Children suffering from frequent change of school

Some children change schools so often -- in one case, 13 times in four years -- they are falling behind and have little chance of ever catching up.

Northland primary and secondary school principals say students are being shunted from family member to family member and as far as the schools are concerned have "disappeared off the face of the earth".

Two of the worst cases involve a nine-year-old Hokianga boy who has attended 13 schools and a five-year- old Whangarei boy who has been sent to three schools in a month.

Northland principals say children moving so often struggle with poor numeracy and literacy skills, high truancy rates, behavioural problems and lack social skills.

Poverty and unstable families are said to be behind the frequent moves.

Kaikohe East School principal Chicky Rudkin said some students at her school had left home in the morning not knowing they wouldn't be back at the end of the day.

Several of her 10 and 11-year-old students had attended about six schools.

"There are children here who go to more places than I'll ever go -- Napier, Christchurch, Putaruru," Ms Rudkin said.

She was frustrated with parents or caregivers who moved their children on again when informed their transient children were falling behind.

"It's really sad, there's got to be change at family level."

Dargaville High School principal David Bargh said transient children at his school were always at the "bottom end" of academic achievement levels.

Some of his students have left and come back to the school three times.

"A lot of them are going from one member of the family to another family member and no one person has been designated to look after them.

"Some caregivers don't have huge aspirations for them either...and when things get tough, they (students) will be sent off to another relative," Mr Bargh said.

Northland College principal Boyce Davey said students had "disappeared off the face of the earth" because they were working and hadn't bothered to tell the school.

However, once authorities were contacted about their non-enrolment, students aged under 16 tended to return to school.

Northland College had a huge transient population, Mr Davey said.

He also said Northland was used as a "dumping ground" for naughty children from Auckland who were sent up north to "grandma and granddad".

Leading Northland Maori educator Pita Tipene said children being raised by extended families tended to move around a lot.

"These days they're pushed from pillar to post for no reason."

Mr Tipene said some children's families were poor and moved around looking for seasonal work.

"Sometimes I don't think parents realise they're making it chaotic for their kids. There are more pressing issues on their minds like getting food on the table," Mr Tipene said.

Juliet Yolland, team manager of Whangarei's truancy service, School Attendance Services Whangarei, said there was "absolutely a correlation" between transient children and truancy.

She deals with "highly transient children", including some who have been to seven schools before they turn eight.

"Quite often the ones that are extremely chronic truants have had a transient primary school history," Miss Yolland said.

Ministry of Education rules state that children must be enrolled at a registered school from age six to 16. Education officials are notified after children are absent without notice for around 20 days.

Parents can be fined for not ensuring their children attend school.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)