SCHOOL ACCEPTANCES TO BE POSTED TODAY

Press, Issue 29236, 21 June 1960, Page 11

SCHOOL ACCEPTANCES TO BE POSTED TODAY

Notification of acceptance or rejection by all State postprimary schools in Christchurch are expected to be posted today to 3500 wouldbe entrants who should receive them on Wednesday, exactly three weeks after applications were received.

Although no official statement on the results of the new system has been made, it is believed that post-primary administrators consider the combined principals have done a thorough-going job in co-ordinating acceptances and that there should be a fairly high degree of satisfaction.

With indications from a preliminary survey that 500 pupils would not gain entry to the school of their first choice, there is bound to be some disappointment; but the principals are believed to be confident that full justification can be given for all their decisions. Everyone concerned is now waiting eagerly to see the public reaction to this years experiment for on it will largely depend whether Christchurch in future is to continue this new system of joint consultation among principals or be obliged to accept some more arbitrary system of zoning. Although no announcement has been made on the way principals have tackled their task, it is believed-thet system is something like this:—

Each school issued its own enrolment forms and all opened them simultaneously on June 1. Each principal tabulated his lists according to the enrolment policy adopted by his board (i.e. noted those acceptable on ability to profit by the courses avail- ' able, residence in the district, family associations, and other preferences). The principals met together to consider the enrolment pattern which would emerge if their individual selections were adopted —how many would be accepted at each, school, how many would be rejected, the relationship of numbers rejected to the places ’ still open at some schools, and cases of hardship which might develop if a pupil could not gain entry to another school or course fairly near home. In the absence of any Informai tion about the next procedure, it was earlier believed that the principals might hold an “auction" of rejected pupils to see who

could most conveniently place them. It was thought that the rejection notice might then contain advice that the pupil could be accepted at a second school. However, it is now reported that rejection slips will list schools which still have vacancies; that each rejected pupil will be invited to apply to one of them as a second choice; and that these will again be considered simultaneously, so that second-round acceptances also are notified at the same time.

It would appear, therefore, that the new system makes no attempt to direct pupils; but that it does avert the scramble for second-choice schools. In the past there were bitter complaints that pupils receiving early notice of rejection at their first-choice school had the advantage of a flying start for their second choice. The authorities concerned are believed to be relying heavily on the fact that the ring of high schools now established round Christchurch should give adequate accommodation for each district and that the appeal of new buildings and new equipment and keen new staffs should draw some pressure off those longer-established. They were interested to note from the preliminary survey that, after the first two or three years, new schools seemed likely to fill all places and that vacancies were likely to occur only at those just being established. In short, the new schools have quickly established their own reputations and should eventually spread applications for enrolment more evenly than in the past. This year there are 3511 places available for 3500 entrants.