Introduction

This little website provides photos and stories from the setup and running of La Decouverte bilingual programme in Christchurch, from the early setup right up to the present day. I'm always happy to add further photos and details.

Apologies in advance for any errors and/or omissions.

Current 2023 Staff Associated Directly with La Decouverte

Approximate Class Size

There has been steady growth in the class numbers since we started out in 2017 at Aotawhiti School before moving to Tuia Burnside Primary School in 2019.

2017: 6
2018: 12
2019: 26
2020: 30
2021: 32
2022: 40
2023: 50

School Zone

The current office zone entry requirements for the school can be found as published on the Ministry of Education website here: 

https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=3305&district=60&region=13

BURNSIDE PRIMARY SCHOOL (#3305)

Enrolment Scheme Description

Amendment Commences 24 April 2023

Home Zone

All students who live within the home zone described below shall be eligible to enrol at the school.

From the intersection of Memorial Avenue and Gleneagles Terrace

• North on Gleneagles Terrace
• A line across from the northern end of Gleneagles Terrace to the intersection of Wai-iti Terrace and Clyde Road
• North along Clyde Road to Ilam Road
• East on Ilam Road to Bateman Avenue (including 392 Ilam Road)
• North on Bateman Avenue to Aorangi Road
  • Including 136 Aorangi Road
• South west on Aorangi Road to Clyde Road
• North west on Clyde Road to Greers Road
• South on Greers Road (including 185 Greers Road) to Guildford Street
• West on Guildford Street to Wayside Avenue
• North on Wayside Avenue to Grahams Road
• South west on Grahams Road to Memorial Avenue

• Including addresses on Cranbrook Avenue between Grahams Road up to and including 30 Cranbrook Avenue, Banbury Street, and Dalton Place
• Including addresses on Ambleside Drive between Grahams Road and 36a Ambleside Drive inclusive, and San Rafael Place
• Including all addresses on Parkham Drive and Thurlestone Place

• South east on Memorial Avenue (north east side only) to Hampton Place

• Including the north east side only of Memorial Avenue between Grahams Road and Grangewood Lane
• Including all addresses on Grangewood Lane

• South east along Memorial Avenue (both sides of the road) from Hampton Place to Ilam Road
• South west on Ilam Road to Hamilton Avenue (including 227 Ilam Road)
• South east along Hamilton Avenue to Chilcombe Street
• North along Chilcombe Street to the intersection of Memorial Avenue and Gleneagles Terrace.

Addresses on both sides of boundary roads are considered in-zone unless specified otherwise.

Each year, applications for enrolment in the following year from in-zone students will be sought by a date that will be published by public notice in a medium appropriate to the area served by the school. This will enable the board to assess the number of places that can be made available to students who live outside the home zone.

Special Programme - French Language Bilingual Unit - La Decouverte

The school offers a programme of study for students who comply with the following criteria.  The maximum number of students that can be accommodated in the Programme at any one time is 50.

Eligibility

Part One: An interview will be necessary for all applicants.  During the interview, parents/caregivers of all applicants will be required to confirm that they understand and accept the minimum level of commitment for participation in and support for the Programme required from them. This commitment will be documented (in a form approved by FRENZ School Incorporated (FRENZ) and the Board) (“Pledge”).

Part Two: In addition to the requirement in Part One, applicants who meet one or more of the following criteria will be afforded priority:

	Criteria	Score
1	Proficiency in the French language	0 -10
2	Siblings of current students in the Programme and/or children of employees of the Board working full time in the Programme	2
3	Siblings of former students in the Programme	1
4	Applicants who have attended the affiliated French preschool on a full-time basis for at least the immediately preceding year	3
5	Applicants who have attended any other French preschool on a full-time basis for at least the immediately preceding year and/or applicants who have lived permanently with a parent or caregiver who is a proficient speaker of French for at least the immediately preceding year	2

Notes:

1. Proficiency in the French language will be assessed using documented methodology developed by FRENZ (as approved by the Board). The proficiency of an applicant will be ranked on a scale of zero to ten, zero being an applicant with no ability and ten being an applicant who is fluent in the French language. The score given to any applicant will be determined by a person or persons appointed by FRENZ (with the approval of the Board). The determination will be final (i.e. not subject to appeal).
2. Applicants who are siblings of current students in the Programme will be assigned a score of two where the requirements of any earlier Pledge entered into by the parent(s)/caregiver(s) of the applicant have been met. If those requirements have not been met, the score will be zero.
3. Applicants who are siblings of former students in the Programme will be assigned a score of one where the requirements of any earlier Pledge entered into by the parents/caregivers of the applicant were met during the time the former student was enrolled in the Programme. If those requirements were not met, the score will be zero.
4. Whether a parent or caregiver is sufficiently proficient in French to qualify for the points under criteria 5 will be determined by a person or persons appointed by FRENZ with the approval of the Board. The determination will be final (i.e. not subject to appeal).
5. An applicant qualifying for points under criteria 2 is not eligible for points under criteria 3.
6. An applicant qualifying for points under criteria 4 is not eligible for points under criteria 5.

