How Special Education works

Schools provide support for the majority of children with special education needs. The Government funds schools directly to provide this support. If a child has high or very high needs, a school can then call on additional support from Special Education. This could be additional funding or help from specialists.

High/very high needs or moderate needs refer to how much help a child will need to join in and learn alongside their peers.

The types of support for children with high/very high needs:

1. If a child has high or very high needs, Special Education directly funds a higher level of support for them through a range of schemes or services. The Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) provides support for children with severe needs or multiple needs. This scheme provides support for additional teachers, teachers’ aides, specialists and items a child might need in the classroom. 
2. The Communication Service provides support for children who have difficulties with talking, listening and understanding language. 
3. The Severe Behaviour Service provides support for children experiencing severe behaviour difficulties. 
4. The School High Health Needs Fund provides a teacher’s aide for a child with a medical condition that requires special care in order for them to be able to attend school safely. More details about this fund.

The types of support for children with moderate needs

1. Except for the small number of children with high needs, funding goes to schools to provide support for children with special education needs.
2. Classroom teachers are the most important resource available to help children learn. They might be supported at school by a Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) who can work with parents and a child’s teacher to develop a suitable programme for a child.
3. Classroom teachers might also be supported by resource teachers or other services and support the school buys through its Special Education Grant.

The Special Education Grant (SEG)

All schools receive an operations grant to provide for all the children in their school. In addition, schools receive a Special Education Grant (SEG) to support children with special education needs. The amount each school receives is based on how many children it has and its decile ranking. Schools have flexibility over how they spend their Special Education Grant, based on the needs of the children in their school. Schools might use their grant for:

• resources and materials
• training for teachers on issues relevant to children with special education needs
• extra services. Extra services are those provided by psychologists, behaviour consultants, physiotherapists and other specialists. They could include specialist advice or might be more ‘hands-on’ such as help with teaching and running training seminars
• additional teacher or teacher’s aide time.

Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLBs)

Groups or ‘clusters’ of schools can call on Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLBs). RTLBs are trained teachers who work with children experiencing learning or behaviour difficulties. They might provide a classroom teacher with special teaching strategies, they might introduce class or school-wide programmes or they might work directly with a child or with small groups of children.

1. Vision support - For children who are blind or have low vision, schools can call on specialist teachers called Resource Teachers: Vision. The Blind and Low Vision Education Network of New Zealand (BLENNZ), also has its campus in Auckland and provides outreach services to schools across New Zealand.
2. Hearing support - For children who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, schools can call on Resource Teachers: Deaf or advisers on deaf children to work with teachers and the child. Two deaf education centres (Kelston and van Asch) also have campuses in Auckland and Christchurch and provide outreach services to schools across New Zealand.
3. The Physical Disability service - Schools can access the Physical Disability service through Special Education. Physiotherapists and occupational therapists provide support for children with a physical disability who are not receiving support through the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme.

What if I think my child needs help?

If you think your child needs extra support, or you’re concerned about their progress, you can talk to:

• your child’s teacher (early childhood education or school)
• their school principal or head teacher
• the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO), if the school has one
• someone in your local Ministry of Education office
• your doctor
• your iwi health authority
• public health nurse.

These people can recognise if your child needs extra support. This might involve someone:

• talking with you, your family/whānau and others who might care for your child
• asking you about your observations of your child and their developmental history
• observing your child in different places
• talking with your child
• carrying out formal tests
• looking at your child’s ability to learn what’s being taught
• looking at the learning environment and at who can support them
• looking at how your child learns, for example, do they work better when information or instructions are written or spoken
• looking through your child’s drawings or work
• looking at any records your child’s teacher has kept about their activities and learning
• asking you about other information you have from health specialists that might be helpful.

Through some of the above you will be able to find out whether your child needs:

• different styles of teaching to help them learn
• help from a specialist
• special equipment to help them learn, see, hear or to help them move around.

Once you know what your child’s learning needs are, there is a range of services and support available, depending on how much support they need to help them learn.

If your child has moderate needs the school will support them in a range of ways using school-based funding and services. Your school can also access resource teachers for behaviour and learning, hearing and vision, or the Ministry of Education’s Physical Disability Service.

If your child has high needs they might receive additional support from the Ministry of Education through a range of schemes and services:

• Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS)
• School High Health Needs Fund
• Severe Behaviour Service
• Communication Service.

