Transition Planning for Queensland Students with Disability: Prep, High School, and Post-School
Transition Planning for Queensland Students with Disability: Prep, High School, and Post-School
Educational transitions are the moments when disability support most frequently falls apart. A student who has carefully calibrated support in Year 6 arrives at high school in Year 7 with no one briefed, no supports in place, and weeks or months of regression while the system resets. Or a student with disability completes Year 12 and transitions into an adult world with nothing arranged.
Proactive planning is the only protection against these gaps. Here's what transitions in Queensland look like at each stage, and what parents need to do.
Transition 1: Early Childhood to Prep
The move from kindy or an Early Childhood Development Program (ECDP) into a Queensland state school Prep year is the first transition where disability documentation needs to transfer.
The Enrolment Navigator program — available across Metro North, Metro South, and South East Queensland regions — provides specialised support for families of children with severe or suspected intellectual disabilities. Enrolment Navigators assist with enrolment applications and, critically, orchestrate early transition meetings so the receiving Prep school understands the child's needs and has supports in place before Day 1.
If your child has significant disability and you're enrolling them in Prep, contact the Enrolment Navigator program as early as possible — ideally 6–12 months before the expected start date. Don't wait for the school to reach out.
What to ensure transfers:
- Any existing NDIS plan and goals relevant to education
- Allied health reports (OT, speech pathology, psychology)
- Early intervention program reports
- Any diagnosis documentation
Request a meeting with the Prep school's Guidance Officer before enrolment to review this documentation and establish what adjustments will be in place from the first week.
Transition 2: Primary to Junior Secondary
The Year 6–7 transition is often the most disruptive for students with disability. Primary school offers a stable single-teacher relationship, consistent routines, and a well-understood environment. Secondary school introduces multiple teachers, complex timetables, larger campuses, and entirely new social dynamics.
Planning should begin in late Year 5. Don't wait for the school to initiate it.
What should happen:
- The primary school is responsible for formally transferring ICP data, EAP verification status, and any RAR-funded specialised equipment to the secondary school
- A personalised transition program should be developed — including extra orientation visits, visual maps of the campus, and meetings between the student and the high school's Guidance Officer and HOSES
- An LST meeting should occur before the start of Year 7, not after the student has already arrived and started struggling
Transition goals to include in the Year 6 support plan: These goals bridge the gap between the primary setting and secondary demands. Examples:
- Will independently navigate between 3 specified locations (home classroom, library, canteen) on a familiar campus within 10 minutes, without adult prompting, in 4 out of 5 trials by end of Term 3 Year 6
- Will manage a 4-period timetable independently using a visual schedule across 3 consecutive school days by end of Term 4 Year 6
- Will introduce themselves to a new adult (teacher, support staff) using a prepared script in 3 consecutive simulated scenarios by end of Term 3 Year 6
At the receiving high school: Push for a named HOSES and Guidance Officer contact before the school year begins. Ask for written confirmation that all transferred documentation has been received and reviewed.
Transition 3: Junior to Senior Secondary (Years 9–11)
The transition into senior schooling (Years 11–12) is primarily about AARA preparation and subject selection.
AARA critical timeline: For students with long-term conditions requiring QCAA-approved Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments for external exams, medical documentation must be dated no earlier than January 1 of Year 10 enrolment. This means:
- If your child enters Year 10 in 2026, any medical documentation for AARA must be dated from January 2026 or later
- Out-of-date reports from primary school, or older diagnoses, will not be accepted for QCAA-approved AARA
The practical implication: schedule any specialist reviews or psychoeducational updates in Year 9 or early Year 10. Don't leave it to Year 11.
Subject selection: For students on an ICP, subject selection choices in Year 9–10 have significant consequences for senior pathways. An ICP may affect eligibility for certain QCE subjects and alter ATAR calculation. Discuss senior pathway options with the school's Guidance Officer and HOSES before Year 10 subject selection.
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Transition 4: Year 12 to Post-School Life
This transition requires the longest lead time and is the most frequently under-planned.
Begin planning in Year 10 or Year 11 at the latest.
NDIS School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES): For eligible students exiting Year 12, the NDIS provides School Leaver Employment Supports — a targeted intervention to build foundational work skills over the transition period. SLES needs to be built into the student's NDIS plan before they leave school. This requires:
- An NDIS plan review that includes SLES goals
- Identifying a SLES provider while the student is still in school
- Trial work experience if possible in Years 11–12
TAFE Queensland AccessAbility support: TAFE Queensland provides dedicated disability support for students transitioning from school. Dual enrolment in TAFE programs while still in Years 11 or 12 allows the student to acclimate to adult learning environments before leaving school entirely.
University disability support: Universities are bound by the DSE 2005, but the system works entirely differently. The onus shifts to the student (or their advocate) to self-disclose their disability and connect with the university's disability liaison unit. This is not automatic. Transition planning must include:
- Contacting the disability liaison unit at the intended university well before commencement (not at enrolment)
- Providing documentation to support accommodation requests
- Understanding that disability services vary significantly between institutions
NDIS plan reviews: A transition-to-post-school NDIS plan review should occur in Year 11 or early Year 12, adding goals for vocational training, employment, or higher education participation. Don't allow the existing school-focused plan to roll over without updating it.
The Queensland Disability Support Blueprint covers transition planning at every stage — including goal templates for transition periods, AARA preparation checklists, and guidance on NDIS SLES planning. Download the complete guide at /au/queensland/iep-guide/
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