Students requiring learning support

Below are the types of services and aid available for children, students, teachers and schools as part of learning support.

Requirement to be inclusive

Schools are required to be inclusive under the Education and Training Act 2020. This is reinforced by the New Zealand Disability Strategy.

Learning support is available for children and young people:

who are autistic
who are blind or have low vision
identified as deaf and hard of hearing
with speech, language and communication needs
that need extra help when they are being assessed for their NCEA (National Certificate Educational Achievement – Special Assessment Conditions (SAC)
who can’t attend school because they are unwell – Specialist schools
with additional learning needs as they transitioning from school to adult life – National Transition Guidelines for students with additional learning needs
with the highest ongoing levels of need for specialist support – Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS), and
with additional learning needs that require specialised equipment and technology to use in class to increase or improve their ability to learn and participate – Assistive technology.

There are specialist services that support:

Students with a physical disability. The Physical Disability Service works with teachers and schools to help them adapt the environment around the student to meet students’ needs.
Positive behaviour in situations of clear need. The PB4L – Positive Behaviour for Learning helps people throughout our schools and early childhood centres with programmes for individuals, groups, schools, teachers, parents and whānau in more settled environments.
Managing difficult behaviour. The Behaviour services to help schools and students deal with its effect on schools, families and whānau, and communities.
A comprehensive, holistic, youth and family/whānau driven way of responding. The Te Kahu Tōī, Intensive Wraparound Service (IWS) is for when children or youth experience significant challenges in their lives.

Information is provided here for schools about Teacher aide resource funding including funding through:

Schools can request an informal or a formal review of the teacher aide resource allocated to a student or child in the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) or the School High Health Needs Fund (SHHNF) – Request a review of the teacher aide resource for students in ORS or SHHNF.

Resource/specialist teachers provide services to schools and students with learning support needs. These services include:

There are specialist schools for students who have high needs and these can be either:

Day specialist schools for students with high needs (offering specialist teaching).
Residential specialist schools (RSS) (for students with educational needs relating to vision, hearing, and socialisation, behaviour, and learning).
Regional health schools, which supports children who can’t attend school because they are unwell.

To enrol students at these schools, a specialist education agreement (previously known as a section 9 agreement) is required.

These are learning support resources to help schools’ work with students and parents

Last reviewed: 16 May 2024 Has this been useful? Give us your feedback