Concerns raised about Phoenix Centre programme

An independent review of the Phoenix Centre shows there are significant concerns about the effectiveness of the service - not only within the Ministry of Education, but also among some schools, health and social services, and Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour.

This week, the ministry announced it would close the centre at the end of term 1, ending a service which has helped up to 40 secondary school pupils with behavioural problems each year for the past decade.

• 'Fairly unrealistic targets' in report

The review, by Psychology Reports Ltd, showed the behaviour modification programme was endorsed by most, but not all, schools.

One school representative said the programme needed to better reflect the interconnection between behaviour and learning, the report said.

"A key concern with a reduced focus on learning was that in the current programme, students would be educationally further disadvantaged by attending the Phoenix Centre programme."

Health, mental health, social service agencies and some school representatives were also concerned the Phoenix Centre did not have the resources to meet the wider needs of pupils with severe behaviour problems.

These pupils were reported by schools as having extremely serious and long-established problems across home, school and community settings.

"Their chaotic home situation and/or their involvement in a deviant peer group outside of the school were identified as factors that were beyond the programme's ability to address."

The higher stand-down and suspension rates among Maori and Pasifika pupils in the Dunedin area were also identified as issues the programme needed to address.

Schools generally agreed the outcomes of the programme were positive.

They provided examples of pupils who had reintegrated successfully into school and had remained at school following the programme.

Pupils who had been less successful were reported by schools as having been maintained for longer in the school system.