Teachers hope to establish alternative school
Four Central Coast teachers, including two from Woy Woy, are hoping to establish a new alternative school.
The school would be for school refusers, "our most vulnerable teenagers", said teacher Ms Gab McIntosh of Woy Woy
Ms McIntosh, who was awarded an OAM for her work in education for disadvantaged youth in 2007, said a special kind of a school was needed.
"Struggling teenagers need lots of help with reading and writing, and lots of time for sport or art."
She said they usually had high levels of anxiety and depression due to their poor educational experiences.
Constant assignments, tests and exams were often to blame.
"When they are forced into this type of learning their anxiety and depression issues invariably grow worse," said Ms McIntosh.
"When kids refuse to go to school at all as a result, they are in danger of getting into trouble with the police as they hang around with their mates doing nothing all day.
"For some, it will lead to incarceration and the State tells us indigenous kids have a much higher chance of being locked up.
"Kids can be different from each other.
"Some kids may love the classroom, tests and all the structure but for others it is simply a torture.
"Some will do better with less time in the classroom.
"There should be the freedom to cater for both types."
Ms McIntosh said: "That is why our school wants no tests, exams or assignments.
"It will be the kind of school that really struggling teenagers can thrive in."
Aboriginal teacher Belinda Huntriss, of Woy Woy, is also one of the team.
She said more must be done to ensure schooling is relevant and engaging for aboriginal students.
With many having low attendance rates in mainstream schooling, she said an alternative educational environment could be more tailored for individual students.
Ms McIntosh said: "The amount of paperwork required for a new school is huge and extraordinary complex.
"We have to have extensive documentation on just about everything that could ever go wrong in a school."
She gave examples.
"A risk assessment policy is required, which could easily run to 10 pages.
"We have to have a 20-page financial certificate, which will need professional help, before we begin.
"We will be lucky if we can keep our enrolment form down to 15 pages, as again there are so many mandatory requirements."
Ms McIntosh said an extensive document would be needed from a clinical psychologist which stated that "some students are actually harmed by lots of tests and exams and being in the classroom all the day".
"Fingers crossed we make it and our struggling teenagers on the Coast do get another chance at a school with no exams but lots of art and sport and much help with reading and writing too.
"It will be a miracle if we make it."
SOURCE:
Media release, 2 Mar 2023
Gab McIntosh, Woy Woy