Transition to Primary School with Disability in Victoria: What Parents Need to Do

The year your child moves from kindergarten into Prep is one of the highest-stakes moments in their early education. For children with disability, it is also one of the periods where support is most likely to fall through the cracks — because the kindergarten and primary school systems operate under different funding frameworks, different departments, and often different levels of disability awareness. Planning ahead, and knowing exactly what documentation needs to transfer, can prevent the all-too-common experience of starting Prep with no adjustments in place because the new school "didn't have any information."

Why This Transition Is Different

Children with disability in Victorian kindergartens may be supported through the Kindergarten Inclusion Support (KIS) program, which provides targeted resources for children with complex medical needs or disability attending state-funded kinder. KIS operates under early childhood frameworks — it is not the same as the Disability Inclusion (DI) model used in primary and secondary schools.

When a child moves to primary school, KIS support ends. The primary school does not automatically receive the child's KIS history, allied health reports, or support documentation. Unless you take specific steps to transfer this information — and insist on a handover meeting — your child enters Prep effectively starting from scratch in a system that requires a fresh application for any individualised (Tier 3) DI funding.

This is not just an inconvenience. In 2024-25, education advocacy issues accounted for 62% of all contacts to the Association for Children with a Disability (ACD). The transition period — when new schools claim they "need to get to know the child first" before implementing adjustments — is a known bottleneck where families lose months of essential support.

The Transition Learning and Development Statement

The Transition Learning and Development Statement (TLDS) is the primary document that moves information from the kindergarten setting to the primary school. It is prepared by the kindergarten educator, ideally in collaboration with families, before the end of the kindergarten year.

The TLDS is not disability-specific — all children have one — but for children with disability it should include specific information about:

• The child's current functional strengths and areas requiring support
• What adjustments and strategies have been effective in the kinder setting
• Any allied health involvement (OT, speech pathology, paediatric reports)
• The child's history with the KIS program, including what supports were funded and used

Your role as a parent is to ensure the TLDS reflects your child's actual experience, not a sanitised version. Review it before it is sent to the primary school. If it does not mention adjustments that worked, or understates the child's support needs, ask for it to be amended.

Under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic), schools have obligations around continuity of enrolment planning. The Transition Learning and Development Statement is the formal mechanism for this in the early childhood-to-primary transition.

Requesting a Pre-Transition SSG Meeting

One of the most effective things a parent can do is request a Student Support Group (SSG) meeting at the primary school before the child starts in Prep — ideally in Term 3 or Term 4 of the kindy year.

You have a right to request this meeting. The Victorian Department of Education policy requires that schools establish SSGs for students who will be supported under the Disability Inclusion model. Starting this conversation early serves two purposes: it signals to the principal that you are an engaged, informed advocate, and it ensures the school begins mapping what adjustments will be needed from Day 1 rather than after the first term.

At the pre-transition SSG, bring:

• The Transition Learning and Development Statement
• Any current allied health reports (OT, speech, paediatric assessments)
• A written summary of what has worked and what has not worked in the kinder setting
• A list of specific adjustments you are requesting

Request that the meeting outcome is documented in writing, with the school committing to specific adjustments from the start of Prep. Verbal assurances are not enforceable.

Disability Inclusion Funding at the New School

If your child previously had a Disability Inclusion Profile assessed (unlikely for most kinder-aged children, but possible for older children re-entering the system), that profile does not automatically transfer to the new school. The DI Profile is context-based — it assesses the level of adjustment needed within the specific educational environment. A new school means new environmental demands, which means a new profile process.

For most children transitioning from kinder to Prep who have not previously had a formal DI Profile, the primary school will need to:

1. Register the student's disability in the school's NCCD (Nationally Consistent Collection of Data) data
2. Ensure the student is receiving at least Quality Differentiated Teaching Practice (QDTP) adjustments from enrollment
3. Initiate the DI Profile process if the student's functional needs suggest they may qualify for Tier 3 (Substantial or Extensive adjustments)

The DI Profile process itself requires a meeting with an independent DI Facilitator — this takes time to arrange. Do not wait for the profile to be completed before requesting adjustments. The school's obligation to make reasonable adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE) exists independently of any funding outcome. Request adjustments from enrollment, in writing, and push for the profile process to begin promptly.

What the Law Actually Requires

Victorian schools — government, Catholic, and independent — are bound by the DSE 2005 and the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic). Both require reasonable adjustments for students with disability from the point of enrollment. A school cannot lawfully delay adjustments on the basis that it is "getting to know the child," unless there is a genuine, documented process underway and interim supports are in place.

Under Section 15 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, organisations (including schools) have a positive duty to proactively take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate discrimination — they cannot wait for discrimination to occur and then respond.

If a primary school fails to put adjustments in place promptly, or claims it cannot provide supports without a completed DI Profile, the escalation pathway starts with a written complaint to the Principal citing the DSE 2005, and proceeds through the DET Regional Office and, if necessary, to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC).

The Kindergarten Inclusion Support Handover

If your child has been supported through the KIS program, request a formal handover process involving:

• The kindergarten's KIS coordinator
• The receiving primary school's principal or disability inclusion coordinator
• You, as the parent or carer

This handover should document the specific supports that were in place, what the child's response to those supports was, and what the primary school will need to replicate or build on. From late 2024, KIS applications have moved to a new digital assessment portal managed by AHA Consulting — if your child's kinder has navigated this system, ensure the data and reports generated through it are included in the handover documentation.

Preparing for the Preschool Field Officer

The Preschool Field Officer (PSFO) is a Department of Education resource available to support the transition of children with additional needs from early childhood settings into primary school. PSFOs work with both the kindergarten and the receiving school, and can facilitate communication between them.

Request early engagement with your PSFO in Term 2 or Term 3 of the kindergarten year. They can help with the transition meeting, support completion of the Transition Learning and Development Statement, and ensure the primary school is aware of your child's needs before you arrive in Prep.

The kindy-to-Prep transition is one of the clearest opportunities to set the right foundations — but it requires you to initiate, document, and follow up, because the system will not automatically do it for you. The Victoria Disability Advocacy Playbook includes transition checklists, SSG meeting preparation templates, and the specific language needed to request adjustments from day one of Prep.

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