Insiders warn the Te Kura system needs an independent review. File photo. Photo: 123rf
Families of children enrolled with Te Kura variously describe the national distance education school as essential, hopeless and a lifeline.
Some told RNZ the school set too little work, while others insisted it was an important last resort for young people who could not cope with regular schooling.
The wildly contradictory descriptions come as insiders warn the school needs an independent review.
A former Te Kura teacher told RNZ that at-risk students "don't have a chance" at the distance education school.
But parent Kim Watts told RNZ her nearly 13-year-old son Mark struggled in mainstream schools and enrolled with the distance educator after the Education Ministry referred him more than four years ago.
She said it was working well.
"It's actually an amazing resource if it is used properly... it's been really positive," she said.
"There's ups and downs, but from having an eight-year-old child that had teachers tell them they will never learn to read or write to having a 12 almost-13-year-old who's really confident, he can type up a storm on the computer, he can read and understand and comprehend... it's been a positive experience."
Watts said her son's teacher was attentive and tailored his education to suit his needs.
She said he benefited from not being in a classroom, comparing his progress to other children.
She said she was able to support her son's education and could understand that some families would struggle with Te Kura.
'A lifeline for these students'
Speech language therapist Shannon Hennig said Te Kura was essential for neurodiverse young people who could not attend a regular school.
"I would describe Te Kura as a lifeline for these students. Often they can't handle really big schools, they might really struggle with any type of educational system where they don't have enough one-on-one support and enough breaks.
"That said, it sometimes feels like to these students... that Te Kura feels like it was designed for a different type of learner," she said.
Hennig said Te Kura worked for some neurodiverse students but not for others, especially those who needed the support of a tutor or someone to help them understand the work required of them.
She said need for the school was growing.
Parent Alannah told RNZ Te Kura had failed all four of her children, one of whom was still enrolled with the school because she had no other options.
"Our experience has been there's not enough work, there's not enough to fill even a couple of hours let alone a whole school day. The quality of work is very poor. Taking a photo on a family trip that we went on for the weekend, if they upload that, that's work for the month, if they draw a picture that's work for the month, if they write a three-sentence story about an excursion they went on that's work for the month," she said.
Alannah said two of her children recently returned to regular schools, where they were found to be about a year behind their peers.
She said the school did not provide any support for her daughter's special needs and she would take her elsewhere if she had a choice.
A woman who asked not to be named said Te Kura was essential for three of her children who enrolled as transient due to a difficult family situation.
"It was absolutely fantastic for people at risk," she said.
"The staff are exceptional."
A grandparent told RNZ her neurodiverse granddaughter struggled with Te Kura.
"The teachers my granddaughter had were really wonderful, however she really needed a teacher aide, which there was no funding for. So it did not work for her. It did feel like a dumping ground for this group, because the support she needed was not available," she said.
'The hardest way of learning'
A former Te Kura teacher told RNZ the Education Ministry was enrolling "psychologically very unwell" students with Te Kura.
"Many of these teens are so depressed they never leave their bedrooms. Some are addicted to gaming and spend all night online. Others have serious learning or social difficulties. Then there are the young sole mothers who must also be 'enrolled in education' to receive their benefit.
"So the most psychologically and socially vulnerable students, who find learning really difficult, are being enrolled in an online school, which is the hardest way of learning. To succeed at online learning a student needs to be computer literate, text literate, organised, self-motivated and in a stable and supportive environment. The at-risk students at TK don't have a chance. And TK, unlike regular schools, has no in-house counsellors or social workers to call on," the former teacher said.
The teacher said Te Kura teachers would "bend over backwards" to try to develop a relationship with the students and keep them on the school's roll, hoping it would lead to more engagement and learning.
For many of the students "success" was measured by whether they had left their room rather than whether they completed NCEA standards or similar work.