In Australia, school is obligatory from 6 to 15 years old and the school year begins at the end of January and ends at the beginning of December. Under 6 years old, children can go to "preschool" which is not obligatory and which lasts for one year. From 6 to 12 years children go to elementary school. They then begin "Secondary school" which leads after four years to School Certificate. The following two years are not obligatory but lead to the Higher School Certificate (HSC). This diploma is necessary to qualify for university.
There are 39 universities in Australia: 37 are financed by the Australian government and 2 of them are private establishments. The education meets high standards in Australia and Australian university degrees are widely recognised by other countries. The academic year is divided into two semesters and begins in the middle of February and ends at the end of November.
To register a child in elementary school you must visit the head teacher directly. For secondary school, the registration is automatically made by areas in which you live. A list of schools in New South Wales is available from the centre of information of State Government (Department of education, GPO box 33, Sydney 2001).
Documents required for the registration are usually the birth certificate, passport, school certificates and a letter from the head of the previous teaching establishment.
For any questions about studying in Australia (programs, school fees, conditions of registration), you can consult the official web site of the Australian Ministry of Education:
http://www.studying-in-australia.org.
Update 7/10/2013
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