Getting an Early Leaving Exemption
In Aotearoa, tamariki cannot leave school before 16 unless their parent or guardian applies for an Early Leaving Exemption from the Ministry of Education. For Moana* and her son Isaac*, it was a difficult choice made after Isaac’s high school consistently denied him the support he needed to thrive and learn.
*Names have been changed to protect anonymity.
At around 10 years old, Isaac was diagnosed with mild autism. Thanks to a supportive environment, he did well in reading and writing at primary school and intermediate, despite sometimes feeling overwhelmed or struggling with big changes.
“His intermediate understood what he needed and made allowances,” says his mother Moana. “If he got overwhelmed, he could remove himself and find a quiet space or walk around outside until he was able to cope again and come back in.”
Unfortunately, Issac’s high school wasn’t as understanding and without support, he grew to hate school. He became so unhappy he didn’t want to go.
Asking for support
When Moana told the high school that her son needed more help, they directed her to their special needs unit, despite Moana explaining it was the wrong fit.
“That unit is for children like Isaac’s brother–my eldest son–who has severe autism. He's non-verbal, with intellectual disability too. But Isaac’s autism is mild. He can do his schoolwork, but he needs an individualised strategy to help him.”
The school was told about Issac’s diagnosis and the support he needed when he first enrolled, but their special needs coordinator never showed up to the transition meeting.
“It was so hard to get information,” says Moana. “I’m a solo mum, and I work full time, so it was hard to research things myself. I was very busy, so only had time to things through email. But you need to be face-to-face, otherwise nothing happens. Luckily, there was one teacher who was really understanding of Isaac because her nephew is disabled. I’ve found that younger teachers can be more understanding – older teachers who’ve been at the school for years can be stubborn. They think their way is the only way.”
Trying to work together
Before long, Isaac’s truancy and behavioural issues started. Moana reached out to the Dean to see what could be done, but never heard back. She reached out to her IHC for support, so she wasn’t fighting alone, as well as Explore. They tried to set up a mediation with the school, but also never heard back.
“It was really frustrating,” says Moana. “I kept asking the school to contact me, but the only time they ever got in touch was when Isaac acted up.”
After Isaac was stood down, Moana asked the school to send learning materials so she could homeschool him, but they never responded.
Nervous of change, Isaac wanted to stay at the high school and make it work rather than starting again at a new school. He wrote a letter asking to stay and receive more support but again was directed to the special needs unit. Moana considered taking the matter to the board but was discouraged by staff.
“They led me to believe that it would be too risky,” says Moana, “that the Board would say no, and that it would be worse because then it would be on Isaac’s record.”
With that, Moana made the difficult decision to apply for an Early Leaving Exemption. Since then, Issac has been working towards NCEA Level 1 through different activities at Vision College.
“Staying at high school would’ve been the best option, but he was really lost. Vision is very different but we’re doing our best to navigate it. He’s improved a lot but there’s still work to do. The main thing is I don’t want him to quit. I want him to be successful.”
Resources and links
To learn more about Early Leaving Exemptions, visit the Ministry of Education website. Be note that your child needs to be fifteen before you can apply. If your child is younger than this, you may need to apply for a Home School Exemption.
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