Five years of age on or before 30 June

Primary school

Kindergarten and Years 1-6

Kindergarten and Years 1-6

Transition and Years 1-6
Note: school hours finish at 2.30 pm due to heat in the tropics

Preparatory to 7.

Pilot program for Year 7 trails commences in 2013 in Secondary schools.Year 7 will be in all Secondary schools from 2015

Reception and Years 1-7

Preparatory and Years 1-6

Preparatory (Prep) and Years 1-6

Years 1-7
(In 2015, Year 7 will become part of secondary school)

Secondary school

Years 7-10: high school
Years 11-12: college
(Some schools have combined Years 7-12)

Years 7-12

Years 7-9: middle school
Years 10-12 : senior school/college
Distance learning is available.

Preparatory to 7

Years 8-12
(Some schools offer Year 13)

Years 7-10: secondary/high school
Years 11-12: senior secondary/college

Years 7-12

Years 8-12
(Some middle schools start from Year 7)

Senior secondary schooling and qualifications
All states and territories offer vocational education and training options including school-based apprenticeships or traineeships for Year 11 and 12 students.

Graduating students receive the ACT Certificate of Education or the NSW Higher School Certificate.
In ACT, students have continuous assessment and sit the Australian Scaling Test (AST) at the end of Year 12.
In NSW, students sit the range of testing called the Higher School Certificate (HSC) at the end of Year 12.

Graduating students receive the NSW Higher School Certificate.
Years 11 and 12 are broken into a Preliminary component and an HSC component. Year 12 students sit a final series of HSC exams.

Graduating students receive the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET).

Graduating students receive the Queensland Certificate of Education.
Final scores and OPs are calculated from continuous assessment in eligible courses and scores from the Queensland Core Skills test (QCS).

Graduating students receive the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE).
Students have continuous assessment through Stage 1 (usually Year 11) and Stage 2 (usually Year 12) courses, and an externally-assessed study component in Stage 2.

Graduating students receive the Tasmanian Certificate of Education.

Graduating students choose their course of study and receive either the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), the vocational option, or the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), which provides the student with their university admission score.

Graduating students receive the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).
Students have ongoing assessment and externally-assessed final WACE exams.

Tertiary entrance score

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

Overall Position (OP). Also Field Position (FP).

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

Tertiary education

Universities including Australian National University, University of Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy and Australian Catholic University; CIT (Canberra Institute of Technology); distance and community education.

Universities (see UAC), TAFE, distance and community education.

Charles Darwin University has campuses in most major Territory centres.

Universities (more info can be found on QTAC site), TAFE, distance and community education

Universities (the major ones are University of SA, University of Adelaide, Flinders University) TAFEs, private training providers, distance and community education.

University of Tasmania or colleges and TAFEs.

Universities and TAFE, plus shorter or vocational courses offered by community education and skills based providers. See VTAC for higher education courses on offer.

Four major universities: University of WA, Curtin University, Murdoch University, Edith Cowan University, which are administered by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre. There are also several TAFEs.

Find a school

Public, private, Catholic and independent.

Public schools.
Private schools: Catholic, independent.

Public schools.
Private schools: Catholic, Christian, independent.

Public schools.
Private schools: Independent, Catholic

Public schools.
Private schools: Catholic, independent

Public schools.
Private schools: Catholic, independent

Public schools.
Private schools: Catholic, independent

Public schools.
Private schools: Catholic, independent

Varying degrees of support in government and non-government schools is available. Special needs support in public schools. Further queries about government schools can be directed to Disability Education Programs and Services on 02 6205 6925.

Special needs support in public schools and private schools.
Further queries about government schools can be directed to the Disability Programs Directorate on 02 9244 5085.

The Department of Education and Training has information about special needs support available in NT schools.

Special needs support in Queensland schools.

Special needs support in public schools.
If you have further queries, you can call the department’s Regional Offices or call the Special Needs Helpline on 1800 222 696.

The Department of Education has information about special needs support.

Information about early childhood, primary and secondary school support for students with disabilities.
If you have further queries, you can email the department at disability.services@edumail.vic.gov.au

Statewide Specialist Services support students with special needs.