Latest News

As you’ll be aware, the government has introduced their ‘Phones away for the Day’ regulations, under section 126 of the Education & Training Act 2020, stating that students should not have access to their phones during the school day, except for special circumstances. Given our introduction of a ban on cellphones from Y7-11 in 2023, we are well-placed to be in line with this initially while we await further advice & guidance. 

Therefore, our restart in 2024 will look like this:
Year 7-11 Students

• Year 7-11 students are not permitted to have their phones at school UNLESS they have been granted an exemption from their Deputy Principal (see emails below.)
• Year 7-11 student WITH EXEMPTIONS must hand their phone to the office prior to the 8.40am bell and can collect it after the 3.10pm bell. 

Year 12-13 Students

• are permitted to have their phones at school.
• must not have their phones out in class.
• may be given explicit permission by their teacher to use it for a learning purpose on occasion. Students should understand that this permission has limits and does not constitute free use for an unlimited amount of time in any lesson.
   

Exemptions

• If whānau of Y7-11 students consider there is an exceptional circumstance that would require students to have their phone at school on a daily basis, a parent or caregiver is able to apply for an exemption for their child. Please note that an exemption will not grant permission for them to use it throughout the day. They will be required to hand in their phone to the main office, where it will be kept safely, before school starts at 8.40am and can collect it after the 3.10pm bell.
• Any students who have a medical condition which requires their cellphone to be on their person as a monitoring tool, or have another need where a cellphone is used as a tool (e.g. communication challenges, whānau circumstances) should have a parent/caregiver contact their relevant Deputy Principal to receive a pass. 
• Exemptions will follow a similar process to getting a uniform exemption - an exemption may be granted for the school year once it has been applied for via an email to the appropriate Deputy Principal. Please clearly state the student’s name, Manaaki and a detailed reason for requiring the exemption. You can expect a response within 48 hours. You must apply every year. 

Breaches

Should students choose to not meet the expectations, they will be required to hand their phone into the office immediately. 

• For the first incident, the student will be able to collect it after the 3.10pm bell and take it home. 
• For the second incident, a parent/caregiver will be required to collect the phone from the school office at their convenience. 
• For the third incident, a parent/caregiver will be required to collect the phone from the school office and a member of the pastoral team will arrange a meeting with whānau to discuss the situation. 
• Whānau will be notified via email of each breach.  

Strategies

Some strategies which may support whānau with managing phones include:

• Having a pre-arranged place where it is stored while students are at school. Check it is there before students leave for school. 
• Support them to understand the purpose of the rules put in place and the reasoning behind them. 
• Discuss how after-school activities/routines will be managed & what to do or what will happen if any unexpected situations occur. Students are able to contact home via the office phone, and whānau can call the office to get messages to students. 
• Reassure them that in the event of an emergency, their care and safety is paramount and there are procedures in place for notifying whānau that do not, and cannot, rely on the presence of student phones.

Future State

Please be aware that this approach is likely to change, particularly for the Y12-13 students once we have received more advice and guidance. Any changes will be communicated to whānau in a timely manner. 

Ngā mihi, 

Senior Leadership Team

Mr Jack Saxon - Principal

Mr Kaylib Gorrie - Deputy Principal Y11-13 [email protected] 

Mrs Carolyn Fordyce - Deputy Principal Y9-10 [email protected]

Mrs Jess McConnell - Deputy Principal Y7-8 [email protected]