Fees Information
School Donations
Riccarton High has opted into the Government-funded donation scheme. This means we do not ask parents for general school donations.
We do sometimes ask for donations towards overnight camps or trips, and the school appreciates any contribution our families/whanau can make. This includes the Year 9 and 10 outdoor education programme run at our school camp Orohaki.
Donations can also be eligible for a tax credit/refund – see the Inland Revenue website for more information.
In April of each year, donation receipts are emailed out to those who made a donation of some kind to the school during that tax year (ending on the 31st of March).
Course Fees
Some subjects – such as Technology – have course fees that are charged for the ‘take home’ portion of the course (items that students make/create that they can take home).
Optional workbooks can be purchased – such as for Maths or Science – and prices vary depending on the type of workbook. Teachers will be in touch with parents if/when workbooks are available. These workbooks are not required for the curriculum but to extend your child’s learning.
The school also charges a non-curricular IT fee. This helps support the IT and infrastructure that provides safe access to the school network (and associated apps or software), computers, etc outside of the classroom.
Other Charges
Extra-curricular activities – such as music, sport, Duke of Edinburgh, kapa haka, or other cultural activities – are on a user pays basis, and parents and students will be informed beforehand of these costs and what they are for.
There is a levy for each sport played ($28 per sport, per season) – this covers travel, some competition registrations, as well as administration and coaching/management support. Larger competitions or tournaments will have separate registration, travel, or accommodation costs.
The school will also charge for non-curricular drama or music activities – such as visiting groups performing at the school, or trips to the theatre or a concert. Those that take place as part of the curriculum will not be charged for. Parents will be informed beforehand of the costs and what they are for.
Students will be charged $2.50 each ($5 per locker for students to share a locker) – for those that wish to have a locker. Students must provide their own secure lock (and remove it at the end of each year).
The school also orders Cando cards for those students who require them (these are bus cards that double as photo IDs). The cards cost approximately $10, and information goes out to parents each year.
Peerswick Magazine
The annual school magazine (Peerswick), which comes out at the end of each year, will be free to all Year 9 and Years 13 students.
A charge of $18 will appear on all Year 10, 11, and 12 students’ accounts. If you wish to purchase a copy of the magazine then please pay the $18 by the end of October and this will be confirmation of your order.
If you don’t wish to purchase a copy then either do not pay the $18 or email us at accounts@riccarton.school.nz and let us know so we can remove the charge.
NZQA
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority no longer charges an NCEA exam fee for years 11 – 13s.
Only international students are required to pay for this.
Damage
From time to time, the school may need to charge families for accidental/intentional damage to school property or equipment by students. Families will be informed of the circumstances of these charges and any costs involved.
Payment of Accounts
The school will email an invoice regularly. Payments can be made at the main office (EFTPOS, credit card, cash) or online.
The school welcomes parents paying by automatic payments over the course of a year to pay school fees (approximately $15 a week will cover most fees for a year, depending on what subjects/activities a student is doing).
Automatic payment forms are available from your bank or arrangements can be set up through online banking. Our bank account for payments is 03-0855-0333900-01. Please include your child’s name and student ID number (it’s on the school invoices) as a reference.
If you are having difficulty with paying school accounts please contact the Executive Officer, Rebecca Nicholson on 03 348 5073 ext 828, 027 357 1287 or email rebecca@riccarton.school.nz