The Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes
The Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes (ORRS) provide resources for a very small group of school 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.
The ORRS are additional to staffing allocations and operational grants paid to schools for every student in New Zealand. The Schemes' resources are primarily to provide specialist assistance to meet students' special education needs.
Any student who meets the criteria is included in one of the schemes. About 7000 students receive this assistance at any one time.
There are two Schemes: the RRS and the ORS.
Reviewable Resourcing Scheme (RRS)
This scheme is for students who meet the criteria at the time of application and where 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, provided they are enrolled in a school, and for three more years. This is the Reviewable period.
Students are placed in the scheme at the High or Very High level. A small number of students with changing needs may move within the RRS from the High to Very High level (or vice versa) at the end of the Reviewable period.
Schools should use the resource most intensively at the beginning with a gradual reduction over the Reviewable period. As a result of these 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.
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. Information in the application must confirm the certainty of this decision. They remain in the ORS until they leave school.
Eligibility
Students are eligible when they meet at least one of nine criteria.
To meet the criteria they must have significant educational needs that arise from either
extreme or severe difficulty with any of the following:
a) learning
b) hearing
c) vision
d) mobility
e) language use and social communication,
or moderate to high difficulty with learning combined with any two of:
a) hearing
b) vision
c) mobility
d) language use and social communication.
Some students require intervention from specialists and specialist teachers to adapt the content of the New Zealand Curriculum because of their rate and/or style of learning.
Other students only gain access to the curriculum through having equipment/technology (e.g. hearing aids) and/or specialised teaching strategies (e.g. signing).
A few students require an adapted curriculum, equipment, technology and special teaching strategies.
Verification levels
ORRS has two verification levels:
a) Very High and
b) High including Combined Moderate Ongoing Needs.
Appropriate applications
Applications are appropriate for children and students with the highest special education needs who are:
a) in transition to school from an early intervention programme
b) 5 - 6 years old with little or no involvement in early childhood education
c) identified with a significant increase in their level of needs
d) recent or intending immigrants to New Zealand.
The application form can be downloaded from the Ministry of Education web page called ORRS Applications. Applications usually take three weeks to process from the time they arrive at the Ministry of Education's National Office. All verification decisions are notified in writing.
ORRS resources
The total pool of ORRS funding is used to purchase:
a) specialist and therapist expertise
b) additional teaching
c) paraprofessional support
d) consumable items (e.g. tapes, disposable gloves).
These are in addition to other school funding.
Managing the resources
The total pool of resources is managed by the Ministry of Education: Special Education (formerly Group Special Education/GSE and Special Education Service/SES). They delegate resource management to approved schools.
Management involves the allocation of specialist and therapist time, paraprofessional support and grants for consumable items on the basis of individual needs identified through an Individual Education Plan (IEP) process.
Additional teaching time is allocated directly to schools.
For detailed information about managing ORRS resources, please refer to Using ORRS Resources - A Guide for Parents and Teachers on the Ministry of Education web site.
Other resources
Students with special education needs who do not meet the criteria for ORRS will be eligible for other resources. The Ministry of Education has various publications with details of these, for example, Special Education Services. You can obtain a copy by phoning your local office of the Ministry of Education: Special Education or the Special Education Information line 0800 622 222.
The ORRS Guidelines are revised and reprinted. The criteria do not change.
Contacts
telephone (04) 463 8408 or 0800 622 222 (ORRS option)
facsimile (04) 463 8409
email manager.eligibility@minedu.govt.nz
or write to
Margaret Parkin
Manager Eligibility
Ministry of Education
PO Box 1666
Wellington.
(updated March 2008)
