A Rotorua school that took a $40,000 swing and provided all students free uniforms and stationery says it has paid off in attendance – and it’s prepared to do the same again. 

Kaitao Intermediate School students each receive one formal uniform, one sports uniform and all stationery. 

The school, which had about 290 enrolments for 2024 and expects that to grow, uses its annual Ministry of Education bulk operational funding to cover the costs, approved by the Board of Trustees. 

School principal Phil Palfrey said providing necessities free meant there was “no reason” students could delay starting school on day one of the term. 

The school introduced what he described at the time as a “radical” change last year to ease financial pressures on parents amid the cost-of-living crisis. It had also hoped to improve attendance and engage students not yet enrolled in school. 

Palfrey said it resulted in an increase in students starting school during the first three weeks of the term. 

“Some children, traditionally in many schools I’ve been in, they sometimes really can’t start their learning until weeks two, three or four, until the parents can come up with the money. Now that is completely gone.” 

With the high cost of living – including food prices rising 6 per cent last year – still putting family budgets under pressure, the school was continuing the funding. 

“We don’t want to have any barriers to learning. For example, some parents might not be able to afford a uniform or might not be able to afford stationery.” 

Kaitao Intermediate School Principal Phil Palfrey with free stationery for all students funded by the school. Photo / Andrew Warner 

• Rising school uniform costs cause major concerns

He said the funding minimised students comparing if “you’re poor or you’re rich” and meant they did not “have to feel embarrassed”. 

Palfrey said some students’ families lived on minimal salaries. 

“[Parents] don’t have to do anything. They just come in, try the uniform and walk away with it.” 

Growing up ‘poor’ in second-hand uniforms 

Kaitao Intermediate School deputy principal Adrian Firmin said the school spent about $40,000 per year funding students’ uniforms and stationery. 

Firmin said this meant the school needed to be “extra frugal” about its spending in other areas but did not have to “sacrifice anything in particular”. 

On a “personal level”, he recalled as a child growing up “poor” in “second-hand uniforms that didn’t fit”. 

Kaitao Intermediate School deputy principal Adrian Firmin. Photo / Stephen Parker 

“I remember how uncomfortable it was showing up at school and just being a little different to everyone else.” 

Firmin said the biggest impact he had noticed last year was the initial interaction between the school and new students was “one that’s positive”. 

“I know what it’s like to send the kids to school at the start of the year and the bills … it does leave a little bit of a sour patch in your gut.” 

He said parents and caregivers would come in with wallets out “ready to drop a big wad of cash”. 

A lot would leave “in disbelief” when they learned uniforms and stationery were covered. 

Back-to-school an ‘expensive time’ 

Rotorua Budget Advisory Service manager Pakanui Tuhura said going back-to-school could “be an expensive time” depending on the situation. 

“The period known as back-to-school can be expensive if children are starting or changing schools or uniforms, new stationery and education equipment.” 

He said public school education fees were not mandatory but there were “other costs and fees that parents feel responsible for to ensure their children participate and enjoy their school lives”. 

Rotorua Budget Advisory Services manager Pakanui Tuhura. Photo / Andrew Warner 

Tuhura said going back to school was a time of “increased stress for working parents” as they shifted from having children at home to needing to arrange a safe routine for their children outside of school hours. 

“Where parents have more than one child attending school the expenses and stress increase. 

“Especially if siblings are attending different schools, everything becomes more complicated.” 

Donations and other costs 

Ministry of Education acting hautū (leader) operations and integration Ray McMillan said schools that opted into its donations scheme “receive funding if they agree not to ask parents and caregivers for donations, except for a donation towards overnight camps”. 

The 2024 funding was $159.51 per student, excluding . The funding had increased $5.38 per student on 2023 due to a 2.5 per cent inflationary increase. 

This was applied to a school’s operational funding. 

McMillan said this relieved “pressure on families to pay requested voluntary school donations” which had benefits for “both students and families”. 

He said schools had discretion over how funding from the donations scheme was used. 

It would be used to “make decisions that reflect the priorities and needs of their school community” which could include contributing towards uniform and stationery costs or other activities such as field trips, additional learning resources or camps. 

The donations scheme had funding to continue in future school years. 

Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.