ORRS Guidelines

The Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes

The Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes (ORRS) provide resources for a very small group of students throughout New Zealand who have the highest need for special education. Most of these students have this level of need throughout their school years.

ORRS is additional to the teacher funding and operational grants that are paid to schools for every student in New Zealand. ORRS' resources are primarily to provide specialist assistance to meet students' special education needs.

Any student who meets the criteria is included in the schemes. About 7000 students receive this assistance at any one time.

There are two schemes: the Reviewable Resourcing Scheme and the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme.

Reviewable Resourcing Scheme

This scheme is for students who meet the criteria at the time of application but it is unclear whether their needs will remain at the same level throughout their school years. They receive resources to provide intensive specialist programmes for the year they enter the scheme and for three more school years. This is the Reviewable period.

Students are placed in the scheme at the High or Very High level, and almost all of them exit the scheme after the Reviewable period. A small number of students with changing needs may move from the High to Very High level (or vice versa) at the end of the Reviewable period.

As a result of the intensive specialist programmes it will be clearer in the final year of the Reviewable period whether the student has ongoing needs at the moderate, high or very high level. Students with ongoing High or Very High needs are eligible for the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS). Students with moderate needs can receive other special education resources.

School staff, specialists and parents must decide whether to apply for ORS, or not. If they consider the student will not meet any ORS criteria, they need take no further action and the Reviewable funding will cease at the end of the school year.

If they think the student will meet at least one criterion for ORS, they should apply by the end of Term 2 of the final year of the Reviewable period. The result of the application will be advised early in Term 3 to enable schools and parents to plan a smooth transition from the Reviewable scheme.

Ongoing Resourcing Scheme

This scheme is for students verified with Very High or High needs at the time of application and where it is clear they will continue to require the highest level of specialist support until they leave school. Information in the application must confirm the certainty of this decision.

Eligibility

Students are eligible when they meet at least one of nine criteria. They require intervention from specialists and/or specialist teachers for access to the New Zealand Curriculum, and/or adaptation of curriculum content.

To meet the criteria they must have significant educational needs that arise from either:
extreme or severe difficulty with any of the following:

or moderate to high difficulty combined with learning and two of:

• hearing
• vision
• mobility
• language use and social communication.

Verification levels

ORRS has two verification levels:

• Very High and
• High including Combined Moderate Ongoing Needs.

Appropriate applications

Applications are appropriate for children and students with the highest special education needs who are:

• in transition to school from an early intervention programme
• 5 - 6 years old with little or no involvement in early childhood education
• identified with a significant increase in their level of needs
• recent or intending immigrants to New Zealand.

Next step

Please read the ORRS Criteria (over) in detail before deciding to apply.