Schools still struggling to support highest-needs students despite funding overhaul

ORS is a Government programme that provides additional funding and specialist support for students with the highest learning needs. Photo / 123rf

Concerns persist over support for children with the highest learning needs, despite recent funding and system changes aimed at improving delivery.

As of July last year, 12,129 students were receiving Ongoing Resource Scheme (ORS) funding, up 788 on the previous year.

ORS is a Government programme that provides additional funding and specialist support for students with the highest learning needs. It helps ensure they can participate in school alongside other students.

The Ministry of Education said ORS support is made up of several components, including specialist teachers, teacher aide support, consumables and access to specialists, with some elements historically subject to separate funding decisions.

It says strengthening learning support is one of its six key education priorities, backed by almost $750 million from Budget 2025.

Of that, $122.5 million has been directed to ORS, which now operates under a demand-driven funding model designed to ensure all eligible students are supported, with allocations adjusted twice a year.

Figures released to Parliament’s Education Workforce Committee show ORS application processing times have fallen from about 60 days to 35.

However, NZEI says faster approvals do not necessarily mean consistent support in schools.

NZEI member Conor Fraser said ORS is only the starting point for supporting students with high needs.

She said families and schools often hold out hope for support, but verification is only the first step - and workforce shortages are limiting what schools can deliver once funding is approved.

“It’s kind of the beginning of the journey for a kid and their time in education, and having the right team around them is so important.”

“But the specialist staff in learning support haven’t changed significantly.

“It’s the same people providing the service,” she said.

“But they need that team around them to provide ongoing support to help adapt the curriculum and make sure they are in a truly inclusive space.

“And I think that’s where we don’t have the people on the ground to always make that happen for every student in every school.”

Fraser said demand for ORS continues to exceed original expectations, remaining well above 1% of all students for years.

“The last I heard was it’s actually up around 1.7% in the last six months.”

She said access to support for applications also varies widely between schools.

“The challenges [are] when schools don’t have access to someone to support the ORS writing,” she said.

“That can be a challenging position for them.”

Bridget White, Ministry of Education deputy secretary learning support, said the change to the model ensures funding keeps pace with need.

“Budget 2025 has enabled a shift in how ORS is funded, moving from a fixed allocation to a demand-driven model so we can meet the needs of all eligible students,” she said.

White said eligibility rules have not changed.

“There has been no change to ORS criteria. If a student meets one of the nine criteria, they are verified for ORS support,” she said.

Jaime Cunningham is a Christchurch-based reporter with a focus on education, social issues and general news. She joined Newstalk ZB in 2023 after working as a sports reporter at the Christchurch Star.