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Waitakere College

Arifah Wright

Director of International Students

Description

We have 1800 students from Year 9-13 (ages 13 years to 18 years). We are a successful multi-cultural school, located 5 minutes walk from the railway station and a block away from the motorway into Central Auckland, yet with easy access to the beautiful rainforest and beach environments of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. Our students are warm and inclusive and achieve academically well above national averages. Waitakere College students live by three important values: Learning, Caring, Respect. The school motto is 'Achievement for All', meaning that we seek in every student what they can offer society and be successful in, and we then have a wide range of courses and subject pathways to help them develop those strengths for their future. We are proud of our highly skilled ESOL teachers (English language support programme); students at all levels are given weekly reports, and NCEA feedback and mentoring as appropriate. Our senior students are connected to the strong Careers advisory service at our school, helping them to apply for appropriate Tertiary courses; our school excels in building strong relationships between students, staff and families.

Tuition costs

2024 - 2025 Tuition costs for international students:
Tuition per year $16,000 (4 Terms)
Tuition per term $4,250
Administration fee per term $500
Homestay placement $450
Homestay living $370 per week/ $52.85 per night
Designated Caregiver fee (if applicable instead of homestay) $400 per year.
Insurance approx. $630 per year
Government Levy: $110 per term

 

Accommodation homestay,

The school arranges quality homestay families for our international students.  We police vet all our homestay families as well as carry out six monthly homestay visits to ensure living standards and all our obligations are met under the Code of Practice. We try and match students to homestay families as closely as possible as this ensures a sucessful homestay experience. 

Student support

Specialised Academic mentoring and Careers guidance for International Students. Matched 'Kiwi buddies' (in addition to the homestay family) offer support and friendship to our international students at school to help them integrate and make friends.

Type of programs Long-term programs (study for 1 year or more), Short-term programs (study for 3-6-9 month), We accept one term and long term students.
English as second language

A full range of ESOL classes is available catering for the beginner right through to preparation for University. Students are tested for English comprehension on arrival  if required and placed accordingly. Every student has a monitored course. We have an excellent and flexible ESOL programme (English language support).

Years of entry for international students with parents : From : Year 9
To : Year 13
Years of entry for international students without parents : From : Year 9
To : Year 13
Special programs

Outdoor Ed programmes are designed by request, and extra training for many elite sports can be arranged.  The same goes for music or other performing arts tuition. Camp, Senior Ball, school trips are also available as well as activities local to Waitakere College as well as the surf beaches on the West Coast. Further afield are: Stardome, Rangitoto boat trip and walk; Jet Boats, Treeadventures, Ziplining, Sky Tower Jump or Harbour Bridge Bungy Jump, Auckland Museum, Kelly Tarltons and Goat Island marine attractions, Sheepworld, Zoo, etc., depending on the type of activity that is of interest. Student feedback

Sports

Numerous indoor and outdoor, team and individual sports available at both competitive and social grades. After school clubs, cultural and musical groups thrive. A free homework centre runs after school three days a week, for students needing extra support from subject teachers.

Application process

Students complete the application form, either online via our website. This includes providing school reports, medical information and a letter of introduction written by the student in English explaining their goals and interests. On a few occasions, we will also do a online interview before enrolment.

Features of the local area

Railway station to catch the train
Five minutes walk from school to the railway station to catch the train into the city. Fifteen minutes walk to a large and well resourced shopping mall and West Wave Aquatic Centre, and the Athletics park and Art Gallery. Fifteen to twenty minute car ride to the beautiful Waitakere rainforest and West Coast surf beaches.

Curriculum

NCEA (National Certificate in Educational Achievement, i.e. NZ Curriculum). Students are assessed at regular intervals throughout the year and Level 1, 2, 3 credits accumulated at Achieved, Merit or Excellence standard. See this link for how! Please explore these links: Prospectus and Website.

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