Foster-Bell Paul: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFoster-Bell Paul: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 27 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:4027. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.PAUL FOSTER-BELL (National) to the Minister of Education: How is the Government assisting New Zealand students who need the most support?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Talofa lava Mr Speaker. I was pleased to announce last week as part of Budget 2015 that this Government is investing an extra $62.9 million of operating funding over the next 4 years to better assist children with special education needs to learn and achieve. The funding includes an additional $39.5 million for the ongoing resourcing scheme and $23.3 million for extra in-class teacher-aide support. This represents a significant investment in our most vulnerable students and builds on the increased funding under this National Government. Spending on special education has increased significantly up approximately 26 percent from 2008.Paul Foster-Bell: How many children will benefit from this investment?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The ongoing resourcing scheme supports the children with the highest special education needs. The additional funding in Budget 2015 will provide support for an extra 500 students taking the total number supported by this scheme to approximately 9000. The additional spending for in-class teacher-aide support will benefit approximately 1500 students from years 1 to 13. This extra classroom support will assist teachers to personalise students’ learning to encourage their participation and achievement.Chris Hipkins: Talofa lava Mr Speaker. How are students most in need being catered for when 60 percent of the support for National Certificate of Educational Achievement candidates with special needs is going to students at decile 8 9 and 10 schools—the wealthiest 25 percent of schools—while only 6 percent is going to students in the lowest-decile schools?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The number of approved applications for the special assessment conditions which I believe the member is referring to increased by 42.8 percent in 2014. We are reliant on schools applying and we have made the eligibility criteriamuch simpler for schools to apply since it was introduced by that member’s administration with the burden of bureaucracy and we have seen an increase and 98.4 percent of the applications received were approved. There is still work to be done on helping schools to apply but there is no ceiling on those who do apply.Chris Hipkins: Given the significant growth in the number of students applying for special assessment conditions over the past few years and the knowledge that has existed now for several years that those are predominantly in high-decile schools what is the Government doing to ensure that students with special needs in low-decile schools get access to the same support as students in wealthier areas are getting?Hon HEKIA PARATA: We have made it easier for schools to apply. We have simplified—Chris Hipkins: It’s not working.Hon HEKIA PARATA: Well it is clearly working if the member understood that it has increased significantly in the period that it has been operating.Hon Phil Goff: The lower deciles are missing out.Hon HEKIA PARATA: Well we work with schools. We make it easier but we do not take the choice away from them to use this. And we have had 98.4 percent of the applications approved. Clearly almost 100 percent of applications are approved. There is no ceiling. We are working with schools but schools themselves know which of their kids need the support and therefore schools need to take advantage of the simplified process.