This time last year, Hemi Martyn’s life took a turn for the better.
He'd dropped out of his mainstream school due to behavioural issues around his inability to control his anger and The John Berne School became the environment he needed in which to hit the restart button.
“It’s probably the best thing that’s happened in my life so far,” the 15-year-old told SBS News.
The school in Lewisham, in Sydney’s inner west, helps prepare students with challenging social, emotional and academic needs for a return to mainstream education or to enter training or employment.
Students have been returning to the classroom for face-to-face learning in NSW since the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted earlier this month, but it has been easier for some than others.
"We've got a few who are school refusers and suffer from anxiety and depression,” said John Berne School principal James Le Huray, who taught at the school for two decades.
The school supports many students who have a clinical mental health diagnosis. Source: John Baldock/SBS News
“They're used to staying at home and it's been really hard to get some of those students back to school."
The school has 40 students across Year 7 to 10, the majority of whom have at least one clinical mental health diagnosis. Each student has their own counsellor.
While students were supported to try and continue their education at home during the pandemic, slow internet speeds and the lack of in-person interaction proved challenging.
Hemi’s mother Nikki is a single parent and says sharing the only computer in the house with her son as she tried to continue with her job was tough.
“Getting online was really difficult … [and] I’ll be honest, the rising frustration coming from him was hard to deal with because I was also trying to work from home,” she said.
One of the school’s psychologists Gemma Peters said the situation highlighted the need for educators to understand a student’s home life better.
"I think the learnings from that is to really keep parents and carers at the heart of what we do when we're supporting a student’s learning and mental health," she said.
Other students struggled with being away from their classmates.
Hemi now hopes to go to university. Source: John Baldock/SBS News
Year 8 student Ben Kulas said: "It was pretty tough because everyone wanted to be at school, it was a lot harder than being social with everyone".
When the students are brought back into the fold though, the school’s success rate at helping them achieve a fresh start is promising.
Of last year's graduates, 42 per cent are now in an apprenticeship and at TAFE, 34 per cent are now enrolled in Year 11 at another school and eight per cent are in part-time employment and at TAFE. The remaining 16 per cent are job seeking.
Hemi dreams of going to university and one day becoming an actor.
“I'm grateful that you can do counselling at this school because I used to struggle with telling people my problems and that is what kept me back from doing my work,” he said.
Readers seeking support with mental health can contact on 1300 22 4636 or (for people aged five to 25) on 1800 55 1800.
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