FAQs

Bell Times

8:30 am Classrooms open

8:58 am Roll is taken and classes begin

11:00 -11:30 am Interval

1:00 -1:50 pm Lunch time

3:00 pm School finishes

Children should be dropped off at school between 8:30am and 8:55am and they must leave the grounds promptly. It is essential that children know who is picking them up after school and where to meet them. If children are not collected at 3:00pm, they need to come to the office and we will call parents.

All parent and emergency contact numbers must be kept up to date.

Bicycles/Scooters

We encourage cyclists (bicycle and scooter) with helmets secured correctly. Any younger children riding to school should be closely accompanied by an adult. Cycles and scooters are not to be ridden in the school grounds and should be stored in the designated bike and scooter stands.

Car Parks

Takapuna Primary is situated on a very busy main road and for the safety of our children, families and staff, we urge you to park along neighbouring streets and walk your child to school.

Please use the designated controlled street crossing and when you need to cross the roads.

Composite Classes

1. Why does the school choose to have composite classes?

While the New Zealand curriculum has specific targets for each year level, student numbers rarely fall into perfect groups.

Balancing the numbers: To avoid having one large class of 35 and one tiny class of 18, we combine year levels. This allows us to keep class sizes even and manageable for every teacher.
Social balancing: It gives us more flexibility to separate students who don’t work well together or to keep ‘learning buddies’ together, creating a more settled and focused classroom environment.

2. With the new year-based curriculum, will my child miss out on their specific level?

No.

Whole class teaching: Sometimes lessons will be whole class
Small-group teaching: Teachers don’t always teach the whole class the same thing at the same time. Sometimes, they work with small groups based on their specific year-level targets.
Tailored instruction: While the Year 5s in a 5/6 split are being taught a specific Year 5 geometry lesson, the Year 6s will be working on their own Year 6 curriculum goals nearby.

3. Does an older child get ‘held back’ by being with younger students?

Actually, the opposite is true.

Deepening knowledge: When an older student explains a concept to a younger peer, it reinforces their own understanding. It moves them from “knowing” a subject to “mastering” it.
Leadership: Older students in a composite class often step up as role models, which builds massive self-esteem and maturity.
The age gap is not significant: As students start school at different times in NZ, there may not be as much of an age gap as some might think. As an example, a Year 4 student might only be a few months in between a Year 3 peer.

4. Does a younger child feel overwhelmed by the older students?

We find that younger students often thrive by having “near-peer” role models.

Aspiration: Seeing what the older students are capable of makes the next steps in learning feel achievable and exciting rather than scary.
Social support: Younger children often feel more “looked after” in a mixed-age setting, which can reduce anxiety and playground friction.

5. How do teachers manage two different year levels at once?

NZ teachers are highly trained in differentiation. Even in a “single-year” class, there is often a significant gap between the highest and lowest achievers.

“Low Floor, High Ceiling” Tasks: Teachers use activities that every child can start (the floor), but that can be extended to very complex levels for those who are ready (the ceiling).
Collaboration: Teachers often plan together across the school to ensure that every student—regardless of which room they are in—is hitting the same mandatory milestones.

6. Is a composite class just for ‘slower’ or ‘faster’ learners?

Definitely not. A composite class is a diverse “micro-community.” It includes students of all abilities. We don’t group children into these classes based on how “smart” they are; we group them to create the best social and academic spread for everyone to succeed.

7. Why have I seen in some years that there are other models of composite classes: E.g one Year 1 & 2 composite or a Year 4 & 5 composite?

Balancing the number of students in each class is an important consideration. As children start school with the closest match to their 5th birthday in 2 cohorts, we find that there are times where we may have more in one year compared to others. This is when we might need to create a composite class such as a Year 4 & 5, but this doesn’t mean it is the same for every year. At Takapuna Primary, we have generally tried to keep Year 3 & 4, and Year 5 & 6 composite classes as much as possible.

First Aid Trained

Our teaching team are all First Aid trained which is renewed every 2 years. This is completed with St John and covers the following:

confidence in recognising and treating cardiac arrest, choking, and bleeding
the basic skills to provide time-critical assistance and CPR before more experienced help arrives
a Basic Life Support certificate valid for 2 years upon successful completion

Our Office team and Principal

First aid and CPR plus the additional skills and confidence to handle major injuries, multiple casualties, and more scene-specific, emergency first aid
First Aid Level 2 certificate valid for 2 years

Did you know we have an AED in our office? Why?

Each year more than 2,000 New Zealanders will suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital and the use of an AED within 3-5 min of collapse can increase the chance of survival by up to 44%! Find out more at https://www.stjohn.org.nz/first-aid/aed/

Health and Safety

To ensure children are safe at school we ask the following:

DROP OFF: We recommend dropping children off between 8:30am and 8:55am. This ensures they have enough time to put their belongings away and catch up with friends. If children arrive before 8.15am, they will be asked to go to the office, where we will contact families.

PICK UP: All children must understand that school finishes at 3:00pm, and parents need to ensure there is a plan for pick up. All children who have not been picked up are asked to come to the office so we can call Caregivers. PLEASE help us, and pick up your child on time. Walking is a great option, as there are many nearby options for parking.

Outside these hours, there is no supervision

If you are arriving late (after 8:58am) or need to collect your child early for any reason, you must sign in/out at the office first, before going to class. You will be given a card for the teacher.

Library

The Library is open from 9:00am until 3:00pm

Children are welcome to visit the library at lunchtimes where we have an adult on duty. It is often a safe, quiet place to visit if new children are feeling overwhelmed or in need of some peaceful time. Classes can visit the library at least once a week or as needed.

Lost Property

All lost property is placed in a large box situated by the school office. It is available for children and adults to look through before, during and after school.

Lunches and Supervision

All children are supervised by a duty teacher for the first 10 minutes of the lunch time. Each class have a designated area for eating their lunch. All rubbish and uneaten food are taken home. We ask that children do not bring sugary foods (lollies, chocolate, juice drinks) in their lunchboxes. Children may not share food with others due to spreading of germs, as well as food allergies. We have children in our school who are severely allergic to nuts, and ask that parents keep nut products in children’s lunchboxes to an absolute minimum. Lunch orders are available, please see tab above.

Mobile Phones & Smart Watches

If they are needed before or after school, they must be handed into the office where it is kept securely.