Enrolment

All students enrolled at our school are funded by the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS).

Enrolment conditions

Our enrolment conditions include:

• Students must meet the criteria for a Specialist Education Agreement.

Enrolment process

As part of the enrolment process, parents/caregivers are asked to provide enrolment information. This information allows Rotorua Specialist School to meet the requirements of the Education and Training Act and is kept securely. See Privacy and School Records Retention and Disposal.

Before enrolling a new student, we ensure the student is eligible to enrol at our school. This includes:

• checking documentation (e.g. birth certificate, passport)
• keeping evidence of enrolment eligibility
• making evidence available on request to Ministry of Education staff, reviewers from the Education Review Office (ERO), and others as required.

Once an enrolment is approved, the school arranges appropriate class placement, orientation, transition support, and learning support (including applying for appropriate resources and funding) as needed.  Placements are made individually, considering the needs of the student, available spaces, and several other factors.  We also ensure appropriate age groupings within classes particularly considering we teach students aged from 5 years to 21 years of age.  

Placement determination

Placement at either a satellite class or the base school is recommended by the principal based on the student's age, individual needs, or for health and safety reasons. The principal makes the final decision on all student placements.

The principal, in consultation with the board, determines the class sizes and total school roll, which is currently capped at 95 students.  Therefore we have an Expressions of Interest list for whānau wishing to enrol their child.   These decisions prioritise the health and safety of both students and staff, considering the specific needs of the students.

Individual placement considerations

There may be instances where students are placed at different levels or moved during the academic year. This could include, but is not limited to, students who enrol later in the year. Each case is evaluated on its individual merits following consultation with the parents.

Students may be transferred between satellite classes and the base school during the year to better meet their individual needs or for health and safety considerations.

Transition to and out of school

New students are encouraged to visit our school before enrolment to ensure a smooth transition to school.

Once enrolled, students must attend regularly. If the student would benefit from a staggered transition to school, a transition plan can be agreed between the parents/caregivers of the student, the principal, and the Ministry of Education.

The Specialist Education Agreement ends when the student leaves the specialist school or class. A new application is needed if the student enrols at another specialist school.