Ogilvy: More under-16s allowed to leave school

United Future education spokesman Bernie Ogilvy has revealed a 37 % rise in the past five years in the number of students allowed to drop out of school before they reach the leaving age of 16.

The numbers jumped from 2802 in 1999 to 3842 last year, while just 11 years ago the number of leaving exemptions granted was a mere 314, Mr Ogilvy said.

He pointed out that in 1997, when current Education Minister Trevor Mallard was in Opposition, he had claimed that many of the students being granted exemptions were truants, and said that the then National-led Government was “basically relieving itself of any responsibility for these young people” in allowing so many exemptions.

“We don’t hear much from Mr Mallard on the issue these days as the numbers skyrocket under his watch,” Mr Ogilvy said.

A secondary school principal in Mr Mallard’s own electorate recently claimed that exempted students often quit their job or courses soon afterwards, leading them into crime and drugs, with little or no follow-up from the Ministry of Education.

“And in terms of the numbers dropping out, the argument that some kids just shouldn’t be in school just doesn’t wash. That should be no more the case than it was 10 year ago, and yet the numbers have risen ten-fold.

“What has changed is that behavioural problems are getting more serious, and I am concerned that exemptions are being used to allow rebellious students to quit school.

“Even if these students are moving into trades and the like, they still need qualifications in basic skills such as literacy and numeracy. I can’t see how this can occur if they are allowed to leave school before they have even sat level one NCEA.”

