Parent guide
Starting School: Transition Guide
A calm, practical guide to start dates, school visits, preparing at home, and helping your child feel that they belong.
At a glance
The essentials before you begin
Start with the rules that apply across New Zealand, then confirm the details with your child’s school.
Starting window
Between ages 5 and 6
Children cannot start before 5 and must be enrolled by the time they turn 6.
Some schools use
Cohort entry
New entrants start together on one of 8 dates at the beginning or middle of each term.
Before day one
Contact the school
Confirm the start date, enrolment process, pre-entry visits, and what your child should bring.
Choose the date
When can your child start?
Most children start on or soon after their fifth birthday, but families have a window between ages 5 and 6.
At a school with continuous entry, your child can start on any school day after turning 5. A school with formal cohort entry uses 8 set dates each year — one at the beginning and one in the middle of each term. Your child cannot start before turning 5 and must be enrolled by the time they turn 6.
What to confirm
- Entry policy: Ask whether the school uses continuous entry or formal cohort entry.
- Exact start date: Get the date from the school before organising ECE notice, leave, or family help.
- Attendance after enrolment: Once a 5-year-old is enrolled, they are expected to attend whenever the school is open.
Unsure how the labels work? Read our guide to Year 0, new entrants, and cohort entry.
Build confidence
Readiness is not a pass or fail test
Children arrive with different strengths, languages, routines, and support needs. They do not need to pass an academic checklist before school.
The most useful preparation is familiarity: knowing what the place looks like, who will help, and what happens during an ordinary day. ECE kaiako can share how your child approaches new situations and what helps them feel secure.
Everyday things you can practise
- Asking an adult for help, including when they are hurt, worried, or unsure.
- Finding and opening their bag, lunchbox, drink bottle, and clothing — with help when needed.
- Following familiar routines with reminders, such as packing up or washing hands.
- Joining shared stories, songs, games, or play for as long as feels manageable.
- Using a predictable goodbye routine during visits and other short separations.
Know the place
Visit, ask, and verify
A visit turns a school from an abstract choice into a real place for your child — and gives you a chance to test what you have read.
Contact schools early enough to understand their process, especially if you are applying out of zone or coordinating a cohort-entry date. Where practical, visit more than one school and take your child to the pre-entry visits offered by the school you choose.
Arrange or ask about
- Enrolment: The current zone, documents, deadlines, and any out-of-zone ballot.
- Transition: Pre-entry visits, the new-entrant teacher, and communication with your ECE service.
- The first weeks: Daily routines, parent communication, learning support, and how the school helps children settle.
- Practical details: Uniform, stationery, lunches, transport, drop-off, and pickup.
Make it familiar
Prepare through small routines
The goal is not to recreate school at home. It is to make the people, place, and practical routines feel less surprising.
In the weeks before starting
- Attend the school’s pre-entry visits and practise finding the classroom, toilets, and pickup point.
- Talk through the morning in a simple order: wake up, get dressed, eat, pack, travel.
- Let your child practise opening the containers and drink bottle they will use.
- Walk or drive the school route and point out a familiar landmark near the gate.
- Label clothing and belongings, and let your child help pack the bag.
- Read stories, play, talk, sing, and follow your child’s interests — no pre-school worksheets are required.
For the practical shopping list, see what a new entrant actually needs on day one.
The first day
Keep the plan simple
Day one is mainly about arriving, finding the familiar people and places, and getting through a new routine together.
Before school
- Allow more time than the routine usually takes.
- Pack only what the school has asked for, including any medication plan.
- Use the same drop-off and goodbye plan discussed during visits.
- Tell the teacher anything important about sleep, health, or how the morning went.
After school
- Be at the agreed pickup point on time and expect tiredness.
- Offer food, water, and a quiet reset before asking lots of questions.
- Try a specific prompt such as “What made you smile today?”
- Share any concerns with the teacher early so small issues stay small.
Suggested plan
A transition timeline
These are planning prompts, not national deadlines. Your school may ask you to do things earlier or in a different order.
Around 6 months before
Explore nearby schools, check current zones, read ERO findings, and ask about enrolment and start dates.
Around 3–4 months before
Visit your shortlist, enrol early where you can, and confirm whether the school uses continuous or cohort entry.
Around 1–2 months before
Attend pre-entry visits, share relevant information with the school, and organise uniform or stationery.
Around 1–2 weeks before
Practise the morning routine and school trip, label belongings, and check lunch and pickup arrangements.
Day one
Use the familiar plan you agreed with the teacher, then expect a tired child at the end of a very big day.
Keep reading
Helpful guides for the next step
Go deeper on the parts that apply to your family.
Official guidance used for this content audit
Checked against current New Zealand Government and Ministry of Education guidance in July 2026. School processes still vary, so confirm dates and requirements directly with your school.
Part of our School Selection Guide.
Ready to Find the Right School?
Explore schools in your area, check zones, compare official data, and build a clearer shortlist for your family.