Waihopai School Enrolment Scheme

Waihopai School is required by the Ministry of Education to operate an Enrolment Scheme. The Scheme was adopted by the Board of Trustees and came into operation at the beginning of 2005.

An enrolment scheme is a mechanism for controlling overcrowding in state schools. It requires the school to define a “home zone” and to manage its roll around an “optimum roll” - a number that is specified by the Ministry of Education.

Any student living within the Home Zone who wishes to attend the School is, by law, automatically entitled to enrol, even if the school roll is above the optimum number.

An enrolment scheme also requires a school to put in place a procedure for managing enrolments of students who live outside the home zone, but wish to attend the school.  The process that the school must follow is a legal requirement, the required process summarised below.  

The Board of Trustees decide each year how many out-of-zone students Waihopai School is likely to be able to accept (and at what Year level/s), and how many “enrolment” and “pre-enrolment periods” there will be. A “pre-enrolment period” is the time during which the school will accept applications from out of zone students for the next “enrolment period”.

At the end of each pre-enrolment period, the school will prioritise any eligible applications according to legally determined categories:

– siblings of current students

– siblings of former students

– children of Board employees

– all others

Places for out of zone enrolments are then allocated according to these priorities.

If there are more applications than available places, the school must hold a ballot to allocate them. Unsuccessful candidates in a ballot are placed on a waiting list which remains current up until the next ballot.

5 Year Old Cohort Entry

We have reviewed when our New Entrant children start school. Following this review, Waihopai has decided to move to Cohort Entry from the beginning of 

Term 1 2024. This means children will start with us at either the beginning of the term or on the Monday of the sixth week. 

What is Cohort Entry? 

The children will start school in Cohort groups following their 5th birthday. Cohort dates are assigned by the Ministry of Education and there are eight Cohort intakes throughout the year, one at the beginning of each term and one midway through each term.

The Benefits of Cohort entry

● Helps children settle

● Builds stronger relationships

● Gives a sense of belonging through being part of a community

● A better start for children setting up routines and expectations

● Less disruption for the current New Entrant children and Mentors

FAQ…

Q: My Child turns 5 that day after a cohort entry date, can they start on their birthday?

A: Unfortunately not. Your children would be starting at the next cohort entry date.

Q: My child turns 5 the day after a cohort entry date, can they begin a day earlier with the cohort.

A: Unfortunately not. Children in New Zealand can’t be enrolled until they are 5.

Q: When is the latest my child can start school?

A: In New Zealand all children must be enrolled by their 6th birthday.

Q: My child is just 5 and has already been enrolled in another New Zealand school under a non cohort policy and we are transferring to Waihopai do we need to wait until the next cohort begins?

A: No, as your child has already been enrolled, they can begin immediately at Waihopai.

Term   Start of Term Date         Mid Term Date*       End of Term

1            04/02/2025                         10/03/2025                 11/04/2025

2           28/04/2025                         26/05/2025                 27/06/2025

3            14/07/2025                         18/08/2025                 19/09/2025

4           06/10/2025                        10/11/2025                   17/12/2025