Parents' Page

Whanau Group

The Arohanui Whanau Group is a group of Maori families who organise various activities at the school such as the twice year powhiri to welcome new families and staff, hangi for the extended Arohanui community, marae visits, etc. The group always welcomes new members so if you are interested in supporting the school in this way please contact the group coordinator, Shaki Padayatchi (Principal) on shaki@arohanui.school.nz or phone the school office on 838 6696.

 

Services:

Anyone with a disability living in Auckland, under the age of 65yrs can self-refer to Taikura Trust for a free Needs Assessment whereby their eligibility for MOH funded supports is assessed and appropriate services may be co-ordinated.   

Some examples of services:


The NZDSA promotes the interests of people with Down syndrome and their families by:

Taxis

What is Specialised School Transport Assistance (SESTA)?


SESTA is for students aged between 5 and 21 years who have safety and/or mobility needs that prevent them from traveling independently to or from the closest state school, state-integrated school, or other educational settings.


There are two types of support:

1. A vehicle

2. Travel (conveyance) allowance to help families with the cost of transport.  Mileage is calculated at .27 cents per/km (as per IRD guidelines) 


When do I apply for SESTA?


Applications should be submitted at least one full school term before the service is required and whenever there is a change or addition of address, change of school (including a move to or from a satellite class), or a change in circumstances (such as changes in the student’s health, mobility or safety). Change of information applications is reviewed for ongoing eligibility.


Click Apply Now to start your application for Specialised School Transport Assistance. 

https://takueducationnz.force.com/SESTA/s/apply-now


Applications should be completed by the caregiver with the support of the enrolling school. 


We recommend you complete this application with a Chrome browser. (Cellphones do not work) 


SESTA Eligibility


SESTA is provided to support students to get to the closest state school (or state-integrated school, or educational setting) that the student can enroll at unless another school is deemed the “closest” where:



A school that is, or deemed to be, the closest does not mean that a place in a SESTA vehicle is guaranteed. When deciding whether a place in a vehicle will be provided, the Ministry will consider:




Where a student is eligible for SESTA but is not attending the closest school they can enroll at, a conveyance allowance will be provided, and not a place in a vehicle.


Ministry decisions are based on the needs of the student. The Ministry is not able to consider the caregiver’s financial position, hours of work, or other unique circumstances.


Students are eligible for SESTA if they meet all of the following criteria:



Students are not eligible for SESTA if they're:



Safety needs 

Where there is a significant risk of harm or danger to the student, or to others, during the journey to and from school. These may be challenges such as epilepsy, communication, and social skills, understanding, self-management, and decision making. If selected yes on the application for Safety needs, a Safe Travel Plan must be completed and uploaded to the application. 


Mobility Needs 

Where the physical or health-related needs of the student prevent independent travel to and from school or their accessing public transport or a school bus. This may include challenges such as reduced mobility, fatigue, medical conditions, or limited motor skills. I selected yes on the application for Mobility needs, a Safe Travel Plan must be completed and uploaded to the application. 


Safe Travel Plan


A Safe Travel Plan is required when your child’s behaviours pose a risk to themselves or others while on a vehicle service, or their medical, physical, or other conditions mean that they may require assistance during transport. If assistance is required, you and the school will need to fill out a Safe Travel Plan form to support your SESTA application.


You are responsible for letting the Ministry and transport operators know about any changes that may impact the safety of your child or any other person. When changes occur, a new Safe Travel Plan will need to be provided.



Specialist Equipment Funding Form


If your child is eligible for SESTA, you can apply for Specialist Equipment Funding to pay for equipment that is used for transporting your child to and from school.



What happens after you have submitted your application?


When you submit your application, it will be reviewed, completed, and submitted to the Ministry by the school that your child is enrolling at. You can select to receive email updates on your application’s progress.

Your application will be processed within 10 working days. If your application is approved and you have provided an email address to be kept up to date on your students application, you will receive an email from the Ministry, which will include details of the transport provider to contact to arrange pick-up and drop-off times and any other special arrangements for your child.



To check the progress of your SESTA application, contact your enrolling school or email school.transport@education.govt.nz


Roles and Responsibilities

 

To ensure transport assistance operates safely and efficiently for all SESTA students, the following responsibilities and expectations are required of caregivers and schools. For additional information on driver responsibilities, specialist equipment, and changes in student behaviours/needs, please view the fact sheet below.

 

  

Role and responsibility of school staff

    

The SESTA  driver is forbidden to touch any student or leave the vehicle unattended,  therefore school staff has the following responsibilities:


  


Role and responsibility of the Caregiver

  

The following is what may be reasonably expected from caregivers.




Privacy


The personal information on this form is being collected for the purposes of assessing eligibility for SESTA and for reporting and evaluation purposes. The information collected by the Ministry may be used or disclosed by the Ministry only for these purposes.


The information will be used and held by the Ministry under the Privacy Act 2020 (and, where applicable, the Health Information Privacy Code 2020), and you have the right to see the information and ask us to correct it.


Please note that all SESTA vehicles are fitted with internal security cameras. The camera footage is only able to be reviewed by Police, and we require our operators to keep at least the last 168 hours of footage.