Alternative school trying to turn young peoples' lives around

From the outside, it doesn't look like a school. There's no school sign, no school gate, and no playground. But sitting in the middle of a semi-industrial area of West Auckland, one alternative education centre is trying to turn around the lives of youngsters who have disengaged from school and who have often run into trouble with the law.

"Since getting out of lockdown, I've never seen this many cases of ramraids and stolen vehicles from our young people," centre leader Damon Ruakere said.

Most of the students are between 13 and 16 years old. Some arrive from mainstream schools that have suspended them, while others are referred by Police and Oranga Tamariki.

Ruakere said many young people are feeling the effects of parents splitting up or losing jobs, or they've had to move homes or have witnessed family violence and substance addiction.

"I pick them up in the mornings and hear on a Monday that 'I haven't eaten since I left the course on Friday', or 'I haven't seen mum and dad for three months'," he said.

Staff also try to get help for students with learning disabilities. "You got fetal alcohol syndrome, you got ADHD, dyslexia and even speech impediments," Ruakere said.

1News spoke to three male students aged 13 and 14 on the condition of anonymity. All of them said they left school after constant fighting and absenteeism.

1News asked one what the fighting was about. "I don't even know," he said. "People come up and ask for a fight, and yeah, we just end up fighting."

Another said, "People talk s***, and you end up getting angry, and you gotta sort it out."

1News asked the third boy about his schoolwork. "Nah, I don't like school," he said. And when asked for an example of what he didn't like, he replied, "Probably, all the writing, eh?"

The group said they were often bored at home and would hang out with other youngsters outside school hours. They formed close bonds. "They're my brothers," said one. "They still are, to this day."

All three said they'd taken part in stealing cars. 1News had the following conversation with one of the students:

"Where would you find the cars?" 1News asked.

"Anywhere. Carparks and stuff."

"How hard were they to steal?" 1News asked.

"Oh, not hard."

"Were you driving?" 1News asked.

"Yeah, I can drive some of the cars."

"But you're thirteen?" 1News asked.

"Yeah."

"How old were you when you learnt to drive?" 1News asked.

"I think eleven."

This same student told 1News he had taken part in ram-raids of dairies. He said he'd steal cigarettes, which he'd sell.

He also said he robbed liquor stores and would either drink or sell the alcohol. He said he could make up to a thousand dollars.

"How much time would it take to earn a thousand dollars?" 1News asked.

"Probably less than a month," the student replied.

"That's a lot of money for a 13-year-old. What would you do with it?" 1News asked.

"Buy clothes and stuff."

To try and help the students, the alternative education centre runs a structured day. Teachers collect each student individually from home. Their classes encompass maths and English but also practical skills like preparing for a job interview. The students are given lunch and driven to physical education classes.

A school nurse assesses their health, and teachers check that students take any prescribed medication - which is usually for ADHD.

Classes are small - usually six or seven - and teachers try to treat them as they would any student.

"We really try to focus on our interactions with the young people," Ruakere said. "A lot of times, what they really need is just to feel respected."

Over a year, the centre might deal with up to 50 students. This year six or seven moved back to a mainstream school, and others were referred to jobs. But success will be measured differently for different students, Ruakere said.

"Some young people come here, and you wouldn't get a word, you wouldn't get a smile, you get disrespected every day. When they leave, they leave with a smile, a handshake, hug, and that's success to us."

In early September, the Government announced its Better Pathways package, with several agencies working with disaffected young people receiving extra funding. The alternative education centre was left out of this funding.

1News asked Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti why this was the case. She replied that the Government "is committed to ensuring Alternative Education is part of an inclusive education system".

"While increasing Alternative Education funding wasn't addressed in the initial tranche of funding for the Better Pathways package, that doesn't mean we won't invest more in the future," she added.