An Auckland mum believes her local high school’s refusal to enrol her son as a student is unlawful.  

She says her family have been trying to enrol the 15-year-old at Mt Roskill Grammar School since February.  

But despite the family living in the school’s zone and the Ministry of Education directing Mt Roskill Grammar to accept the teenager, the school isn’t budging, she says.  

Mt Roskill Grammar told the Herald it couldn’t comment on the teen’s situation due to privacy, but said in some cases, it seeks to ensure its students have the right support systems in place to succeed. 

The teen’s mum - who didn’t wish to be named in order to protect her son - accepts he has struggled over the past two years. 

He was excluded after a fight at another school and then became involved in antisocial behaviour. However, she told the Herald he had since turned a corner and was keen to get back into school. 

Importantly, every school-age student in New Zealand is legally entitled to free education at their local school, she said. 

“They’re acting like they’re a private school, but they’re a public school,” she said. 

“They have to accept a child that’s in the zone.” 

The teen’s enrolment was supported by the Ministry of Education in an April 30 letter to the school’s board, in which it said New Zealand law states every school-aged student must be enrolled at a registered school, and they are entitled to free education in the public system. 

Maryanne O’Hare, manager of integrated services at the ministry, said in the letter her department and schools must work together to ensure all children get a quality education. 

“Removing a student from school can have huge academic and social consequences for the student, their family/whānau, other students and the wider New Zealand community‚” O’Hare wrote. 

“I am therefore directing your Board of Trustees to enrol [the student] into Mt Roskill Grammar.” 

The teenager grew up in New Zealand as part of an Eritrean family from east Africa. 

He previously went to Mt Roskill Intermediate with mates he grew up with, including a bunch of friends with east African backgrounds. 

At the time, the family was living out of zone for Mt Roskill Grammar. 

However, when the teenager graduated from intermediate school, his family unintentionally missed the cut-off date to enrol him at Mt Roskill Grammar as an out-of-zone student, the family said. 

The teen then went to Avondale College instead. 

However, he got into a fight at Avondale College in September 2022. The family said he was one of very few African kids in the school and didn’t enjoy his time there. 

The teen told the Herald a fellow student had racially insulted him and provoked the fight. 

His family claims he was called a slave, among other offensive comments. 

He stopped attending and was later excluded from the school, the teen’s family said. 

However, they say he is now keen to make his mum proud and finish school. 

With all his friends from primary school attending Mt Roskill Grammar, the family moved into the high school’s zone this year and submitted an enrolment application. 

Marjet Pot, the presiding member of Mount Roskill Grammar’s school board, said “we cannot comment specifically on this case due to privacy issues”. 

“However, in some instances we want to ensure that a student has adequate supports in place so they can experience success at our school,” she said. 

The teen’s mum, meanwhile, worries the entire school year could pass before a final decision is made. 

“Doesn’t he deserve a second chance?”