Education for your children
If you have dependent children aged between 5 and 18 years and they come to live with you in Australia (for part or for the duration of your stay) you are required by law to make arrangements for them to attend school in South Australia.
- Education system in Australia
- Choosing a school
- English language support
- School fees for dependents of international students
- Enrolment
- Childcare assistance
- Further information
Education system in Australia
Australia offers Public (state government established) and Private (independent, including church-established) schooling. All schools in South Australia operate within The South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability (SACSA) Framework to assure quality in education. See the Information for Parents brochure on the SACSA for further information.
Children may attend childcare from birth to 3 years of age and preschool (kindergarten) from the age of 4 years, however attendance is optional. Compulsory schooling in Australia begins from the age of 5 years in primary school. Children attend primary school for 7 years followed by up to 5 years of secondary schooling, at least until the age of 17 but usually until 18 years of age.
School hours are generally between 8.45am and 3.15pm from Monday to Friday. The school year comprises four terms, either 9 or 10 weeks in duration commencing from late January until mid December. School breaks for 2 weeks in between terms. At the end of the school year children have 6 weeks of school holidays over summer, in December and January.
For further information about the education system in Australia visit the Government of South Australia website.
Choosing a School
Public schools are zoned according to region and usually children will be accepted for enrolment at the public school which is closest to the child's address. To check which schools are zoned for your area, see the list of Public Primary Schools and Public Secondary Schools on the Department of Education and Children's Services website.
If you wish to enrol your child in a public school outside of your zone, or independent school, you may enquire at the school directly.
English language support
Some public schools offer the English as a Second Language - New Arrivals program (NAP) for children who require English language support to prepare them for school. The NAP provides new non-English speaking international students from 5-18 years of age with up to 30 hours per week of intensive English language support.
For details and eligibility criteria see English as a Second Language - New Arrivals Program on the Department of Education and Children's Services website.
School fees for dependents of international students
South Australian government (Public) schools
International students (573 Visa Bachelor Degree, Graduate
Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Masters by Course Work)
International students will need to pay fees for their
children to attend public schools. Further information on fees is available
from the
Dependants of International Tertiary Students web page.
International students - Scholarship holders (574 Visa - Masters
Degree by Research, or Doctoral Degree; 576 Visa - AusAID Sponsored)
International students who are receiving a South Australian
government-endorsed scholarship for tuition fees are exempt from paying tuition and administration fees for
their children's public schooling. For Further details are available from
the
Dependants of South Australian Endorsed Scholarship Holders web page.
If you require further information contact South Australian Government Schools, Department of Education and Children's Services, on 8226 3402 or email decsip@sa.gov.au
Scholarships in this category include:
- Australian government scholarships e.g. AusAid or International Postgraduate Research Scholarship
- South Australian government scholarships
- South Australian university scholarships - e.g. President's Scholarship
- Home country government, provincial or state government, or multilateral agency scholarship
If the awarded scholarship covers up to 100% of tuition fees, students will be eligible for exemption for their children's public school fees for the same percentage.
Fees for Private Schools
Fees for private schools vary and are payable in full with no reduction or exemption. For details see:
Independent Schools (including Church-established)
Schools: Association of Independent Schools of SA Inc. Email:
office@ais.sa.edu.au
Catholic Schools:
Catholic Education Office of the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide
Enrolment
International students (573 Visa - Bachelor Degree, Graduate
Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Master by Course Work)
To enrol your children in a South Australian public (state
government established) school, you will need to
complete the following application forms and pay the required tuition fee:
Application Form (including Terms & Conditions) (PDF 136kb - opens in a new window. Download Adobe Acrobat)
Dependant Notification School Form (PDF 102kb - opens in a new window. Download Adobe Acrobat)
If you require further information or clarification contact the Department of Education and Children's Services.
International students - Scholarship holders
(574 Visa - Masters Degree by Research, or Doctoral Degree; 576 Visa -
AusAID Sponsored)
To enrol your children in a South Australian public (state government) school, you will need to complete the following application forms and provide the requested documents:
Tertiary Scholarship Verification Form
(PDF 122kb - opens in a new window. Download
Adobe Acrobat)
Forward completed form to UniSA International/ Graduate Research Centre for verification of your scholarship. UniSA will forward to the Department of Education and Children's Services on your behalf - see form for instructions.
Application Form (including Terms & Conditions) (PDF 139kb - opens in a new window. Download
Adobe Acrobat)
Notification of Commencement at School Form HDR Dependants (Word doc. 789kb)
If you require further information contact South Australian Government Schools, Department of Education and Children's Services on 08 8226 1630 or email: decs.isp@saugov.sa.gov.au
Childcare assistance
International students may be eligible to claim Child Care Benefits (CCB) to assist with the cost of child care and before or after school care. For advice on your eligibility for CCB, contact Centrelink.
See the list of child care centres located near your campus or close to where you are living or contact the Department of Education and Children's Services on 8226 1630.
Further information
For further information and assistance with arranging education for your children contact South Australian Government Schools, Department of Children's Services.