Today in our series about the neediest children, Elizabeth Binning reports on expulsion and exclusion in schools
Debra Ualesi broke down in tears when teachers told her she was going to be excluded because of her involvement in an afterschool fight with a group of girls while wearing her uniform.
Despite having been in trouble at St Dominic's College before and being given several warnings, she was surprised at being told she had to leave the school for good.
"I was shocked because it's never happened to me before. I cried."
The 14-year-old, who is now in alternative education, is one of about 1500 students who are excluded or expelled in New Zealand each year.
While there are always two sides to every story, Debra, like many teenagers, feels her exclusion was unfair.
"I didn't think it was fair because I got excluded but the other girls didn't."
She does, however, admit to getting into a lot of trouble and says she's not sure what went wrong, but she knows she didn't fit in at high school.
"I just got into a lot of trouble and didn't get along with some of the kids," she said.
The problems started in year 9.
"I wagged some classes and had fights with other girls. I didn't get along with some of the teachers."
After being excluded - students under the age of 16 can't be expelled and are instead excluded and sent to another high school - Debra interviewed at Kelston Girls.
"They said they would only accept me if I would go on a course for term one and they would see how my behaviour goes."
That course was alternative education, and it is going well. So well she's keen to stay on and work towards NCEA credits so she can eventually become an author.
"We do the same work, we start to learn stuff but the teachers make sure we are all safe and we get along ... At St Dominic's we were in a big group and we got easily distracted."
In her smaller, alternative education class, where she studies correspondence, Debra admits to having disagreements with other girls but it's different.
"We don't fight over it and we keep our opinions to ourselves."
"I think I want to stay on here because I have gotten along with the girls and the teachers as well. I really like it here."
SEEKING ANSWERS
Saturday: Alternative education.
Teens in Third World schooling
When the mainstream model doesn't fit
A far better alternative to dropping out
Monday: Truancy and dropouts.
School dropout levels fall over past 10 years
Tuesday: Issues of transience.
Message sinking in: switching schools bad for kids
Absenteeism often cry for help
Transient students struggle to catch up
Wednesday: Who kicks kids out?
Second chance works well for student
Expulsion seen as tool of last resort
Aorere strives to improve record
Thursday: What can be done?
Help for those who fall through cracks
Trust moves in well before students get out of control
Schools can't do it all on their own
