Regional health schools
Regional health schools provide teachers to teach children in hospital or at home if they’re unable to go to school because they’re sick.
There are three regional health schools based in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. They teach children from Years 0 to 13.
No matter where a child lives in New Zealand, including rural areas, health school teachers might visit them at home or in hospital. Children remain on the roll of their usual school while receiving support from a health school.
Who can get this support?
Teachers from the health schools can teach a child if they:
- are sick – it might be a physical illness or related to mental health – and cannot go to their usual school for long periods of time, or
- are in a health-funded mental health programme, or
- need support as they return to their usual school after a long time away with illness.
To be considered for support from a regional health school, a child needs to:
- be unable to attend school for 10 or more days in a row because of illness, an ongoing medical condition or accident – they might be in hospital or at home, or
- have been in hospital six times or more in one year, or
- have been, or likely to be, unable to go to school for more than 40 days in one year because of illness, or
- be recuperating or rehabilitating at home after being unwell, or
- have support to return to school after being unwell.
Regional health school support comes on top of any other special education support a child might already get through their school or Special Education, including support from the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme.
Accessing regional health schools
The health school will need a medical certificate from a medical practitioner specialising in the condition, saying what the condition is, how it’s being treated and, most importantly, how the condition and treatment is stopping the child attending school.
Anyone can make a referral to a regional health school. Contact the regional health school nearest you.
Contact details for regional health schools
Northern Health School
The Northern Health School website is based in Auckland and serves the northern part of the North Island.
Central Regional Health School
The Central Regional Health School website is based in Wellington and serves the lower half of the North Island.
Southern Regional Health School
The Southern Regional Health School website is based in Christchurch and serves the South Island.
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