In my week at Salisbury School I'm embraced as
one of the girls. By a group of teenagers
with real frailties. There's the girl who hates
school and hides. The girl who attaches herself
to me the minute I arrive There's the girl who fears
returning to her old school. And just when I thought
I had everyone sussed things are turned
upside down. I've never in the ten years
I've been here had a student try
to assault me before. I'm about to spend
a week at a boarding school for girls with intellectual
disabilities. My views on special schools
are about to be challenged. I'm a little bit skeptical about
how this could work. It's taking these young girls
completely out of their natural environment. I thought we'd got past
separating people just because of their disability. In fact, the Ministry of Education
planned to close Salisbury School here in Nelson, but the
school board filed High Court proceedings
against the Minister. The High Court ruled the
government's actions were illegal. But the threat of closure remains. So to really know what it's
like to be a student here at Salisbury School, I'm
going to make a commitment and spend a week
at Salisbury myself. So I'm going to be in a
dorm with the girls for a week. Going to school and really
knowing what life's like here. Salisbury is regarded as the
end of the line for girls who just weren't
coping in their local schools. How lovely to see you! Hi! Hello! Thanks very much! And you must be
Savanna? Yeah. All right? I'm a bit nervous. What's it like for your first
time when you come here? Um, it was a bit difficult
when I first started. But when I got used to it
I was just like Easy peasy! Excellent. Right, are you going
to show me the way then? [Noise from crickets] Oh, lovely! Bathrooms. - Hi Savanna!
- Hi Lisa! [They laugh] I'm staying
in the dormitory. Thank goodness it's
single rooms! We're here! You've got your name on the
door and everything! Aww! Isn't that sweet? Well, it's cute. But to be, like, thirteen
or fourteen And to be sent here, miles
away from home Knowing that you're a long
way from home I think it would be
really hard. Sammie is the
youngest student. She's immediately popped up
by my side. The east wing, west wing,
annex! But I won't ever show you
down the annex because you can't go down in wheelchairs! No, so are you going
to show me your room? Well we can go round...
into the thing But we'll have to go
downstairs. That's my room here. And it's a messy room? It's a messy room! I know! Oh my goodness! Sorry, I keep my room messy. Shetlands Ah, so you like horses? Yep! That's why there are
horses around me. And there's Real Steel
right there. - You can come in!
- Thank you! You're lucky that you
don't have to video a bad person. Yeah. [School bell rings] The girls get just two years
to work on their behavior. And up their academic
achievements before going home. Here, teachers have time
for one-on-one tuition. Many of these girls are
years behind. My new friend Sammie
has been here a year. Sammie has a desk up the
front against the wall. I'm not really sure why
she's separated like that - Hi Sammie.
- Hi! Can you tell me why
you're sitting up here on your own at the front
of the class? Because I like it up here
it's not that much noise. Yelling and shouting? No,
I can't handle it. I get mad. Oh, Mrs Clay, look! Look what Courtney's done! Good girl! Nelson, Auckland That's right. And Queenstown! - Have you been to Queenstown?
- No. Courtney struggles
to concentrate. And we mean moment by
moment. Oh no, look at that! Ok, Courtney, remember we
need to concentrate on what we're doing. Do it all by yourself. Because
I know you can do it! Tanya: She has a high
level of autism and really needs an
understanding teacher. Ok, so I really think we
need to rewrite this. Why? So it's... Look at doggy! Courtney! There's a doggy! You show Ginny how
well you can work. She's sitting there and
she going to watch you work. Ginny and the other
dogs are part of the school's grand plan. Animals are a calming influence. She's looking at you! She's saying: 'When's Courtney going
to do some work?' I'm off to meet
the older girls. They take more responsibility
for their own learning. Back then I thought that
I was invisible. That I could do
anything I wanted. It's a little bit
unusual for teenage girls to be given stickers
for good behavior. You're getting stickers
by the hour here! That's pretty cool. And what do you get
stickers for? But simple rewards work stickers accumulate
towards bigger rewards. Like a green bear
or a pet. What kind of things did you
do to earn a guinea pig? Stay in class,
stay in school Rayana's head girl. She's sixteen
and almost at the end of her two years at
Salisbury. She hardly attended class
at her old school. When she arrived here
she was defiant and a little aggressive. To show everyone when a
behavior's okay and when to stop staff use the colors
of traffic lights. Can you explain to me
what it means? It's basically like, green is
you're 'on track'. Orange - you've mucked up. And red, you need to stop. And what about you? Have you spent much time
at orange? - And red.
- And red? [Rayana laughs] You've spent a bit of time on red, have you? Yes. How hard is it to keep
thinking 'I can't do that'? - It's pretty hard.
- Is it? Yes. Well for me it is
anyway! So what kind of things have
you done to end up in a red zone? Running away. - Really?
- Yeah. I just like to do my own thing. Without people telling me
what to do. For me to be. [Rings tricycle bell] You're clever! Thank you! I like clever people. - Do you?
- Yes! My uncle had to be
in a wheelchair and he died. - Who did?
- My uncle. Oh, that's no good! I like wheelchairs! - Do you?
- Yeah. I don't like swimming
that much. Don't you? But when I have a wheelchair
I'm still going to get out off my chair and swim. Ok. There's this wheelchair sport
but you can't do it because you're a lady. But I go swimming! - Do you still?
