School Stand-downs and Suspensions StatisticsOfficial Ministry of Education statistics 1999-2003
A new system of suspensions and stand-downs in New Zealand schools was put in place in July 1999. As part of this system, the Ministry of Education developed a Stand-down and Suspension (SDS) database.
By far the most likely students to be stood down or suspended were - 13 to 15 year olds
- boys
- Maori
A large percentage of the suspensions were because of Drugs (or substance abuse). Students are much more likely to be suspended for illegal drugs rather than stood down, whereas students who use alcohol or tobacco are more likely to be stood down than suspended.
New Zealand School Suspensions and Stand-downs
| Date Range |
Suspensions |
Stand-downs |
| |
Drugs |
Total |
% Drugs |
Drugs |
Total |
% Drugs |
| Jul 1999 - Jul 2000 |
1506 |
4881 |
30.8 % |
842 |
15998 |
5.2 % |
| Jan - Dec 2000 |
1553 |
5108 |
30.4 % |
842 |
16934 |
5.0 % |
| Jan - Dec 2001 |
1555 |
4802 |
32.4 % |
944 |
17141 |
5.5 % |
| Jan - Dec 2002 |
1471 |
4937 |
29.7 % |
1077 |
17912 |
6.0 % |
| Jan - Dec 2003 |
1309 |
4887 |
26.8 % |
935 |
19858 |
4.7 % |
| Source: Ministry of Education |
The Ministry release reports every year.
- The first report was released in September 2000, covering the July 1999 to June 2000 period.
- The second report covered the period 1 January to 31 December 2000.
- The third report was released in September 2001, covering the 1 January 2001 to 30 June 2001 period.
- The fourth report was released in April 2003, covering the 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002 period.
The first two reports were beautifully designed PDFs with lots of information and guidelines on the school discipline process. They also contained examples of good practice from schools on minimising the need for disciplinary action through actions such as codes of conduct, restorative justice, behaviour management and inclusive practices. You can access all of the reports in our Resources section.
Definitions
Stand-down is the formal removal of a student from school for a specified period. Stand-downs of a student can total no more than 5 school days in any term, or 10 days in a school year. Following stand-downs students return automatically to school.
Suspension is the formal removal of a student from school until the board of trustees decides the outcome at a suspension meeting. Following a suspension the board may decide to lift the suspension with or without conditions, to extend the suspension, or in the most serious cases, to either exclude or expel the student.
Exclusion means the formal removal of a student aged under 16 from the school, and the requirement that the student enrol elsewhere.
Expulsion means the formal removal of a student aged 16 or over from school. He or she may enrol in another school.
Unless stated otherwise, copyright © 1998-2005 by NORML New Zealand, working for marijuana law reform Published on: 2004-03-19 (5710 reads) [ Go Back ] |
