For all your questions about applying for enrolment at Nossal, including eligibility, fees and dates –  find the answers here.

How do I enrol?

Please see our Enrolment page

Is Nossal High School a government school?

Yes, we are an academically selective coeducational Government High School, and one of only four academically selective high schools in the state.

Do you take year 7?

No, Nossal’s enrolment is open to Years 9 – 12 only.

Where do the students go for Year 7 and 8?

Students should attend the most suitable school for their educational needs at Year 7. Applications for enrolment for Year 9 entry at NHS would be undertaken during student’s second year of secondary college (usually Year 8), not all students that apply for enrolment at NHS and sit the entrance examination will be successful.

What can I do to ensure my son/daughter gains entry?

Application for enrolment at NHS in Year 9 involves an entrance examination during the previous year. The Victorian Department of Education and Training website outlines the eligible criteria and a number or points to consider before applying to sit the entrance examination. There is a link to this information with the relevant dates, as they become available, on our enrolment page

After the exam how do I know if my child will be offered a place at Nossal High School?

Year 9 applicants will be emailed a letter of offer by ACER, the select entry school enrolment administrators, from August.

Year 10 – 11 applicants will be offered a place by the Principal when a vacancy arises.

How many students come into Year 9?

Nossal High School enrols 208 students per year level.

Where is the test held?

The exam will be held across multiple venues across Melbourne. All candidates will be allocated a venue to sit the exam.

What date is the test held?

The examination is held in Jun/Jul each year. The dates for application and the examination are announced at the end of February on Victorian Selective High Schools website

What is the difference for enrolment for Years 10 and 11 as opposed to Year 9?

Enrolment positions at Years 10 and 11 are limited as they depend on vacancies arising at the end of the previous year.  Students interested in applying for a vacancy into Year 10 or 11 will need to sit an entry exam which will be held at Nossal High School during the previous year in Term 2 or 3. A waiting list will then be created and eligible students will be invited to attend an interview with the Principal should a vacancy arise.

Can my student enter half way through the year?

Nossal High School does not have mid-year enrolment opportunities.

Is the school zoned?

Nossal High School is zoned according to academic ability. Students who are Australian citizens or holders of a visa granting permanent resident status in Australia (or similar visa which would exempt them from paying International Student Fees to attend a Victorian government school) are eligible to apply for entry into a selective entry high school. This applies to students living in Victoria or those living and studying interstate or overseas.

Information about school zones is available on findmyschool.vic.gov.au. This website hosts the most up-to-date information about Victorian school zones.

Students are guaranteed a place at their designated neighbourhood school, which is determined on the basis of your permanent residential address. Enrolment at select entry (such as Nossal HS), specialist and specific purpose schools is determined based on the school’s local Enrolment conditions.

The Department provides guidance for designated neighbourhood schools through the Enrolment: Placement Policy, to ensure that students have access to their designated neighbourhood school and the freedom to choose other schools, subject to facility limitations.

You can find more information and answers to frequently asked questions on the Department’s website under School zones.

For more information – If you have a question about school zones call the VSBA Hotline on 1800 896 950 or email: vsba@education.vic.gov.au

Do you take international students?

Please see the answer to previous question.

Citizens of New Zealand residing in Australia are also eligible to apply.

All applicants who are offered a place will be required to show original documentation, such as a Certificate of Evidence of Australian Citizenship, birth certificates or visas, before enrolment can be finalised. Applicants who do not meet residency requirements at the time of applying, but expect to meet them in the near future, are also able to apply.

These applicants will be required to show evidence that they meet all residency requirements before being offered a place.

Offers or enrolments may be terminated if a placement is made on the basis of false or misleading information.

What questions are in the test?

The entrance examination includes ability and achievement tests and takes approximately three hours to complete. In the examination your child will be competing academically with all other candidates. The entrance examination is designed to test and challenge students. Many students find examination day demanding and this should be taken into consideration by parents.

• • The exam includes five tests:
    • Reasoning – Reading
    • Reasoning – Mathematics
    • Short break (20 mins)
    • General ability – Verbal
    • General ability – Quantitative
    • Short break (5 mins)
    • Writing

Before each multiple-choice test, the administrator will go through three practice examples. This is to make sure that students know what to expect.

The exam is designed to be challenging. It’s common for students to not finish the entire exam.

If you live interstate or overseas there are options to sit the exam remotely.

How can we prepare for the test?

• Read the Information Pack.
• Understand the format of the exam and how to use the answer booklet
• Download the sample questions
• Make sure your child has a good night’s sleep.
• Don’t place unnecessary pressure on your child. It may create anxiety and affect their results.
• Try to be as calm as possible before the exam to help your child relax.
• Remember that the entrance exam is quite demanding. It’s designed to challenge students. Make sure you and your child have realistic expectations of their results.

Does my child have to be in Victoria to sit the test or can they sit the test remotely?

There are two categories of candidates who may be eligible to sit the examination interstate or
overseas:
1. Candidates who are eligible to apply for entry into a Victorian Selective Entry High School
who are currently living and studying interstate or overseas
2. Candidates enrolled in a Victorian school but who, at the time of the examination:

• are on an overseas exchange program, or
• are representing Australia for an official duty (sporting, academic, military or cultural), or
• have a parent/carer who has been required to work interstate or overseas.

Candidates must provide suitable evidence from the exchange program, official organising body or workplace. Documentation can be securely uploaded to the application portal after application is complete. Use the ‘special arrangements’ tab to access the document upload function.
Requests to sit the examination interstate or overseas must be made by the application closing
date Friday 2 June 2023 within the application portal and at the time of application. Late
applications to sit remotely can only be accepted until Friday 16 June 2023 and will incur a late
fee.
The request must include documentation from the candidate’s current school principal that verifies the candidate’s:

• name
• enrolment status
• date of enrolment at the school
• current year level at the school (noting that this may differ to those in Australian schools).

