Ongoing Resourcing Scheme Application Guidelines

Purpose of the application

The application should provide a clear and accurate picture of the special education needs.  The information is used to determine whether the needs meet any criterion in the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme.  This process is called verification.

About the forms

Early childhood (available in English and Māori)

Use this form for children before they enrol at school. Children may be making transition visits to a school, but are not officially on a school roll.

Early Intervention use for Very High Needs (English only)

This is a streamlined application process introduced in July 2011. It should be completed by an Early Intervention teacher when the team considers it very obvious that the child has Very High Needs. There are six forms, one for each criterion or sub-criterion at the Very High Needs level. The Early Intervention teacher must select the one form that corresponds with the child’s greatest area of need.

School (available in English and Māori)

Use this form for students enrolled at and attending school.

back to top

Preparing an application

1. An educator completes the appropriate form.
   For a young child with High Needs (or possibly Very High Needs) the educator is:
   • an Early Intervention (EI) teacher or other EI team member, or
   • a registered early childhood teacher.
   For a school student, the educator is usually the class teacher.
   For a young child with a Very High Need, the educator is the Early Intervention teacher.
2. The educator nominates the criteria they consider the child or student meets, and coordinates information from parents, specialists, therapists, teachers and relevant others.
3. The information should be drawn from assessments of the child’s or student’s responses to special interventions over time. These assessments will be the work of professionals involved in an ongoing way with the child or student.
4. We discourage applicants from sending information in the form of test results from assessors who do not know the child or student well (eg, a report based on a one-off intelligence test). The exception is a report from a specialist who may infrequently assess a child’s or student’s hearing, vision or medical condition.
5. Earliest age for applications:
• 4 years 6 months for Early Intervention use for Very High Need (streamlined application process)
• 4 years 8 months for early childhood.

Notification of decision

For successful and unsuccessful early childhood and school applications, the educator and parent/s are notified in writing.

For successful Early Intervention use for Very High Need applications (streamlined application process), the early intervention teacher and parent/s are notified in writing.

For unsuccessful Early Intervention use for Very High Need applications (streamlined application process), the Early Intervention teacher is notified in writing and is responsible for informing parent/s. The early intervention teacher and parent/s may:

1. accept eligibility at the High Needs level, or 
2. make an early childhood application when the child is 4years 8months.

Also in this section

• Previous page Physical Disability Service Application form
• Next page Special Education Grant Guideline