Learning Support Update

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Learning in New Zealand

In New Zealand the Minister of

Education is in charge of:

the Ministry of Education

learning at school.

The Minister of Education wants

schools to be good places for children

and young people who need learning

support to learn.

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About Learning Support

In August 2016 Special Education

changed its name to Learning Support.

Learning Support wants to do things to

make learning at school better for

children and young people who need

learning support.

Learners are people that go to school or

other education places in New Zealand

to learn things.

Learning Support thinks all learners

need learning goals that are right for

them.

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Learning Support wants to make sure:

all learners at school get the things

they need so they can reach their own

learning goals

money is used to get the things that

learners need to reach their own

learning goals.

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Check and change

There are 4 things to check and change

to make learning in New Zealand better

for children and young people who need

learning support.

The 1st thing to check and change is

Accountability.

Accountability means checking to make

sure everyone and everything is working

the best it can.

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The 2nd thing to check and change is our

Investment decisions.

Investment decisions are what things

the Ministry of Education chooses to

put money into.

We want to make sure we are giving the

right money to the right programmes.

We will be checking these programmes:

the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme

This is also called ORS.

We will be checking to make sure that

learners from 18 to 21 years old are

getting the support they need when

they are leaving school.

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our Communication Services to

make sure learners can get support as

soon as they need it

our Behaviour Services to make sure

the learning support can meet the

needs of everyone.

The 3rd thing to check and change is our

services.

We want to make sure all learners can

get the services that are right for them.

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The 4th thing to check and change is

language.

Language is about changing words that

are barriers to children and young people

who need learning support.

For example not saying “special needs”

and “special education”.

The Ministry of Education will make

sure any changes to learning support put

the needs of learners first.

Any changes to learning support will not

be bad for anyone that gets learning

support now.

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How we found out what changes we

need to make

From March 2016 to May 2016 we

talked to people about what we need to

do to make learning at school better for

children and young people who need

learning support.

We heard about what needs to be done

from:

people that have jobs in education

children and young people who need

learning support

parents of children and young people

who need learning support.

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In 2015 more than 3650 New Zealand

people told us what we need to do to

make learning at school better for

children and young people who need

learning support.

We wrote a report about what people

said.

It is called Findings of Significant

Engagement.

This report says what people told us we

need to do to make learning at school

better for children and young people who

need learning support.

We have put information from the

Findings of Significant Engagement

report in our Action Plan.

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The Update Action Plan says what

things we will do to make learning at

school better for children and young

people who need learning support.

You can see the Findings of Significant

Engagement report on this website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-

education/specific-initiatives/special-

education-update/engagement-findings-

special-education-update/

You can see the Update Action Plan on

this website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Doc

uments/Ministry/Initiatives/special-

education-update/Special-Education-

Update-action-plan-Nov2015.pdf

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When we talked to people they said all

children and young people need to get the

things they need at school so they can

reach their own goals.

People also said that more needs to be

done so children and young people who

need learning support can:

take part

get the things they need to reach their

own goals.

People told us that it is hard for parents and

schools of children and young people who

need learning support to get good support.

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The changes we are going to make will

make schools better for children and young

people who need learning support in New

Zealand:

at all ages - from early childhood to when

people become adults

at all places of education - from early

childhood centres to tertiary places like

Polytechnics.

In July 2016 The Ministry of Education

wrote a Cabinet paper called:

Strengthening Inclusion and

Modernising Learning Support.

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It asked Ministers of Parliament to say

“yes” to the 4 things we need to check

and change:

o Accountability

o Investment decisions

o Services

o Language.

You can see the Cabinet paper on this

website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Doc

uments/Ministry/Initiatives/special-

education-update/Cabinet-Paper-

Strengthening-Inclusion-and-

Modernising-Learning-Support-July-

2016.pdf

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Projects

Local Improvement Projects are projects in

different parts of New Zealand.

Each project is different and fits what students

in that area need.

To find out more about the Local

Improvement Projects we are working on go

to this website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documen

ts/Ministry/Initiatives/special-education-

update/Special-Education-Update-Projects-

Nov2015.pdf

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Many of the Local Improvement Projects are

working to make sure that:

moving from early childhood to school is

easy for learners with disabilities

the education system is easier for parents

to work with

there is good support for early childhood

learners their teachers and parents.

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Support for teachers

The Ministry of Education will keep giving all

teachers what they need to make learning at

school better for children and young people

who need learning support.

Inclusive education is about what to do to

make learning at school better for all learners.

We will keep giving teachers:

information on inclusive education

training on inclusive education.

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Links to other work

The work to make learning at school better for

children and young people who need learning

support links to other work that is being done.

Here is a list of the other work that is being

done:

Education Act Update

To find out more go to this website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-

education/consultations-and-

reviews/recent-consultations-and-

reviews/education-act-update/

Investing in Educational Success

To find out more go to this website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-

education/specific-initiatives/investing-in-

educational-success/

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Communities of Learning

To find out more go to this website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-

education/specific-initiatives/investing-in-

educational-

success/#CosAcrossTheCountry

Funding Review

To find out more go to this website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/news/new-

advisory-group-for-review-of-education-

funding-systems/

Quality Teaching and Learning

To find out more go to this website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-

education/specific-

initiatives/professional-learning-and-

development/

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Inclusive education resources

To find out more go to this website:

http://inclusive.tki.org.nz/

The work to make learning at school better for

children and young people who need learning

support also links to other work to make life in

New Zealand better for all people with

disabilities.

Here is a list of other work being done on this:

Childrens Action Plan Teams

To find out more go to this website:

http://childrensactionplan.govt.nz/children

s-teams/

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NZ Disability Strategy update

To find out more go to this website:

http://jointheconversation.nz/

Investing in Children

To find out more go to this website:

http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-

our-work/work-programmes/investing-in-

children/index.html

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Important dates

From August 2016 to December 2016 lots of

people will be working together to make

learning at school better for children and

young people who need learning support.

By January 2017 the changes to Learning

Support will have started.

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Information on the website

You can find more information on how to

make learning at school better for children and

young people who need learning support on

the Ministry of Education website:

http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-

education/information-releases/learning-

support-previously-special-education-update-

information-release/

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How to contact us

Contact us if you want more information about

the Learning Support Update

Phone: 0800 622 222

Email:

special.education@education.govt.nz

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This information has been translated into Easy Read

by People First New Zealand Inc. Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi

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