A crunch point in the maths development of some children is Year 4. At this point it becomes obvious they are not only well-below national standards, but they are experiencing such a degree of difficulty in learning maths that they are still working at a Year 1 level or below. This is exemplified by a case study of a student referred to the…

This paper explores Hero Stories, a different narrative approach developed to support a child with autism to gain self-control and allow him to navigate his world as a competent and capable learner. It examines the development and use of "Hero Stories books" as a strategy for assisting a child with autism to cope with stressful situations within…

The "Special Education 2000" initiative (Ministry of Education, 1998) led to the creation of the role of Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB). The role was designed to support inclusion, provide consistent service, and bring about improved outcomes for students with learning and behaviour difficulties and their teachers in…

This paper discusses the Boxall Profile as an assessment and intervention framework designed to support disadvantaged children in mainstream schools. The Boxall Profile was developed in the 1970s in the United Kingdom by Marjorie Boxall to identify children who had come into school unprepared to meet the demands of classroom life and needed…

This paper discusses the use of a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in the context of a Youth Justice Residential school setting in New Zealand (NZ). The school does not currently have a method of screening for educational purposes and, more specifically, key competencies. The use of the SDQ as a tool to support the educational…

This article outlines the use of Gagne's (2008) Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT) as applied to Tongan secondary school students in New Zealand. Two case studies of Tongan young women are shared with a particular emphasis on the influence of catalysts, the chance factor, and developmental processes upon the development of their…

New Zealand is a bicultural nation, founded on the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi by the native Maori and the British Crown. It is also home to people from many countries, cultures and ethnicities. Therefore, culturally-relevant response to crisis events has become a significant aspect of the Ministry of Education's interdisciplinary Traumatic…

This paper is a personal perspective about the disability issues within the Cook Islands. It looks at how the needs of children and adults with disabilities have been addressed over the years and the vision of many people who have worked towards building an inclusive society, starting with mainstreaming in the schools to full inclusion. It…

Ferndale School is a special school catering for students in the Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes (ORRS). We sought to explore how a sense of well-being and belonging for students could be fostered during the lunch break at the base school. Students' need for close supervision during lunch hour meant that staff found it hard to…

An education, industry and community partnership can provide an effective intervention for secondary school age students who are alienated from the education system and are exhibiting challenging, problematic behaviours. This article outlines a Ministry of Education/Special Education (MOE/SE), industry and community partnership that addresses the…