Near 300 Wairarapa pupils stood down

SCRAP: A schoolyard brawl at Lynfield College in 2009.PHOTO/FILE

Misbehaving Wairarapa students were formally disciplined hundreds of times last year, with schoolyard fighting, continual disobedience and verbally assaulting staff the most common offences.

Male students aged 11-15 were the biggest offenders and most likely to be removed from school.

Ministry of Education figures released under the Official Information Act show Wairarapa schools dished out 289 stand downs last year - up from 285 in 2012; 56 suspensions (39 in 2012); and up to 28 permanent exclusions or expulsions (10 in 2012).

Physical assault on other students resulted in the most stand downs last year at 64, while more than 55 were due to vandalism, theft, dangerous behaviour or smoking.

Drugs and continual disobedience were the most common reasons for suspensions.

Serious cases where students were permanently excluded or expelled involved drugs, continual disobedience or other behavioural issues. Seven thousand three hundred and forty-one Wairarapa students were on the school roll last year.

Nationwide, student fighting, continual disobedience and verbally assaulting staff sparked the most stand downs.

Most students were suspended, excluded or expelled due to drugs, or continual disobedience. Students aged 11-15 were the most likely to face formal disciplinary measures with male students the biggest offenders.

Kuranui College principal Geoff Shepherd said while individual schools decided how to best use disciplinary tools, many started with a less formal approach and moved through to serious measures if necessary as a "last resort".

A major assault, drugs, alcohol or serious theft could initiate a "fairly critical" response from a school.

Continual disobedience could include defiance, using disrespectful language, and inability to settle in class.

Mr Shepherd said boys probably featured higher in disciplinary statistics because of the traditionally higher rates of drug use and violence.

However, that had changed in recent years, with female students increasingly likely to experience the same problems.

Some schools favoured a restorative process with meetings involving the offending student, their parent and victims - giving each party a chance to speak and offer solutions.

Ministry of Education deputy secretary Katrina Casey said while some schools faced particular issues from time to time, stand downs and suspensions had decreased "over many years". Disciplinary procedures were not measures of student behaviour, but "measures of a school's reaction to such behaviour".

Last year's figures could not be compared to previous years because student populations changed annually, she said.

Secondary Principals' Association president Tom Parsons said principals now spent "a great deal of time ensuring all students are kept in school".

In the past, school boards had moved quickly to enforce more serious disciplinary measures for "the greater good for the greater number".

However, school boards now went the extra mile to ensure every disciplinary avenue was exhausted before removing someone from school.