Rolleston Primary Schools enrolment scheme amendments

Overview

Enrolment schemes provide School Boards with a mechanism to manage the number of non-local (out-of-zone) enrolments in order to manage the risk of overcrowding at their school and give children who live in the school’s home zone a guarantee that they can attend the school.

The purpose of an enrolment scheme is to:

• help the school board manage the risk of overcrowding
• provide a fair and transparent process for enrolment
• ensure we are making the best use of schooling facilities across the network of local schools.

Purpose and principles of an enrolment scheme – New Zealand Legislation

Home zone

A key part of an enrolment scheme is the home zone.

There is currently significant roll pressure at Lemonwood Grove School. When schools experience roll growth towards their capacity, the Ministry must consider what responses are required to prevent overcrowding. The first mechanism available to manage roll growth from within a school's home zone is to review and amend their home zone to assist in re-directing demand to schools with the capacity to accommodate these students if there is scope to do so.

In consultation with the boards of Lemonwood Grove School, Rolleston School and West Rolleston Primary School, we have established 3 proposed enrolment scheme amendments to better balance local demand to capacity across the network.

The written descriptions have also been updated to reflect the recent subdivision of properties on boundary roads.

The amended enrolment scheme is proposed to start from 1 January 2025.

Entitlement to enrol

All ākonga | learners who live within the home zone of each respective school at the date they enrol (begin attending school) will have an entitlement to attend that school. Those that live outside the home zone may be accepted if there are out-of-zone places available and an application meets legislative requirements.

To be able to do this, boards at state schools keep an eye on the number of applications received from in-zone students to help them determine the places they might have available for out-of-zone students once all in-zone enrolments are accepted. In recent years, very few out-of-zone places have been offered by schools in Rolleston.

All students who are already enrolled at a school before the enrolment scheme amendment begins are entitled to stay at that school.

Siblings of current students who reside outside the home zone will have priority access to any out-of-zone places offered by the school.

Additional entitlement to enrol

We are consulting on the inclusion of an “additional entitlement to enrol” provision (this is also known as "Grandparenting”) in the Lemonwood Grove School and West Rolleston Primary School enrolment schemes. If this is approved, any siblings of current students residing in a withdrawal area may be able to enrol at the school under this provision. If you have any feedback on this provision, please provide it in the survey. Please see the attachment below for further information.

Further work

Further work will be conducted early in 2025 to develop an enrolment scheme for the new Rolleston Primary School (opening January 2026). This will also provide another opportunity to consider any further changes that might be required to enrolment schemes in Rolleston.

Information about the consultation

It is important that we hear and understand community perspectives before we establish these amendments to the enrolment scheme at Lemonwood Grove School, West Rolleston Primary School and Rolleston School, especially the design and practical implications of the proposed home zone amendment.

Have a look at the maps and information available before you participate in the consultation process.

6 areas are identified in the map:

• Area L proposed home zone for Lemonwood Grove School.
• Area W current core area for West Rolleston Primary School.
• Area R current core area for Rolleston School.
• Area A proposed area for withdrawal from West Rolleston Primary School and extension for Rolleston School.
• Area B proposed area for withdrawal from Lemonwood Grove School and extension for West Rolleston Primary School (note that this area includes the site of a new school planned to open in January 2026).
• Area C current overlap. Proposed area for withdrawal from Lemonwood Grove School and retention for West Rolleston Primary School.

When completing the survey, please indicate which area(s) you are discussing.

Lemonwood Grove School

Rolleston School

West Rolleston Primary School

Additional information

Have your say

Take part in the consultation by clicking on the link below.