Date 7 October 2013 | Circular 2013/21 | Category Students

This circular is about Enrolment processes to follow when students enrol in your school.

This circular replaces 2007/12 – Student enrolments.

The action needed is note the contents of this circular and ensure that the enrolment rules are understood by personnel that are responsible for enrolling students.

It is intended for Principals of registered schools, Chief Executives of Partnership Schools | Kura Hourua and District Health Board ENROL users.

Student enrolments

ENROL is the enrolment management system developed by the Ministry of Education to provide a central enrolment record for all students. The system is accessed at: 

Educational leaders website

Important information about ENROL:

• All schools are required to use ENROL. ENROL replaces the paper Enrolment Record (E19/22A) and the Register of Admissions and Withdrawals (E19/2C). ENROL will be the master record of student enrolment for all students enrolled in New Zealand schools, including international fee-paying students.
• ENROL will monitor the period between a student leaving one school and enrolling in the next. If a school does not update a student's ENROL record promptly the system will generate a non-enrolment notification and notify the Attendance Service.
• Please update a student's ENROL record as soon as they start at or leave your school. Students who are incorrectly identified as non-enrolled create extra work for their previous school and make it difficult for the Ministry to identify students who have genuinely become non-enrolled.
• You will be able to access a student's `Teaching and Learning Notes' once they are enrolled in ENROL.  Teaching and Learning Notes let you know whether there is anything you may wish to discuss with the student's previous school in order to help them transition into your school.
• Parents are required to provide you with an official document, such as a New Zealand birth certificate, to verify the student's name, date of birth, and that he or she is entitled to enrol for free education when enrolling a child for the first time. Thereafter ENROL remembers those details and subsequent schools need not request an official document for New Zealand citizens or permanent residents. Eligibility for all other students is required to be checked and updated.
• Only authorised users in your school can access ENROL and update student records. District Health Board staff will also have restricted access in order to update student records with results from the hearing and vision tests they conduct.
• Parents can request copies or corrections of the information held in ENROL about their child. Students can also request information about themselves. Requests can be made to a student's current school or to the Ministry.
• From July 2013 Early Childhood Services started using NSN. From now on, ENROL users should look for existing NSNs when creating new ENROL records for five-year-olds starting school.

Rules for student enrolment and schools' responsibilities in using ENROL

Definitions

In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,

"Authorised user" means a person who has completed a user authorisation form and who has been provided with access to ENROL by the Ministry.

"ENROL" means the enrolment management system established by the Ministry to provide a central enrolment record for all school students. The system is accessed at:

Educational leaders website

"Ministry" means the Ministry of Education.

"Parent" means a person who is a student's mother, father, or legal guardian.

"Principal" means the principal of a registered school.

"Student" means a person enrolled in a registered school as a student, whether as a domestic student or an international student.

"Task" means an action, which has been initiated by ENROL, that a school must complete.

Rule 1 - Enrolling a student

When enrolling a student, every principal and chief executive must ensure that:

1. ENROL is checked to confirm whether an enrolment record already exists for the student.
2. ENROL is updated within 5 school days of the student being confirmed as attending the school. A student is not officially enrolled at the school unless indicated as such within ENROL.
3. where a student, who is not a New Zealand citizen, Australian citizen or New Zealand resident, transfers to another school, ENROL is updated with: the criteria used to confirm the student's eligibility status, e.g. International Fee Paying or Domestic Time-bound.
4. The type, serial number and expiry date of the verification document used.
5. A student's eligibility status in ENROL is updated where the student's domestic eligibility status has changed (please refer to Circular 2012/01 - Eligibility for enrolment in New Zealand schools).
6. Where a student wishes to be enrolled under an alternative name, that name must be entered in the Aliases field on the same enrolment record as the student's legal name.
7. He or she liaises with the principal or chief executive of the other school where there is a conflict over the enrolment of a student, i.e. when one school is enrolling a student who has been confirmed as still enrolled at and attending another school.
8. He or she confirms with the parent that, if the `Keep Information Private' checkbox is activated, this requirement should continue (Rule 5(i) explains when this checkbox should be used). If the principal or chief executive clears this checkbox then he or she must be satisfied that appropriate authorisation has been given to remove the checkbox.

Rule 2 - Creating records in ENROL

Schools must only create new ENROL records for:

• new entrants
• international students entering a New Zealand school for the first time and
• students who are returning to the New Zealand school system from overseas who have not previously attended a New Zealand school since ENROL has been in use.

When creating a record in ENROL, every principal or chief executive must ensure that:

• the student does not have an existing record in ENROL record and
• all the mandatory fields in the new record are completed.

