School Roll Return Guidelines
Roll return guidelines have been developed to help schools prepare the data needed for the March and July roll returns.
Quick Links
Current Education Circulars..
Historical Roll Return..
Historical SMS Manual..
Related Documents
These guidelines have been prepared to help schools to prepare the data needed for the March and July roll returns. They are designed to help Principals and their administrative staff to ensure that roll returns are completed accurately, whether they use a computerised student management system or complete their returns by hand.
Current Roll Return Guidelines
2009 Roll Return Guidelines:
Primary and Intermediate Schools [MS Word, 729 kb]
Primary and Intermediate Schools [PDF, 316 kb]
2009 Roll Return Guidelines:
Secondary, Composite and Special Schools [MS Word, 1 mb] Secondary, Composite and Special Schools [PDF, 365 kb]
Information Privacy
Information Privacy in Schools [.rtf file, 28 kb]
Using the Web Portal - Submitting your Student Data File Electronically
Portal Instructions [MS Word, 418 kb]
Current Education Circulars
Circular 2009/01 - Eligibility for enrolment in New Zealand schools
This circular is about defining the eligibiity to enrol students in New Zealand schools. It is an updated version of Circular 2007/1 issued in February 2007 and incorporates changes made in July 2007.
Circular 2007/17 - Updated: Auditing of Roll Returns: 1 March and 1 July 2008
This circular is about the requirements schools need to take into account when preparing accurate roll returns for resourcing purposes and the documentation schools need to keep in order to provide a clear audit trail.
Circular 2006/10 - Electronic Attendance Registers
This circular sets out the requirements for all schools using, or intending to use, an electronic attendance management system to manage student attendance and create electronic attendance registers.
Historical Roll Return Guidelines
| Year | School Type | Downloadable version of the guidelines |
| 2008 | Primary and Intermediate Schools | |
| Secondary, Area (Composite) and Special Schools |  PDF [656 kb] Word [993 kb] | |
| 2007 | Primary and Intermediate Schools | |
| Secondary, Area (Composite) and Special Schools | PDF [768 kb] Word [3.19 mb] | |
| 2006 | Primary and Intermediate Schools | |
| Secondary, Area (Composite) and Special Schools |
Historical SMS Manual
| Year | Roll Return Specification Manual |
| 2009 | Version 15.2  Word [904 kb] |
| 2008 | Version 14.3 Word [4.21 mb] |
Related Education Counts Documents
Data Collections: a description of different data collections.
Collection Forms: copies of the forms used to capture information for the data collections.
Guidelines: guidance on the collection and/or use of data collections.
Code Sets: lists of values used to code data items on the data collection forms.