The group met five times, he says, with the school providing extra funds and receiving a grant from Toi Foundation to employ a teacher for the programme.
“The programme doesn’t receive enough funding to hire a teacher. We decided having a teacher for the group was the best way forward. We sought funding and reworked a few things so we could hire one. Stacey Seyb is the teacher, and we also have a person to give student support as well. Both Stacey and our student support have been amazing with the students and providing them with the support they need to succeed.”
Stratford High’s programme is aimed at students who are 13 to 15 years old. Last year, they had 14 students in the programme. Since the school took over the programme last year, Cam says the students’ attendance has increased significantly.
“The attendance ranged from 100 per cent to around 50 per cent. The students with the lower attendance rate have either transitioned to employment, Te Kura homeschooling, relocated, or had issues relating to Covid-19.”
The students work on achieving NCEA credits to help set them up for employment. Cam says the group collectively earned 243 NCEA Level 1 credits last year.
“Our only Year 11 student to be enrolled for more than one term achieved NCEA Level 1 with 83 credits. Our other Year 11 students achieved the number and measurement standards for numeracy and the reading and writing standards for literacy. We also had one Year 10 student achieve the writing standard for literacy. Year 9 and 10 rangatahi worked steadily through the Te Kura English and maths programmes alongside the Instant Education unit standards.”
The group worked with a number of groups and organisations for extra support.
“They worked with Tui Ora, Ngāti Maru for weekly te reo Māori and tikanga courses, mentoring through Ngāruahine, Ngāti Ruanui Health programmes, equine therapy, START, Tūtaki for weekly gym sessions and other things, Big Brother Big Sister and Blue Light. They were given opportunities they may not have otherwise received.”
The aim is to enable the students to transition back into school, get employment or move on to further education, and Cam says the 14 students are doing just that.
“Five students have transitioned back to school, six have returned to the alternative education programme, and two have moved on to employment.”
Their success was highlighted at a prize-giving, he says.
“We held a formal end-of-year prize-giving to celebrate the successes of our rangatahi and gave out trophies and certificates for each of our four values, along with an overall attendance award. The four awards were the Kotahitanga award for being a helpful and active team member, the Ngakaupai award for creating a positive future for yourself, the Whanaungatanga award for being respectful to others, and the Tutika award for taking ownership of decisions and actions. We had a lot of people attend to show their support, including whānau, Ngāti Maru, multiple social agencies, and Stratford High School.”
Cam says he hopes to build on the success from last year’s programme and support this year’s alternative education students.
“We want the best for all our students, and this programme is a way we can care for, nurture, and teach our students who don’t fit mainstream education.”
