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About enrolment schemes
School enrolment schemes in New Zealand
How school enrolment schemes work in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Kaupapa rēhita ākonga
Kaupapa rēhita ākonga
Who is responsible for enrolment schemes
Boards have statutory responsibilities to operate enrolment schemes. They are governed under sections 71-75 and schedule 20 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
Sections 71-75 Education and Training Act 2020 – New Zealand Legislation
Schedule 20 Education and Training Act 2020 – New Zealand Legislation
Our responsibilities around enrolment schemes are:
- deciding if one is required
- developing and consulting on it
- reviewing it
- amending it if necessary.
Enrolment scheme guidelines
Our guidelines and instructions outline how boards must operate an enrolment scheme. These documents include templates of public notices and letters for boards to use.
Follow the instructions outlined in the documents below.
Guidelines for state school enrolment schemesGuidelines for state-integrated school enrolment schemesInstructions for the operation of enrolment schemesState-integrated schools and kura kaupapa Māori
These schools can have an enrolment scheme to manage their rolls. Enrolment schemes for these schools may not include a home zone or ballot. They will need to decide how they determine which students are considered local.
Out-of-zone pre-enrolment process
State schools that have an enrolment scheme must follow an out-of-zone pre-enrolment process.
Each school decides how many places are likely to be available for students who live outside its home zone. Schools with roll pressure might not want to offer out-of-zone enrolments.
Schools must accept out-of-zone enrolments in an order defined by the Education and Training Act 2020, using a ballot, if necessary.
How to select applicants who live outside home zone – New Zealand Legislation
Students who are unsuccessful are put on a waiting list in the order they were drawn in the ballot. They may be offered a place if it becomes available later in the year. The waiting list remains until the school holds its next ballot.
Schools cannot charge a fee or ask for donations for any part of the pre-enrolment process. State-integrated schools cannot make payment of the first term’s attendance dues a condition of entry into a ballot.
Holding a ballot for out-of-zone applications
Boards must advertise:
- the number of out-of-zone places
- deadlines and procedures for applications
- the dates their ballots will be held.
Pre-enrolment ballot deadlines
School boards must follow the key dates for application and ballot deadlines. These are set out in the instructions. They must coordinate and share ballot deadlines with other schools in their region or city.
