GUIDELINES FOR PARENTS SEEKING PREFERENCE ENROLMENT OF THEIR CHILD/CHILDREN AT ST MARK'S CATHOLIC SCHOOL, PAKURANGA

[Note: 'Parent' includes 'Guardian' or 'Caregiver']

St Mark's is a Catholic Integrated School. Enrolment is regulated by norms found in the Integration Agreement for Catholic Schools and the Enrolment Policy of St Mark's School.

The system of preference and non-preference is as follows:

Preference of Enrolment - The Integration Agreement for Catholic Schools states:

"Preference of enrolment at the school under Section 29 [1] of the Private Schools conditional Integration Act 1975 shall be given only to those children whose parents have established a particular or general religious connection with the Special Character of the school and the controlling authority shall not give preference of enrolment to the parents of any child unless the Proprietor has stated that

those parents have established such a particular or general religious connection with the Special Character of the school." This normally means that at least one parent is baptised as a Catholic, that the child has also been baptised in the Catholic Church and that there is some evidence of recent identification with the Catholic Community, usually through the local Parish.

Non-Preference Enrolment

The school is allowed to enrol non-preference children up to 5% of its maximum roll. Non-preference children will only be accepted if there are no preference children seeking enrolment. For those requesting preference enrolment, all applicants are to be interviewed by the Parish Priest or designated person or persons. If preference is given, the parents receive a "N Z Catholic Bishop's Preference" Card [white card] which certifies that the parents are eligible to have preference of enrolment for their children in a Catholic Integrated School.

Here at St Mark's we are anxious to establish a close bond between families, school and parish. The family seeking enrolment at St Mark's must have an established connection with their parish and normally live within the boundaries of St Mark's Parish, Pakuranga.