VPRS 20447 Enrolment Cards

Full description

This series comprises cards that document students enrolled at Belmont High School (School No. 7585) (VA 5475).  These cards were typically created for a student upon admission to the school.

There was no standardised format for these cards and they vary both from school to school and over the lifetime of a particular school. Some schools used custom-made card sets, while others relied on general index card templates adapted to their specific needs.

These cards typically recorded a wide range of information, which could include the student’s name, date of birth, date of admission or enrolment, previous school, address, and parent or guardian details such as name, occupation, and phone number. Additional information could include the student’s year and corresponding form, a photograph, emergency contact details, preferred family doctor, and medical details such as allergies or disabilities.

At the end of 1929, the Department introduced a ‘vocational guidance’ scheme aimed at supporting students in their educational and career pathways. From then, enrolment cards may also contain details about desired and eventual careers.

From the 1980s, schools began transitioning to the Computerised Administrative System Environment in Schools (CASES) database, a centralised digital enrolment system maintained by the Education Department (VA 714) or its successors. Initially not widely used, the then Department of Education (VA 3098) introduced an updated CASES21, which became the mandatory system of record for financial information and reporting for all Victorian government schools from 2006. While CASES21 was also used for student and school administration processes, schools were permitted to utilise other third-party software to meet their needs in conjunction with the system. This system provided the means through which digital records capturing similar information could be created.