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Primary Years 1-6

New Entrant Foundation Years

Transitions are important, and a child’s first transition to school is one of the biggest milestones of their life and needs to be approached with thought and compassion.

We have a unique opportunity as an area school to ensure that we manage these transitions carefully and compassionately. New entrants to school are welcome to start on weeks 1 and 5 of each term. These fixed entry points allow a much easier transition for children and allow us to plan ahead for their entry into our kura.

In our Foundation classes we aim to blur the boundaries between our ECEs and ourselves, with lots of self-directed activity and teachers who are responsive to students' readiness and desire to learn the "formal" skills of school. As with all areas of our primary school, we are guided by the needs of the individual learner, academically and emotionally.

New Entrant Transition Timeline

School visits are from 8.45 - 10.00am on a Wednesday morning.

Please come straight to the Foundation class and introduce yourself and your child to the teachers and then join in!

These are the recommended visit dates. We have found that three visits are sufficient for most students to ensure a smooth transition. We are able to develop longer transition plans and more visits - please let us know if this is something you would like to explore.

2026 Intakes

Note: Enrolment forms should be completed and handed in before attending the group enrolment appointment. Please ring and confirm your attendance to the appointment.

Week 6, Term 1

First day of school: Monday 9th March

Students starting here would be Year 2 in 2027. 

Group enrolment appointment date:
Tuesday February 10th 2.30pm.

Visits

  • Wednesday February 18th, 2026
  • Wednesday February 25th, 2025
  • Wednesday March 4th, 2025

Week 1, Term 2

First day of school: Monday 20th April

Students starting here would be Year 2 in 2027. 

Group enrolment appointment date:
Tuesday March 10th 2.30pm. 

Visits

  • Wednesday March 18th 2026
  • Wednesday March 25th 2026
  • Wednesday April 1st 2026

Week 7, Term 2

First day of school: Tuesday 2nd June

Students starting here would be Year 1 in 2027. 

Group enrolment appointment date:
Tuesday 5th May 2.30pm.

Visits

  • Wednesday 13th May 2026
  • Wednesday 20th May 2026
  • Wednesday 27th May 2026

Week 1, Term 3

First day of school: Monday 20th July

Students starting here would be Year 1 in 2027. 

Group enrolment appointment date:
Tuesday 9th June 2.30pm.

Visits

  • Wednesday June 17th 2026
  • Wednesday June 24th 2026
  • Wednesday July 1st 2026

Week 6 , Term 3

First day of school: Monday 24th August

Students starting here would be Year 1 in 2027. 

Group enrolment appointment date:
Tuesday 28th July 2.30pm.

Visits

  • Wednesday 5th August 2026
  • Wednesday12th August 2026
  • Wednesday 19th August 2026

Week 1, Term 4

First day of school: Monday 12th October

We do not recommend students start in Term 4 but we recognise your right to do so. Please ring and make an appointment to discuss options for your child.

Students starting here would be Year 1 in 2027.  

Group enrolment appointment date:
Tuesday 1st September 2.30pm.

Visits

  • Wednesday 9th September 2026
  • Wednesday 16th September 2026
  • Wednesday 23rd September 2026

For 2027, Term 1 NB:

Week 1, Term 1

First day of school: February 2027 (these visits are from 9am-10am)

Students starting here would be Year 1 in 2028.

Group enrolment appointment date:
Tuesday 10th November 2.30pm.

Visits

  • Wednesday 18th November 2026
  • Wednesday 25th November 2026
  • Wednesday 3rd December 2026

There are 4 steps to successfully transitioning your new entrant child to Mercury Bay Area School.

Mercury Bay Area School has cohort intakes for our new entrants, which means that students are able to enter in Week 1 and 6 of each term. To enrol your child as a new entrant at Mercury Bay Area School, you will need to follow the steps below. You will need to begin this process at least a term in advance of your child starting at school. Children cannot attend school before they are 5 years of age.

1. Fill out an enrolment pack

These can be picked up from the school office OR ring and we can send one out to you.

2. Make an appointment with the DP

Make an appointment with the Deputy Principal. It’s never too early to have this appointment - we keep the details and you can still delay your child’s entry to school if your circumstances change.

We do need the paperwork before we can make the appointment. At this appointment we will discuss the cohort entry points, school visits timeline and your hopes for your child’s transition to school.

3. Communicate with your ECE provider

If your child is attending ECE, you will need to communicate with them about when you are intending to transition to school.

You have until your child is 6 to make this transition and we (your ECE providers and Mercury Bay Area School) are happy to talk to you about this decision.

Communication is really important as our ECE’s have people wanting places but they don’t want you to make the transition to school until you and your child are ready.

4. Attend school visits

Attend the school visits. These are really important for your child and for the rest of the children in the class your child will be going into. For us, these are an essential step in the enrolment process.

Our preference is that new entrants will have at least 3 school visits before they begin school officially. Some students may need more visits, and possibly some need less, but we have found that 3 or 4 seems to be the right number for most children.

School Visits

Most parents like to stay the whole time for the first visit. From the second visit we would like you to:

Bring your child into the room and say hello to the teacher

Help your child find an activity to do

Give them a kiss and tell them you will be back at 10.00am to go on the playground (weather permitting!)

Children act differently when their parents are in the room. We understand that you may be feeling anxious about leaving them and they may be anxious about you leaving, but we do need the opportunity to see how they settle without you. This is part of the transitioning process. We know this is a bit scary, but we promise we will support you and your child through this exciting time!

Get in Touch to order an Enrolment Pack

Please contact our admin office if you would like to enrol your child.
Email us
phone: 07 866 5916

MBAS HOUSE POINTS

Buffalo 2404

69/100

Tainui 1951

56/100

Mercury 2344

67/100

Matahaorua 1564

45/100