.jpg)
What is The Correspondence School?
The Correspondence School (TCS) offers remote or long distance learning programmes for more than 20,000 students per year across New Zealand. For more information on TCS read
The Correspondence School.
How does The Correspondence School fit into ECE?
The school caters for children from three to five years of age who
- live too far away from any from any other early childhood education services
- can’t attend any other service because they’re ill or have a physical disability that prevents them from doing so or
- frequently shift from one home to another making attending a services difficult
Those children who do receive their ECE through The Correspondence School are also entitled to attend a regular service for up to two sessions per week.
How does it work?
The Correspondence School’s early childhood education teachers support parents, whanau or caregivers by working with them to create a programme specifically suited to their child’s needs.
Parents, whanau or caregivers are provided information and programmes in order to plan play activities and learning experiences for their child. The School also has a wide variety of resources – books, puzzles, educational games, tapes, poster and art materials they can loan.
How do I know if my child qualifies for ECE through The Correspondence School?
Your child can be enrolled in a full-time Early Childhood Education programme at The Correspondence School if they are:
- a New Zealand resident; and
- not enrolled in a primary school or for more than two sessions a week in a licensed and/or chartered ECE service; and
- fit into one of the following enrolment categories and fit the criteria for a gateway.
These are the enrolment Categories and Gateways as provided by the Ministry of Education:
|
Enrolment Category
|
Gateway
|
Entry Criteria
|
| Access |
Geographic isolation |
Child of a rural family whose geographic location prevents attendance at a licensed and/or chartered English language medium ECE service.
The School will establish entry criteria to ensure access by families with the highest level of need based on distance and accessibility.
|
| |
Itinerancy |
Child of a rural family whose itinerancy requires a change of licensed and/or chartered ECE service each school term.
The minimum enrolment period is six months.
Caregivers must provide, at the commencement of each school year, a declaration that they intend to change location at least once per school term and that each change in location will require a change of licensed and/or chartered ECE service.
The Chief Executive Officer of The Correspondence School will review these enrolments six monthly. For this review caregivers will demonstrate that they continue to meet the requirements of this gateway. This can be done through an updated itinerary. |
| |
Referral High health needs |
Child has a long-term illness or medical condition preventing their attending a licensed and/or chartered ECE service.
Caregivers must provide, each year, a medical certificate from a medical practitioner specialising in the condition preventing attendance. |
| |
Special development needs |
Child has special development needs such that no licensed and/or chartered ECE service able to meet their needs is available within a reasonable distance.
Caregivers must provide a Group Special Education report detailing the nature of the child's special development needs and immediate teaching needs. This report will include verification that no locally available service is able to meet the child's special development needs.
|
| Special circumstances |
|
Child does not fit any ECE gateway, however may be admitted by the Chief Executive Officer of the School where:
(a) a sibling has a medical condition such as a bone marrow transplant preventing, for reasons of cross-infection the child attending a licensed and/or chartered ECE service.
(b) the child's caregiver has a medical condition preventing attendance at a licensed and/or chartered ECE service.
|
Information sourced from Ministry Of Education website
www.moe.govt.nz
Priority enrolment will be given to children whose access to ECE is limited by their location, be it rural or geographical isolation.
There is sometimes a need for The Correspondence School to operate a Waiting List, as there are not always vacancies when they are needed. Waiting-listed children will normally be admitted to the School in age order.
Educational books? Find a great selection of popular Books & Authors.
Age: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Years Old
|
|
|
|
|
|
Article
Correspondence ECE by Kylie Valentine, qualified NZ secondary school teacher