Attendance Policy and Procedures
School attendance is the most crucial prerequisite for quality education. We expect our students to attend school when the school is open unless there is a legitimate reason, like a sickness. There is a direct link between attendance and student achievement and wellbeing.
We follow up with parents if they miss more than two days a term for unjustified reasons. Just so you know, sickness is a justified reason, but we may ask for a doctor's certificate for more than two days a term or intermittent absences. We encourage parents to travel for a holiday during school term breaks. But there may be legitimate reasons why you choose to travel during the school term. In that event, please write a leave application to the principal (admin@tyndalepark.school.nz), giving us the dates and reason for travelling to help us accurately note the attendance with the right code.
When a student is absent more than 20% for unjustified reasons, we will send a letter to remind parents of our attendance policy. If the unjustified absences exceed 20% in two terms, we may withdraw the student's enrollment from our school and notify the Ministry of Education.
Tuition Fee Payment Policy and Procedures
All tuition fees should be paid when they are due each term. Parents not paying the fee may contact the Business Manager at accounts@tyndalepark.school.nz to discuss payment options agreeable to both parties. The school will inform families sending their children with outstanding tuition fees from the previous term to pay or make an arrangement with the school to continue to attend the school. Students with outstanding payments for two terms may not return to school until all overdue fees are paid.
We follow up with parents if they miss more than two days a term for unjustified reasons. Just so you know, sickness is a justified reason, but we may ask for a doctor's certificate for more than two days a term or intermittent absences. We encourage parents to travel for a holiday during school term breaks. But there may be legitimate reasons why you choose to travel during the school term. In that event, please write a leave application to the principal (admin@tyndalepark.school.nz), giving us the dates and reason for travelling to help us accurately note the attendance with the right code.
When a student is absent more than 20% for unjustified reasons, we will send a letter to remind parents of our attendance policy. If the unjustified absences exceed 20% in two terms, we may withdraw the student's enrollment from our school and notify the Ministry of Education.
Withdrawal Policy and Procedures
We understand and support parents' intention to withdraw their child for various reasons. A formal email/written notice of intention to withdraw a student is required, with a minimum of 5 weeks' advance notice or a tuition fee in lieu, as per the Credit Agreement signed at the time of enrollment.
Parents Complaint Policy
The concerns of students, parents/whanau, and school community members must be recognised and resolved biblically (Matthew 5:23-25; 18:15-17, James 4:1-3) and in a spirit of natural justice. In particular, Matthew 18:15-17 tells us that if we have a complaint, it first needs to be raised with the person one has a complaint against.
You can click on the Parents Complaints Policy attached below for full details and procedures.
Open Access Policy
We aim to help parents know what is happening so they can be sure we are teaching their children in a way they are committed to. We welcome parents into the school whenever it is open by making an appointment. You are invited to sit in on lessons and see how we teach. If you want to discuss something with a teacher, be mindful that they might like time to prepare an answer; if your question is more complex, please make an appointment via the school office. Please note this access is a privilege, not a right, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for abuse of our staff.
Zero Tolerance Policy
At Tyndale Park Christian School, abuse of staff by parents or guardians is not tolerated. Abuse can take several forms, such as:
- Taking up an excessive amount of time for the teacher.
- Abusive communication of all forms.
- Aggressive, intimidating and abusive talk.
It is at the principal and Trust Board's discretion to determine when the abuse threshold is met. A warning may be given at the lower end of the scale, and we may ask the parents or guardians to enter a remediation process. We may resort to a trespass notice at the higher end of the scale or ask the parents or guardians to withdraw their child.
Swearing at a teacher will immediately revoke access privileges to our school.
TPCS Child Safety Complaint Policy
Tyndale Park Christian School is committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for children and young people. We recognise that children and young people have the right to learn in a healthy environment, without violence and fear. For that reason, child safety is extremely important at Tyndale Park Christian School. Because of their day day-to-day contact with individual children and young people, particularly during the school terms, teachers and other school staff are well placed to observe the outward signs of abuse or changes in behaviour in the children and young people. The physical restraint policy and procedures are updated according to Education and Training Act 2020 (Sections 99-101) and Education (Physical Restraint) Rules 2023.
You can click on the Policy attached below for full details and procedures.
TPCS Health and Safety Policy
Providing a safe and healthy working environment is fundamental to Tyndale Park Christian School. This policy sets out procedures and guidelines to maintain a safe work environment for all staff, students and community members on and off site, at all times of the day, as stated in the Health & Safety at Work Act 2015.
The policy details specific responsibilities, required actions and activities for all staff, students and community members. All related procedures in the Tyndale Park Christian School Teachers’ Handbook are to be interpreted with this policy as their foundation.
You can click on the Policy attached below for full details and procedures.
TPCS Privacy Policy
The privacy policy enables us to promote and protect the privacy of all individuals associated with the school, i.e. students, staff, parents, and any others. The policy follows the key principles of the Privacy Act 2020, which describe how we may collect, use, and store personal information. The Act also created the position of Privacy Commissioner to administer it. Among the many functions of the Privacy Commissioner's Office is that of investigating any alleged breaches of the Privacy Act.
You can click on the Policy attached below for full details and procedures.
Traffic Management Policy
High school students will direct the traffic from 8.30 am-8.50 am and 2.45 pm-3.05 pm. All parents are expected to follow the drop-off and pick-up procedures.
Drop-off procedures: All parents of students from Years 3-13 (Rooms 10,11,2,4 and 5) may park in the car parks off the driveway and let them walk on the walkways. Alternatively, you may stop on the yellow lines at the top end of the driveway so that students can exit from the left doors of the car. The parents of students in Rooms 7 and 8 (New entrants, Year 1 and Year 2) may park in the car parks closer to the office.
Pick-up procedures: The best time to arrive for students in Years 0-6 (Rooms 7,8,10, and 11) is from 2.40 pm, and for Years 7-13, it is from 3.00 pm. If you arrive earlier than 2.40 pm, please use the car parks off the driveway with wider parking spaces. The parents of primary students are allowed to drive close to the school buildings, while all parents of students from Years 7-13 may ask their children to walk to the car parks off the driveway. Please ask your children to wait until the car is parked in a proper car park. Please do not walk or wait/park on the driveway for safety reasons. If the car parks are full, please go around the block.
Correction and Discipline Policy and Procedures
The ultimate goal of a servant of Christ is to be self-disciplined and willingly conformed to the will and mind of Christ the Lord in every part of his life. This submissive self-control and biblical freedom come as the Holy Spirit works in the born-again believer. Even the mature Christian comes to his freedom and self-discipline by submitting to the express will of his Lord.
Children in school have the same goal: self-discipline. To achieve this goal, they need to learn to submit to the discipline of those in authority over them. Discipline, then, is not primarily about punishment but training in self-control under authority.
Despite the hopes and efforts of parents and teachers, there will be children who misbehave and need correction. The context of this training is well explained in this prospectus under the Correction and Discipline section. In that section, we set out the basic structures for correction used (along with prayer and biblical counsel) in this school. The student behaviours that do not reflect the Christlike character of a Tyndale Park Christian School student are categorised into three groups: Minor, Major and Serious. These categories are also known as traffic light systems for junior school students. The classroom teacher and Head Teacher will deal with minor and major discipline issues, and the principal will deal with serious behaviour issues.
The teacher will inform the parents of minor and major behaviour issues by commenting in the Weekly Record Book or emailing. The principal will discuss all serious issues with the parents by inviting them to a meeting or by phone call. All minor, major and serious behaviour issues will be recorded in Edge, the student management system, as pastoral care notes.