Enrolment

DISCOVER YOUR PATH: enrol with us

Unlocking potential starts with a simple step – enrolment. Whether you’re a parent seeking support, a concerned family member, or an agency dedicated to youth welfare, our doors are open to you. At our college, we understand that every journey to success is unique, and we welcome inquiries and referrals from various sources, including government agencies, care institutions, and self-referrals from young people. 

Our enrolment process is designed to be supportive and informative. It begins with your initial inquiry or expression of interest, sparking a crucial conversation about your needs, strengths and aspirations. From here, we collaborate closely with any involved agencies, families, and individuals to gather essential information through completion of our enrolment packages. This exchange ensures that together, we can make an informed decision about your suitability for our specialised educational environment. 

At our College, we don’t just enrol young people – we embark on a journey of empowerment and connection, tailored to each individual’s needs.  

Join us, and together, let’s chart a course towards a brighter future. 

enrolment applications

Unlock Your Future: Enrol with Ease

Here at Holy Spirit College, we’ve streamlined the enrolment process to ensure a seamless experience for you. Expressions of interest forms and Enrolment Applications to our college are centrally managed by each of our dedicated Heads of Campus, who oversee every step of the journey. 

The expression of interest meeting serves as an initial step in the enrolment process, providing an opportunity for prospective young people, their families, carers and support team to learn more about our college principles, values and offerings. It allows us to understand the individual needs and aspirations of the young person and their family, ensuring that we can tailor our support and resources accordingly. Ultimately, this meeting sets the foundation for a collaborative partnership between the college and each young person, fostering a positive and supportive educational journey. 

During the enrolment interview, we encourage the inclusion of all key stakeholders. This typically involves the young person themselves, their family members or carers, and a representative from the referring agency. Enrolment interviews are led by each Head of Campus who provides guidance and support throughout the process. Additionally, other college staff may join the meeting ensuring we understand and address the unique needs of each young person. 

Explore the Heart of Holy Spirit College: Immerse yourself in our vibrant community by scheduling a personalised campus tour. Meet our dedicated staff, witness our engaging classrooms, and feel the warmth of our welcoming atmosphere. Reach out today to schedule your unforgettable experience!  Call now on: 1800 317 545 

CRITERIA FOR ENROLMENT

Holy Spirit College is accredited and funded as a Special Assistance School; to be eligible to enrol a young person must be of secondary schooling age and disengaged from schooling and/or a ‘relevant student’. The explanation of disengaged can be active or passive. 

The enrolment process involves the initial enquiry or referral of a young person to the College. It then consists of the sharing of information between the referral agency and/or family and the college so that an informed decision can be made about whether the young person meets the enrolment criteria and the suitability of the Special Assistance School for the young person.

Enrolment Applications, Referrals and Case Conference

Any application or referral to the school is managed through the Heads of Campus. The application and/or referral meeting will include, as many of the following as possible: the young person, family member[s], representative from referring agency if required, Principal. The college Guidance Counsellor may also be introduced as they may undertake some assessment work with the student. An opportunity to look around the school, meet some people will also take place.

Criteria for Enrolment

Holy Spirit College is accredited and funded as a Special Assistance School; to enrol a young person must be of age to participate in secondary schooling from year levels 7 to 12 and disengaged from schooling and/or a ‘relevant student’. The explanation of disengaged can be active or passive:

As an accredited and funded Special Assistance School, Holy Spirit College needs to ensure strict guidelines to ethically provide a pathway for students outside the preferred traditional mainstream education system. To meet this criterion a young person must:

  • Have demonstrated attendance with Secondary education, genuinely attempting to engage with mainstream education processes and pathways.
  • Be actively disengaged, not been enrolled in and/or attended a secondary school for a significant period resulting in a gap between chronological age and their level of educational attainment.
  • Actively disengaged in that they have low attendance at a secondary school in which they are enrolled e.g. less than 70% over a long period of time without a valid reason
  • Passively engaged in education. These are young people who are enrolled in schools but are demonstrating significantly lower than average attainment scores in assessable subjects e.g. D or less and/ or have a high absence or suspension rate
Relevant students means students who:

(a) would not otherwise be –

(i) enrolled and attending school while of compulsory school age; or

(ii) participating in an eligible option full-time, or in paid employment for at least 25 hours each week, during the compulsory participation phase; and

(b) are not provisionally registered, or registered, for home education.

Commencement of Enrolment

Once a young person is accepted into the College they are assigned a mentor. The mentors meet with the young people both individually and in small groups on a regular basis. The families and/or care agencies are kept informed of the young person’s progress on a regular basis. Each young person has their individual needs identified and a plan developed.

At the commencement of the student’s enrolment a care team meeting is conducted with the student. The meeting could include the following people depending on the situation – young person, family, Head of Campus, Principal, teacher and Guidance Counsellor. An individual learning plan will start to be developed.
A summary of this plan is presented to the teacher-mentors to enable a consistent approach in working with the student’s enrolment. Regular reviews of these plans are conducted throughout the year, including consultation with parents.
There are ongoing planning meetings with relevant staff, student and family to assess where the young person is at and resolve any barriers.

Fees: Special Assistance School

The college is a TUITION FEE FREE Catholic school.  There may be occassions such as trips when we ask families to contribute to the cost.

“Special Assistance Schools are schools specifically established to cater for students who are disengaged from mainstream education; we do not charge tuition fees” from http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/grants/non-state/recurrent.html
There is a cost for the boarding facilities in Cooktown as this is not covered by the ‘Special Assistance School’ funding model.