In brief:

• This story contains a list of things families need to know and organise ahead of the new school year.

Canberra families are about to start another exciting school year.

Here is everything you need to know for the year ahead.

Student-free days and start of term

Student-free days at ACT public schools are for staff development, enabling teachers and schools to plan in a student-free environment.

Thursday 29 January will be a student-free day.

On Friday 30 January, new students will start school. Continuing students will return to school on Monday 2 February.

Other term dates for the 2026 school year:

• Thursday 2 April – Term 1 ends
• Tuesday 21 April – Term 2 begins (students start school)
• Friday 3 July – Term 2 ends
• Tuesday 21 July – Term 3 begins (students start school)
• Friday 25 September – Term 3 ends
• Tuesday 15 October – Term 4 begins (students start school)
• Friday 18 December – Term 4 ends.

You can see all ACT school term dates on the Term Dates page.

Financial assistance – the Future of Education Equity Fund

The Future of Education Equity Fund (Equity Fund) offers families with low incomes financial support to help with the cost of school essentials.

Eligible families of students enrolled in any ACT school – between preschool and year 12 – can receive a one-off, annual payment. This is to help cover school-related costs, such as:

• uniforms
• sports equipment and activities
• music lessons.

Equity Fund payment amounts

• $400 – preschool
• $500 – primary school
• $750 – high school and college level, including CIT Year 11 and 12.

Equity Fund applications for the 2026 school year are now open. You have up to 27 November 2026 to apply.

Applications are open to students attending any ACT school. Families can apply for all students in their family in one application, even if they attend different schools.

School staff are also able to help families to apply.

Read more about help with schooling costs.

Free three-year-old preschool

Do you have a three-year-old child and live in the ACT? You may be able to access up to 300 hours a year of free preschool.

This is available at over 140 locations across the ACT.

To access the free program, your child must:

• be three years old on or before 30 April 2026
• live in the ACT
• be enrolled in a participating service.

Read more and find where to access free three-year-old preschool.

The Strong Foundations program

The Strong Foundations program continues its rollout in ACT public schools.

It aims to ensure every public school has a consistent approach to learning. This includes literacy and numeracy education.

Under Strong Foundations, ACT public schools will provide:

• consistent, evidence-informed teaching practices in every classroom
• common assessments, advice and resources
• multi-tiered systems of support for students.

Find out more about the program on the ACT Education website.

Slow down in 40 km/h school zones

As students return to school, remember to slow down. The speed limit around schools is 40 km/h between 8 am and 4 pm during school term time.

Mobile speed vans and police regularly patrol school zones.

Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Let’s all slow down and keep kids safe.

Parking around schools

As term 1 begins, school car parks and surrounding streets become particularly busy.

Unsafe and illegal parking makes it hard for students and motorists to see. This makes it dangerous for students to cross the road.

Parking inspectors and license plate recognition vehicles will be out and about enforcing safe parking around schools.

Options for drop-offs and pick-ups:

• arrange a meeting spot
• arrive after the rush
• park a little further away from the school and walk with your kids the rest of the way.

Parent Portal

The Parent Portal is available across all ACT public schools.

The portal allows secure sharing of information between parents/carers and teachers/schools online or via the Sentral for Parents app .

Parents and carers only need to sign up once and can add multiple children to one account.

Find out more about the Parent Portal.

Mobile phones in schools

A mobile phone policy remains in place in ACT public schools.

• Students in preschool to year 10 may not use or access personal communication devices at school. This includes recess and lunch, and during school-authorised events.
• For year 11 and 12 students, mobile phones and other personal communication devices must be silenced and put away during class time.

Students can request an exemption if they need their device for medical or other specific reasons.

View the mobile phone policy.

Read more about technology use in ACT public schools.

Camera use in preschools

All ACT preschools now follow ACECQA’s National Model Code and Guidelines.

To keep children safe and protect their privacy, families must not use personal devices to take photos or videos on preschool grounds or at events.

Only school devices may be used.

These guidelines create safe, respectful places for learning and play.

Read the code on the ACECQA website.

Wellbeing for students

A new school year can be tough for some students, whether they are:

• starting a new school
• moving into high school or college
• just dealing with any of the life changes thrown their way.

The ACT Government has online resources that could be helpful in starting conversations on finding ways to support them.

Visit the Education website to:

• watch a video series on supporting an anxious child
• access a mindfulness podcast series.

