By REBECCA WALSH education reporter
A parent who challenged Auckland Grammar School's enrolment process believes the move has helped to clarify new enrolment legislation.
Jo Scott said a Ministry of Education directive that the school enrol 14 boys mistakenly offered places at the school did not come as a surprise and she
hoped it would prevent similar mistakes in the future.
But another parent, who did not want to be named, believed the case could be seen as providing a loophole for schools.
A report commissioned by the ministry found that 14 boys living outside the school's enrolment zone were offered places despite their not meeting the new enrolment criteria.
Six students were accepted because of a family relationship. Most were sons of old boys.
The board of trustees had withdrawn the offers, but ministry operations manager Ray Webb said it was unfair to penalise the boys because of a board error.
Ms Scott said she was pleased the situation had been "cleared up."
"I don't think Grammar have come out of it particularly well.
"They could have acted much earlier.
"It wasn't until the Government forced their hand that they did anything about it," she said.
The chairman of the board of trustees, Robert Kirkpatrick, said the board was pleased with the outcome, as it did not disadvantage the boys.
Asked if the school would apologise to the students, he said the school had contacted the families and told them it was looking forward to seeing the boys next year.
Dr Kirkpatrick did not expect similar problems in 2001.
"Next year we are in an extremely different situation.
"We will be going into the year with an established zone and no need, hopefully, to change it at the last moment."
He said Auckland Grammar was still likely to face difficulties next year in establishing whether boys lived within its zone.
