Secondary School Enrolments

Press, Volume C, Issue 29498, 27 April 1961, Page 17

Secondary School Enrolments

Christchurch pert primary sehssl principals have agreed te repeat tort , year’s arrangemento fee , applications fer enrol- < menta. The only newj featore will be that application fer entry to one school only will valid at any one ttoae. As a guide to parents, the following statement on -the enrolments in Christchurch State post-primary schools for 1962 was supplied by the principals of all schools, with the concurrence of chairmen of boards:— “Parents of pupils seeking enrolment at postprimary schools next year are recommended to study the courses offering at postprimary schools and to make aoplication for enrolment at the mhool of their choice. This application must be made on the school’s application form and must reach the school concerned by June 1. To be valid, an application should be submitted to one school onlv “Although it is likely that some will not be accommodated at the school applied for. parents can be assured that there will be sufficient places for all in the Christchurch post-primary schools. “Some time will be needed after June 1 for co-ordina-tion of enrolments within the conditions set down by each board for the admission of pupils. On the afternoon of Jute 20 notices will be sent td all parents who have applied informing them whether their application has been successful or not. “If for any reason an application for enrolment at a school has not been accepted, parents will then have the opportunity of making application to another school. A list of sAocls where there are still vacancies will be supplied. This second application must be made by July On last year's experience there is an 85 per cent, chance of pupils being accepted at the school of their first choice. This proportion succeeded last year and when those rejected applied to other schools, there were only about 20 boys and girls who had to accept a thirdchoice school. 3600 Applicants In an intake of 3600 over all schools, this was considered a good result. About the same total number of applications is expected this year and places somewhere will be available for all. This is the first time for many years that Christchurch has not had the complication of a new high school opening in the next year. These are usually at an early stage of construction in June (when enrolments are received) and parents have

natural doubts about applying to an untried school The schools opened singly by the Christchurch Poetprimary Schools’ Council all had fewer enrolments than they had places and when two new high schools were opened simultaneously in each of the last two years (Aranui and Burnside and then Mairehau and Hlllmorton) numbers at existing and new schools were even harder to predict. Now that all the new schools are well established and now that there is a growing tendency to accept a district school near home, principals believe that there may be an even better spread of applications for entry. Basis of Acceptance Each school board retains the right to determine its own admission policy but most base acceptances on such considerations as residence in the district, family associations with the school, and ability of the pupil to profit from the courses available. The two chief points of uncertainty are how many pupils will go to private schools and how many will move to or arrive from other centres. The State schools have no official communication with the private schools on numbers. The numbers involved in transfer between June and the end of the year can be quite large in a total of 3600. The over-riding factor in repeating last year’s scheme (designed to avoid zoning) is that few complaints were made. By and large the new scheme appears to have been acceptable to the public.