Hon Lianne Dalziel
Associate Minister of Education
MP for Christchurch East

3 July 2002
Special Education to focus on student support

Improving the way students with special needs are supported is the focus of Labour’s policy vision for Special Education, Lianne Dalziel said today.

“The policy we are announcing today will allow us to continue the work we began in our first term of office. This work was focussed on addressing some of the shortcomings of the SE 2000 policy while at the same time working towards improving students’ access to the support they need,” Lianne Dalziel said.

“Labour’s policy is very much in line with the New Zealand Disability Strategy and focuses on research, ongoing professional development and sharing best practice across all learning environments.

“The direction signalled by this policy announcement is summed up in the desire to see a change in the term ‘Special Education’ to ‘Student Support’. This phrase better reflects the role and purpose of specialist support services and a range of other initiatives, which support students not only within education, but within the context of their whole lives.”

“It also sits well with the development of a Learning Support Network which is the next phase following the disestablishment of SES bringing this core function back within the Ministry of Education and the creation of strong links between education, health and child, youth and family services.

“Labour knows that the solution lies in strengthening relationships between students, their families, schools, teachers and specialist services across government agencies so that all children can achieve their full potential in life,” Lianne Dalziel said.

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