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Key Dates & FAQ
Choosing a secondary school is one of the most important decisions that students make in Year 6. Unfortunately with the current social distancing restrictions in place, we are unable to do what we would normally do, that is, conduct school tours, host information evenings and do school visits. We have set up this page specifically for Year 6 students and their families to provide some extra information about our school, the enrolment process and Year 6-7 transition to assist you in your decision choosing a school.
You can download a pdf with more information about FHS and the Year 6-7 Transition process below.
We welcome and encourage students and their families to use this form to submit questions you may have about our school or the enrolment process. We have a dedicated transition team assigned to respond to your questions and where appropriate we will update the FAQ with the Q&A information we gather during this process.
Thank you for connecting with us. We will respond to you shortly.
This FAQ has been compiled from questions asked during previous parent information sessions. We encourage students and their families to use the form at the bottom of the page to submit any other queries you may have. The FHS transition team will continue to update the FAQ throughout the Transition Process.
No, once students are enrolled at a campus they will not be able to change their minds. It is important that campuses have the capacity to meet the enrolment needs of local students as determined by https://www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au.
To locate your designated neighbourhood government school, please visit the Find My School website at https://www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au. The website has recently been updated to include the Pilgrim Campus for 2021.
Only students currently enrolled in Year 7 at Barkly Campus in 2020 will have the option to remain at the Campus in Year 8 and 9 if they choose to even if they are zoned to the Pilgrim Campus. Eligible families will be asked to indicate their preference in Term 2 2020. Students currently enrolled in year 7 in 2020 and not in the Pilgrim Campus designated area will not have the option of attending the Pilgrim campus in 2021.
Enrolment to Kinnear campus will be based on Find my school website. Normal Department guidelines regarding enrolment at a school outside the designated area will apply. All students attending Barkly or Pilgrim campus will have access to the Kinnear campus.
Students enrolling at Footscray High School in 2021 will be required to attend their designated campus as per find my school website. Families will not have the option of choosing which campus. This is to ensure there is enough space to accommodate local students into the future.
No, once students are enrolled at a campus they will not be able to transfer in Year 9. It is important that campuses have the capacity to meet the enrolment needs of local students as determined by https://www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au.
The new FHS uniform will be available for fitting and purchase from Noone Imagewear which is located at 543 Keilor Rd, Niddrie VIC 3042. Noone Imagewear will supply instructions for parents to use an online portal to book a fitting time.
The current prescribed model of Chromebook is the Lenovo 500E G2. All Chromebooks will need to be purchased through the schools dedicated supplier, which is currently Learning With Technologies. The supplier will set up an online purchasing portal for parents to use. Currently the Year 7 2020 Chromebook is available at a minimum purchase price of $560. This figure may change for Year 7 2021. Please note that additional warranty and insurances will incur additional costs. Full information about the 2021 Chromebook costs and arrangements will be sent to all families in the Early Term 4 Information Pack.
Students are to wear all black leather school shoes with a defined low heel (no boots). These styles comply with the WHS safety requirements to access all learning spaces within the school and are to be worn with the school grey socks. Students are permitted to wear black runners for Sport and PE.
In years 7 and 8, the students will be able to choose which language they wish to study -Japanese or Italian. In Year 8 students will also be able to choose an Arts/Technology elective. They also will be able to make choices in Community Action STEAM. In Years 9
Yes. All students will have a locker. All students will be given a common combination lock that will be paid for through the school levies.
Both campuses, Barkly and Kinnear, will have multiple purpose built spaces for study in the arts. Performing arts, fine art and textiles will all have the availability of purpose built spaces.
Our intention is to run a SEAL program at both campuses
Whilst we are accepting students to sit the SEAL test, the decision to run a SEAL program will depend on the number of students that qualify. Current Year 7 students in the SEAL Program and currently attending Barkly Campus will need to discuss their individual circumstances with the Campus Principal and/or Assistant Principal.
To view the designs of Pilgrim Campus and to keep up to date with construction progress visit: https://www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/schools/Pages/FootscrayHighSchool.aspx
Pilgrim Campus will combine hard play spaces (e.g. multisport courts) with grassed play areas. The indoor multipurpose gym located at Footscray City Primary School will be shared with Pilgrim Campus. Students may also use community recreation facilities in partnership with Melbourne Cricket Club and Victoria University. Yarraville Gardens has an oval, a cricket pitch and tennis courts, and is a 10-minute walk from the Pilgrim Campus. Victoria University provides some of the best sport and recreation facilities in the country, including a recently upgraded swimming pool.
Currently, the operational details for the Pilgrim St campus are currently being determined including the development of a Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Maribyrnong and Victorian University. These MOUs incorporate an understanding that we will share facilities including outdoor spaces/ recreation centres, art spaces, libraries, university classrooms, community centres and much more. As with all inner-city schools, we are keen to develop community options for outdoor recreation to maximise the use of community spaces and to connect with the local community.
At this stage, this is impossible to answer as all government schools must make provision for eligible students. As an indication, we enrolled 300 Year 7 students at Barkly Campus for 2020 and each class had between 21-25 students.
Pilgrim Campus will provide dynamic and flexible spaces that support students to learn in a variety of ways. These spaces can be rearranged to create distinct learning areas for different activities such as class instruction or discussion, working in smaller groups or independently, and collaboration on practical projects.
Flexible spaces also allow teachers to occasionally combine their classes, creating additional opportunities for students and teachers to learn from each other.
The campus features a library in which the website and catalogue will be available 24/7 from anywhere with an internet connection, canteen, food technology, drama, music, science and environmental science spaces, art and design studio, media room and materials technology spaces.
Pilgrim Campus will have an innovative STEAM curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) in which students tackle real-world, local problems alongside teachers and community members.
Discussions are currently underway with the Maribyrnong City Council. A traffic management strategy is being developed in order to meet the needs of students and their families in the area.
There will be an orientation day for students starting at Footscray High School in 2021. Students will spend most of orientation in their assigned homegroup of approximately 25 students. More information will be available through our website and social channels as plans are finalised.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions currently in place, Footscray High School is unable to host an information night or continue campus tour tours. We have reviewed our website and social media content to assist with information and will continue to work with our school community to update parents, families, carers and students as much as possible.
A new Pilgrim Campus will open it’s doors to Year 7 and 8 junior secondary students for the first time in 2021. From there, the Barkly Campus will continue to take in Year 7 students while the Kinnear Campus will limit its intake to Year 9 to 12 students only.
From 2022, all three campuses will run as their designated junior (7-9) or senior (10-12) secondary campus as
At the time of publishing this document, we have 139 Girls (49%) and 145 Boys (51%).
From 2021, Footscray High School will operate across two junior secondary schools, Barkly Campus and Pilgrim campus and one senior secondary school, Kinnear Campus.
Since 2020, the transition has been staged over two years to ensure all students, staff and families get comfortable with their new school community.
The key dates related to transition and enrolment are listed in the table below. In early term 4 families will be sent an welcome pack containing information about orientation day and key dates. The pack will include the student’s booklist, uniform price list and a chromebook order form.
All parents of students who applied for the SEAL program will be advised by email of the outcome of their child’s application. Due to COVID 19, we cannot provide an exact date at the moment, but all applicants will be contacted about any alteration to timelines.