School costs

Schools may request payment for costs such as:

• school donations
• computing equipment
• school camps and trips
• attendance dues
• other core education goods and services

Applicants for this type of assistance can include:

• clients (for their dependent children)
• a young person getting Youth Payment or Young Parent Payment or
• the partner of a specified beneficiary who has youth activity obligations and is attending secondary school

Note a sole parent getting Young Parent Payment may be able to get education and employment-related training assistance to meet their additional training costs.

For more information see:

If a client getting Orphans Benefit or Unsupported Childs Benefit applies for school costs, check if they've applied for the School and Year Start-up Payment.

If they have not applied, and the application window is still open, help them make an application.

See:

• School and Year Start-up Payments

If the client did get the School and Year Start-up Payment for the child, establish if the need for school costs have been meet. If not, you can consider the Advance Payment of Benefit if they meet the qualifications.

Note generally receipts are not needed to show how the School and Year Start-up Payment was used.

Advance Payment of Benefit is not available for school donations that are part of the core learning programme (curriculum). This is because donations are voluntary (parents/caregivers have a choice to pay) so they don't meet the immediate and essential needs criteria.

If a client applies for assistance to pay school donations, we should make sure the client understands this cost is voluntary (they have a choice to pay), and let them know the school cannot stop their child being included in all aspects of the curriculum.

For more information see:

Advance Payment of Benefit is not available for school camps, school trips or health camps that are part of the core learning programme (curriculum).

These payments are voluntary (parents/caregivers have a choice to pay) so are not immediate and essential needs.

Costs that are not part of donations (that is, are not voluntary) can still be considered for assistance where the client has an immediate and essential need. These can include (but not limited to) costs for some core goods and services:

• stationery eg exercise books and pads, pens, pencils, computing equipment etc
• subject workbooks eg, Maths, English, Physics
• school/kura uniform (purchased from the uniform shop or second-hand)
• some competitions eg Otago Maths
• attendance dues - only for state-integrated schools or kura
• after-hours/lunchtime/weekend cultural or sports activities
• attending non-curriculum performances eg visiting drama or music groups
• course materials that parents have agreed to purchase eg, a take-home component like a letterbox, item of clothing

Access to devices is a key part of digital learning and is becoming common in schools. Digital technology skills, knowledge and capabilities are necessary for our increasing digital society and economy.

Schools or kura may ask students to bring their own (BYOD) computing equipment, eg an iPad, laptop or tablet.

If the school makes this a requirement, in the first instance they should be supporting those families and students who may not be able to afford them, eg having a school set available for students to use.

Advance assistance for devices can be considered where a parent/caregiver has identified an immediate and essential need for the child to have their own device. This could include (but not limited to):

• a child has a specific learning needs and having their own device supports their learning both at school and at home
• they need specialist software installed eg, voice technology
• the child is taking a specialist subject eg graphics and needs a device with certain specifications
• a child is expected to do extra work after school hours, and this is easiest done on a device

For clients getting Orphans Benefit or Unsupported Childs Benefit see:

State-integrated schools have the same core learning programme (curriculum) as state schools but have their own special character (usually a philosophical or religious belief). Attendance dues cover the property related costs of the school and are compulsory for students attending a state-integrated school or kura.

Advance Payment of Benefit can be considered if the client meets the qualifications.