iNet special education study tour to New Zealand

Saturday 16 – Saturday 30 October 2010

Within the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust’s special school network there is great interest in the work of special schools in New Zealand. To support this iNet, the international arm of the SSAT, is running a study tour to New Zealand in October 2010.

The tour will include school visits and a Special Education Leadership Conference hosted by the New Zealand Special Education Principals Association. During the study tour you will:

• Spend time in special schools both in the North and South Islands.
• Visit the country’s first special school to be built in twenty years.
• Attend a seminar and visit the world famous Champion Early Childhood Intervention Centre in Christchurch.
• Attend a conference on Leadership in Special Education which will include presentations from schools and the University of Auckland Leadership Centre.
• Participate in reflection and de-brief sessions with Professor Barry Carpenter who will lead the study tour.

The tour is relevant to headteachers and senior staff in special schools and to experienced consultants / advisors in special education and disability.

The study tour combines visits to special schools and centres throughout New Zealand. By participating in the study tour you will:

• Gain an understanding of the New Zealand education system by direct observation of daily routines in New Zealand special schools.
• Form an appreciation of the leadership challenges for New Zealand special school principals through focused conversations and general discussions.
• Explore the curriculum available to students with special educational needs / disabilities, including the multi-cultural aspects related to Maori and Pacific Island communities.
• Debate with the principal of Wilson School, Auckland (winner of the New Zealand Architecture prize) and consider the design implications of building a new special school in the 21st century.
• Forge links for future comparative leadership learning and collaborative curriculum exchange and development.
• Participate in a seminar on ‘Child Mental Health’ at the world famous Champion Early Childhood Intervention Centre given by Dr Patricia Champion, M.B.E.
• The evenings will be free-time with no programmed activities. There are no formal programmed cultural activities included but suggestions for activities and booking options will be provided. For example, Christchurch hosts the National Symphony Orchestra of New Zealand and the National Museum of New Zealand which charts the history of the Maori culture.

See the full study tour programme

Further information

This study tour is now fully booked. For further information please contact Hannah Warwick on Hannah.Warwick@ssatrust.org.uk or 020 7802 9094.