Funding for accessibility in schools

Property modification funding is used to improve access at school for a specific reason. Your school or kura can ask us for funding to allow a new student, staff member or frequent school user – like a caregiver – to perform normal activities at school. You can also apply for funding if a current student’s needs change. 
 
Property modification funding is separate from your school's other capital funding – it’s intended for projects that cost more than $2,500. If an alteration or modification will cost less than that, you’ll need to use property maintenance grant funding instead. 

You can use this funding to modify an existing space at your school. You can also use it at other facilities that we own, like technology centres.

We may also fund fixed pool hoists at swimming pools that we own. If the person who needs it moves to a new school, the hoist can be relocated to that school.

You can’t use property modification funding for:

• building new areas beyond your school's space entitlement
• general health and safety work and maintenance that affects everyone, like repairing uneven surfaces
• work that was already planned as part of your 10 Year Property Plan (10YPP)
• work on facilities not owned by the Crown – for example, a community swimming pool that your school uses.

You should apply for funding when you know you have a student who needs modifications enrolling at your school, or if another person needs access to use the school.

You may get information or a referral about this from:

• the person who has accessibility requirements
• an early intervention teacher
• a learning support practitioner
• an occupational therapist or physiotherapist
• parents/caregivers.

If you have any concerns about a person's safety at school, we’ll arrange a 'serious risk' assessment and recommend solutions.

One of our property advisors will visit your school to discuss the modifications you need. They’ll meet with:

• the learning support practitioner or other specialists
• the Principal
• the person who needs the modifications, and
• parents or caregivers.

After that, the learning support practitioner will prepare a property modification report with possible solutions.

If your project is led by the school, your Principal must engage a project manager to develop the solutions, and send a cost estimate to us for approval. If we're leading the project, we’ll work with you to develop these.

Your property advisor will coordinate approvals and the funding allocation for the project.

Once it’s approved, your school or the project manager can tender for contractors to do the work. If you need to get building consent for the work, you’ll need to hire a professional project manager.

Construction should begin no later than 12 months from approval, taking into account building consent and procurement timelines.

Procurement process for school-led property projects

The completed work must meet what was set out in the property modification report. It needs to be signed off by the project manager, your property advisor and the learning support practitioner.

You’ll need to return any unspent funding to us. You may end up with unspent funds if:

• the person who needed the modifications no longer attends your school or does not enroll, or
• the project comes in under budget.

If the situation at your school changes – for example, if someone’s accessibility needs change – we may consider further funding. Talk to your property advisor and learning support practitioner if this is the case.