Regional Health Schools
Regional Health Schools in New Zealand provide a teaching service for students with high health needs. Criteria for access to Regional Health Schools and their locations are on this page.
There are three Regional Health Schools in New Zealand - in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. They provide a teaching service for students with high health needs in their respective regions.
The schools are for students who are in hospital, convalescing at home, or returning back to their usual school. They are also responsible for providing services to students who are:
- chronically ill and cannot attend their regular school for long periods, or
- have a psychiatric illness and live in a health-funded institution, or
- need support as they return to their regular school after a lengthy absence due to medical intervention.
Teachers work with students with high health needs both in hospital and the community reflecting the fact that students now spend less time in hospital and more time at home recuperating.
Criteria
The criteria to access the health schools are:
- ten or more consecutive days absence from school due to high health needs, and/or
- six or more admissions to hospital in one year, and/or
- a total of 40 school days absence because of high health needs.
The teaching of students who don't meet these criteria remains the responsibility of the school in which they are enrolled.
A focus on education
The main priority for the regional health schools is to ensure students with high health needs receive equitable education provision irrespective of the geographical location of the students or where the health services they receive are located.
The schools are required to comply with the National Education Guidelines and deliver adapted programmes that incorporate the New Zealand Curriculum. While the Ministry of Education, Special Education (GSE) recognises that students with high health needs will require an adapted programme, the focus for teachers within the Regional Health Schools is on curriculum rather than health or social needs. Therefore, an Individual Education Programme (IEP) is a requirement for every student enrolled with these schools.
Southern Regional Health School
The Southern Regional Health School is based in Christchurch and serves the South Island, and Chatham and Stewart Islands.
Northern Regional Health School
The Northern Regional Health School is based in Auckland and serves the northern part of the North Island.
Central Regional Health School
The Central Regional Health School is based in Wellington and serves the lower half of the North Island.