Spotswood College

It's fine in the art department but even then its the same stuff each year. They never change it up or anything so it's just repeating the same stuff over and over which most artists or atleast me, find very boring and un motivating. In most cases doing an aft class such as paint or graphic design feels like homework or more of a task than art which is really in motivating and makes art outside of school feel horrible to do.
Oh and the food there is also horrible, and I'm not just talking about the free food..

I dropped out to do online learning this year.

I’m a year 12 and since I’ve started from year 9 to now, I’ve been bullied, almost killed, In multiple fights, introduced to drugs, smoking/vaping and alcohol, had things stolen, and the list just goes on and on. Sadly, by our Māori kids, and mainly the females. It’s disappointing as the school and Māori culture preach respect and love etc, only for this to happen on the daily- and not just that, but as a fellow Māori myself the behaviour is uncalled for and disgusting. I’m now 16.

First week year 9 and I had older kids threatening to stab and kill me due to the fact I was the only female that transferred and the rest that came from my intermediate were boys. Got called a slut as if I had the choice on who went to Spotswood 💀. The school did nothing about it. Year 10. I was severely bullied. BY THE SAME GIRLS. stalked me in groups in school or in public. Stole my wallet, vapes, my clothes. School again did nothing about it. Needed help with studies- got no help given to me at all. Year 11 yet again, an almost stabbing happens and the school does nothing. They just suspend the kid. There’s actually one year 13 that was there who HAD stabbed a kid and they didn’t expel him.

I vented to therapists there, and teachers, and asked for help. On suicide, home abuse, neglect that I was going through. And they gave me nothing. I failed 3 years of high school because my mental health got so severely bad. Teachers. The teachers swear, they’re unprofessional, they neglect your learning needs, one teacher even grew weed in the green house and gave it out to students. I had one teacher purposefully put me into a panic attack after I’d come into class because my mother had beaten me black and blue so I was late after walking for 2 hours since she refused to drive me. No one did anything. My friends tried to help but they’re kids, it didn’t go far.

Spotswood is horrible. I still rather it compared to GH, or Sacred Heart though. This is because the classes are more wide ranged, and I’m given more options. Despite the school being horrid, I have made some awesome friend groups. However most of the students do drugs and vape, even in classrooms. There are nice students but if I’m honest majority are incredibly shitty. Teachers truly don’t have your best interest, mental health or learning. Apart from a possible 2-3 of them. I would suggest Spotswood for the classes range, but if you have a low mental health or you’re an easy target for bullying, please don’t enrol there.

Sincerely Anon.

Before dropping out, my dean asked if I would take a few easy assessments home to complete NCEA level 1 so the school’s passing rates looked better. They never came in the mail and when I returned to ask where they were, they had taken me off the roll. This was a couple months after one of the ***** ******** **** *** **** ** **** * ******* that graduated the year prior.

The school is great most of the classes are awesome some teachers are rude most kids are challenging and is much better than boys high