$70,000 to help worst children

The 500 worst-behaved schoolchildren will each get support costing up to $70,000 a year to keep them in school and out of trouble.

The figure has been touted by the Ministry of Education as "a very significant sum", although it is less than the $92,000 a year spent on holding a prisoner and has not impressed a secondary principals union.

The ministry yesterday announced five initiatives in a five-year, $45 million Positive Behaviour for Learning Action Plan.

The plan includes up to $70,000 of programmes for an "intensive wrap-around service" aimed at the 500 most troublesome children.

The service could include some work away from school for misbehaving pupils and fulltime supervision in the classroom and playground with a teacher aide.

The ministry will draw on 200 psychologists to monitor pupils' progress, and parents will be included in the programme.

Ministry deputy secretary Nicholas Pole said each child would be entitled to support worth "something in the order of between $40,000 and $70,000".

The scheme would be focused on younger children with the highest levels of bad behaviour, he said.

"[Their behaviour] may include the use of weapons against peers, parents and in school settings. It may include every time they are under pressure, responding aggressively or violently," Pole said. "This group of kids tends to have significant attachment problems and can have very challenging family circumstances."

Many of the children had attended several schools, been "passed around the family" or had a lot of involvement with Child, Youth and Family (CYF).

The plan, which will come into effect next year, includes four other measures:

An expansion of the Incredible Years parenting programme to include 12,000 parents.

A Behaviour Crisis Response Service.

Training for staff at up to 400 schools on how to promote positive behaviour and better respond to challenging behaviour.

A six-day programme for 5000 school and early-childhood teachers on improving classroom management skills.

The plan was written after a behaviour summit in March. It will be funded by cutting a series of contestable funds.

New Zealand Secondary Principals' Council representative Lisl Prendergast said the lack of any new funding was the "downfall" of the plan.

"We are not going to get much by trying to reshuffle a service that's already underperforming," she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News