How to Enrol at St Patrick’s
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.
The Enrolment Steps
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Meet the Principal
Contact the school office to arrange a meeting with the Principal, where the enrolment process will be explained in full.
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Receive Your Enrolment Forms
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.
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Preference or Non-Preference Enrolment
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.
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Return Your Completed Forms
Complete the online enrolment form and return any paper forms to the school office.
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Receive Confirmation
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.
How Cohort Entry Works
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.
- Children can start once they’ve turned five
- Starting days align with the first day of term or a mid-point set by the Minister of Education
- Parents can choose to wait for the next entry point if their child isn’t quite ready, though once enrolled, attendance is required
- Parents choosing to wait until age six must start their child on their sixth birthday
- Children already enrolled at another school don’t need to wait for the next cohort intake
Criteria for Preference Enrolment
Preference enrolment applies where any of the following are true.
- The child has been baptised, or is being prepared for baptism, in the Catholic Church
- A sibling has already been baptised in the Catholic faith
- At least one parent or guardian is Catholic, even if the child hasn’t yet been baptised
- A significant familial adult, such as a grandparent, aunt or uncle involved in the child’s upbringing, supports their formation in the Catholic faith, with the parent’s agreement
- One or both non-Catholic parents are preparing to become Catholic themselves
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.
Our Pre-School Programme
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
Good to Know
School Fees
St Patrick’s signs up to the Government’s donation funding scheme each year, which means families aren’t asked for donations. The main costs to expect are stationery packs, sports team participation and overnight trips or camps.
Attendance Dues
Accounts are issued by the Catholic Schools’ Board and go toward the upkeep of school buildings and property, administered through the Archdiocese of Wellington. Families experiencing hardship are encouraged to speak with the parish priest or Principal directly.
Our Integration Agreement
“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.”
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Start Your Enrolment