FAQs
Explore our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about Online Enrolment.
Most Common Queries
When you receive an online enrolment for a student who has a sibling not living at the same address, there are important steps to follow:
- Create a new SRN rather than relying on the create sibling functionality in OES SI to link.
- Once the new student is created in OES SI with an SRN, you will need to complete any actions and send to ERN.
- Go to the ERN family tree where you can link siblings using the add other parent option or change student family depending on the family dynamic.
Where an unmatched parent/carer record is identified, this needs to be fixed in ERN.
Note: Ensure students and their siblings are linked to the correct family in order to avoid a situation that may result in a data breach.
To finalise the principal certification process when a student applies to enrol online, SASS should print the first page of the enrolment application from the OE School Interface and hand this to the principal to sign. Follow your usual processes in ERN and filing any student records.
Principals can also certify the enrolment themselves while logged in to ERN. Clarity about using pupil record cards is provided online: https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-management-schools/student-enrolment-data-and-reporting/pupil-record-cards
Can parents upload supporting documents?
Yes, parents/carers can choose to upload documents during the online application. This includes identity documents, residential address details, medical information, and any other supporting documents such as court orders.
Do parents still need to bring in their documents to the school?
Yes, as per the enrolment policy, original documents need to be made available to the school. Schools may also request additional information to support the application.
Some schools require the department’s 100-point residential address check to be completed. For more information visit https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-management-schools/enrolment-policy-changes.html
No, parents/carers are not required to sign a printed version of the online application.
There is a declaration which parents must agree to when submitting their online enrolment application - this replaces the need for a physical signature.
FAQs
What is PI?
PI is the Parent Interface where parent/carers are able to complete an application to enrol online.
How can the parent access the Parent Interface (PI)?
A link will be located on the enrolment page from the schools website
When you type in your address, does it tell you your local school?
No, parents can go to the school finder (as it is today) to locate their local school.
How will parents know if the school they want to enrol their child into is their local school?
- Parents can go to the school finder (as it is today) to locate their local school.
- Parents are required to enter the student's residential address before starting their online application to enrol. They will not be able to continue the enrolment application for that school if their residential address is not in the local intake area.
Is there any place for the parent to provide a proof of address?
No, the proof of address will still need to be managed at the school level for the verification of documents process.
Do parents have the option of setting their own password or do they need to use the pre-set verification code?
No, the parent will be required to use the code provided by email.
How long does the Parent Verification code last?
3 minutes. After this time, it will expire but can be re-sent if needed.
Are fields with the red * mandatory fields in the PI?
Yes, the parent/carer will not be able to submit their application until all mandatory fields are completed.
Can parents/carers print their application?
Parent/carers cannot print the enrolment from the PI. They will however receive the completed enrolment form as a PDF file via email and will be able to print the application form at that point.
There is a password protection for the parent which is the child’s first name in capital letters followed by their date of birth eg. MICHELLE25072012
What happens if the parent does not have access to a computer?
PI is fully accessible on smartphones and tablets. Parents are also still able to use the current paper based application to enrol form.
Can the online enrolment form be completed in alternate languages?
No. Schools are able to provide assistance to parents where there is a language barrier.
Will I be alerted about a new application being submitted in PI before the parent comes into the school?
An email confirmation will be sent to the school email address when an enrolment has been submitted through the Parent Interface.
Can parents upload supporting documents?
Yes, parents/carers can choose to upload documents during the online application. This includes identity documents, residential address details, medical information, and any other supporting documents such as court orders.
Do parents still need to bring in their documents to the school?
Yes, as per the enrolment policy, original documents need to be made available to the school. Schools may also request additional information to support the application.
Some schools require the department’s 100-point residential address check to be completed. For more information visit https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-management-schools/enrolment-policy-changes.html
Do applications not submitted in PI expire?
Yes, if a parent/carer starts an application in PI, but does not submit it, then after the 30 days the application will expire. The parent will receive a reminder email to complete their application after 21 days. Should a parent wish to submit their application after the 30 day expiry, they will need to start their application again.
Does a parent/carer need to sign the online enrolment application?
No, parents/carers are not required to sign a printed version of the application, as they complete this only as part of the application process.
What happens when a parent/carer is having issues accessing the link to online enrolment?
If a parent/carer experiences an error when accessing the online enrolment link, we recommend that they temporarily disable ad-blocking or enable cookies.
What is the Online Enrolment System SI?
Online Enrolment System SI is the School Interface for the processing of applications to enrol submitted via PI.
Who can use the SI?
School administration staff who have been provisioned to access Online Enrolment will have access to the SI via the DoE’s single sign on system.
