Education Minister Blair Boyer makes second visit after fight at Whyalla Secondary College

Teachers at a new $100m super school – already dealing with schoolyard violence – are texting individual families over problem students.

Parents continue to cause issues at a new $100m super school that was plunged into controversy over violence between its students.

Whyalla Secondary School has introduced a new policy to combat truancy, sending text messages to parents if pupils are absent for more than 20 minutes.

Education Minister Blair Boyer last week visited the school, where he was briefed on ongoing problems with parents.

Mr Boyer first flew to Whyalla within weeks of the March state election when a video showing a female student being assaulted went viral on social media.

The years 7-12 school opened this year, with students from three former high schools frequently clashing with each other.

A new truancy policy has been introduced at Whyalla Secondary College. Picture: Dean Martin

Mr Boyer said the school’s leadership team was continuing to “manage a range of complex situations and behaviours”.

“The key challenges for the school leadership team moving forward are recruitment and managing difficult, sometimes confrontational, situations with parents,” he said.

Mr Boyer said the new truancy policy introduced last month by the school was “proving successful”.

“The process is in order to improve attendance rates in classes and therefore academic excellence,” he said.

“If a student is truant from class for more than 20 minutes in a lesson, parents are notified via SMS that their child is missing from class.”

Private security guards were deployed to the school in June after calls from some parents for action against violence between students.

Students leave Whyalla Secondary College, which was plunged into controversy over schoolyard violence. Picture: Dean Martin

Mr Boyer, who visited the school with Children and Young People Commissioner Helen Connolly, said it had “become calmer as the school year has progressed”.

“Violence is not tolerated in the school,” he said.

“The leadership team, staff and students continue to work together as a community to see long term improvements for all students.”

Mr Boyer said principal Tricia Richman and her leadership team had expected the college’s first year would be challenging “with the merging of students from three high schools into the new site”.

“Additionally, with the move of year 7 to high school this year, Whyalla Secondary College has had to combine students from ten different schools in the local community,” he said.

Education Minister Blair Boyer during a visit to Whyalla Secondary College in May. Picture Dean Martin

Mr Boyer said the school was a Category 2 school on the Index of Educational Disadvantage for South Australian government schools.

Schools in Category 1 served the most socio-economically disadvantaged communities.

Various initiatives had been introduced for students including a STEMfooty challenge in year 7, horticulture in year 9, a cafe and the school’s first sports day later this month.

The college also had its first group of students preparing for the team-building Operation Flinders program in late September.