Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who are the like-minded Trusts and what is their track record?
The Wellington Christian Education Trust has been carrying the vision for Wellington for over a decade. It partners with the New Zealand Christian Proprietors Trust (Proprietor with 8 schools mostly in the Northern Part of the North Island) more recently with the idea that NZCPT be the Proprietor of any new school. NZCPT is highly experienced in Christian education and has an excellent working relationship with the Ministry of Education.
The Christian School's Trust (Proprietor to Middleton Grange School, Ashburton Christian School, Rolleston Christian School and Aidanfield Christian School along with two Early Childhood Centres - Cornerstone in Canterbury.
The Christian Education Trust (Bethlehem College/Chapman College - Tauranga & Rotorua).
The Peniel Trust (Proprietor of Miramar Christian School in Wellington).
Miramar Christian School wish to be part of an ongoing larger school which we hope will go to Year 13 and will be open, God willing, in 2023. The future of the current Miramar site and any new site are under consideration.
In addition - please note Maranatha Christian School has a separate Proprietor who are supportive of the project. Many of the school families are keen to see their Year 8 students have a Christian High School to transition to.
3. What other features will the network have?
4. What is the educational philosophy of the network schools?
5. What makes these schools distinctively Christian?
The schools will deliver the New Zealand Curriculum from a biblical Christian perspective. All teaching staff will be Christian. Preference of enrolment will be given to Christian families. Those in governance will also be Christian. The biblical truths of Jesus Christ will be taught and lived. The school(s) will reflect the distinctive features of the Wellington area and the unique bicultural journey of Aotearoa New Zealand. Students will discover how God is at work in these spaces.
6. Are the Ministry of Education supportive of this plan?
They agree that there is not sufficient choice for parents who desire this kind of education. The Ministry of Education recognise that there should be sufficient choice. The Ministry cannot predetermine the final decision about any application however they are working closely with the project team to ensure all the information they need is in that application.
7. Who is eligible for enrolment?
Preference of enrolment will be given to those students with parents who have established a particular or general connection with the special character of the school.
When the school is open for enrolments parents will be asked to complete an enrolment application which will include signing a Statement of Belief, outlining church involvement, committing to supporting the Christian character of the school and providing any other evidence explaining why such a school meets their family's needs. The government has clear rules around how preference of enrolment is to be determined. The Proprietor of the school makes that determination.
8. Can students enrol at any year level?
Yes. The project is building up an expression of interest list to support it's application to the Ministry of Education. If Ministry approval is received there will be a more formal enrolment process to follow.
9. What will the name of the school be?
This is currently under discussion.
10. How much will it cost to attend?
State Integrated schools attendance dues generally have an upper limit of approximately $2,500 per year per child. This will depend on the site or sites identified for the school. Parents fund the cost of any land and buildings associated with the school through the payment of attendance dues. There will of course be some other costs that may relate to uniform, school trips and the like. Please follow this link to read Ministry of Education advice.
11. Will students be able to access the same curriculum and co-curricular choices as they do in their present school?
When families lodge an expression of interest they will be asked to provide information about curriculum and co-curricular activities their children currently have and we will work very hard to match that.
12. What are the transport arrangements?
Again this will depend on the site or sites identified for the school. We expect rail and bus options (including a dedicated school bus service) to supplement parent travel.
13. Will there be a school uniform?
This is under discussion however there is likely to be a school uniform.
14. Is there an Early Childhood option?
This is under investigation, however there is currently enthusiasm from parents and the project team to establish an ECE service.
15. How do I register my interest?
You may have noticed we are currently asking everyone on our database to update (or fill in for the first time) an Expression of Interest form. There is a link to this on the home page or you can click here. Please note this does not commit families to enrolling in the school but gives the project good data to share with the Ministry so that we can build up a strong application.