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School system caters for all

WITH few exceptions, all children in New Zealand must attend school from their sixth until their sixteenth birthday.
Over the next few months we will cover this compulsory period of schooling, who is responsible for providing education, the range of schooling options, what students are taught and the arrangements available for students with particular needs.
We will also provide information on the practical matters that parents and caregivers need to know about, from their child's first day at school until their graduation.

Three levels of learning
Compulsory education in New Zealand is divided into primary, intermediate and secondary schooling.
Primary schools are the first level. They cater for children from the age of five years - from entry to school - to the end of Year 6.
Children in Years 7 and 8 may either be in a separate intermediate school or part of a primary, secondary or composite/area school.
Secondary schools usually provide for students from Year 9 until the end of Year 13. Adult students who return to school enter in whichever year the majority of their subjects are in.
Area/composite schools, which are usually based in rural areas, combine primary, intermediate and secondary schooling at one location.
Starting school
A child starting primary school for the first time between July (when the school roll is counted) and December 31 of a school year, and aged between five and six, will be classed as Year 0.
Children who begin school for the first time between January 1 and before the July roll count will be classed as being in Year 1.
Children most commonly start school when they turn five even though schooling is compulsory from age six. Where children start school for the first time after the age of six, they are placed in the same year as other children of the same age.

School system caters for all
While most students in New Zealand attend state-funded schools, parents or caregivers and students have the choice of a number of schooling options.
State schools are co-educational (mixed sexes) at primary and intermediate level but some offer single-sex education at secondary level. Lessons are based on the New Zealand curriculum.
Some state schools offer special programmes for adult students or run community education classes.
Kura kaupapa Maori are state schools where the teaching is in the Maori language (te reo Maori) and is based on Maori culture and values. The curriculum is the same as at other state schools.
Kura kaupapa Maori cater for students from Years 1-8 or Years 1-13. These schools provide ongoing education in te reo Maori, building on from te kohanga reo (Maori language early childhood education centres).
A key goal of kura kaupapa Maori is to produce students who are equally skilled in both Maori and English.
Special schools are state schools that provide education for students with special education needs. The curriculum is the same as at other state schools.
Integrated schools are schools that used to be private and have now become part of the state system. They teach the New Zealand curriculum but keep their own special character (usually a philosophical or religious belief) as part of their school programme.
Integrated schools receive the same Government funding for each student as state schools but their buildings and land are privately owned so they charge attendance dues to meet their property costs.
Designated character schools are state schools that teach the New Zealand curriculum but have been allowed to develop their own set of aims, purposes and objectives to reflect their own particular values.
Independent (or private) schools are governed by their own independent boards but must meet certain standards in order to be registered. Independent schools may be either co-educational or single-sex. They charge fees, but also receive some subsidy funding from the government.
Boarding schools may either be independent or part of a state-funded school. All charge boarding fees.
The Correspondence School (TCS) provides distance learning for more than 20,000 students across New Zealand. Students may live a long way from their nearest school, live overseas, study with TCS for medical reasons or have special education needs.
Secondary students may also enrol in specific subjects if these are not available at their regular school.
The Correspondence School provides over 300 courses from new entrants to adults seeking to continue education at secondary level. They also offer programmes in early childhood and some specialist adult education courses, such as English for speakers of other languages (ESOL).
The school is committed to using information communications technology (ICT) solutions to improve education. TCS is making significant investment in ICT solutions to meet the needs of all present and future students.
Home-based schooling is available for parents and caregivers who want to educate their children at home. Parents and caregivers need to get approval to do so from the Ministry of Education and must educate their children to the standard they would receive at a registered school. Homeschooling parents and caregivers are given an annual grant to help with the cost of learning materials and can choose to purchase teaching services from TCS.
Though the number of homeschooled children in New Zealand has grown considerably in recent years it accounts for only one percent of total school enrolments.

Students with special needs
Special education is the provision of extra assistance, adapted programmes or learning environments, specialised equipment or materials to support children and young people with their learning and help them participate in education.
Students with special education needs include learners with disabilities, learning difficulties, communication or behaviour difficulties, sensory or physical impairments.
There is a number of school settings available to students with special education needs - mainstream classrooms, special schools, special education classes within mainstream schools, to name a few.
A child's parent of caregiver has the right to choose which school their child attends, unless a school has an enrolment scheme in place, approved by the Secretary for Education.
Enrolment schemes cannot be used to exclude children by virtue of their special education needs alone, if a school refuses to enrol a student on this basis they are breaking the law.
A range of support is available to schools to ensure their students access the curriculum and take part in education. For example, all schools receive a grant called the Special Education Grant (SEG) and access school-based resource teachers called Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB).
Schools can also support students, with high or very high needs, or hearing or vision impairments by working with specialists.
Many people in the school community provide special education support - more than 46,000 teachers, principals, specialist teachers, health professionals and Ministry specialists.
Ministry of Education specialists based at offices around the country support children and young people who have the highest educational, social, behavioural and communication needs.
Ministry specialists include speech-language therapists, kaitakawaenga, psychologists, special education advisers, advisers on deaf children, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, early intervention teachers, assistive technology coordinators, district Maori advisers, support workers, team leaders, as well as regional, district and service managers.
Their role is to help coordinate special education services and share skills and expertise by working with the wider education sector, including families, whanau and educators in schools.
The Ministry is aiming to improve special education services over the next few years following the integration of Specialist Education Services (SES) with the Ministry in February 2002.
Overall it is focusing on building better relationships with school staff, specialists, families, whanau, other agencies - and the staff of the wider Ministry - to better coordinate services and make them more responsive.

International students
Overseas students who wish to study at a New Zealand school can get information about fees, courses of study and academic entry requirements from the New Zealand Embassy or High Commission in their home country. They can also apply directly to the school they wish to attend.
Academic entrance requirements and fees are set by individual schools. Some schools allow for annual fees to be paid by instalment.
Schools set their own policies for the enrolment of international students, and not all schools enrol international students.
For those that do, they must sign a Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students, which is administered by the Ministry of Education. The code provides a framework for service delivery for education providers, and their agents. The code includes special provisions for the welfare and accommodation of younger students.
Student Permits and Visas
A foreign student must have a student permit to study in a New Zealand school for three months or longer. The New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) is the government authority responsible for issuing New Zealand entry visas and permits to study in New Zealand.
Information on immigration regulations and requirements is available from New Zealand Embassies and High Commissions overseas. This information is also available from the New Zealand Immigration Service, which has offices in some main city centres in New Zealand and 15 offices in other countries.
Accommodation
Students applying for enrolment from overseas need a written guarantee of suitable accommodation before a student visa can be granted. They must also be able to show that they have enough funds to support them during their stay in New Zealand.
Usually schools offering study places will be able to make homestay arrangements for students, or they may provide hostel or boarding accommodation at the school.