Will I get some sort of notification when an application is first received?
Schools will be copied into the confirmation email that PI sends to parents when they submit their application. Therefore, schools will be alerted via this email and have the opportunity to follow-up at their discretion.
School administration staff can also access the SI application to view enrolment applications.
When an application in SI is matched to an existing student in ERN am I alerted to what is new in SI vs what is already in ERN?
An Action panel will be visible to the right of the page. If there is any conflicting information, you will need to navigate to the conflict at which point you will be notified of the information provided in SI and the information existing in ERN.
Can SI be used for applications other than Kindergarten enrolments?
Yes, it can be used for all students enrolling into their local primary school.
Can I send the application to ERN if there are outstanding actions?
No, the 'Send to ERN' functionality will be greyed out until such time as all actions are complete.
What do the status indications on the front screen of SI mean?
- Received - the enrolment application has been received in the SI and is awaiting review
- In Progress - the enrolment application has been received and the review process has begun
- Sent to ERN - the enrolment application has been completed in SI and ‘Sent to ERN’. The application is now locked in SI and can only be edited through ERN.
What does the status indications mean when there is an exclamation mark in the Action column?
- non-mandatory information was missing when the parent submitted the application; or
- there is a conflict of information between SI and ERN.
How do I update any data entered during the online enrolment process in the PI, which is now reflected in SI?
If parents provide different information when they come to the school, you can make edits in SI.
How do I ensure the quality of the data that the parent has submitted (data quality is important and can have downstream implications)?
Please adopt your normal approach in these situations, particularly around categories like address. Parents will still be required to provide schools with documentation that validates their address.
What happens if I find an existing SRN in ERN for the child being enrolled and I make updates to fields in SI that conflict with what is already in ERN?
All SI user edits and conflict resolutions will not be reflected in ERN until the application is sent to ERN. This approach allows the admins to process the information in SI without impacting downstream systems. It also enables undo functionality for all conflict resolutions prior to the application being pushed to ERN.
Am I able to switch between schools for SI?
Yes, you can switch between schools within the system
Does SI get 'full' or can you delete out of SI?
Enrolments will remain visible in SI to meet Record Management requirements
How can SASS get access to SI?
Principals will be able to grant SASS access through AMU.
I’ve made some changes to the student's application directly in ERN, can I continue updating in SI?
No, if you amend or input any information in ERN, it will lock the application in SI and you will not be able to progress with the application. In this circumstance, please contact EDConnect for assistance.
If a parent enters more than one pre-school education in PI, will this show in ERN?
No, if a parent enters more than one pre-schooling option in PI, or you add more than one into SI, only the first option will show in ERN as per current ERN functionality
In what scenarios can I ‘Withdraw’ an application from SI?
If a parent no longer wishes to proceed with their application you can ‘Withdraw’ it from SI. The application will then be moved to your ‘Processed applications’ tab and show a status of withdrawn
Do I need to sight the original documents for the enrolment application?
Yes, as per the enrolment policy, schools need to sight document originals.
How do I know these files are safe to download?
All files go through a virus scan once they’ve been submitted by the parent/carer. Files will show in SI as either scanned, in progress, or corrupted. You will only be able to view files that have passed the virus scan.
Who can view the documents in SI?
Only administration staff can download and view the documents. They are not accessible to any corporate, or EDConnect staff.
How do I keep these documents secure?
You must ensure that the documents are kept in a secure location on school premises.
How should I manage a conflict between the statement of account value for a parent in SI and ERN?
Statement of account is not a field provided by a parent within PI. In SI it is derived based on the following logic: Parent/carer 1, or the first parent/carer listed as living with the student will default to ‘Financially responsible’ and any other parent/carers as ‘Financially interested’. You should not need to change these values in SI. If a conflict is detected with any existing data in ERN, we recommend contacting the parent/carer to confirm which parent/carer should receive the Statement of Account. Any parent/carers marked as ‘No’ will not receive the Statement of Account. You can go into ERN and change these values at any time once the application has been sent to ERN and locked in SI.
The student has been marked as having a medical condition, but the ‘Notes’ field is blank, and mandatory, what should I put there?
This field is mandatory in SI as this is a required field in ERN, but is not mandatory within PI. In this scenario complete any relevant information, such as ‘student has anaphylaxis, waiting for ASCIA plan, need to contact parent for more details’. You can then send the enrolment application to ERN and update after you have spoken to the parent/carer. Please refer to ERN quick reference guides for further information.
Once the application is sent to ERN, can it be amended?
