‘At risk’ students need support

Students with serious conduct problems need the same level of support as those with special needs, a new report says.

The report by NZCER (New Zealand Council for Educational Research) surveys ‘at risk’ youth in alternative education and shows schools need more resources to support these students.

Backgrounds of Students in Alternative Education: Interviews with a selection of the 2008 cohort is based on one-to-one interviews with 50 students at alternative education centres around the country.

It identifies the need for smaller class sizes, more funding to support troubled students and an increase in alternative education places and funding.

PPTA president Kate Gainsford said the report acknowledged that alternative education students had a range of complex factors at play – including family, school, neighbourhood, social and economic issues.

Many of the students interviewed reported violence, drug and alcohol use at home - and nearly a third had experienced life in or around gangs.

“Because of their family backgrounds… it seemed to us that these students have high and specific needs on a par with students who have special needs for physical and cognitive disabilities,” the report says.

Ms Gainsford said the report was “an excellent example of student voice”, which highlighted many of the issues schools faced when dealing with these students.

“It echoes PPTA’s calls for considerably more resourcing – for schools and social services – to support students with conduct problems, and their families,” she said.

The report stressed the importance of alternative education facilities’ ability to work with other social agencies and Kate would like to see a similar approach in schools.

“A number of students have serious issues to deal with before they even hit the classroom. Secondary teachers are simply not equipped to cope with that alone,” Ms Gainsford said.

The students reported that they particularly liked the small class sizes and one-to-one help alternative education provided. In contrast they found secondary school class sizes and timetables destabilising.

“We applaud the paper’s focus on the importance of this and the need for adequate resourcing to support it,” Ms Gainsford said.