Saturday school for bad students

Naughty pupils are being sent back to school on weekends.

Saturday odd jobs, combined with good behaviour contracts and detentions are being used as alternatives to suspending students at several Central North Island schools.



Ministry of Education suspension figures for 2005 showed the main reasons for suspensions in the Central North Island were for continual misbehaviour and physical assault.

Rotorua Girls' High School suspended only one pupil in 2005, for "gross misconduct".

Girls' High principal Annette Joyce said in-school programmes helped students instead of simply sending them away.

"We believe that if a student is suspended from our school life it is going to be very difficult for them," she said.

Misbehaving students were placed on a principal's contract which gave them one last chance to stay in school.

The contracts were signed by the students, their families and the school to make sure they improved their behaviour.

"If they don't make a genuine effort to improve then they move on to suspension," Mrs Joyce said.

Between 50 and 60 contracts were issued every year, mainly for physical or verbal abuse or continual misconduct.

"If schools just suspend students, another school has to take them in and it just moves the problem around."

Mrs Joyce said a programme called Te Kotahitanga, aimed at increasing Maori achievement, was also helping to reduce suspension rates.

At John Paul College there were just eight suspensions with most students successfully dealt with through a Saturday detention scheme.

John Paul College principal Patrick Walsh said that before a suspension, students were given a Saturday detention, spending the day doing odd jobs to benefit the school.

He said taking up students' free time worked better than sending them home where they could spend their time playing video games.

"I think it's more productive that the students are doing something worthwhile for the school."

Mr Walsh said the scheme was accepted by students and parents.

The main reasons for suspensions at the school were for fighting and "a couple" for continual misbehaviour.

Girls' High, John Paul College and Rotorua Boys' High School, which had less than five suspensions in 2005, were the only schools in the Central North Island with less than 10 suspensions.

Twenty people were suspended at Rotorua Lakes High School and 45 at Western Heights High School last year.

Most of those suspended at Western Heights High School were for drugs or violence.

Principal Violet Pelham said suspended students returned to school on strict conditions and were given counselling to help improve their behaviour.

"Very seldom do they repeat."