Asthma management

Does your child have asthma? The start of the school year is a good time to make sure your management plans are up to date.

You may wish to:

• book an asthma review with your child’s GP
• update your child’s asthma action plan with their GP and give a copy to your school
• make sure the school has your child’s reliever medication and spacer
• talk to school staff
• book an appointment with one of the asthma nurse educators at Canberra Health Services.

Learn more about children’s asthma education services.

Immunisations for high school students

Before your teen heads back to school, make sure they’re up to date with all their immunisations.

In the ACT:

• Year 7 students are offered one dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, and one dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine
• Year 10 students are offered one dose of the meningococcal ACWY vaccine, which protects against 4 different strains of the meningococcal bacteria.

These vaccines are government funded and available through the ACT High School Immunisation Program.

Consent cards for these vaccines are usually sent out at the start of term 1 for Year 10 students, and term 3 for Year 7 students. Find, sign and return the consent card to school even if you don't consent for your teen to receive these vaccines at school.

You can check if your child (aged 14 years and over) has missed an immunisation at school by calling the Australian Immunisation Register with their consent. Children aged 14 years and over can also get their immunisation statements through their own MyGov account.

If you need to catch up on any missed school immunisations, the vaccines are available for free at your GP or pharmacy (some immunisation providers may charge a consultation fee). If your child needs to catch up any missed school vaccination, call ahead of time so the vaccine can be ordered for your appointment.

Find out more about student immunisations.

Child development support

Do you have concerns about your child’s development? There is support available.

Contact the Child Development Service to access free drop-in clinics, advice and assessments for children aged between 0-6 years.

Find out more about the Child Development Service.

Healthy lunches

Find tips on how to pack a healthy lunchbox on ACT Health’s Fresh Tastes Lunchboxes website.

It includes a Grab and Go shopping list and tips for a waste-free lunchbox. You’ll also find tips on which food groups to include and how to swap for healthier options.

Looking for more healthy lunchbox tips? Try the Cancer Council’s Healthy Lunch Box Builder. It’s a great tool to help build a lunchbox so your child can get a healthy brain boost throughout the school day.

Period products at all schools

Free period products are available in all ACT public schools.

They can be accessed at any time during the school day from the school front office for staff, students and visitors.

• Pads are available in primary schools.
• Pads and tampons are available in high schools, colleges and combined schools.

Period product dispensers are also installed at over 30 schools. The ACT Government aims to install these in all ACT public schools.

Read more about free period products.

Back to school with Transport Canberra

An updated bus network, including dedicated school services and S’ trips which divert into schools, will begin at the start of the new school term on Monday 2 February 2026.

Parents and carers are asked to consider making alternative transport arrangements for their child if they begin at a new school on Friday 30 January, or if the bus stop is too far from your child’s school on that day.

Timetables and school information packs for the updated bus network are now ready to view and download.

Families, children and carers are asked to download the information packs and timetables relevant to their child’s school to prepare ahead of time.

All dedicated school services will remain the same as in the current bus network, with temporary adjustments for 51 schools. There are 4 new dedicated school bus services.

Students can download the MyWay+ app and use the real time journey planner to plan and pay for their trip to school.

All school students receive a discounted fare when using MyWay+.

If you would like to check the concession status of a card, please create a MyWay+ account and link the travel card to it. Alternatively, go to a MyWay+ retail outlet to check.

Please note that all current concession status expiry dates have been automatically extended to 31 March 2026 to support summer travel and help students returning to school.

No action is required if your concession remains valid during this period.

You can get a new student concession MyWay+ travel card for your child from MyWay+ retail outlets. Please note that secondary and tertiary students must provide proof of concessions at time of purchase to get the correct concession applied to the card.

To top up their MyWay+ travel card:

• go to a MyWay+ retail outlet, or
• top up online through a MyWay+ account or the ‘quick top up’ option on the portal.

Please remember to tap on and off with the same device when your trip starts and ends.

*Secondary students will need to carry their student ID card with them when travelling on the bus and light rail if they are using a MyWay+ concession account/travel card.

Parents of primary school students, please refer to your school’s pack for travel details.

You can also plan your trip back to school with Transport Canberra’s Journey Planner.

Read more like this:

• Free school camps at Birrigai continue
• Strong Foundations rollout continues
• People you may not know attended an ACT public school

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