Enrolment zone clash: Ministry backs mum
Boy missing out on education as school challenges order to accept him as student
Amother is dismayed with Auckland Grammar School after it refused to enrol her son, despite him living in-zone and having an older brother already there.
Hillary Au-Yeung asked the Ministry of Education to step in as her son had already missed a month of school.
The ministry’s director of education for Auckland Central, Jason Swann, approved Au-Yeung’s request for help and directed Auckland Grammar’s board to enrol her son. However, the school is contesting the ministry’s direction and has still not enrolled the boy.
It comes amid what the Secondary Principal’s Association calls “massive” and “significant” roll growth at schools around the country and the extra pressure this created.
“We’re not talking 10 or 20 kids — we’re taking hundreds of extra kids [enrolling at some schools than what] the Ministry of Education predicts,” association president Vaughan Couillault said.
“And the schools have to take them. If someone lives in your zone, they are entitled to schooling at your school if they are a domestic student.
“None of us want children sitting at home, not accessing education. But the only thing you can do [with extra enrolments] is create teaching spaces not designed for teaching and find more teachers.”
Au-Yeung told the Herald she thought the school’s refusal to enrol her son was unfair, and has travelled from overseas to confront the school. She waited in the school’s office for hours yesterday morning and Monday hoping for a resolution.
“I don’t know why they declined my son. They’ve delayed this for over a month now, and I’m still waiting,” she said.
Au-Yeung, a New Zealand citizen, lives and works in Hong Kong while her two sons live in Auckland, in-zone for Auckland Grammar. Her sons are living with their grandfather in a property she owns.
She claims, however, Auckland Grammar told her they wouldn’t enrol her younger son because he wasn’t living with a legal guardian.
“But all other schools, and the Ministry of Education, they recognise [his] grandfather as a qualified legal guardian,” AuYeung said.
“And my elder son, he’s studying in seventh form [Year 13] currently, and he’s living with this grandfather as well. But they accepted his application before, three years ago, so why not enrol my younger?”
In a statement to the Herald, the Ministry of Education’s acting leader for the northern region, Leisa Maddix, said the ministry understood Auckland Grammar declined the application because it didn’t include enough
evidence Au-Yeung’s son was living in-zone.
Maddix said: “After [review] of the process, the ministry approved a request to direct the school board of Auckland Grammar to enrol the student. The school has raised concerns . . . about the decision, and we will continue to work on this issue.”
In a letter sent to Au-Yeung, Swan said he had directed the school to accept her son.
“I have decided to approve your application because the ministry considers the board did not establish reasonable grounds that [Au-Yeung’s son] was not living in-zone. I have written to the school informing them of my decision.”
Despite this, Au-Yeung’s son was yesterday still not enrolled at school.
“I just don’t know why the enrolment . . . cannot proceed,” she said.
“I would prefer my younger son to study at the same school as my other son. This is the key reason [I want him enrolled there].”
Auckland Grammar responded to the Herald’s query about the issue saying the school’s enrolment process met the requirements of the Education Act.
“[The school] applies enrolment guidelines consistently for all prospective in-zone enrolments for the purposes of equity of access and transparency.”
However, “the school does not comment on individual applications”.
Auckland Grammar has its own enrolment scheme, which its website explains is due to the likelihood of overcrowding there.