Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

Education for all
Labour believes that all children and young people, including those with disabilities, should
have access to high quality education that allows them to succeed at school. Ensuring that
children with disabilities are able to receive quality education in an inclusive environment is a
priority for Labour. We believe that all children have the right to be included in the general
education system and to receive the individual support they require.
Schools and early childhood centres need to have the leadership, policies, structures and
skilled staff to be inclusive of all students and to ensure the best outcomes for children with
disabilities.
Individual Education Plans are developed with students with disabilities and their whānau.
They outline the student's goals and the timeframes, teaching strategies, resources,
monitoring and evaluation required to enable the student to meet those goals. Individual
Education Plans are an invaluable tool, but often they are written without being backed up by
the support and resourcing necessary to ensure the goals set by the IEPs are actually met.
Labour will increase support for the effective implementation of Individual Education
Plans for students with disabilities.
The physical presence of children with disabilities in schools does not ensure their
participation. For participation to be meaningful and lead to successful educational
outcomes, schools must value diversity and provide a supportive learning environment and
skilled teaching for all children. This means providing education for staff and sometimes
changing attitudes towards children with disabilities.
Labour will ensure that teachers and support staff receive pre-service and in-service
education on teaching children with disabilities to ensure the active participation and
learning of all children.
Giftedness may be unrecognised in children with an adverse impact on their education.
Under Labour, a plan was developed for gifted children, however it has not subsequently
been implemented.
Labour will support better identification and programme adaptation for individuals
who are gifted to meet their individual needs by implementing the plan for gifted
children.
Dealing with challenging behaviour
Challenging behaviour is dealt with most effectively when intervention is early and targeted.
Labour‟s agenda for children – and our focus on ECE, in particular – will mean that each
New Zealand child is given the best possible start to life, and more behavioural problems will
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