ACER may contact the school principal if clarification is required.
The remote sitting must take place between the examination day and the following Tuesday, and is conducted in a single session. During the examination the candidate must be supervised by a representative of an approved invigilating organisation.
Additional charges apply to remote sittings, as follows:

• $200 remote sitting fee (in addition to the application fee)
• any costs by the approved invigilating organisation for their services – paid directly by the
  parent/carer to invigilating organisation

The ACER support team will liaise with the approved invigilation organisation regarding the
requirements for the examination.

What are the yearly fees?

Parent payment contributions are set annually by the School Council. The school includes the cost of essential items, camps and excursions and optional charges in a single itemised fee for each year level. Fees may be paid either in full on or before the beginning of the school year, or by arrangement for an individual, confidential payment plan.

Can we go on a waiting list?

Only students who have applied for entry at Years 10 & 11 are allocated to a waiting list. This will only occur after they have successfully sat the entry exam and a vacancy arises at these year levels.

Can we put our name down now even though the child is in grade 5?

All applications for entry to Nossal High School must be made online when the child is in Year 8 and by sitting the required entry examination.

How do I get to School?

We are fortunate to be close to public transport with the Berwick train station nearby and the public bus service which stops outside the front gate of Federation University.

There are many trains that run from Gippsland and Melbourne directly to Berwick. Local public buses within the City of Casey also run directly to Berwick train station. Please visit Metlink http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/ to plan your journey.

What are the school hours?

School starts at 8.48am and concludes at 3.20pm every day apart from Wednesday when students finish at 1.20pm. This allows time for students to develop study groups with peers outside of school time or make appointments. During the Wednesday afternoon all Nossal staff are involved in professional development programs. Students are welcome to stay and use the school facilities at this time.  Nossal has a 5-period daily schedule as well as tutorial time first thing each morning.

Can I take an overseas holiday or any holiday and come back after the 1st day of school or during school terms?

Nossal High School encourages the wealth of experiences and learning opportunities created by overseas travel and is sympathetic to family travel arrangements however, all students enrolled at the school are expected to be in attendance from the first day of school at the commencement of the new year and each term. Applications for individual exceptions to this rule must be submitted in writing to the Principal well in advance of travel arrangements.

What are the term dates?

You can find all the government term dates and public holidays at Victorian School Term Dates

Can I tour the school?

Tours are conducted by the Principal and Assistant Principal. Bookings are essential and can be made through Trybooking at https://www.trybooking.com/CFYUJ.

How do I pay my school fees?

Parents are requested to complete payment for each year by the end of February or to make individual payment arrangements with the School.  Payments can be made via Compass,  either in full or using the generic payment of 10 instalments across the year. Individual payment plans can be arranged to suit family circumstances by contacting the General Office on 8762 4600.Payment may also be made via the Compass online portal, credit card (in person, over the phone), BPay, EFTPOS, Cash or Bank Transfer

How can I make a financial or equipment donation to support the school?

If you would like to make a donation to the school, either financial or goods and services we ask you to contact the school Principal to discuss your offer.

Where do I get my uniform?

Uniforms can be purchased from our partner uniform supplier PSW Pty Ltd.  The Nossal HS uniform is stocked at the following stores:

• Hampton Park – Unit 1 9-11 South Link, Dandenong South          9768 0343

Shop hours Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm and Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm.

Please refer to our Nossal Uniform page for full details.

How and when do I access the school booklist?

The school booklist is available online through our supplier partner Campion Education. Booklists for the following year are available in November.

What events and evenings are compulsory at the school?

All events are compulsory at Nossal.

As a student of Nossal HS it is expected that you attend all events including Sports Carnivals, Assemblies, House Performing Arts Night, Speech Night as well as all subject information evenings, relevant Camps and Excursions.

When you accept a place at Nossal, you accept and participate in all things Nossal.

How do I contact my child’s teachers?

You can contact your child’s teachers by telephoning the school office on 8762 4600. Our reception staff will forward your call to the appropriate teacher’s extension. If the teacher is unavailable, you have the option of leaving a recorded message on their voice mail or calling back at a later time.  Many teachers will provide email contact details to students and may also be contacted through Compass using your parent login.

What is the process when notifying the school if my child is absent for a day?

You should telephone the school absence hotline on 03 8762 4625 prior to 10.30am on the day of absence to inform the school that your student will be away. Please phone or email the school and leave a message for the relevant teacher if the student has a music lesson, an excursion, co-curricula activity, exam or other school assessment on that day.

Parents can add attendance/absence notes directly into Compass using their parent login.

If your child will be away for more than one day you should phone the school on 03 8762 4625 or email the attendance officer at absence@nossalhs.vic.edu.au and provide relevant details and/or a medical certificate. The attendance officer will forward your message to all relevant teachers.  An sms messaging system is used to alert parents if their child is not in attendance and the attendance officer has not been notified.

Who do I contact for wellbeing and support for my child?

Nossal High School has a trained professional Wellbeing Team who will respond to students and parent’s needs. If you wish to make an appointment to discuss your child’s health and wellbeing, a change of family circumstances or other issues which may impact on their progress please do not hesitate to contact the Wellbeing team through the General Office on 8762 4600

How do I compete in interschool sports?

Students can compete in Interschool Sport (Team Sports) by signing up to their interested sports in the first week of school in term one. Students will then have training and teams will be selected by the appropriate coaches (teaching staff). For Individual Sports such as swimming, athletics and cross country, students will be selected based on their results in the House Carnivals.