St Joseph's School (Hastings)

ENROLMENTS AT ST JOSEPH'S

Students can enrol at St Joseph’s as:

Preference students: those who can establish a connection with the Catholic Church (95% of enrolments). A meeting will need to be arranged with the Catholic Parish of Hastings Office (06 878 7774). A Preference certificate will need to be signed by a Priest.

Non-preference students: those who are not able to establish a Catholic connection (5% of enrolments equating to 17 places on our non-preference roll). Please note, currently our non-preference roll is at 100% of its maximum (17 places) with no non-preference places available. We do not expect to be able to offer non-preference places for the next two years. If you would like to discuss this, please contact the School Office.

If you are interested in enrolling at St Joseph's then please feel free to call us to arrange a school visit which will provide an opportunity to chat with with Principal, ask any questions you may have, and allow for a walk around the school.

Cohort Entry

Starting in Term 3, 2025 (July 14), St Joseph’s School will reinstate cohort entry for new students.

This decision, made in consultation with the Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees, is part of our ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality learning environment.

Cohort entry means children will start school in groups at the beginning or middle of the term, rather than individually on their fifth birthday. This change supports the successful implementation of our structured literacy and numeracy programmes, which follow a carefully sequenced approach. Children who begin at set entry points receive the full benefit of each learning cycle, setting them up for success from the outset. In addition to learning benefits, starting school alongside peers helps tamariki form friendships, feel a stronger sense of belonging, and transition more confidently.

We thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to prioritise the wellbeing and achievement of every child at St Joseph’s. If you have any questions, please contact our office or Mrs Kara-Leigh Jones.

Cohort entry start dates

At schools using cohort entry, children can start on one of eight set dates throughout the year.

Once your child turns 5 you can choose any of the dates below. They can’t start before they turn 5 but must start by the time they turn 6.

There are start dates at the beginning and middle of each school term.

2025 start dates:

Term 1 – 7 February or 10 March.
Term 2 – 28 April or 26 May.
Term 3 – 14 July or 18 August.
Term 4 – 6 October or 10 November.

2026 start dates:

Term 1 – 9 February or 9 March.
Term 2 – 20 April or 1 June.
Term 3 – 20 July or 24 August.
Term 4 – 12 October or 16 November.

For more specific details on the school you can find a wealth of information in the information booklet, which can be accessed by clicking the "Information Booklet" button to the right,

Students starting school for the first time – 5 year olds:

Please contact the school office and make a time to see our Principal. You can also make direct contact with Mrs Alison Clarke, our Junior Team Leader. Alison will discuss with you the options for pre-enrolment visits. These currently take place on Tuesdays (8.50 – 11.00am) We like to be flexible so that the needs of the child and the family can be taken into consideration.

If required, office staff will help you complete the enrolment forms. Please allow half an hour for the enrolment process

You will need to bring :

Birth certificate or proof of date of birth.

For children not born in New Zealand, the passports for the child and both parents are required, including current Visa’s for all.

For children who are born in New Zealand, but both parents are not New Zealand residents, relevant visa’s need to be provided.

For children born in Australia, a passport is required.

Immunisation record from birth to 5, available from the practice nurse at your Doctor’s Medical Centre. This record is a Health Department requirement.

Students enrolling from another school:

Please bring details of the last school attended, workbooks, etc.

Your child’s last school report would be a help.

We will contact your child’s previous school to arrange for records to be forwarded to St Joseph’s.

Students enrolling from another country:

Please contact the school and make an appointment to see the Principal.

Bring both parents’ and child’s passports, and visas so that we can determine if we can enrol your child as a regular student.

ATTENDANCE DUES 2025

Attendance Dues are an annual payment per child who attends St Joseph's School Hastings (in 2025 this is $544 per child, plus $30 donation for each child) and goes towards the upkeep of our buildings. Payment is made directly to the Palmerston North Diocese, from whom you will receive an account. For those students who start during the year, you will receive an invoice once your child has started school. Please wait until you receive the invoice before organising for payments to be made.

Parents sign a legal obligation on enrolment to pay the Attendance Dues and we encourage families to set up an automatic payment to enable easy payment of Attendance Dues.

The Attendence Dues Agreement and Form, linked above, needs to be read, signed and included with the enrolment forms.