News & Events

Understandably, an ongoing pain point for parents is understanding what services Ko Taku Reo can offer their child. Many of these services have eligibility criteria. We want to explain these services for parents and stakeholders, including their funding by the Ministry of Education.

The Ministry of Education fund all schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. Each year, the school receives a Resource Notice that outlines what staffing, funding and services they will offer, and outlines the specific reporting outcomes.

As we are a Specialist Residential School, our funding aligns with the Learning Support Delivery Model. In this model for learning support across Aotearoa New Zealand, the range of services we are funded to deliver can fit into one of three groups:

1. Universal services - available for all learners serviced by the school
2. Targeted services - available for some learners who need targeted support (there are criteria for who can receive a targeted service)
3. Tailored services - available for some learners who need tailored options (there are criteria for who can receive a tailored service)

This can be seen here in this visual:

Ko Taku Reo receives funding for universal, targeted and tailored services, which are limited. If a service is targeted or tailored, then the funding, criteria, reporting requirements and outcomes for students are more detailed. You can see from the Ministry of Education model for learning support that universal services are expected to cover most children requiring learning support.

Universal Services Ko Taku Reo is funded to deliver the following:

• Assistive technology
• resource development (NZSL resources to support learning for all Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners)
• Indirect service - DHH learners in mainstream receiving advice and guidance

Targeted services Ko Taku Reo is funded to deliver or support:

• NZSL@School
• Early Involvement services (Early Years Whānau Centre, Preschool)
• NZSL Immersion Hubs (Day Schools, playgroups)
• Short-term Immersion courses (Deaf Youth Hui, Preschool Residential Courses, Assessment visits)
• Interim Targeted Service - learners in mainstream needing a targeted service for a period of time, linked to specific outcomes
• Virtual Learning

Tailored services Ko Taku Reo is funded to deliver:

• Enrolled School bilingual provisions
• Residential (Auckland and Christchurch)
• Direct service - learners in mainstream receiving Resource Teacher of the Deaf hours
• Specialist services - students in Enrolled School receiving specialist support (Speech and Language Therapists, other para-professionals)

Ko Taku Reo continues to advocate for increased services (such as NZSL for all DHH learners as a right), criteria changes and funding each year in our collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

We realise that many of our services are targeted or tailored, and we aim to be clear and transparent with what this means. Please check our website to find out more information about how to access these services.

We are currently undertaking a project as part of our Annual Implementation Plan, which aims to provide parents with more clarity on student pathways. Please keep an eye out for updates on our website around this work.