Youngsters lose out under funding shift

Special needs children are being forced into mainstream schooling at the age of five - regardless of their developmental level - because of population-based funding, Special Needs Action Group (Snag) told a parliamentary committee yesterday.

"These children walk into school with no support and are unable to access the curriculum," Jill Hounsell, Snag spokeswoman and Autism New Zealand Nelson-Marlborough branch chairwoman, told the education and science select committee.

"There are 20 to 30 children in a class and that [special needs] child needs some sort of support."

Snag was formed last December to oppose the introduction of the Population-based Funding System, which resulted in a $10,000 drop in funding to the Nelson region. Funding allocated to districts is based on the zero to four-year-old population and led to Group Special Education Nelson being unable to supply enough education support hours for the region, Snag says.

The group that delivers early intervention services decided it could no longer help children over the age of five.

"Funding should be based on the actual number of children with special needs," Mrs Hounsell said.

Schools with special needs children are funded on the number of pupils which meet the criteria of the Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Scheme.

But many special needs children did not qualify, Mrs Hounsell said.

"So we have some schools with large grants with few special needs children and then others with a high number of special needs children with little support."

- NZPA