Having sent three of my children through this West Auckland primary school I can vouch for their…read moreamazing attributes. While the principal has changed since we were there and a few new teachers have probably come on board, by all accounts Kaurilands is still a top primary school. We loved the community spirit, we loved the big field, the special events like the annual school fair, the talent quests, sports days and discos. Nothing beats morning jump jam to get your day going with voom! Their big field is an amazing resource with a regenerating wetland adventure play area surrounding the stream. Everyone is super friendly, starting with Jackie at the front office to the librarian, teachers and our favourite caretaker.

This is where both my children spent (and one is still spending) their primary years. It has long…read morehad a reputation as being one of the best schools in the central Auckland suburbs, so much so that house prices, including rentals, in the area are a good hundred dollars more (per week, rental or add three zeros for purchase) than those just over the boundary. All parents in Auckland come up against the bloody school zone dilemma because opinions are like arseholes - everyone has one. In the end I think that you can never know what a school is like for your particular child and family until you try it yourself. Our first few years here were great, although it's important to note that this is a "learning" school for teachers which means there's a good proportion who are just starting out in their careers. This has proved to be a positive and a negative - it just depends on the teacher. After a really great three or so years things things began to slide and choices were being made that many parents were questioning. The outcome of this is that the school is currently under a temporary principal (who seems to be doing a great job under the circumstances) and the hope is that the new permanent principal will start in Term 2 2013. The school community is very much looking forward to this as big decisions regarding the way forward will once again be possible so if you are thinking of this school for your child, keep your ear to ground and see what happens.

I never actually went to Maungawhau, but I had friends who did. They turned out alright. My…read moreintroduction to this place was years after primary school, when I was inducted into the illicit, underground cricket ring that operated out of here. Illicit and underground might be overstating it a bit. Basically we would just play little games of cricket on the courts here in the afternoons sometimes. For a school grounds after hours it's nice how much use it gets. Quite apart from us wrecking our shoulders pretending we know how to bowl, you often see other people throwing balls around, or small children on roller blades and bikes being trailed by weary, obliging parents. This school is a focal point of the community not only because it's a school, with everything that entails, but also because of the space itself and the use people make of it. This is really nice to see, and we're happy to donate several tennis balls to the cause (we've left most of them on the roof, and a couple lodged in that big tree).

This intermediate school is huge and serves as a catchment for at least five primary schools in the…read morearea. When our children moved from primary to intermediate they were the "big kids", dressed in a school uniform for the first time and ready to take up the challenge. Under the guidance of their long serving principal, Terry Hewetson, the school has gained a lot of notoriety from its links with international sister schools and its teaching style. Their auditorium is excellent, and the school embraces technology and communication. They have a morning Cactus Radio Station, run by the children themselves. My kids loved the food technology room (for the yummy treats they made there) and the swimming pool (many an exciting swimming sports day was held here).

There is no special plan for international students with a low language level who enter from the…read moremiddle of the academic year, except to put the child in the classroom until after a long period of mental pressure and self-confidence damage, the child learns the language by himself. The teacher's behavior was very immature towards the new child. The school staff were arrogant and rude and behaved very badly on registration day. I do not recommend it at all. After 3 month my daughter doesnt like school forever

Balmoral School is really two schools; Balmoral Primary and Balmoral Intermediate. They share some…read moreof the resources obviously but are otherwise quite separate from each other. I can't say much about the Primary school other than everyone I know whose children have attended have been very happy with it and I've never heard a bad word said about either the Primary or Intermediate. My daughter is in her first year of Intermediate here and has so far been very happy. It's a small school compared to other central suburb middle schools which is an advantage or disadvantage depending on your thinking. True, the extra-curricular opportunities are not as many as varied as say, ANI, but children are constantly encouraged to bring their ideas for clubs and groups to the principals to be implemented. I like that they study Philosophy for Children which really encourages kids to delve into their own thinking and opinions on things (most recently the controversial Samoa Air price-by-weight decision). Overall, Balmoral Intermediate is about creating independent thinking and personal learning responsibility amongst the pupils, in readiness for the big step of secondary school. I also like that there's a mixture of socio-economic groups amongst the families here which works against the culture of entitlement becoming prevalent at some of our city's more affluent schools. Obviously it's an issue of where you live but I am very pleased with our experience at Balmoral School so far and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is struggling with the decision of where to live based on school zones - an unfortunate reality for parents of school aged children in Auckland, like it or not.