Speech NZ and Trinity College: information for parents.

EXAM DETAILS

I register the students for the exam they choose to do.

I invoice parents the exam fees.

KEY DATES 2025

Classes in run on Saturdays at your booked time between 1pm and 5pm.

Term 1

Saturday 15th February and runs through to week ten of school term Saturday 5th April.

Term 2

Saturday May 3rd and ends Saturday June 20th

Term 3

Saturday 19th July and ends Saturday September 6th

Additional exam coaching is available to be booked over the October school holidays leading up to the November exams.

Term 4

Saturday 11th November through to Saturday November 28th – within this term there are extra coaching spaces available on Saturday and Sunday leading up to exams.

Years 7 through 13 sitting the November exams are invoiced for the exam entrance and registration fee July 22nd.

I charge the below exam fees for administration:

20$ – This includes payment of fees to the board, exam registration, confirmation of the schedule, distributing exam marks/reports, receiving and distributing certificates and badges.

Speech NZ exam Fees

https://www.speechnz.co.nz/site_files/37991/upload_files/2024-Speech_NZ_Fees.pdf?dl=1

Speech NZ badges cost $12

Terms and conditions

https://www.speechnz.co.nz/examinations

The Syllabus

Speech NZ Flexi Speaking + Performing exams are great choice for students to work towards. 

I teach from year 7 who usually start at grade 2. Students finish the graded exams with Year 13 participants sitting Grade 8.

Note: this can differ slightly by a year depending on the student’s comfort with the syllabus coupled with their existing knowledge and skills.

Speech NZ Flexi students gain skills in both acting, public speaking and impromptu speaking. Learning this range of skills is why the Flexi syllabus is often the most popular.

Flexi Syllabus is below:

https://www.speechnz.co.nz/flexi-speaking-and-performing

Students sit the Flexi exam early in term 4.

Speech NZ offers other syllabi. I currently only teach the Flexi syllabus.

Trinity syllabus

https://www.trinitycollege.com/qualifications/drama

I teach the Acting and the Speech and Drama syllabus.

The due date for exam fees for Trinity November exams is July 22nd.

Trinity College exam fees

https://www.trinitycollege.com/resource?id=8892

Note there are other exam dates that Trinity and Speech NZ offer during the school year however I do not currently teach towards the earlier exams.

Leading up to the exam:

One month before the exam parents and senior students will be informed of their exam date.

2 to 3 weeks prior to the exam if I feel a student requires additional coaching to reach their exam goals I will contact parents.

Students have enough time if attending to their homework for speech and drama (e.g. practice their extempore speaking at home, learning lines) within term time to reach the required standards. I work during term time to fully support every child to pass their exam. However every student has the opportunity to take up additional coaching if it is required.

Additional coaching sessions require separate one off payments of 55$ per half hour or 70$ per hour.

Parents are required to take their child out of school to the exam.

Students are required to have clean copies of their poem, and or acting pieces to give to the examiner and if doing talks – their physical cardboard talk board or lap top for slide presentation, if doing a book discussion – a copy of their book, any visual aids they have decided to use for their talk if doing a talk.

Outcomes:

The student will be given written feedback from the examiner and awarded a grade. The certificates and badges are sent to myself and distributed to students at the start of the following school year/new term of speech and drama.

Terms and Conditions of Kirsty Hamilton coaching and classes – Speech, Drama and Acting:

Health and Safety

Kirsty Hamilton is not liable for any injuries sustained during class time or coaching as all reasonable and practical steps have been and are taken to ensure your child’s safety.

I am First aid trained with an updated First training certification as of 14 November 2024 and valid until 2026. I am also (previously) first aid trained with St Johns.

Parents must inform me of any medical conditions or injuries prior to their child beginning classes and inform me of any medications that must to be on hand if needed.

Contact Details

Parents must provide up to date contact details upon registration and so that their child can be correctly entered into exam classes for assessment in November.

Contact details will not be shared with third parties. Contact details are held securely with myself, your teacher, in Albany, Auckland, 0632. You have the right to update and access these details under the Privacy Act 1993.

Photography and filming or sharing of information.

By enrolling your child in a regular weekly class you consent to photos and or information of in class activities being taken used only for sharing with parents and or for publicity and or promotional purposes for Kirsty Hamilton Speech and Drama, Trinity and Acting coaching.

Registration and enrolment

When you register for weekly classes you are registering for a full year if registering for NZ speech board and or Trinity college exams with me. This is to provide your child with the minimum number of classes to be ready for examinations in November.

However if you need or wish to withdraw please contact me to inform me of this at the end of the school/class term.

All fees are non-refundable once the term and classes have begun.

The minimum number of classes of eight per term excludes public holidays so if your child’s class falls over a holiday that class will be rescheduled to make up the full eight classes.

Invoices are sent to parents 3 weeks prior to the start of each term.

Invoices must be paid prior to the start of the term/classes.

If invoices remain unpaid at the end of the second week of the term you will incur a late fee of 20 dollars/or your child will lose their place in the class as other available time slots will be fully booked by the second week of term.

Refunds are not provided for missed classes whether it be for absences due to personal circumstances, holidaying during term term, accidents, injuries and or illness.

Missed classes are not refunded after the term has started.

Classes in 2025 run on Saturdays at your booked time between 1pm and 5pm.

Term one 2025 begins Saturday 15th February and runs through to week ten of school term Saturday 5th April.

If there is a change to this schedule parents will be informed and the student/child’s classes will be rescheduled to ensure the teaching of eight classes per term is upheld.

Private one off non exam coaching classes for auditions run by direct at flexible times from 5pm weekdays or Sundays by direct contact (email) and by prior arrangement with parents or adults.

Updates to the terms and conditions of classes or private coaching with Kirsty Hamilton

Any changes to these terms and conditions will be made clear by contact with parents prior to the commencement of a new term. I reserve the right to update these terms and conditions at any time.