Drop in number of Bay students leaving school at age 15

In 2020 only 86 students in Bay were granted an Early Leaving Exemption. Photo / Getty Images

More 15-year-olds are staying at school, new figures show, and many of those who leave have jobs to go to.

One Bay of Plenty principal says fewer students were leaving school because they wanted the security and predictability of the classroom.

Teenagers who pursued employment were attracted by the opportunities in sectors including labour, horticulture and forestry.

Data released from the Ministry of Education under the Official Information Act reveal 101 students in the Bay of Plenty-Waiariki region were granted an Early Leaving Exemption in 2019 compared to 86 last year.

Children in New Zealand aged 6 to 16 must be enrolled in school but the Ministry says a 15-year-old can get permission to leave early in "exceptional circumstances".

Tauranga Boys' College principal Robert Mangan said exemptions were beneficial to students who were ready to take up employment or further education.

Exemption requests were often initiated by students whose learning needs were not being met in a school setting, he said.

"There are a number of boys who don't need to be here in a time-serving capacity, and there is a level of different maturity at different ages.

Tauranga Boys' College principal Robert Mangan. Photo / NZME

"Some 15-and-a-half-year-olds are ready to be in a workplace.

"Although we try and provide a broad, engaging and rich curriculum, some don't see the relevance."

Mangan said some students that received exemptions were eager to take up "hands-on" roles in the trades.

"It works well with the Ministry of Education, and there are certainly positive outcomes for the young men who embark on this."

He said there had been no significant change in the yearly numbers of students receiving exemptions at the school.

Otūmoetai College deputy principal Jude Brown said early leaving exemptions were a beneficial tool for some students, but it was important to help students gain NCEA literacy and numeracy credits before leaving.

"It is something that needs to be there because school is not for everybody until they're 16.

"The reason they want to go is varied but mainly because they have a path they want to follow and school doesn't seem to be relevant anymore."

Work experience and picking up alternative subjects through correspondence school Te Kura were options suggested to students before applying for an exemption.

"We try to hang on to them for as long as possible," she said.

A higher percentage of male students were granted early leaving exemptions, often taking up apprenticeships and labour jobs, she said.

Rotorua Girls' High School principal Sarah Davis said the drop in Bay of Plenty-Waiariki figures showed schools were "trying to do far more" to support students to stay.

"Staff are trying to keep the girls here, and trying to keep the girls engaged in learning. The fact that those numbers are dropping like they are is ultimately really good news."

She also believed school could have become a "more secure option" for students with the emergence of Covid-19 last year.

Rotorua Girls' High School principal Sarah Davis. Photo / NZME

"In 2020 and 2021, students chose to stay at school because they knew it was a more predictable pathway for them over other things happening outside in the community."

She said numbers were low but most students who left had taken up courses in hospitality, hairdressing and tourism.

"That might be another reason there isn't the same uptake. Those opportunities have decreased in the community as well."

Rotorua Boys' High School principal Chris Grinter said the Ministry of Education granted the school about six exemptions each year.

This number had been "pretty steady" over recent years, and in "virtually all cases" exemptions related to boys who had found employment.

"This is perhaps something that is more common in centres where opportunities in the primary sector are more common, for example, farming, horticulture and forestry."

Ministry of Education operations and integration leader Sean Teddy said carers could request an exemption for their child but not schools.

"The rules are very strict, and it's important that parents have considered and discussed all the other options to help their child stay at school and gain a qualification first."

The rate of exemptions had dropped by about 80 per cent since the process was strengthened in 2006, he said.

"There was a further decrease in 2020, which may be a result of the pandemic."

Common pathways for these students were employment, work experience, alternative education, Te Kura and trades and service academies.

"While we know staying in formal education provides young people with advantages,
some students are facing situations where leaving before they turn 16 is the best option," Teddy said.

The ministry made decisions on exemption applications after discussing the situation with the student's carers and the school.

A plan needed to be in place for students' work or training options, Teddy said.

By the numbers

There were 56 students in the Bay of Plenty-Waiariki region that received an Early Leaving Exemption in 2016. This jumped to 115 in 2018 and dropped down to 101 students in 2019.

In 2020 only 86 students in the region were granted an exemption.

Nationwide figures show 476 students across the country were granted an exemption in 2016, which increased to 762 in 2019.

There were 669 New Zealand students who received an exemption in 2020.

This data was accurate as of October 22 and was subject to change.