Enrolling your child doesn’t need to feel complicated. Here’s exactly what to expect, from age requirements through to your child’s first visit.
Contact the school office to arrange a meeting with the Principal, where the enrolment process will be explained in full.
After this meeting, the school office will email a link to the online enrolment form, along with any paper forms that also need to be returned.
Preference students need an appointment with the parish priest to have the preference enrolment form signed, a required step before enrolment can be finalised. Non-preference students may need to join the waiting list, since non-preference places are limited to 10% of the roll.
Complete the online enrolment form and return any paper forms to the school office.
A letter of acceptance is emailed once all documentation is in. From there, our pre-school coordinator, Philippa Young, will be in touch around a term before your child’s start date to arrange your school visits.
Children may start school from age five, and attendance becomes compulsory at six. Enrolment is recommended at least six weeks before your child’s starting date. A birth certificate is required at enrolment, or a passport for children born overseas.
St Patrick’s follows a cohort entry policy, updated in line with the 2019 Education Act, giving two entry dates each term.
Preference enrolment applies where any of the following are true.
If you feel you don’t meet any of these criteria, please get in contact with the school principal anyway. During this initial meeting, we can discuss options for your child.
Before your child’s start date, St Patrick’s runs a pre-school programme to help them meet the adults they’ll be learning alongside, learn school routines and build early friendships. Visits take place on Thursday mornings from 9.00 to 11.00 am, with a staff member meeting you at the school office to sign in.
Preschoolers are welcome to attend as many visits as they’d like in the ten weeks before starting, with a minimum of three visits recommended. Each visit includes a short presentation and a Q&A session, and parents are welcome to stay or step out once their child feels settled. A booklet covering school routines is provided at these visits too.
Small junior classes are a deliberate choice at St Patrick’s, giving tamariki the room to explore learning and build the appetite for a lifetime of it.
Contact: Philippa Young, Pre-School Coordinator — philippa@stpatsmstn.school.nz
Attendance dues go to the Archdiocese of Wellington for property upkeep, and there are costs for stationery and sports teams. If you’re experiencing hardship, please talk to the Principal or parish priest.
St Patrick’s is part of the Government’s school donations scheme, so families aren’t asked for general school donations.
“The school is a Roman Catholic School community, through the general school programme and in its religious instructions and observances, it exercises the right to live and teach the values of Jesus Christ. These values are as expressed in the Scriptures and in the practices, worship and doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, as determined from time to time by the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese.”
