For Schools

Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti arahina ō tātou mahi

Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work

This page has information for school leaders, SENCOs, LSCs and others interested and involved in the planning and organisation of our Cluster.  It also contains guidance on accessing our RTLB service and Learning Support Funding. 

There are many different aspects of the mahi RTLB do in schools, kura, Clusters and Kāhui Āko including:

• mahi supporting mokopuna, their teachers and associated support staff with learning and/or behaviour focussed interventions

• managing the allocation of Learning Support Funding (LSF)

• supporting school staff  with education strategies for Māori students, Pasifika students and students with disabilities

• supporting professional learning and development for teachers, leaders and support staff

• contributing to Gateway assessment processes in collaboration with Health sector groups, Oranga Tamariki, and the MoE 

• conducting bilingual assessments

There is more detailed information about the role of RTLB, professional learning available and other information here:  https://www.nzrtlb.net.nz.  

Guidelines

Requesting RTLB Support 

To make a request for support speak with your Liaison RTLB.  Complete the application form linked from this website at the bottom of this page or the home page.

RTLB support is intended to provide additional ‘next step’ support for those mokopuna not making expected progress or having challenges in learning and/or behaviour.  It comes after teachers have implemented targeted and/or tailored supports and these programmes have not achieved the desired outcomes.  RTLB support can be focussed on learners from Years 0-10. 

Applications should be collaboratively developed with input from class teacher/s, RTLB, whānau, mokopuna themselves and other important stakeholders.  

It is important that applications include:

• observation information specific to the issues being targeted

• diagnostic data - from testing, observation, feedback

• other relevant academic, behavioural and social information

• information about any ‘wider context issues’ that are relevant - e.g. number of schools, teacher experience, levels of support, other agencies and funding involved, whānau knowledge

• specific information about the strategies already tried that have worked and those that have not.

RTLB Supports 

The Liaison RTLB will often conduct initial observations and data gathering to develop an understanding of the current concerns.  This information contributes to liaison meetings.

As a result of a collaborative conversation with the school's Learning Support team, including the classroom teacher, the next steps are identified. For example, the following may be identified as beneficial:

• Further in-school support

• RTLB support for an individual student

• RTLB support for a group of students or class

• RTLB support for a teacher, group of teachers, or team

• RTLB support for whole of school intervention or plan

Learning Support Fund (LSF)

This learning and support fund is calculated for each RTLB Cluster using the roll and the equity index of each school in the cluster. It is managed by the RTLB cluster leadership team. It is used to equitably and innovatively support Years 1-10 students with learning and behaviour difficulties. The assistance may include:

• teacher release time to meet RTLB

• specific resources to support RTLB interventions if not available through our resource library

• support for additional professional development for teachers or support staff

• support for teacher’s aide assistance

The RTLB Service Toolkit states that Learning Support Fund (LSF) "supports interventions developed collaboratively with RTLB, targeting students in Years 0-10. It must be used equitably and can be used innovatively."

Allocation

The allocation of Learning Support Funding:

• is linked to need identified by the RTLB data gathering and planning processes

• occurs in the context of a conversation between RTLB and the school – with an application for LSF coming from that conversation.  This will often occur at planning or review hui.

• is responsive – with regular referral and allocation meetings

• should have clearly identified outcomes and impact expectations

Learning Support funded Interventions

LSF programmes will:

• be based on data gathered 

• be innovative and be mokopuna focussed

• prioritise interventions that up-skill teachers and that minimise reliance on Teacher Aides

• collaboratively set clear and realistic goals

• collect pre and post measures that demonstrate the impact of the intervention

Concerns and Complaints

Should any whānau, teachers or leaders in schools, or others have concerns or wish to make a formal complaint about any aspect of RTLB practice, or individual members of the RTLB team, the following policy and processes will apply:

Key documentation for our Cluster includes: