Year 10 student Mia spent years jumping from school to school, struggling to find one that was the right fit. A tic and anxiety meant she often didn’t go to class and missed far more school than she attended.
But after moving to Key College in Merrylands this year, which caters for disengaged or disadvantaged youth, her attendance is now perfect.
Key College School manager Nathanial Baker with students Mia and Lara.Credit: Louise Kennerley
“I found it really hard to attend because I had really bad tics at my old school and it just kind of became associated with me not wanting to go into school anymore,” said Mia, whose surname the Herald is not publishing for privacy reasons.
“I think I just needed somewhere that was a little bit more flexible so that I could feel like I wasn’t being pushed so hard and I could focus on getting myself back to feeling OK. It’s really nice to have a smaller community I can get to know on a more personal level.”
The school is one of six independent schools run by not-for-profit Youth Off The Streets, offering a flexible learning approach that aims to get children back in the classroom.
School manager Nathanial Baker said the school took a holistic approach to learning and always put students’ wellbeing first.
“With most of our kids, their trauma and challenges are presented through non-attendance,” he said. “Over 90 per cent of our kids are historical non-attenders, so they come from extended periods of not coming to school.”
The school does not charge fees and it provides breakfast and lunch to students every day.
The school, which is accredited with the NSW Education Standards Authority and covers year 9 to 12, teaches the standard curriculum but offers a flexible learning environment. Students learn to an individualised plan, there is no uniform and they are encouraged to pursue individual interests.
The Merrylands campus has 36 students and three teachers, with class sizes capped at 12. Students also work with youth workers and a psychologist. The school does not charge fees and it provides breakfast and lunch to students every day.
Students also have opportunities to gain practical skills and qualifications such as white cards, which allow holders to work on construction sites.
Baker said the Merrylands school had an average attendance of about 74 per cent, a significant achievement considering most students previously attended very little school.
“We make it as easy or simple for them to engage,” Baker said.
Year 10 student Lara has also thrived at the college since moving from mainstream schooling.
“I love school, it’s just that it got so hard for me in high school,” she said. “I feel like I had a lot of learning difficulties which made it really hard, especially because my home life wasn’t really the best.”
Lara said the students were all very different, but everyone connected well.
“We’re all here for a reason, we all want to learn,” she said. “I feel like, for example, we have a lot of opportunities here that would be amazing for mainstream schools to have, but they do have a lot of things on their hands. This school is just very caring.”
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