Early Leaving Exemptions

1/01/2003 To 31/12/2003

Breakdown by: School

Ambury Park Centre for Riding Therapy 1

Amuri Area School 1

Aorere College 13

Aotea College 16

Aquinas College 1

Aranui High School 36

Ashburton College 12

Athena Montessori College 1

Auckland Girls' Grammar School 3

Auckland Grammar 2

Avondale College 13

Avonside Girls' High School 6

Awatapu College 22

Bay of Islands College 11

Bayfield High School 19

Birkenhead College 10

Bishop Viard College 2

Blue Mountain College 1

Bream Bay College 6

Broadwood Area School 1

Buller High School 11

Burnside High School 22

Cambridge High School 14

Cambridge Middle School 4

Canterbury Christian College 1

Carey College 1

Carmel College 1

Cashmere High School 42

Catholic Cathedral College 2

Central Hawkes Bay College 6

Central Southland College 6

Christchurch Adventist School 1

Christchurch Boys' High School 4

Christ's College 1

Church College Of New Zealand 1

Collingwood Area School 2

Correspondence School 146

Cromwell College 1

Cullinane College 4

Dannevirke High School 9

Darfield High School 3

Dargaville High School 9

De La Salle College 7

Dilworth School 3

Dunstan High School 4

East Otago High School 3

Edgecumbe College 6

Edgewater College 24

Ellesmere College 2

Epsom Girls' Grammar School 1

Epuni Boys' Home School 1

Fairfield College 39

Feilding High School 13

Felix Donnelly College 2

Flaxmere College 13

Forest View High School 13

Francis Douglas Memorial College 7

Freyberg High School 25

Geraldine High School 3

Gisborne Boys' High School 21

Gisborne Girls' High School 8

Glendowie College 3

Glenfield College 7

Golden Bay High School 7

Gore High School 4

Green Bay High School 35

Greymouth High School 22

Hagley Community College 30

Halswell Residential College 3

Hamilton Boys' High School 10

Hamilton Christian School 1

Hamilton Girls' High School 8

Hamilton's Fraser High School 49

Hastings Boys' High School 10

Hastings Girls' High School 8

Hato Paora College 2

Hato Petera College 4

Hauraki Plains College 8

Havelock North High School 12

Hawera High School 13

Henderson High School 9

Heretaunga College 22

Hillcrest High School 7

Hillmorton High School 10

Hornby High School 13

Horowhenua College 11

Howick College 29

Huntly College 2

Hutt International Boys' School 1

Hutt Valley High School 15

Inangahua College 4

Inglewood High School 8

James Cook High School 52

James Hargest High School 14

John Paul College 2

John Paul II High School 2

Kaiapoi High School 19

Kaikorai Valley College 14

Kaikoura High School 2

Kaipara College 10

Kaitaia College 31

Kamo High School 29

Kapiti College 15

Karamu High School 18

Katikati College 6

Kawerau College 8

Kelston Boys' High School 11

Kelston Girls' High School 7

Kerikeri High School 11

Kings High School (Dunedin) 7

Kingsway School 1

Kuranui College 13

Lincoln High School 18

Lindisfarne College 1

Linwood College 24

Liston College 3

Logan Park High School 8

Long Bay College 19

Longburn Adventist College 1

Lynfield College 18

Lytton High School 28

Macleans College 2

Mahurangi College 10

Mairehau High School 29

Makoura College 12

Mana College 14

Manawatu College 5

Mangakahia Area School 2

Mangakino Area School 2

Mangere College 15

Maniototo Area School 1

Manurewa High School 49

Marcellin College 1

Marian College 2

Marlborough Boys' College 32

Marlborough Girls' College 18

Massey High School 20

Matamata College 17

McAuley High School 1

Melville High School 35

Menzies College 3

Mercury Bay Area School 3

Middleton Grange School 2

Morrinsville College 11

Motueka High School 16

Mountainview High School 18

Mt Albert Grammar School 23

Mt Anglem College 25

Mt Maunganui College 30

Mt Roskill Grammar 6

Naenae College 20

Napier Boys' High School 19

Napier Girls' High School 3

Nayland College 25

Nelson College 19

Nelson College For Girls 5

New Plymouth Boys' High School 18

New Plymouth Girls' High School 6

Newlands College 2

Ngaruawahia High School 8

Ngata Memorial College 2

Northcote College 2

Northern Southland College 2

Northland College 6

Okaihau College 6

Onehunga High School 20

Onewhero Area School 2

Onslow College 1

Opotiki College 14

Opunake High School 8

Orewa College 34

Otago Boys' High School 4

Otago Girls' High School 1

Otahuhu College 39

Otaki College 7

Otamatea High School 4

Otorohanga College 4

Otumoetai College 39

Oxford Area School 5

Paeroa College 4

Pakuranga College 18

Palmerston North Boys' High School 14

Palmerston North Girls' High School 8

Papakura High School 47

Papanui High School 24

Papatoetoe High School 14

Paraparaumu College 22

Patea High School 2

Penrose High School 13

Pinehurst School 1

Piopio College 4

Pleasant Point High School 3

Porirua College 18

Pukekohe High School 22

Putaruru College 1

Putaruru High School 9

Queen Charlotte College 4

Queen Elizabeth College 5

Queens High School 3

Raglan Area School 4

Rai Valley Area School 2

Rangiora High School 15

Rangiora New Life School 1

Rangitahi College 2

Rangitikei College 5

Rangitoto College 11

Rathkeale College 2

Reporoa College 2

Riccarton High School 10

Rodney College 4

Roncalli College 4

Rongotai College 2

Rosehill College 36

Rosmini College 1

Rotorua Boys' High School 20

Rotorua Girls' High School 12

Rotorua Lakes High School 13

Ruapehu College 7

Ruawai College 4

Rudolf Steiner School (Chch) 1

Rutherford College 16

Sacred Heart College (Auckland) 2

Sacred Heart College (Lower Hutt) 2

Sacred Heart College (Napier) 1

Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham) 2

Sacred Heart Girls' College (N Plymouth) 1

Salisbury School (Nelson) 1

Selwyn College 17

Shirley Boys' High School 24

Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate Senior Sch 7

South Otago High School 3

Southern Cross Campus 10

Southland Boys' High School 13

Southland Girls' High School 10

Spotswood College 35

St Andrew's Middle School (Hamilton) 2

St Bedes College 5

St Bernard's College 2

St Dominic's College (Henderson) 1

St John's College (Hastings) 1

St John's College (Hillcrest) 3

St Joseph's Maori Girls' College 1

St Kevins College (Oamaru) 2

St Mary's College (Wellington) 1

St Oran's College 1

St Patrick's College (Silverstream) 3

St Paul's College (Ponsonby) 7

St Peter's College (Gore) 1

St Peter's College (Palmerston North) 6

St Thomas of Canterbury College 2

Stratford High School 17

Sunset Junior High School 6

Taieri College 1

Taihape College 3

Taikura Rudolf Steiner School 1

Taipa Area School 4

Taita College 16

Takapuna Grammar School 8

Tamaki College 15

Tamatea High School 6

Tangaroa College 19

Taradale High School 11

Tararua College 8

Tauhara College 11

Taumarunui High School 15

Taupo-nui-a-Tia College 17

Tauranga Boys' College 29

Tauranga Girls' College 11

Tauraroa Area School 6

Tawa College 3

Te Aroha College 7

Te Awamutu College 21

Te Kauwhata College 6

Te Kuiti High School 7

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Hoani Waititi 1

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Huiarau 1

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Mangere 1

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Ruamata 1

Te Puke High School 25

Te Whanau-A-Apanui Area School 1

Te Wharekura O Arowhenua 1

Te Wharekura O Rakaumangamanga 2

Te Wharekura O Ruatoki 1

Temuka High School 8

Thames High School 7

The Taieri High School 9

Tikipunga High School 26

Timaru Boys' High School 13

Timaru Girls' High School 11

Tokomairiro High School 2

Tokoroa High School 10

Tolaga Bay Area School 1

Tongariro High School 3

Trident High School 14

Tuakau College 14

Tuatapere Community College 2

Turakina Maori Girls' College 1

Tweedsmuir Junior High School 2

Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti 1

Upper Hutt College 14

Verdon College 2

Villa Maria College 1

Waiheke High School 5

Waihi College 13

Waikato Diocesan School For Girls 1

Waimate High School 3

Waimea College 21

Wainuiomata High School 16

Waiopehu College 15

Wairarapa College 14

Wairoa College 8

Waitakere College 30

Waitaki Boys' High School 9

Waitaki Girls' High School 5

Waitara High School 10

Waiuku College 12

Wanganui City College 25

Wanganui Girls' College 3

Wanganui High School 19

Waverley High School 2

Wellington College 2

Wellington East Girls' College 1

Wellington High School & Com Ed Centre 5

Wesley College 1

Western Heights High School 27

Western Springs College 12

Westlake Boys' High School 6

Westlake Girls' High School 8

Westland High School 8

Westmount School 1

Whakatane High School 19

Whangamata Area School 4

Whangarei Boys' High School 29

Whangarei Girls' High School 17

Whangaroa College 2

William Colenso College 14

Last school not identified 323

Grand Total 3840

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