tinalouie

As I am hoping to move over when my son is 16 and has finished his exams in the UK in May 2019, when would he start the next level of education in NZ as the term dates are different. Would he have to join mid way through a term ? any answers would be much appreciated.

escapedtonz

I'd expect he would start at the beginning of the next term after arrival but it all depends when you arrive.
Term 2 starts approx 1st week in May (2nd this year) and ends around the end of the first week in July (8th this year) then Term 3 starts around 25th July (this year).

If you arrive mid term and you are living in the school zone they cannot turn you away regardless whether it's at the start or mid term. The school will be obligated to take them in immediately.
It's a different matter if the school is unzoned or you are living outside of the zone.

tinalouie

Thanks for that, I didnt realise about the zones, is that the same as catchment areas in the UK? .. from looking at those dates hes probably best starting term 3, 25th July so he has his summer break after the exams in the UK. Hope that wont affect him too much tho.

j19fmm

When we moved out here we moved into our new house on Friday the 2nd of August and the kids started school the following Wednesday. My daughter had just completed her GCSE's and went into Year 12 half way through their year. My son had just finished year 9 in UK and went into Year 10 here.
As for summer holidays, well they have all the time from when they finish their GCSE's!

tinalouie

How did your daughter find it starting half way through, did it set her back in any way? Are you and the kids glad you made the move as it is a huge move to make and after looking at the cost of flights, I dont think many will visit from the UK.

j19fmm

My daughter just went sailing into the year, made heaps of friends and is now in her second year of University in Dunedin. Her GCSE's though pretty much counted for nothing with the High School, except to tell them she was a good scholar, she had to sit Level 1 maths along side her Level 2 subjects as a requirement.
Both the children love it here and wish we'd come earlier.
As for visitors, we've had plenty! It's amazing who turns up, we love having people to stay no matter how tenuous their link to our family is. We've even had old school friends of my daughters stop by on their Gap Year.

tinalouie

Rrr thats fabulous :-) ... did you struggle getting jobs at all in your specified fields?

j19fmm

We initially came over on a Long Term Business Visa so hubby was set up straight away. I am a Primary school teacher, within 3 weeks of moving here I got a 3 week relieving contract at a local Private school and then went straight in to a Long Term relieving post at another Primary. Been there ever since!
We now have Residency and hubby works at the local Bunnings (like B&Q).

tinalouie

i love this forum ... people are so helpful and informative and also inspiring ....i will keep on with the plans to move ... thanks a million

escapedtonz

Yes much like catchment area's in the UK.
Schools here are either zoned or unzoned. Some unzoned schools also have a speciality which sets them apart from others and allows them to reach a certain status they hope to attain - eg Bethlehem College prides itself on following strict Christian values and Aquinas College is Catholic and has a Sports speciality or maybe The Arts can't quite remember?
If you want your child to attend a zoned school without living in the zone then you must apply for an out of zone place and your child would go in to a ballot for that place, however they would be unlikely to get that place as they would be down at the bottom of the priority list by not being a Kiwi, not having a sibling already there etc.
You have no rights to demand entry into a zoned school if you don't live in the zone.
If you do live in the school zone then your child is automatically eligible for a place.

If you go for an unzoned school but it has a speciality like the ones I mentioned and you dont meet the speciality, the school must allow 5% non Christians or 5% non Catholics but you'd still have to demonstrate why your child should be offered a place, attend interviews and your child may even have to take an entrance exam. These schools can be quite choosy irrespective that they also have other fees to pay. I know of non religious families attending church for a year just so theyou can eventually get a letter off the vicar as evidence to the school that they live life by Christian values even though in reality they don't.
Most people I know find the school first well before their child needs to attend then they move in to the zone so their child is guaranteed a place or they meet the speciality criteria so they are guaranteed a place in the unoned school.
Some schools that are usually rural schools with low numbers are unzoned but don't specialised and allow anybody to attend.

Also have a look at ERO reports for schools to see how they have performed. These are carried out every 5 years so an older report may not be accurate of how the school is performing now.
Also look at the decile score of a school. This shows the quality of the clientele so to speak and determines how much funding the school receives for each child from the government. The score has no bearing on the quality of the school or its teaching. It is all about the local area and the families who's children attend the school. Decile 1 is the lowest and 10 the highest. There is talk this rating system is going to be scrapped.

tinalouie

My son will be 16 when we move and im hoping to get him on an apprenticeship rather than more schooling but thanks for the info in case he stays on

j19fmm

Really!!! 'the quality of the clientele'???? It tells you a lot about the price of land around the school for sure, but what exactly do you mean?
My Primary is Decile 4 but the High School on the other side of the road is decile 2, same clientele.


And you're absolutely right it has no bearing on the quality of the teaching.

MrsFychan

it goes on the perceived income for the area. The more perceived income the higher the decile the more the parents have to pay towards the running of the school as the Government gives them less funding. Obviously within that area you will have people using government funds to be in the higher decile areas, like winz and working family tax and the like.

j19fmm

I was more concerned with the comment that the decile tells you the quality of the clientele! I teach in a decile 4 school, I wouldn't make a sweeping statement about the children at that school. I just thought it was really rude. Maybe I'm too sensitive.

MrsFychan

ahh see where you are coming from, yes slightly awkward wording but sure nothing meant by it.