Yes, but further changes will need to be completed through ERN as you do today. There is an additional safety net in that edits and updates in SI can be reversed until they are committed through to ERN and locked. After data is sent from SI through to ERN you must go into ERN to change that data.
If a student record is marked as 'Sent to ERN' in SI can I make any changes in that record?
No, you cannot amend this information in SI, but you can make changes in ERN. You will need to have editing rights in ERN.
Is it possible that after I process the enrolment in SI that data could be overwritten in ERN that may cause issues e.g. custody issues?
Yes it is possible, and anything that may cause changes in ERN data is subject to the same level of care requirements as normal. There is an additional safety net in that edits and updates in SI can be reversed until they are committed through to ERN and locked. After data is sent from SI through to ERN you must go into ERN to change that data.
Once I submit the form successfully is all of that data automatically stored in ERN?
Yes. If you wish to confirm information, please look at the data in ERN.
Can I be certain that everything submitted will be retained in ERN?
An SI application will only change to “Sent to ERN” status when the process is successful. However, if you wish to confirm information, please look at the data in ERN.
Do I need to check the data in ERN once it has been submitted?
No that is not necessary. However, once data is sent to ERN all data can be viewed and edited in ERN depending on your access level in ERN.
Can I pre-register students in ERN and then have parents/carers complete the online enrolment?
If a student is registered (interested) in ERN, you will see an error if you try to process this application through SI and you will not be able to proceed. To rectify this, you can withdraw the student in ERN, or contact EDConnect for support.
Can I make changes to an application in ERN before I submit in SI?
Any applications that are showing as ‘In Progress’ in SI will be ‘read only’ in ERN, so you cannot make adjustments in both systems. The only fields that are able to be edited in ERN in this instance are the Family Tree and Family Address.
You will need to complete all actions in SI and then send to application to ERN.
How to send enrolments to Principal Enrolment Interface from ERN?
The enrolments that have progressed to status 1, 2 or 3 (below) in ERN will automatically appear on the Principal Enrolment Interface and no further action is required.
- Applied to Enrol – Validated
- Applied to Enrol – Risk assessed
- Withdrawn
What do I do if the processed enrolment application does not appear on the Principal Enrolment Interface?
The status will need to progressed to Applied to Enrol – Validated in ERN, to view the student/s in the PEI.
Before the status is progressed to Applied to Enrol – Validated, you need to have completed the Declaration of Accuracy and Record of Evidence in ERN.
Do I action the warnings for principal checklist that appear on ERN?
No, that is not necessary. Once the status is Applied to Enrol – Validated you can complete your processing in the Principal Enrolment Interface.
Does the Principal need to sign the enrolment form?
To finalise the principal certification process when a student applies to enrol online, SASS should print the first page of the enrolment application from the OE School Interface and hand this to the principal to sign. Follow your usual processes in ERN and filing any student records. Principals can also certify the enrolment themselves while logged in to ERN. Clarity about using pupil record cards is provided online: https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-management-schools/student-enrolment-data-and-reporting/pupil-record-card
What method(s) for contacting the parent are acceptable after they have submitted the form online?
Please adopt your normal approach in these situations.
Should I still work through the enrolment with the parent face to face?
If the parent requires assistance, then yes, schools should walk the parent through the application process. The parent is still required to come to the school with original documentation to support their application, so any questions they or the school have may be discussed then.
What do I do if the student has been previously enrolled in a NSW school?
SI requires you to check to see if the student already has an SRN. This is automated in the system. Possible matches are displayed in SI as they are in ERN and the process of matching a student to identified records remains the same.
Am I required to do a SRN search on for each enrolment?
A SRN search is a mandatary action before an application can be sent to ERN. SASS can complete the SRN search process as soon as they receive the application from PI or at any point before sending it to ERN.
Who can access any notes made on the online enrolment form by staff?
Once an application is sent to ERN, all users with the appropriate access to the student record can see the data including the notes fields.
Can we still use a ghosted enrolment form?
Yes, no change to current process with ghosted enrolment forms is necessary if this best suits your school processes.
How do I keep paper evidence of the enrolment for purposes of audit?
For audits, all applications via PI and SI are stored in the system. However, if required, admin can store a printed copy of the application in the student file. It is possible for schools to print the application.
Is an SRN automatically created after the parent/carer submits the form?
No, a new SRN is created when SASS confirms a student is new to ERN in the SRN search process.
When will the student be visible in ebs:central and Synergy?
The application will need to be processed through the SI and sent to ERN. Once the enrolment status is changed to ‘Applied to Enrol (Risk Assessed)’ the student will be visible in ebs:central. For Synergy, it is visible once an application is linked a SRN.