The full signs have gone up for out of zone students at several Waipā schools including the at capacity Te Awamutu Primary School.
Te Awamutu Intermediate Principal, Pip Mears.
The Education ministry has told the primary school it cannot accept any more out of zone students in order to manage the growth.
The only exception in Te Awamutu is at the intermediate where principal Pip Mears said the school could take enrolments at both years seven and eight.
But elsewhere the situation is dire with Te Awamutu Primary principal Sharon Griffiths saying they were having to turn away almost all out of zone applications.
And at Te Awamutu College, only 12 students from out of zone were accepted this year. Its roll in July last year was 1354 students, up nearly 200 from 2019.
The college introduced an enrolment zone at the start of last year to curb the flow of students from Ōtorohanga, Kio Kio, Waitomo, Maihiihi and even as far south as Te Kūiti.
Sharon Griffiths
“It is the intent of the Ministry of Education that all children attend a school in the area that they live,” said Griffiths.
Te Awamutu Primary started the year with 564 students, the same number as at July last year which means it is five months ahead of the curve and likely to exceed 600 students “long before” the end of the year.
“By limiting places at our school to those who live inside the zone, we are managing our roll and ensuring there is enough classroom space and resources available for those that are local.”
There are exceptions such as if a child already attends the school, but the family may have moved out of zone prior to the other children’s fifth birthday.
Kelly Bicknell
They then become priority two under the enrolment scheme legislation.
Even then parents and caregivers should not take that place for granted because the places cannot be sustained long term because of increasing enrolments.
Pirongia principal Kelly Bicknell said her school started the year with 366 students and would finish with about 410.
There are no available spaces for out of zone enrolments.
The same applies at Pokuru School where it started the year with 161 students. Ten of the new entrants were out of zone but there is no room for any others.
Shelly Fitness
St Patrick’s principal Shelly Fitness said because her school was a Catholic one, there were no zones as such, but they do have a maximum roll number of 290 which they were close to and could not exceed.
Of those 290, only 10 per cent are allowed to be students with no Catholic connections and that student roll is full with a waiting list in place.
Education ministry central deputy secretary Jocelyn Mikaere said it was up to schools that had enrolment schemes in place to manage them.
Jocelyn Mikaere
“If a school is becoming full it is the board’s responsibility to ensure there is space for in-zone students first and therefore out-of-zone students will not be able to enrol there.”
Several schools in the area still had space for out-of-zone students, even though they are experiencing some growth.
“A school without an enrolment scheme is obliged to accept all students seeking enrolment,” said Mikaere.
Te Awamutu Primary
