Calculating property space with the School Property Guide

Boards can use the school property guide (SPG) calculator to work out how much space your school needs for both teaching and non-teaching use, based on your student roll.

What the SPG calculator works out

The SPG calculator works out the total net and gross area your school needs, based on your student roll and what you're likely to need for:

  • classroom teaching areas
  • gymnasium teaching areas
  • library areas
  • administration areas
  • resource areas
  • hall/multipurpose areas.

The SPG will give you a total ‘envelope’ of area, with a breakdown for specific parts of the school. You do have some flexibility to decide the best mix and size of area for your school’s needs, as long as you keep within the overall SPG.

The gross area is the area enclosed by all the exterior walls of a building. It includes everything within the building, such as:

  • teaching spaces
  • mezzanines
  • internal partitions
  • corridors
  • toilets
  • lifts
  • stairwells
  • cleaners’ cupboards.

The net area is the usable area within rooms such as:

  • teaching spaces
  • resource rooms
  • administration spaces
  • gyms
  • libraries
  • auditoriums
  • halls
  • multi-purpose spaces.

The net area excludes:

  • corridors 
  • reception areas 
  • cleaners’ cupboards 
  • toilets 
  • foyers. 

These are students learning the curriculum through either level 1 or level 2 Māori immersion.

These are students aged up to 21 years with the highest learning support needs. They get funding under the ORS.

The SPG calculator can work out the separate space generated by your school’s ORS roll. You can use this information to work out how much area should be dedicated for ORS students.

These are students from another school who come to your school for manual technology classes.

You’ll find the SPG in the property portal.

School Property Guide – Education Property Portalopen_in_new 

If you think you have more or less space than you need based on your SPG, contact your property advisor.

Work out your guide to new teaching spaces

You can use the SPG calculator to help work out if your school may need a new teaching space. The SPG will show you if you have:

  • less teaching spaces than you need (a deficiency), or
  • more teaching spaces than you need (a surplus).

Surplus school property

Counting out-of-zone students in your calculations

If your school has an enrolment scheme, out-of-zone students can only be enrolled if:

  • you have surplus space, and
  • all available spaces have been filled by available in-zone (home zone) students.

The same rule applies to the SPG calculation. We normally only approve new teaching spaces for home zone students.

Planning for roll growth

If your school roll is growing and you think it will need more space, talk to an education advisor at your regional Ministry of Education (Ministry) office.

You may be eligible for a new teaching space if your current roll generates a higher number of teaching spaces than you currently have at the school.

The Ministry monitors information about population growth and movement in New Zealand. To work out which schools are likely to need new teaching spaces as their rolls grow, they consider:

  • population growth, decline and movement in your area
  • if your roll growth is sustainable for at least 2 years
  • if there's space in neighbouring schools – the Ministry may suggest you set up an enrolment scheme to help spread local students across the schools in your area.

Schools whose guides indicate they’re eligible for additional teaching space are prioritised nationally against other schools in similar situation. Growth is allocated to those with the highest need.

New space for schools with special programmes

The Ministry will consult with you to set a maximum roll for any special programmes at your school. Students in a special programme:

  • will continue to be out-of-zone students for general purposes
  • can be counted when you're working out your teaching space guide – if you can demonstrate the programmes at your school would not be viable unless students from outside your home zone can attend.

Talk to the team at the Ministry if you think your special programme qualifies for new teaching space funding.

Enrolment schemes – Ministry of Educationopen_in_new

info

Special programmes are defined in Section 10 of the Education and Training Act 2020. They must be approved by the Secretary for Education.

Section 10, Education and Training Act 2020 – New Zealand Legislationopen_in_new