An exclusion is the formal removal of a student under the age of 16 from school, and there is a legal requirement that they are enrolled in education. An expulsion is the formal removal of a student over 16, and the student is not required to enrol elsewhere but may be supported to do so. In 2023, 104 students were expelled, higher than 98 in 2022 but lower than 143 in 2019.
”Schools don’t really want to do stand-downs and suspensions - they are the highest-order discipline interventions you can engage in. It really is linked to the behaviour students are presenting with,” Couillault said.
At the secondary school level, students who were significantly disrupted through Covid when they were in intermediate school, or about to enter it, seem to be lacking some behaviours, as they did not have the opportunity to learn positive social behaviours as they moved into adolescence, he said.
”The behaviours that we’re seeing in the secondary space, particularly Year 9 and 10 students in the past couple of years, has increased in quantum and increased in its acuteness.”
Couillault believes societally, there needs to be a look at what community support is available for students behaving at that level, as they often have a raft of issues that may stem from mental health concerns, poverty or neglect.
The data follows research from the Education Review Office that found disruptive behaviour in New Zealand classrooms is worse than in other countries and a rapidly growing problem.
A quarter of principals told the ERO they see students harm others and damage or take property at least every day. Three-quarters of teachers reported disruptive behaviour impacting students’ progress.
Shannon Johnstone is a journalist at Newstalk ZB based in Auckland covering education and general news. She joined Newstalk ZB in 2021 and previously worked at Hawke’s Bay Today.
