“We really need to figure it out for these kids”.
Kylie Swan has been met with adversity while navigating the education system for her six-year-old non-verbal son Dontae, who has a slew of other conditions including Global Developmental Delay, autism, PDA, ARFID, and another possible condition yet to be diagnosed.
He’s predominantly reliant on sign language, personal cues and a talking device.
The Nelson mother is livid that her son’s application to qualify for Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding was declined in April, stalling Dontae’s progress for Maitai School enrollment after attending Hira Rural Kindergarten since August 2023.
ORS funding from the Ministry of Education (MOE) is designed to support the top one per cent of the highest-needs learners and is currently supporting the top 1.5 per cent of learners.
Kylie says the purpose-built environment that Maitai School espouses with its specialised support staff would be ideal for her son to slowly integrate into a mainstream environment.
She’d spearheaded a whānau-led hui in November 2024 and presented to education professionals including MOE representatives, to recognise Dontae’s deficits and why ORS funding accommodates.
She says “everyone” who attended agreed that this form of funding was appropriate. Kylie says Hira School was a mainstream school she’d flagged as a suitable one for Dontae due to its small roll.
However, she says the principal attended the hui and advised that a specialist school was needed for Dontae. The letter informing Kylie her ORS funding application was unsuccessful was received on 7 April by the MOE early intervention teacher she’d been working with.
Kylie says the eligibility panel informed her that one reason Dontae did not qualify was that he didn’t require aids like handrails, but says she has evidence to show adaptations and modifications were made to Hira Rural Kindergarten because of Dontae.
She has requested an application review and plans to lodge a complaint with the ministry and subsequently with the Ombudsman.
“The system is broken obviously and parents have been settling for the crumbs they’re thrown and sadly are expected to be grateful...not this mama,” she says.
Ministry of Education Acting Hautū (leader) for Te Tai Runga (South) Andrea Williams says while children with neurodivergent or sensory needs may not always qualify for ORS, the ministry is committed to helping them access other support tailored to their strengths and challenges.
She adds, $122.5 million has been allocated to meet increased demand for ORS for students with high and complex needs.
“This includes a structural change to the funding model so every child who is verified for ORS funding receives the support they need,” she says.
“This investment will also increase the number of specialists and teacher aide time to support the more than 1700 additional learners forecast to access ORS over the next four years.”
“The ORS application is based upon an ecological assessment where they focus solely on the points of inclusion and strengthening those points of inclusion to fit these children into a mainstream environment,” Kylie says.
“But they don’t really take into consideration the deficits and the hardships that these kids have.”
Kylie says a mainstream environment for Dontae would currently be perilous because leaving the responsibility of catering to his needs with the principal and new entrant teachers is above and beyond their scope and qualifications.
“It’s unrealistic to expect a new entrant teacher to also have a clinical psychiatrist background and a broad understanding of sensory needs,” she says. “Putting that kind of pressure on a principal is unfair, and also the kids, too.”
Kylie says after the ORS application was declined, the ministry recommended Dontae may be eligible for support through the School High Health Needs Fund (SHHNF), which can provide important assistance in the school setting. However, Kylie says this option would be unsatisfactory for Dontae.
“High Health [funding] does not provide support for cognitive or behavioural needs,” she says.
Kylie is currently educating Dontae at home with a private speech and language therapist and will continue advocating for her son.
