New Entrants

Our cohort entry policy applies from December 2021.

Victoria Avenue School operates a cohort entry policy, which allows new entrants to start school in cohort groups on the first day of the term, or at a mid-point during the term (set by the Ministry of Education), rather than singly on each child’s 5th birthday (also known as continuous entry).

We believe that cohort entry allows new entrants an easier transition to school and helps them build relationships with their fellow new entrants and other students already in the class. It allows Victoria Avenue School to better plan its staffing requirements, and minimises disruption for new entrant teachers.

Once a child is formally enrolled at school, they must attend school regularly. Children must be enrolled in school by their 6th birthday.

We will contact you to confirm all the details that you need to know, including the:

• Dates for two pre-school visits 

These run from 8.50am to 10:30am on the two Thursdays in the term prior to starting school. This visits allow your child to become familiar with the school, their class, and their teacher. We will provide parent workshops on Belonging at School and Learning at School while your children are in class. Jane Cameron our Deputy Principal leads this session. She will give parents an overview of life and learning at our school. She will also answer all of the practical questions parents have about starting school. Note while parents are at the meeting, your child will go to a new entrant classroom and participate in the learning programme. 

• Date of the first day at school. 

This is generally at the start or the middle of the term, following your child’s 5th birthday. Sometimes all the new entrant classes are full, so we ask for you cooperation in waiting a few weeks for the new class start. For this reason we recommend that you check with us as to the start date before giving notice to your Early Childhood Centre.