Rule 3 - Updating ENROL when a student leaves your school

Every principal or chief executive must ensure that:

1. A student's record in ENROL is updated within 5 school days when a student leaves your school. ENROL is updated with the appropriate leaving reason(s), teaching and learning note(s) where necessary, and the correct last day of attendance when:
   • the school has been advised that the student is no longer attending the school,
   • the student has been absent for 20 consecutive school days without the principal or chief executive being informed that the absence is only temporary, or
   • the student has been absent for less than 20 days, but the principal has reason to believe they will not return to school.
2. Supporting information has been kept on the student's file in the school when Teaching and Learning Notes are included on a student's ENROL record.
3. Students that have an exclusion remain on the school roll as per section 17c of the Education Act 1989 until another school enrols the student or they receive an appropriate exemption.
4. A student should also remain on the school roll if the Principal has an expectation that he or she will return to regular attendance (for example, where there is a non-attendance related court proceeding underway).
5. Students who have been suspended remain on ENROL until the earliest of:
   • the day the student is re-enrolled at another school,
   • the day the student is given an exemption under section 21 or 22 of the Education Act 1989,
   • the day the student is expelled from the school,
   • the day the student leaves school, or
   • the 1 January after the student’s 19th birthday.
6. Students that have applied for either an early leaving exemption or homeschooling exemption, remain attending school (and enrolled in ENROL) until the exemption is approved by the Ministry. The Ministry will then update the students record in ENROL to reflect the last day of attendance at the school.

Updating ENROL with the student's intended school and the student's reason for leaving will help the Ministry locate the student promptly if they do not enrol in another school.

Rule 4 - Non-enrolment notifications

Every principal and chief executive must ensure that:

1. The non-enrolment notification form is completed in ENROL as soon as possible but within 5 school days when a non-enrolment notification task is sent to a school from ENROL. These tasks cannot be cancelled and need to be completed for all students. Users may submit an immediate non-enrolment notification for a student when withdrawing him or her in ENROL by ticking the checkbox to send an non-enrolment notification immediately, and
2. All contact details for the student held by the school, and any additional information (e.g. involvement with other agencies) that will assist with locating the student, are entered on the form. Comments should also include appropriate information about what the school has done to resolve the student's non-attendance before the student withdrew from your school.

If you receive a non-enrolment notification task and you aware the student is attending another school, please notify that school and ask them to complete the enrolment process. Or alternatively contact the Ministry so we are able to follow this up.

Rule 5 - School and other user responsibilities

Schools' obligations as set out in the National Administration Guidelines and National Education Guidelines extend to all students on the school's roll, including those who are attending at offsite centres.

Every principal and chief executive must ensure that:

1. ENROL is updated for all the school's students, which includes those students who are attending offsite centres such as: Kura Teina satellites, special education satellite classes, Teen Parent Units, Activity Centres, Alternative Education, and Regional Health Schools.
2. Every student enrolled at the school is recorded in ENROL in accordance with these rules.
3. The data in ENROL relating to the students currently enrolled in the school is maintained accurately and promptly by the school's authorised users.
4. Enrolment changes are updated in ENROL within 5 school days.
5. Tasks generated by ENROL, which relate to a student enrolled or previously enrolled in the school, are completed as soon as possible, but within 5 school days.
6. The Ministry of Education is advised immediately when an authorised user no longer requires access to ENROL.
7. All reasonable steps are taken to ensure that school employees are aware of their obligations in respect of the appropriate use and protection of personal information in ENROL.
8. The school provides parents and students with the information sheet provided by the Ministry when the student enrols. The information sheet will explain:
   • the purpose of ENROL,
   • who the authorised users of ENROL are and their obligations and responsibilities in respect of their use of ENROL,
   • that information related to the student's enrolment will be available to the next school.
   • That parents and students are entitled to request access to and/or correction of, their personal information held in ENROL from the current school of enrolment or the Ministry, and students' entitlements and parents' obligations in respect of enrolment.
9. The `Keep Information Private' check box is activated on the student's ENROL record in the following circumstances.
10. The principal is notified that one of the following exist: a protection order under the Domestic Violence Act 1995, a restraining order under the Harassment Act 1997, or where the student or a family member is under a witness protection programme under the Evidence Act 1958, or
11. where the principal or chief executive has reasonable cause to believe the student is likely to be at significant risk if the checkbox is not activated,
12. He or she complies with all relevant legislation when responding to requests for information from a student or parent.
13. The school's own enrolment record is completed and signed by the parent(s) and/or student.
14. A copy of the school's enrolment form for the student is retained for seven years after the student has left the school and
15. E19/22A forms for students who were enrolled under the previous paper system are retained for the period of seven years after the students have left the school.

Every authorised ENROL user must:

14. use ENROL only for the purpose of facilitating and monitoring the accurate and efficient enrolment of students, and
15. not share a user login or password with any other person and must protect the password to prevent unauthorised access to the system.

Every authorised ENROL user in a District Health Board must:

16. use ENROL only for the purpose of updating a student’s enrolment record with hearing a vision test results.

Rule 6 - Schools exempt from using ENROL

• These rules apply to all schools apart from those that have received a written exemption letter from the Ministry of Education.
• The Ministry of Education may set conditions for any exemption.

Issued by

Marilyn Scott, Group manager, Regional Operations
Ministry of Education
National Office
45 - 47 Pipitea Street, Thorndon
PO Box 1666, Wellington
Phone 04 463 8000
Fax 04 463 8001