POLICY NUMBER O10: Student Enrolment
Purpose
- This policy provides for the enrolment of boys to HIBS so as to achieve the intent of the Deed of Integration, section 23, that states “The Board shall not give preference of enrolment to the parents of a child unless the Proprietor concurs that those parents have established a particular or general connection with the Special Character of the school to the satisfaction of the Board”.
- The Board of Trustees (the Board) has ultimate responsibility for decisions on the enrolment of boys to HIBS. In exercising this responsibility, the Board must give preference to parents that have a connection with the Special Character of the school as determined by the Board of Proprietors. The following principles have been developed by the Board of Proprietors to express HIBS’ special character:
- HIBS is a single sex school for pre-adolescent and adolescent boys from years 7 – 13;
- HIBS is a Christian based school, and within this environment, welcomes students from all cultures, religions and faiths. HIBS maintains an affiliation to the Anglican Church;
- HIBS has a code of conduct based on strong Christian principles instilled within the School;
- HIBS delivers broad based creative, business (with its associated technology) and academic programmes subject to the School’s Charter requirements and the National Education Guidelines;
- HIBS provides all students opportunities to demonstrate service and charity in a variety of contexts, including international communities within the Pacific Rim;
- HIBS provides all students opportunities to develop knowledge and understanding of differing cultures and languages, and, through its international perspective, identifies global issues to enrich the learning process across the curriculum; and
- HIBS has a requirement that parents/caregivers actively participate with the school in supporting and enhancing the total education of their son(s) within a school of Special Character.
The Board has agreed to delegate management of the enrolment process and decisions on enrolment to an Enrolment Committee (the Committee).
Information
- HIBS seeks to keep class sizes at a maximum of 24 students with an overall teacher-pupil ratio 1 to 20. The main entry point to the school is at year 7 level.
- Enrolment is a two-step process. In making enrolment decisions, the Committee, must:
Establish, with the Board of Proprietors, the parents of boys seeking enrolment that will have preference through a particular or general connection with the Special Character of the school.
Non-preference applicants will be enrolled only if enrolment places remain after all preference applicants have been enrolled.
Step 2
For students of parents with enrolment preference, available positions will be filled by applying the following priorities –
Priority 1 – Brother of a current student at HIBS
Priority 2 – Son of a current staff member
Priority 3 – Brother of a student who previously attended the School with a minimum of one year in the senior school.
Priority 4 –Special Character aspects – Faith, Service, Involvement
Priority 5 – Other factors which may be taken into consideration are –
- Sons of Old Boys who have attended with a minimum of one year in the senior school.
- A previous association with the school
- Length of time the applicant has been pre-enrolled at HIBS
- Non-preference applicants (limited to 10% of the maximum roll of the school)
Priority 1 – Brother of a current student at HIBS
Priority 2 – Brother of a student who previously attended the School with a minimum of one year in the senior school.
Priority 3 –Special Character aspects – Faith, Service, Involvement
Priority 4 – Other factors which may be taken into consideration are –
- Sons of Old Boys who have attended with a minimum of one year in the senior school.
- A previous association with the school
- Length of time the applicant has been pre-enrolled at HIBS
- The following procedures will be followed:
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a. The Committee is to be convened by the Principal and must include a person nominated by the Board of Proprietors. The Proprietors’ nominee shall ensure, on behalf of the Board of Proprietors, that preference is given to the enrolment of boys whose parents have established a general or particular connection with the special character of the school;
b. The Committee will seek enrolments on the basis of an enrolment form that it shall approve;
c. Parents or guardians of boys seeking enrolment must apply by completing and submitting the enrolment form, in accordance with the Committee’s instructions;
d. The Committee will review each application to establish: (i) the parents of boys seeking enrolment that have a particular or general connection with the Special Character as determined by the Board of Proprietors; and (ii) the level of priority of the applicant as set out in the Guidelines
e. On the basis of the above determinations, the Committee will identify a shortlist of boys to be invited for interview, and a waiting list;
f. An interview with the Principal or his delegate(s) will take place with all prospective students shortlisted and their parents or guardians for a place at the school (if there will be vacancies);
g. Following interviews, the Principal’s recommendations for enrolment will be made to the Committee for its consideration and approval.
h. Offers will be made in writing for all available places;
i. The first 20 places on the waiting list will be notified of their order of position. If more than 20 applicants miss out, the order of positions on the waiting list will be given in groups of 10 i.e. 21 – 30, 31 – 40 etc.;
j. Profile forms for all prospective students not offered a place or retained on the waiting list will be destroyed as soon as practicable after the enrolment process has been completed. Application forms will be returned to parents only if requested; and
k. If an offer is made and accepted an Advance on Attendance Dues is paid to the school’s Board of Proprietors, Hutt Independent Boys’ School Incorporated. This Advance on Attendance Dues is refundable by the Board of Proprietors as long as one term’s notice of withdrawal of the student is given in writing.
- An offer of a place is not transferable to another student or another year level.
- Current Board members and staff are not to act as referees for parents and boys seeking enrolment at HIBS
1. In the event that a vacancy arises at Year 8 – 13, the Board may decide to fill the vacancy through enrolment and in doing so will follow the same priority order as for Year 7 students.
2. The Board is not obliged to fill any vacancy at years 8 – 13 and in deciding to do so will give consideration to the implications for the welfare of existing students.
3. The process for enrolments in years 8 – 13 will involve
a. In the event that a vacancy arises, the Board deciding whether or not to fill the vacancy;
b. The Principal maintaining a list of parents of current students and current staff members that have established a particular or general connection with the Special Character of the school and who wish to enrol a son at HIBS in the event that a place becomes vacant at Year 8 – 13;
c. the Committee notifying parents on the waiting list that a place has become vacant and seeking expressions of interest for sons wishing to fill the vacancy;
d. In the event that there is more than one boy on the waiting list to fill the available vacancy/ies, the Committee following the same approach as for year 7 enrolments to decide on a boy/s to fill the vacancy/ies; and
e. In the event that a vacancy cannot be filled from a boy on the waiting list, the Committee having discretion to fill the vacancy from either other interested candidate known to it, or through advertising the vacancy and following the general procedure for year 7 enrolments. In doing so the Committee must ensure that the parents have established a particular or general connection with the Special Character of the school.
2. The Board is not obliged to fill any vacancy at years 8 – 13 and in deciding to do so will give consideration to the implications for the welfare of existing students.
3. The process for enrolments in years 8 – 13 will involve
a. In the event that a vacancy arises, the Board deciding whether or not to fill the vacancy;
b. The Principal maintaining a list of parents of current students and current staff members that have established a particular or general connection with the Special Character of the school and who wish to enrol a son at HIBS in the event that a place becomes vacant at Year 8 – 13;
c. the Committee notifying parents on the waiting list that a place has become vacant and seeking expressions of interest for sons wishing to fill the vacancy;
d. In the event that there is more than one boy on the waiting list to fill the available vacancy/ies, the Committee following the same approach as for year 7 enrolments to decide on a boy/s to fill the vacancy/ies; and
e. In the event that a vacancy cannot be filled from a boy on the waiting list, the Committee having discretion to fill the vacancy from either other interested candidate known to it, or through advertising the vacancy and following the general procedure for year 7 enrolments. In doing so the Committee must ensure that the parents have established a particular or general connection with the Special Character of the school.
