Student Devices

BYOD (Bring your Own Device) at Kaipara College

Being a smaller, semi-rural school we need to bring the world to our school and provide connectivity with worldwide culture, social, political information. Devices have shown to improve student engagement when coupled with effective teacher pedagogy. Students need to leave school digitally fluent if they are to operate effectively in the workplace in 21st Century and the vast majority of students already bring a device (e.g. laptop) to school for use in class.

BYOD is compulsory for students at all year levels.

Guidelines for selecting a Device

Loan of School Devices:

From 2025 we will no longer offer day loans of student devices, and the onus will be on the student to bring their chromebook to school fully charged and ready to use. Teachers will offer paper copies of work for students who have forgotten their chromebook or forgotten to charge their chromebook overnight.

We will have a small number of long-term loan devices available for students where there is a genuine need.

Security

The school will NOT accept any liability for the security of devices at school. Devices are at school entirely at the student’s risk. There are device lockers available for students to rent at $10 per term. Payment and keys are available from the Student Centre.

Seizure of Devices

Under the Education Act, the College has the power to seize and search any device if the school suspects there is material that is inappropriate, dangerous or harmful to any student or the learning environment.

Mobile Phones

As per legislation introduced in 2024, students may bring mobile phones to school but they must be off and in the student’s bag throughout the day, unless the teacher requires students to use phones for a specific educational purpose. This rule applies at interval and lunchtime too; however, we do grant students a 10-minute window to check their phones at the start of lunchtime but they must come to the Quad to check.

What happens if students are caught using their phone?

If a student is caught using their phone they are sent to the Dean who impounds the phone.

1st incident per term: the phone is impounded and the student collects it after 3pm from the Student Centre Office.

2nd & 3rd incidents onward: caregivers/emergency contacts must pick up the phone from the Front Office. A whānau meeting may be requested.

To ensure the phone goes to the correct individual the following process will be followed:

IMPORTANT: Only caregivers/emergency contacts registered with the school will be able to pick up the impounded phone.
Persons collecting the phone must show ID
Caregivers/emergency contacts collecting phones will be asked to sign to confirm collection on the phone impound ticket.

Timing for Collecting Phones: 8am - 4pm on weekdays. Collection is not possible on weekends.

Can I get an exemption for my student?

There are certain exemptions available on the grounds of health or learning support needs; however applicants must meet very strict criteria and provide robust proof of requirement. To request an exemption, please contact principal@kaipara.school.nz

How can I get in touch with my student in an emergency?

Parents and whānau can support the school by not calling or messaging the students during the school day. If you need an URGENT message given to a student, you can contact the school Student Centre on 09 420 8640 ext 810.

Can I get an exemption for my student?

There are certain exemptions available on the grounds of health or learning support needs; however applicants must meet very strict criteria and provide robust proof of requirement. To request an exemption, please contact principal@kaipara.school.nz

How can I get in touch with my student in an emergency?

Parents and whānau can support the school by not calling or messaging the students during the school day. If you need an URGENT message given to a student, you can contact the school Student Centre on 09 420 8640 ext 810.