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When students can be removed from school
In some cases, a student may need to be removed from state or state-integrated school or kura. This is usually after the school has tried other measures.
There is a very high bar for removing a student from school. A school or kura can send a student home if:
- they continually ignore rules or have serious behaviour that is a harmful or a dangerous example to other students at the school or kura
- their behaviour is likely to cause serious harm to themselves or other students at the school if they are not stood down or suspended.
A student cannot be sent home if they have broken school rules but haven't been stood down or suspended. For example, extreme hairstyles, swearing or continued lateness should not result in a stand down or suspension in every case.
What it means to be stood down or suspended
A stand down or suspension is when a principal, or someone acting on their behalf, sends a student home from school. Your child will stay on the school roll and return to school at the end of the stand down or suspension. The school will send you a parent information sheet.
A stand down is a cooling off period. The school, student and their whānau can use this time to look at what happened and work together to try and stop it from happening again. You can ask for a meeting with the principal.
If your child is suspended, the school board will invite you to attend a meeting to discuss what happens next.
The school must provide guidance and counselling for your child during this time. You can ask for your child to go back to school if they need to for a specific reason, like sitting an exam or getting counselling at the school.
If you child is suspended the school must provide schoolwork.
What it means to be excluded or expelled
An exclusion or expulsion is when your child is removed from the school roll. Exclusions and expulsions are only for the most serious cases. They should be a last resort after all other options have been tried.
Exclusions are for students who are under 16 years of age. Expulsions are for students who are over 16.
Where to go for help
If you think your child has been sent home unfairly, you should first raise your concerns with the principal.
If you are not happy with the response from the principal, you can contact the school board.
Your regional ministry office can also give you advice.
More ways to get help
If you are still unhappy, you can complain to the ombudsman.
You can also go to the student rights service and Community Law.
Student rights service – Citizens Advice Bureau
Free legal help – Community Law
Parent information sheets
The school will you a parent information sheet if your child has been stood down, or suspended, excluded or expelled.
Stand down informationSuspension, exclusion and expulsion informationDirected enrolment after exclusion or expulsion