Enrolment in La Decouverte

All enrolments must be approved by FRENZ.

Procedures for enrolment in case of more applications than places available:

• Applications for enrolments will be processed in the order of priority established by the applicant’s aggregate score from the criteria set out in Part Two, subject to the rules set out below.
• Applicants claiming a sibling relationship will be required to provide evidence satisfactory to the Board.
• Applicants living inside the school’s home zone will have priority over applicants living outside the school’s home zone where:

1. the applicant living within the home zone has met the criteria set out in Part One and has an aggregate score of at least one for the criteria set out in Part Two; and
2. where there are still places in the Programme after all priority enrolments have been dealt with.

• Existing students of the school who wish to enrol in the Programme will be required to apply in the same way as applicants who are not currently students at the school.

If there are more applicants in any of the priority groups than there are places available, selection within the priority group will be by a ballot conducted in accordance with instructions by the Secretary, under Schedule 20, Clause 3 (1) of the Education and Training Act 2020. Parents will be informed of the date of any ballot by public notice in a medium appropriate to the area served by the school.

Additional Entitlement to Enrol

This provision has been approved under Section 75 1(a) of the Education and Training Act 2020.

For families of currently enrolled students whose addresses become out of zone as a result of the amendment to this Enrolment Scheme.

Section 75 of the Education and Training Act 2020 states that;

“the Secretary may authorise an enrolment scheme to permit a student to enrol at the school as if the student lived in the home zone of the school if, -

(a) in the case of an existing enrolment scheme whose home zone is amended, —

1. the student lives outside the amended home zone; and
2. the student has a sibling who is enrolled at the school at the time that the amendment is implemented; and
3. the sibling, at the time that the amendment is implemented, lives inside the home zone as it was before the amendment; and
4. the student, at the time of enrolment, lives inside the home zone as it was before the amendment:

If applying for enrolment under this part of the Enrolment Scheme, the sibling’s name and evidence of a sibling relationship may be required by the school.

Section 75 of the Education and Training Act 2020 sets out the definition of a “sibling” for these purposes.

The school will maintain a list of students enrolled at the time of the implementation of the enrolment scheme change by the Board in order to enable determination of eligibility to enrol under this provision.

Note: That this is a very tightly defined definition. It would not apply to:

1. Children who move into the withdrawal area after the implementation of the enrolment scheme boundary amendment; or
2. Children of families/whānau who move out of the old zone after the implementation of the enrolment scheme boundary amendment.

Out of Zone Enrolments

Applications for enrolments will be processed in the following order of priority:

• First priority must be given to students who have been accepted for enrolment in the Special Programme (La Decouverte) run by the school and approved by the Secretary for Education.
• Second priority must be given to any applicant who is the sibling of a current student of the school.
• Third priority must be given to any student who is the sibling of a former student of the school.
• Fourth priority must be given to any applicant who is the child of a former student of the school.
• Fifth priority must be given to any applicant who is a child of an employee of the school’s board or a child of a member of the school’s board.
• Sixth priority must be given to all other applicants.

Before the application deadline associated with each pre-enrolment period, a Board must, by public notice in a medium appropriate to the area served by the school:

• confirm the already advertised dates for the receipt of applications and for the holding of the ballot.
• state the likely number of out of zone places that remain available.

If there are more applicants in any priority group than there are places available, selection within the priority group will be by ballot conducted in accordance with instructions by the Secretary, under Schedule 20, Clause 3 (1) of the Education and Training Act 2020. Parents will be informed of the date of any ballot by public notice in a medium appropriate to the area served by the school.

Applicants may be required to give proof of address or sibling relationship.

The guidelines for development and operation of enrolment schemes are issued under Schedule 20, Clause 3 (3) of the Education and Training Act 2020 for the purpose of describing the basis on which the Secretary’s powers in relation to enrolment schemes will be exercised.