enrolment
Your pathway to craighead begins here...
Inclusivity sits at the heart of life at Craighead Diocesan School and each year we welcome children from all religious denominational backgrounds. We aim to provide an exceptional boarding and day education, equipping young women to meet the challenges of life beyond Craighead. As well as a broad academic curriculum, there is a huge breadth and depth to the education that is on offer, and we warmly invite you to visit us and consider placing an enrolment application on our Waiting List.
The admissions department is the first point of contact for all prospective families and we look forward to guiding you through our admissions process and supporting you and your daughter/s along your journey to becoming part of our Craighead family.
Please do explore our website to find out more about Craighead, we welcome applications for our waiting lists at any time and we very much look forward to welcoming you in person at Craighead soon.
annual enrolment process information
- This is our major annual marketing event for the year. A great opportunity to see our school with your own senior student guide with our younger students in class at work. There is also a chance to speak one-on-one with staff, senior management or board members that will be available at the afternoon tea conclusion.
- We hold two different types of ‘Open’ events, which can alternate:
- Firstly, our usual open to all Open Day which we widely advertise – digitally and around our local community.
- Secondly, is a Wait List invite only – Open Afternoon.
- It would be in May when either of these events would take place.
- Other marketing events we attend annually are the Wānaka A & P Show and the Mackenzie A & P Show
- Years 7 or 9 Daygirl applications should be completed and submitted, through our online application system. These applications can be submitted at any time, and will sit on our waiting list, waiting for the particular start year you have selected on your daughter’s application.
- To be considered for enrolment for the start of the coming new school year, applications must be submitted before the deadline of 27 February.
- After this deadline, Year 7 and Year 9 Daygirl applications are processed through our enrolment scheme list of priorities. The amount of Year 7 & 9 daygirl places available in the school for the coming new year is established by the Principal and BOT. The number of places are then allocated to the processed enrolment applications until the amount of places are filled.
- Year 7: Offers of place are then issued to families on 1 June. Families are given 7 days to respond, if any offers are declined, these places are then offered to the next processed application/s on the wait list
- Year 9: This process above, is then repeated again for the Year 9 applications on the 1 July.
- The outcome of any Daygirl enrolment applications received for other Year levels will be advised on an individual basis, but mostly these enrolment applications cannot be considered for a position in the school until the last term of each year. This is when the school roll numbers for the coming new school year are known and if there any places available.
- Years 7 or 9 Boarding applications should be completed and submitted, through our online application system. These applications can be submitted at any time, and will sit on our waiting list, waiting for the particular start year you have selected on your daughter’s application.
- To be considered for a boarding place and enrolment in the school for the start of the coming new school year, applications must be submitted before the deadline of 1 May.
- After the closing date for applications, the Year 7 and 9 Boarder waiting list is processed through our boarding enrolment list of priorities. The amount of Boarder places available in the school for the coming new year is established by the Principal and BOP. The number of places are then allocated to the processed boarding applicants until the amount of places have been filled. Offers of place are then issued to families on 30 May. Families are given 7 days to respond, if any offers are declined, these places are then offered to the next processed applicant/s on the wait list
- The outcome of any Boarder enrolment applications received for other Year levels, will be advised on an individual basis, but mostly these enrolment applications cannot be considered for a position in the school until the last term of each year. This is when the school roll numbers for the coming new school year are known and if there any places available.
- For the bulk of our new Years 7 & 9 families, interviews occur after an offer of place has been accepted.
- These are informal meetings designed for both parties to find out more about each other.
- Meetings are held with our Senior Leadership team or Year 7 or Year 9 Deans. Boarder families can have meetings with our Principal and Chief Operations Manager.
useful links
Our scheme is currently under review with the Ministry of Education, therefore in the meantime we are continuing with our current scheme which has been aligned with other integrated secondary schools’ schemes, this being our scheme for review submitted to the Ministry last year.
Please have a read of this document to gain an insight on the options available to parents regarding the financial side of attending Craighead.
We are very grateful to our Old Girls, Boards of Trustees and Proprietors and friends of the school, in providing a range of scholarships which help assist our increasingly diverse school community or provide an avenue for students to follow a particular passion.
Our uniform instils a sense of identity and belonging to our Craighead School family. Our girls wear their uniform with pride and know the high standards of their uniform are expected to be maintained at all times, whether they are in class at school or out in the community.
