If your child is away, please send an absence notification via the Edge Mobile App (available from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store) on each day of absence, by 9:00am. Alternatively, you can send an absence notification to absences@balmoral.school.nz

Attendance Policy

At Balmoral School we promote the attendance of all students in their class, every school day.

Student attendance, along with effective teaching, has the greatest influence on engagement and achievement.

Please click here to read through our attendance procedures.

Before School

For the Intermediate school, the classrooms are open from 8:15am, while the Primary classrooms are open from 8:30am. This gives them plenty of time to get themselves organised and settled before the day begins. We would suggest that being at school by 8.30am (Intermediate) and 8:50am (Primary) would be of benefit.

After School

School finishes at 3pm, please collect your children promptly. The Year 0-2 children will be kept in their classrooms until collected. Children should not be on school property unsupervised after 3:10pm as teachers are not on duty, and staff meetings begin at 3.10pm. Please note that there is a childcare centre operating on the premises. Please contact The Village Square Trust.

The school has a strict code of behaviour. The happiness and safety of all of our students as outlined in The Balmoral Way is of paramount importance, and conduct which precludes that from happening will not be ignored. If you have concerns in this area please talk, in the first instance, to the class teacher. Please find the Balmoral Way here.

This policy outlines the school rules around students having phones at school. Click here to view the policy.

From time to time parents may have a complaint about an incident and how we have dealt with it at school. In order for these situations to be dealt with effectively, we would like people to use our policy for guidance, found here.

In Years 5-8 students are able to bring their own electronic device. More information about this is provided in our Cyber Safety Agreement.

Students can only enrol in our school if they live within our home zone. We run a ballot every year for out-of-zone students Year 7 students, and for other year groups periodically. Please refer to our Enrolment pages for Primary and Intermediate, and our Enrolment Policy for more information.

Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is an important area of learning, and at Balmoral, we are always looking for opportunities to ensure that our students get the very best from their EOTC experiences.

In order to give our children great EOTC experiences, we ask for parent volunteers to accompany our school groups on day trips or overnight camps. If there are more parent volunteers than we have space for, we will hold a ballot of eligible adults to fairly decide who may attend.

All parents who volunteer to stay overnight at a school camp need to have a clear Police Check, this is mandatory under the Vulnerable Children’s Act. The checks take at least 25 working days to process so the applications must be sent in with plenty of time to spare.

If you are volunteering as parent help for a school camp, please click on the link below to download the relevant form. You will need to fill in the required section and bring this to the Balmoral School office with two original forms of photographic ID.

Please advise the office if you have previously completed a police vet for Balmoral School within the last 2 years.

PVS vetting request and consent form – NZ only

PVS vetting request and consent form – including Australian

In the Intermediate school, children work on a Rich Challenge each term. This is set at the beginning of each term in conjunction the teacher, and is presented to the class at the end of the term.

In all year groups children are also encouraged to read for pleasure daily, and we encourage parents to keep reading to their children.

We will notify you, or your emergency contact, if your child becomes too ill to continue their school day. Please collect your child promptly from our school office. If they are involved in an accident requiring immediate attention we will take them to the nearest medical centre or call an ambulance, as appropriate, and contact you as soon as possible.

For Intermediate children, wearing jewellery at school is not permitted. Watches and one pair of stud earrings only may be worn. If an item of jewellery needs to be worn because it has particular religious significance, please write an explanation to the Intermediate Associate Principal.

All classes visit the library once a week. There is a trained librarian who works part-time in the Library and is available till 3.30 pm most days. Please ask them for suitable books for your child/ren.

You can search for available titles on our library website -Click here.

It is important that all clothing and possessions are clearly named. Lost property is kept in wheelie bins just off the middle courts outside the Spec area.

At the end of each term, any unclaimed items are donated to charity. Please encourage your children to be responsible for their own possessions. Toys must be kept at home.

All children eat their morning tea and lunch outside, weather permitting, under supervision.

