Specialist schools
Learn about access to specialist schools, including day specialist schools, residential specialist schools and regional health schools.
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Enrolling a student in a day specialist school, residential specialist school or regional health school may provide them with an education that best suits their individual needs. For a student to be enrolled, they must meet specific criteria and an application process must be followed.
- Day Specialist Schools for children with high needs
- Residential Specialist Schools (RSS)
- Regional Health Schools
- Further information
Day specialist schools for students with high needs
Day specialist schools offer specialist teaching to students who have a high level of need. They teach students from Years 1-13.
As well as having a base school, many day schools have satellite classes. These classes are in regular schools so students can get the specialist teaching they need in a regular school environment.
Some day specialist schools also have an itinerant teaching service (also called outreach), where a teacher moves between schools to support students. This means that students can be enrolled at their local school and receive specialist teaching support from the specialist school.
Requirements
A Specialist Education Agreement allows students to enrol in a specialist school.
Entering into a Specialist Education Agreement(external link)
Day specialist schools in New Zealand by region
Learn about day specialist schools in your region from this list of websites.
Residential specialist schools (RSS)
Residential specialist schools are for students with educational needs relating to: vision, hearing, and socialisation, behaviour, and learning.
RSS enrolments
All RSS enrolments are made by entering into a Specialist Education Agreement.
Young people can access a RSS enrolment through RSS only access pathway without IWS support.
To find out more about how to access a residential specialist school, contact your local Ministry office.
Schools for students with social, behaviour and/or learning needs
The following three schools are for students:
- aged from 8-15 (Year 3-10)
- who have social, behaviour and/or learning needs that are highly complex and challenging.
These needs impact in home, school and community settings. Local learning support services have been accessed and are unable to meet needs.
| School | Type | Location |
| Westbridge Residential School(external link) | Co-educational | Waitakere City |
| Halswell Residential College(external link) | Co-educational | Christchurch |
| Salisbury School(external link) | For girls | Nelson |
Schools for students who are blind or have low vision
Blind and Low Vision Education Network New Zealand (BLENNZ(external link)) runs a national network with resource centres across the country. It also provides residential placements at Homai. These placements are for students who need residential programmes to support their learning.
Support for students who are blind or who have low vision provides more information about BLENNZ.
Schools for students who are deaf and hard of hearing
Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education New Zealand(external link) provides a national network of services for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. They provide support for these students in their local schools through their Resource Teachers Deaf service. They have residential options, early childhood support and resource centres.
Support for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides more information about Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education.
Regional health schools
If a child is unwell and can’t go to school, then teachers from regional health schools can teach them.
Who regional health schools are for
The schools are for children who are:
- unwell and can’t go to their usual school for a long period (they may have a physical or mental illness)
- in a health-funded mental health programme
- returning to their usual school after being away for a long time and need support.
To get support, a child needs to:
- have missed school for more than 10 days in a row because of illness — they could be at home or in hospital
- have been in hospital six or more times in one year
- have not been to school for more than 40 days in one year because of illness
- be recuperating at home after being unwell
- have been unwell and need support to go back to school.
How regional health schools work
Regional health schools provide teachers for children who are unwell. They can teach children from Years 0-13. There are three regional health schools: one in Auckland, one in Wellington and one in Christchurch.
However, health school teachers can teach a child anywhere in New Zealand. The children stay on the roll of their usual school while they get the support from the health school.
How to get help from a regional health school
You’ll need a medical certificate that says what the child’s condition is, how it’s being treated, and how it’s stopping the child from going to school.
Once you have a certificate, contact the regional health school that’s closest to you:
- The Northern Health School(external link) is based in Auckland and covers the northern part of the North Island.
- The Central Regional Health School(external link) is based in Wellington and covers the lower half of the North Island.
- The Southern Regional Health School(external link) is based in Christchurch and covers the South Island.
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