Starting Primary School: The Enrolment Process

The Department of Education has released a new state-wide Foundation (Prep) enrolment timeline. The timeline advises families when and how to enrol their child into Foundation at a Victorian government primary school, including Fairfield Primary School.

Families will be able to apply to enrol their child/ren child in Foundation 2026 from Tuesday 22 April 2025. The Student Enrolment Form will be available here for downloading as of this date.

Enrolment Timeline and Process

1. Use Find My School to see your designated neighbourhood school – referred to as your local school.
2. Read the information from the Department of Education regarding Enrolling in Foundation (Prep).
3. Submit your enrolment application for Foundation (via email, mail, or hard copy) to the Fairfield Primary School office by Friday 25 July 2025.
   • Click to download the Student Enrolment Form (available here as of 22/04/2025)
4. You will receive an email (to the addresses provided on the enrolment form) with an offer/no offer of a place at Fairfield Primary School by Friday 8 August 2025.
5. If you were offered a place, please reply to the email – either accepting or declining the offer – by Friday 22 August 2025.
6. Take part in enrolment information and transition sessions, held across multiple days in November 2025.
7. Foundation 2026 students will start school on Thursday 29 January 2026.

Enrolment applications submitted after Friday 25 July 2025 will be processed as they are received, in accordance with the Department of Education’s Placement Policy.

Please note:

• To commence primary school, children must be five years old by 30th April the year they start school.
• Families with a permanent residential address in our school zone are guaranteed a place at Fairfield Primary School. Government schools use the Department of Education’s school zone finder to determine neighbourhood schools.
• See the Department of Education’s FAQ sheet, which answers common questions on the Foundation enrolment process.

School Tours

Each year around May/June, we host school tours for families with kindergarten-aged children who plan to start school the following year. Our school tours are in-person tours held during the school day as we believe it is the best way to see our school – and our teaching and learning – in action.

Dates for school tours running in 2025 can be found here.

We encourage all prospective families to watch the virtual tour videos, produced in 2020, which can be accessed here.

Enrolment Process for Student in Years 1 – 6

If your family is relocating, or you are interested in having your children attend Fairfield Primary School, we ask that you first get in touch with the school office. At that point, we will walk you through the enrolment process and timeline.