A school canteen is in operation on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. More information and a copy of the menu is available here.

School staff will not administer prescription medication at school except in exceptional circumstances. Parents will apply in writing, using the appropriate form, Administration of Medicines to Students, which can be obtained via the school office and must be signed by the Principal or Associate Principal.

The Medicines at School Policy can be read here. This should be read in conjunction with the Anaphylaxis Policy.

No non-prescription drugs are to be sent to school; they will not be administered under any circumstances. The school can administer Panadol as a form of pain relief, but only to those students with written permission given at enrolment.

We are lucky to have highly skilled musicians who teach their instruments at Balmoral School. For more information on our itinerant teachers, including their contact details, please click here.

Here you may find key policies that you may be interested in.

Child Protection Policy. This policy outlines the Balmoral School Board’s (“Board”)’s commitment to child protection and recognises the important role and responsibility of all our staff in the protection of children.

Health and Safety Policy. This policy reflects the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (the Act), with the aim to secure the health and safety of workers and the workplace.

Privacy Policy. The school keeps information on students and their whānau who attend our school. This policy explains the guidelines for which it is used and shared.

Restraint Policy. Guidelines for when staff may use restraint.

Sponsorship Policy. This policy explains how businesses and individuals can sponsor our school.

We encourage you to make an appointment with your child’s teacher any time you have something you wish to discuss. All concerns go in the first instance to the classroom teacher.

In Term One, the school holds an informal Open Evening where you have the chance to meet your child’s teacher. Two other child/whānau/teacher conferences are held during the year. If you wish to have a meeting outside these times, please feel free to contact your child's teacher.

Payments for Major School Activities, School Donation and other charges can now be made by EZYPAY online and credit/debit card and cash at the school office.

A Secure Online service is now available for many payments using Visa or Mastercard via the Balmoral School website through the School Management System, Edge.

Edge’s caregiver portal shows your child’s attendance, assessment reporting and school payments. Caregivers can now go online to Edge to access any of this information.

To log on, you must use the same email address that the school holds for you. This will be the one you provided with your child’s enrolment and where you receive newsletters and other email notices from the school. Please read our info page for more guidance on using Edge.

Ordering Stationery Packs

Stationery packs are ordered on-line and will be delivered to your home via our new supplier Quizzle.

Go to www.schoolpacks.co.nz

Search for Balmoral School

Follow the link and choose the appropriate Year Level Stationery Pack.

All school children are required to wear a Balmoral sun hat during Terms 1 and 4. Children who do not have them on must stay in a shaded area. Sun hats with the ‘Balmoral’ logo are available from The Warehouse St Lukes or the school office.

If your child has a medical appointment during the school day, you must sign them in and out of the school via the main office.

Intermediate children wear a uniform, details of which are given on enrolment. Second hand uniforms can be bought from the School Office.

All visitors must report to the main office and sign the visitors’ register, regardless of the purpose of the visit.

Our school encourages children to walk to school each day. To do this we have organised Walking School Buses. This requires a parent to walk to school each day on a specific route with groups of children. If you would like your child to catch the bus, once a week, you may have to be the bus driver.

On a walking school, bus children walk under the supervision of adult volunteers, creating a safe and social journey to school. Other benefits include reduced congestion around the school gates and a more connected community. Children are collected from stops along a planned route to school. Balmoral School currently has seven bus routes, shown below. They start at 8:20am or 8:30am and require a parent to volunteer as a driver at least once a week. Buses can also operate in the afternoons on the trip home from school.

Balmoral School currently has 4 bus route operating:

Kereru - Starting on Royal Terrace

Fantail - Starting at the corner of Mewburn and Dexter Ave

Kea - Starting at the corner of Tanekaha and Paice Ave

Takahe - Starting at the corner of Oxton Road and Pine Street

If you are interested in joining a bus please contact Delia Matthews, Auckland Transport Coordinator Delia.Matthias@at.govt.nz

You can also find more information on walking school buses on Auckland Transport’s website.