Students with special education needs

Assistive technology

Assistive technology is the specialised equipment and technology that students with special education needs, use in class to participate and learn.

PB4L – Positive Behaviour for Learning

PB4L – Positive Behaviour for Learning is for people throughout our schools and early childhood centres. Its programmes are for individuals, groups, schools, teachers, parents and whānau. Programmes offer tools for supporting positive behaviour in situations of clear need, and in more settled environments.

Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour service

The National Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) service works with kura and kaiako or schools and teachers to find solutions for student learning and behaviour needs.

Behaviour services to help schools, and children and students

Services to support teachers and parents to manage children and students with extreme behaviour needs.

Services to help manage behaviour

Schools high health needs fund (SHHNF)

The School High Health Needs Fund supports students at school and kura who have significant health conditions. The fund pays for a teacher~~teacher’s~~ aide when the student has a high health need and care is needed for more than 6 weeks.

Getting help for students with special needs from the Specialist Teacher Outreach Service

Teachers from the Specialist Teacher Outreach Service (Outreach Service) can travel to schools in their local areas to support students on the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS).

The Physical Disability Service

If a student at school has a physical disability, the Physical Disability Service can help to support them to learn at school.

Day special schools for students with high needs

Day special schools are part of the schooling network in New Zealand and offer specialist teaching to students who have a high level of need.

Residential special schools

Residential special schools - for students with vision, hearing, behavioural and learning needs.

Support for children who are blind or have low vision

Children or students who are blind or have low vision can get support from the Blind and Low Vision Education Network of New Zealand (BLENNZ).

Supporting children who are deaf and hard of hearing

Children who are deaf and hard of hearing can get support from the Ministry’s Advisers on Deaf Children (AoDCs) and Resource Teachers of the Deaf (RTDs).

Regional health schools for children who can’t attend school because they are unwell

If a child is unwell and can’t go to school, then teachers from regional health schools can teach them.

Supporting students with communication needs

The Communication Service employs speech-language therapists who support children with high communication needs in schools.

Intensive Wraparound Service (IWS)

The Intensive Wraparound Service (IWS) is for the small number of students with highly complex, challenging behaviour across several settings – at school, with their family and whānau, and in the community.

Teacher aide resourceTeacher’s Aide Resource funding information

Our process for schools who are receiving teacher~~teacher’s~~ aide resource funding for verified students.

National Transition Guidelines for students with special education needs

Successfully transitioning students with special needs from school to adult life is a focus for special education.

In-Class Support funding for students with special education needs

In-class support funding provides teacher~~teacher’s~~ aide funding to primary or secondary students with high learning needs.

Section 9 agreement for special education services

A section 9 agreement allows students to enrol in a special school or regional health school. It also allows students to enrol outside the legal age in exceptional circumstances. The name ‘section 9’ refers to a part of the Education Act 1989 that deals with special education services.

Special Assessment Conditions (SAC)

To assist schools in preparing applications for SAC, we have prepared some resources that outline the SAC process and tips for preparing an alternative evidence application.

Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS)

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

Managing the Special Education Grant: A handbook for schools

The Special Education Grant provides funding for students with special education needs. All schools receive this grant as part of their operational funding. Use this handbook to help your school to identify and meet the special education needs of your students.

Moderation process for teacher's aide funding — for students in ORS and SHHNF

Special Education is a fund holder for students in the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) and the School High Health Needs Fund (SHHNF). We follow an annual moderation process to decide teacher’s aide funding for students in ORS and SHHNF.

Request a review of teacher’s aide funding – for students in ORS or SHHNF

Schools can request a review of the teacher’s aide resource allocated to a student or child in the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) or the School High Health Needs Fund (SHHNF).

Supporting children and young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is different for everyone who has it.

Our service promise

Every child has the potential to learn and succeed. The adults around them must work well together for this to happen. Our Promise sets out our commitment to make things work well and to provide excellent service.