ORRS or ORRS funding

This stands for “Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes”. If you are assessed as having high or very high special needs or you have moderate special needs in three or more areas, your needs should be met through the ORRS.

Even though you and your parents think you have high or very high needs, you may be assessed as having moderate needs in only one or two areas. This means your educational needs won’t be met through the ORRS. Your parents can ask for this decision to be reviewed. If it is reviewed and not changed, they can ask for a formal meeting with an “arbitrator” (like a judge) to decide what will happen[9]. You or your family can call one of the agencies listed under “What if I need more help” at the end of this information sheet if they want to know how to do this.

[9] Section 10 Education Act 1989

SEG or SEG grant

This stands for “Special Education Grant”. It is money given to schools to spend on students with special needs, who don’t have ORRS funding. It is meant to be enough to cover all students at the school with low to moderate special needs. However, schools that have a lot of students with special needs have said the SEG isn’t enough to cover every student’s needs. In 2001 the government increased the amount of SEG money available to schools.

Even schools that have no or very few students with special needs receive the SEG money. Therefore your parents can enrol you at a school that doesn’t have other children with special needs if they think it is the best school for you to go to.

Schools must use the SEG to help students with special educational needs; it is not for spending on new library books, for example. Your parents can ask the principal or Board of Trustees to show them the guidelines your school uses to decide how the SEG is spent and details of how the money was spent.