NEWS Schools battling bad eggs

SEVERAL schools throughout the NT racked up more than 100 suspensions in 2017, with almost one-third of some schools’ total enrolment being suspended.

Centralian Middle School, with 309 students, had 116 suspensions, while Taminmin College had 211 suspensions, a drop of 13 since 2016.

In Palmerston, there were 127 suspensions at Rosebery Middle School and 52 at Palmerston Senior College.

Katherine High School, with an enrolment of 599, had 178 students suspended, a jump of 27 since 2016.

The figures depict the number of suspensions, not the number of students suspended.

Australian Education Union NT branch secretary Adam Lampe said the high rates in Katherine and Alice Springs were a representation of the wider community where the school was situated.

“These are places that are endemic with social issues and they deal with kids that come from difficult families,” he said.

He said middle school was also a time when students were in their rebellious stage and going through puberty.

Mr Lampe said Katherine was a unique case as there was a high turnover of teachers.

He said a lack of consistency of teachers in the classroom meant students were more likely to misbehave as they didn’t have time to develop relationships with staff.

An Education Department spokeswoman said most students across the NT had behaved last year, with less than 5 per cent being suspended.

“With the support of the department, all schools have their own policies and processes in place to manage schoolwide student behaviour, improve and strengthen engagement with students and their families, promote wellbeing and create a safe learning environment for all Territory students,” she said.

The spokeswoman said suspension was not about punishment, but about ensuring the wellbeing and safety of students and staff was maintained so learning could be held in a safe and supportive environment.