Learning Support: What Is It?

When might my child need Learning Support?

1 in 5 children and young people need some kind of extra support for their learning.

Your child may need extra support if they have needs that are affecting their learning or participation in everyday life such as:

developmental delays with talking, walking or playing with others
hearing or vision difficulties
difficulties with learning, communicating or getting along with others
emotional or behavioural difficulty

What kind of extra support is available through Learning Support?

Everyday learning environments, such as an early learning service or school offer many opportunities for your child to learn. If teachers recognise that your child has learning support needs then you and your child may benefit from:

an individual learning plan or programme developed with you and the learning team, to build your child's skills
additional specialist support – to work with you, teachers and other staff to change everyday learning contexts to support your child's learning and participation alongside their peers
special equipment to support your child's learning

Incredible Years Programme

The Incredible Years Parent Programme provides you with specific skills to build on your relationships with your child. These skills encourage your child's play, language, learning and social development. The Ministry of Education and other contracted providers run the programme for parents of children aged 3 to 8 years.

Will there be any cost for Learning Support services?

Learning Support services are Government-funded and are provided free to schools and early learning services.

You may be asked to provide information to help your child's teacher make an application for the following 2 types of funding:

the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) see Learning Support when your child has significant needs [1]
the School High Health Needs Fund and regional health schools (see Learning Support when your child has high health needs [2])

References:

Learning Support Action Plan 2019–2025, Ministry of Education.

Acknowledgements:

Starship Foundation and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand acknowledge the cooperation of the Ministry of Education in making this content available to parents/caregivers and families.

External links and downloads (see the online version for more information at other websites)

Learning support needs (Ministry of Education) [3]

See the Ministry of Education's website for information about the School High Health Needs Fund [4] and regional health schools [5].

Incredible Years Programme - Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI) [6]

[7]Incredible Years Parent is a 14-session programme for parents of children aged 3–8, which provides parents with skills to better manage children with behavioural problems, creating a home environment that is conducive to positive social and educational outcomes.

Special education services and support (Ministry of Education) [8]

[9]

See the following for parents and caregivers:

information about services and support in special education for children at school - a 20 page booklet (2010) (PDF, 2.73MB) [9]

Starting school (Ministry of Education) [10]

[11]

A booklet (2010) (PDF, 5.51MB) [11] to help your child get off to a good start at school if they have special education needs. It outlines what to look for when choosing a school and explains your choices and rights. It explains how your child can be supported at school so they can join in and learn alongside other children their age. Content includes the following:

what can I expect?
which school is right for my child?
moving from early intervention services to school
choosing a school
getting ready
moving from kōhanga
working in partnership
how special education works at school
when things go wrong or don't feel right
changing schools
preparing for secondary school
information for refugee and migrant families
information available to teachers

Going to secondary school (Ministry of Education) [12]

[13]

A booklet (2013) (PDF, 1.80MB) [13] about helping your child prepare for secondary school if they have special education needs. Content includes the following:

what happens to the services and support your child currently receives?
starting secondary school - what to expect
start planning 12-18 months ahead
choices of school - what to look for when choosing a secondary school
preparing your child
support people at secondary school
preparing to leave secondary school

Preparing to leave school (Ministry of Education) [14]

[15]

A booklet (2011) (PDF 1.29MB) [15] for parents of young people with special needs. It anticipates some of the planning and support that needs to be put in place to help the transition from school go as smoothly as possible. Content includes the following:

start planning early
some tips
support for moving into tertiary education
support for moving into employment
summary of support available
housing options and support
support from Government agencies
support for you as parents
help with advocacy
budgeting support
community service providers

The Ministry of Education contact details [16]

If you'd like more information, contact your local Ministry of Education office.

This page last reviewed 05 August 2020.
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