Educators call for learning support

Learning support is at breaking point, says a new report from the Aotearoa Educators Collective.

An estimated 15 to 20 percent of the population is neurodivergent, but only six to seven percent of students receive publicly funded learning support. Support ranges from speech language therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists and teacher aides.  

Read the latest print edition of School News online HERE.

The report, titled Beyond Capacity: Learning Support in Crisis details issues with funding systems, bureaucracy and children who cannot access support despite extra needs.  

Māori and Pacific students, rural schools and neurodivergent students were most affected by chronic underfunding, fragmented provision and inconsistent access. 

Dr Sarah Aiono, the report’s author, said schools were concerned about keeping children safe. One principal reported that a student would faint between 16 to 22 times a day, but she did not qualify for high health needs support so there was no funding to help the student during fainting spells.  

“Her teachers and her peers in high school were left to manage every time she fainted,” said Dr Aiono.  

“Teachers and principals are scared they’re going to lose a child to death, that a child is going to die under their care because they cannot provide the supervision to support that child to be safe at school.”  

Children are now presenting with multiple needs, said Dr Aiono, describing it as a “perfect storm. 

“Needs are growing exponentially but the funding is not keeping up and our expertise or availability to specialist support is not available either.”  

New Zealand Principals’ Federation President Leanne Otene had also recently called for more learning support investment, saying that growing numbers of new entrants need additional support with communication and behaviour.  

She said the pandemic was partly to blame as many children had not had early childhood learning due to the lockdowns.  

Dysregulated behaviour and undiagnosed needs are high in children without early childhood education, says Ms Otene.  

“It’s more prevalent in those children who have not had early childhood education, they’ve had no transition at all. 

“Our 5-year-olds are coming to school with oral language so low, we can’t communicate with them. 

“Learning support is the most important and critical issue that principals are dealing with right now. And we are really hoping that this budget, that we see an investment in learning support.” 

The report follows a call from the sector for increased funding for support staff.  

On the morning of Friday 16 May, over 100 support staff professionals, teachers, principals and whānau carried an open letter signed by over 22,000 people to Education Minister Erica Stanford’s office. The letter called for an investment into school staff such as teacher aides, therapists, science technicians, librarians kaiārahi i te reo and administrators. 

Ms Stanford did not meet with the group.  

Teacher aide Jan Monds says “there are not enough teacher aides to give tamariki the support they need, and that’s heartbreaking to see. 

“Many support staff professionals feel undervalued. We want to feel respected and secure in our jobs, but many of us keep seeing our hours cut because of the funding shortfall.” 

Te Manukura | President of NZEI Te Riu Roa, Ripeka Lessels, said the union hopes to see “a meaningful investment in learning support” on Budget day.