2032 NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE No. 84

20. Names drawn in the ballot must be recorded in the order in which they are drawn, up to the limit of the number of places available (either in total or at a particular level, as the case may be). Beyond that point, names must be recorded on a waiting list in the order in which they are drawn in the ballot. A waiting list will remain current until the next ballot, whether that ballot has already been planned or whether it is arranged in accordance with Instructions 30-32.

Procedures Subsequent to Ballots

21. Within three school days of a ballot being held, the board must write to the parents of successful applicants to inform them of the outcome of the ballot.

22. At the same time, the board must write to the parents of unsuccessful applicants to inform them of the student’s place on the waiting list.

23. The results of the ballot, including a copy of the waiting list, must be available for inspection at the school within three school days of the ballot being held.

24. If parents of successful applicants decline to accept the places offered, or fail to respond within the 14 day period, the board must offer the vacant places to unsuccessful applicants in the order in which their names are recorded on the waiting list. This process should continue until all available places (as specified by the board at the date of the ballot) have been filled or no names remain on the waiting list.

Special Programmes

25. The criteria on which students will be accepted into the special programme must be specified separately in the enrolment scheme. There must also be a statement of the procedures that will be used to determine which students will be enrolled if there are more applicants than places available. Students who meet the criteria for enrolment in the special programme and live within the home zone must be enrolled ahead of applicants from out of zone.

26. By 1 September each year, a board must determine how many places are likely to be available in the special programme in the next year for students who live outside the home zone specified in the school’s enrolment scheme. The board will reach its decision after determining the number of places that will be filled by students living within the home zone.

27. In the notice required to be placed in a daily or community newspaper circulating in the area served by the school by 15 September, a board must advise parents of:

• the likely number of out of zone places in the special programme that the board has determined will be available for the next enrolment intake.
• the date by which applications for enrolment in the special programme as an out of zone student must be received by the school.

28. Applications must be processed in terms of the criteria set out in the enrolment scheme.

software programme capable of producing random numbers. This new order is the order of acceptance. The supervisor must be the person who activates the computer programme.

Siblings at the same year level should be kept together for the purpose of the ballot, so that if one sibling’s name is drawn, the other(s) is/are automatically successful also.

If there are no places available for any of the applicants within a particular priority group, a ballot of these applicants will still be needed in order to establish a waiting list, because vacant places may open up later.

If there have been separate ballots for places at upper and lower levels, there will be more than one waiting list. These waiting lists will operate independently, with places being progressively offered up to the limit specified at the time of the relevant ballot.

Parents should be asked to confirm their acceptance or rejection of the offered place within 14 days of the date on the letter.

A parent who has not replied within 14 days might subsequently contact the school, seeking to take up the place. The principal should refer to Instruction 24 when responding to the parent.

A similar response should be made to parents who have rejected an offered place but subsequently wish to change their mind.

The balloting requirements do not apply to students who seek enrolment in a special programme approved by the Secretary and run by the school. Some boards may, however, decide to choose a ballot as a method of selection among out of zone applicants who all meet the criteria for entry to the special programme.

The notice may indicate that this number is an estimate only and that the actual number of places will not be known until the pre-enrolment of in-zone students has been completed.

Applications for enrolment in a special programme run by the school should be kept separate from all other applications for out of zone places.