'Alternative' school doomed to close

By LIBBY MIDDLEBROOK education reporter

The country's only alternative school is being forced to close.

Auckland Metropolitan College has fought a five-year battle against education officials to keep its "dare to be different" doors open to students who fail in traditional schools.

But the Herald understands the Government will next week announce the closure of the tiny Mt Eden school following eight damning reports by the Education Review Office.

The latest report, obtained by the Herald, said the state-run school had not improved issues of poor-quality teaching or resolved a major student attendance problem.

More than half the school's 84 students seldom turned up for class and the school had continued to offer a poor timetable of general subjects such as literacy, especially for year 9 and 10 (third and fourth form) students.

In its report, the ERO said it had no faith in the board of trustees to improve any of the school's long-standing problems and has recommended that Education Minister Trevor Mallard exercise his power to shut the school.

Yesterday, about 50 Metropolitan students, parents and former students took to central Auckland streets to protest against the expected closure of the 25-year-old school, which was established in a two-storey Mt Eden home as an alternative education experiment.

Student Kharma Tino said it was the "best school in the world". The 13-year-old despised her former Auckland secondary school and used to skip class daily.

"I go to school every day now. Nobody judges me here, it's like one big family," said Kharma, whose timetable can involve anything from biology to op-shopping for clothing technology classes.

The school's director, Wendy Tighe-Umbers, said the closure would spell the end of a school education for many students, who would not be welcome in traditional schools.

"There's nowhere for many of them to go. We're their safety net."

Ms Tighe-Umbers, who has been leading the school for almost three years, said ERO had not taken into account the school's special character and assessed it as a standard state school, instead of looking at the overall progress students made.

Some students might not achieve academically at Metropolitan but they left the school with high personal self-esteem and went on to succeed.

"Before a student can reach their potential they have to be mentally and physically healthy. We take a holistic approach here."

Ms Tighe-Umbers believed the educational Establishment was suspicious of the alternative school and she disputed ERO's assessment of teacher quality, curriculum delivery and student attendance.

An outside teacher-appraisal consultant, who was at the school this year, had praised seven of the school's teachers and suggested professional development for two others.

ERO had not recognise improvements in management of the school or that much of student learning took place outside the classroom.

"There is not 100 per cent attendance all the time, but the students are 1000 times better than they were at their old schools."

For 25 years Metropolitan has offered a wide range of activities and delivered an education to "non-conformists, liberals, and children with trauma in their backgrounds".

Students are treated as individuals and are invited to take responsibility, along with teachers, for the day-to-day running of the school. Former student Alia De Jaltasyrras said she was not able to express herself until attending Metropolitan for two years in the early 1990s. The 26-year-old teacher is about to open her own catering company.

Ministry of Education officials have called a meeting with Metropolitan College managers on Monday.

Ms Tighe-Umbers expects the report to be released the same day to coincide with a Government statement.