Failure dogs pupils who swap schools

By LIBBY MIDDLEBROOK education reporter

Hundreds of primary school pupils are failing because they switch schools too often - in some cases five times a year.

Principals say children from poor families are set up to fail because their parents shunt them through too many schools.

The problem mostly affects cities, where families may be more likely to move around seeking work or to avoid being caught for benefit fraud or overdue rent.

Six South Auckland principals the Herald spoke to said families had become more transient, causing children to fall behind.

Manurewa East Primary principal Phil Palfrey said it was the number one problem affecting learning at primary schools. Seventy per cent of transient pupils were thought to fail.

Mr Palfrey, a member of the Auckland Primary Principals Association, said he had spoken to at least 50 principals from a wide range of schools who had complained of the "horrendous problem," especially in low-income areas.

Manurewa East has had 129 new enrolments since the start of the year. But during that time 80 students have left the school, which has a roll of 260.

Papatoetoe South Primary principal David Dawson said a 6-year-old pupil had attended eight schools in the past two years.

Other students were enrolled for as little as two weeks, before their parents withdrew them, often without warning.

The Ministry of Education has no way of tracking the students, leaving teachers to phone around schools in search of them.

"The turnover of students is phenomenal, and the number of transient kids is increasing," said Mr Dawson. "How can children catch an education if they're always on the move?"

He said transient students made up most of the pupils in special education programmes. In a survey completed at his school last year, 68 per cent of students in reading recovery programmes had attended more than one primary school.

The survey of 523 students also found that 38 per cent of students at the school had been enrolled at more than one primary school, with three attending more than 10 schools during their primary years.

Mr Dawson said parents often gave no reason for withdrawing children, although shifting to find work was a common factor.

He believed that other parents moved to avoid outstanding rent or being caught for benefit fraud.

"We've got children coming and going every week; sometimes they just disappear and we've got no way of tracking them."

The principal of Kingsford School in Mangere East, Rex Buckley, said a pupil's academic progress was hindered each time he or she changed schools.

The move affected learning continuity and the ability to socialise with fellow students.

The high turnover of pupils also affected staff, who had to spend more time processing enrolments and settling new entrants in.

Three other South Auckland primary schools the Herald spoke to also complained of the problem. Finlayson Park principal Shirley Maihi, spokeswoman for the Manurewa Principals Association, said 25 schools in the area were affected.

Families with children aged 5 to 7 were the most likely to be transient, especially those who lived in caravan parks.

"This is the most important thing that's hindering a child's progress at school. Quite often these children turn up with huge learning disabilities because of the constant breaks in their attendance."

Dr Gina Priestley, a University of Auckland lecturer in developmental psychology, said changing schools could have a limited impact, as long as the students were well supported by their families.

But moving children more than once a year could affect their ability to make friends, and disrupted their academic progress.

Mr Palfrey called on the Government to start a national campaign to educate parents about the effect of changing schools.

"These parents haven't got the foggiest idea of the impact it's having on the kids."

Education Minister Trevor Mallard said the Government was aware of the problem. However, he had anecdotal evidence that the return to income-related rents for state houses had improved the situation.