The terms ‘moderate’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ needs are special education terms. These words are only used to describe how much help your child will need to join in and learn alongside the children in their class.
Your child might receive help from a speech-language therapist, psychologist, occupational therapist or physiotherapist, special education advisor, kaitakawaenga/Māori advisor, or an adviser on deaf children.

If your child has high needs, you might also be able to get help from the Ministry with transport to school, extra equipment and with modifying school buildings.

Assistive technology

Assistive technology helps children with disabilities to do things they cannot do, or to do them better. It is sometimes called ‘specialised equipment’ or ‘assistive equipment’. It can include technology devices such as computer hardware and software as well as vision equipment, specialised seating, tables and hearing devices. Assistive technology helps children with disabilities to do things they cannot usually do, or to do them better. It is sometimes called ‘specialised equipment’ or ‘assistive equipment’. It can include technology devices, such as computer hardware and software as well as vision equipment, specialised seating, tables and hearing devices.

The Ministry of Education’s assistive technology services include:

• advice, support and information on assistive technology products
• an assistive technology assessment framework to help teams support students
• advice and support for schools and specialists who undertake assistive technology assessments
• funding of assistive technology devices for individual students (to meet there learning needs)

Assistive technology guidelines
These guidelines are designed to support schools and specialists to provide quality Assistive Technology services to students


Assistive technology forms
This page provides links to download a variety of assistive technology forms


Assistive technology application examples
The exemplars in this section provide models for various components of the assistive technology service


Assistive technology equipment protocols
The Ministry of Education has protocols with both the Ministry of Health and the Accident Compensation Commission for the provision services.


Assistive technology factsheets
Assistive techology factsheets providing answers to questions about assistive technology including eligibility, insurance and repairs, school transfers, leaving school, community of support, classroom and curriculum adaption. For schools and parents


Centre for Assistive Technology (CAT) and CAT newsletters
General information about Centre for Assistive Technology (CAT) and the CAT biannual newsletters.

Behaviour

Support for individual children experiencing behaviour difficulties. Support for schools to manage crisis situations related to behaviour. Programmes available to schools, teachers and parents to promote positive behaviour in children.

Support for a child who is blind or has low vision

Support for children at school / kura who are blind or have a vision impairment.

Communication

Support available to children at school / kura who have speech and/or language difficulties.

Support for child who is Deaf or hearing impaired

Support for children at school/kura who are deaf or have a hearing impairment.

Early Intervention service

Support available to children who have a developmental or learning delay, a disability, a behaviour difficulty or a communication difficulty and haven’t yet started school.

Individual Education Plans (IEP)

Successfully using Individual Education Plans (IEP) to support children with special education needs.

The Physical Disability service

Support for children at school / kura with physical disabilities.

Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS)

The Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) provides support for children with the highest level of special education need to join in and learn alongside other children at school.

Regional health schools

Support for children in hospital or who are unable to go to school / kura because they’re sick.

Intensive Wraparound Service

The IWS is a mixed model of intensive support for a small number of children with highly complex learning and behaviour needs.

Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour

Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) provides support within schools, for children with learning and behaviour needs.

School High Health Needs Fund

Support available to children at school / kura who have a significant health condition.

School property modifications

Schools can apply for funding from the Ministry of Education to change school property to cater for a child’s physical needs.

Specialist service providers

Contact details for specialist service providers and lists of the schools who receive services from them.

School transport

Support for children who need assistance to get to and from the nearest school / kura able to meet their needs.

Special schools

List of special and residential schools available in New Zealand.

Teacher’s aide

How a teacher’s aide work.

Traumatic incidents

Support for schools in preparing for and managing traumatic incidents.

What help is there for young offenders to get back into education?

This page has information on education assessments and the Youth Offending Strategy.

Where else can I get information?

This page provides links to organisations that may be able to provide information and support for families of children with special education needs

Specialist Teacher Outreach Service

Support available to students who are enrolled in their local school and funded through the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme.

Section 9 agreements - Parents

Section 9 agreements, for special education, allows a child or young person to receive special education services and enrol into a school. This covers what they are, when it's needed, and what needs to be considered.

Section 9 agreements - Schools

Section 9 agreement, for special education, for schools that enables a child or young person to enrol at a school.