Administrative policies concerning initial admission to Victorian Government primary schools

Master of EducationThis study was conducted to determine whether or not the admission to- school policy in Victoria, which is based on age and availability of accommodation, has any perceived educational advantage for children. In Victoria in the 1970's there was dissatisfaction over the admission policy, and an attempt was made to develop a policy which took into account the educational needs of young children. Although certain recommendations for change were made by the committees set up to investigate entry-to-school, they were never acted upon by the Minister for Education. The study notes that other Education Departments in Australia did change their policies to include continuous admission to school and ensured that criteria other than age were to be considered. Amongst other things, the literature review highlights the fact that there is a lack of agreement between educators throughout the world, as to what is the most suitable age for a child to commence school, and whether or not entry-to-school should be on a continuous basis. There is strong support however, for beginning school programs to meet the specific educational needs of young children, and to take into account children's previous experiences. An analysis of the data which were gathered by means of questionnaires and interviews indicates that the present admission to- school policy in Victoria does not cater for the individual needs of children, and that there is little if any continuity between preschool programs and those of the school. It also indicates that there are many other problems associated with the admission-to-school policy. The conclusions drawn from the study support the acceptance of the problem statement and have significant implications for admission-to school in this State