20 January 2026
Elspeth Baker-Vevers
[FYI request #33094 email]
Official Information Request – ITE Requirements and Teaching Standards
Tēnā koe,
Thank you for your request for information sent on 02 December 2025 requesting information on how
ADHD is recognised within the Councils existing systems.
The Council has considered your request under the Official Information Act and can advise as follows.
1. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Requirements, any teaching council curriculum requirements,
programme approval criteria, standards, or guidance for Initial Teacher Education providers
that refer to ADHS or expectations for supporting learners with ADHD.
The ITE Programme Approval, Monitoring and Review requirements can be found on our website:
ITE
Programme Requirements. Programme design must align with the Standards for the Teaching
Profession and ITE providers are expected to demonstrate to an approval panel how their programme
structure and content wil support student teachers to meet the Standards on graduation. This includes
the standards ‘Learning-focused culture,’ ‘Design for learning,’ and ‘Teaching,’ which emphasise
practices that support individual learner needs, including those with disabilities or learning support
needs.
Please note that the Standards for the Teaching profession have been revised, with phased
implementation underway through 2025 and full implementation from the beginning of 2027. ITE
providers wil submit programme change applications in 2026 to integrate the updated 2026
Standards.
2. Teaching Standards and Professional Expectations, any references to ADHS within any of the
following: Standards for the Teaching Profession, Graduating Teacher Standards, Our Code Our
Standards, Teaching, inclusion or professional responsibility guidance produced by the Council.
As mentioned above, the 2017 Standards for the Teaching Profession state that, under
Learning-
focused culture, teachers must create a learning environment built on respect, inclusion, empathy,
collaboration, and safety. This includes setting high expectations for al learners—particularly those with
disabilities or learning support needs—and fostering an environment where diversity and uniqueness
are valued.
The 2026 Standards for the Teaching Profession explicitly address this and state in Standard 3 and
Standard 5 as below:
• Standard 3: Know the learner and the learning process –“understand the learning process and
the diversity of learners strengths, needs, languages, cultures, identities, and interests.” The
2026 Standards go further and state that teachers must “demonstrate understanding of the
diverse needs of learners - including those associated with neurodivergence, disabilities, and
trauma – and of the learning strategies that can support them, while being wil ing to seek
specialist support where needed.”
• Standard 5: Professional practice – “develop a culture where al learners feel safe, have their
needs met, and are focussed on learning, with appropriate use of equipment and technologies.”
The expectation is that teachers “Focus area 5.1 Support learners to feel safe to participate in
learning and Focus area 5.2 Ensure the learning setting meets diverse need.”
The Standards as wel as the Councils approach to moving towards the Standards 2026 can be found
on our website
The 2017 Standards and
Move to the 2026 Standards
3. Council-led PLD or Professional Capability Guidance, any professional learning or development
materials, workshops, resources or capability-building produced, funded, commissioned or
formally endorsed by the Teaching Council since 2015 that relate to: ADHD awareness,
classroom practice for learners with ADHD broader neurodiversity content that explicitly.
4. Teacher preparedness and competence: Any evaluation reports, research, consultation
feedback, or correspondence (2015-present) relating to teachers’ preparedness or capability to
support learners with ADHD including; research commissioned or carried out by the Council to
support quality teaching competence or professional conduct decisions where ADHD related
misunderstanding, accommodation issues, or unmet learning needs where identified as
relevant factors.
The Council has developed a draft Inclusive Teaching Practice Guide for kaiako | teachers to reflect on
and adapt their practice to ensure their teaching recognises and supports each student in the context
of their unique mix of attributes and skil s. It acknowledges the legal right of al Tamariki to attend their
local early childhood centre, school or kura, and to receive a quality education. It is also intended to
build the capabilities of kaiako and leaders to support al learners to have positive learning
environments and experiences.
While recognising that Tamariki with specific disabilities is likely to need additional support the
frameworks is not focused on the needs of specific disability groups, but on the capabilities teachers
and leaders need to make education accessible to al .
The draft has been tested in the sector and wil be adapted in light of feedback. It has not yet been
shared with the wider teaching workforce and cannot be regarded as a final document.
Further information including the ful draft document is available on our website
Inclusive Practice
Guidance.
Please note that the Council is not a provider of PLD and does not have any PLD materials to ADHD.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this response. Information
about to make a complaint is available
at How to make a complaint | Ombudsman New Zealand.
Nāku noa, nā
Clive Jones
Pou Kaiāwhā | Deputy Chief Executive
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