- Yes! Do your legs still move
but it's really sore? No, I just use my arms. So you go like that? Yeah, pretty much. But then your legs? That'd be horrible. Because
my uncle had to do that. The school feels empty. There's just 22 girls
here. A quarter of last year's roll. And the Ministry of Education
hasn't referred any new students
so far this year. Why is the Ministry reducing
the roll like that? It's a known fact that
residential special schools are the most expensive
schools to run. And there are fiscal responsibilities
I guess, that the Ministry has to meet. Unfortunately, it looks as if
residential schools might be one area that they
feel they can they can cut the education
budget by perhaps closing or by narrowing down
the intake of students. I mean, I look at the needs
of the students here that we have here
at the moment And our belief is as strong
as it ever has been as to why schools such as
Salisbury are really needed. [Rock music plays
and the girls chatter] Arghh! So tonight some of the older
girls have invited me to dinner. These are the girls that
will be leaving Salisbury soon so they're in a flatting situation And they're learning how to be
a little bit more independent. [Knocks on door] - Hi!
- Hi! How're you doing? - Good.
- Good! And what have you cooked
tonight? I cooked crumb chicken
that's already been crumbed Savana's cooked my dinner. It's one of the last meals
she'll have here. I imagine it's a big
challenge for the girls to go back to the world
beyond Salisbury. I feel sorry for those girls
who are like me because I have autism spectrum disorder. And I feel sorry for them
because they're not getting the help that
they need. And I'm really lucky to be here
at Salisbury. So, tell me what happened then
at your other school before you came here. At my old school I got
teased really badly. Girls were calling me 'fat'
and 'ugly' I don't care about myself much Discussed who I am, I'm just
a caring person. Yeah, so... I'm leaving at the
end of this term. I'm just afraid I'll be
that shy, sensitive girl again. And, maybe, I don't know
what's going to happen to me. I'm just afraid that
I'll get bullied again. Knock them one! What did you say? Knock them one! No! Before I came here I
got punched in the face. And I said to my dad
because he wanted me to punch her back,
so I said 'Violence is not the answer
to everything, Dad.' 'Words is the answer
to everything.' 'You just need to
stand up for yourself.' And I did, because she called
me a retard. And the only excuse for her
to punch me was that I called her a
retard back because I was standing up
for myself. But it's been a really hard time
for me at mainstream schools But here, it's just
different. Might not. Do you mind putting your lights
off for me? I'll do it! Tanya: 8:30pm, it's lights out. I'm gonna do it! I can't see the hallway! [Girls chatter] Goodnight! Don't you dare look at him! To help her settle
Courtney needs consistency. Bedtime stories are her
favorite part of this routine. I haven't been sent to bed
at 8:30pm in a LONG time. [Door creaks and then
gently closes] Staff check the girls
every half hour. Right through the night. Can I have a cuddle, please? All right! [Dog barks] Time to get up! - No!
- It is! It's time to get up! Ooh ooh! Oh no! Oh no! Rise and shine! Wakey wakey, rise and shine! Rise and shine! No! Time to get up,
little monkey! [She squeals] And how did you sleep
last night? I had one dream. What did you dream about? You! - Really?
- Yep! What was I going
in your dream? Swimming with your feet
kicking! Really? [She laughs] [Shouting] [Chatter] The senior girls
fix their own breakfast. Although Rayana prefers
someone else to get hers! Will someone make me a coffee? No! - Savana?
- No! I'm not your slave! Does it look like I have
'slave' written on my forehead? [They laugh] If you get me a pen
I can write it. I'll make you a coffee. Thank you! Two sugars. [School bell rings] There's a girl outside alone. It's Billie. She's always hated
school. So what are you doing
in class today? Shouldn't you be in class now? Why aren't you in class? So you just walk out? Are you allowed to do that?
Just wander away? You don't really want
to be seen standing out here
on your own, do you? Do you want to come
back with me? Shall we go? [Makes mumbling noise] Can you come with me? Come on! When I saw girls walking around
I thought they need a bit more discipline. But now I've come to realize that that the staff here know
that if they're in constant battle with the girls Like 'Come in here', 'Do this',
'Do what I say' A lot of them are just
going to react negatively. This is what they've always
been told. 'You're doing it wrong.' So what happens here at
Salisbury? It's a bit different to
other schools. We get more time with teachers. Mmmhmm. With like, when you need help. Why wasn't the school
you were at Why wasn't that working
for you? Too many people. I focus better when there's
a little amount of people. So why do you think it's important
to have a school- So you can get an education. A school like this? Um, so you can get the education
that you need. So they get the time and
effort in with you. And what would happen to you
if there wasn't Salisbury? I don't think that I would
get an education and get a job when I older. So what kind of life would
they have? They'd probably end up stealing
to get food or go on the wrong path. I want to be a journalist
when I grow up So I'm just writing if I were a journalist,
what would I do? It was either that
or me becoming a detective. So I chose a journalist
instead. I don't just take pages of
a book and write it down I have my own imagination. Well, I've just heard that
Sammie has gone to red on the traffic light system. And I've heard she's done
something pretty serious. Sammie's on a red card. We've unpacked some of it she's done some letters
of apology. There's often a red
card incident. But here the teacher's grabbed the
moment and worked to turn the negative behavior around. I want to see her developing
and making friendships. Everything's dealt with calmly
and in a rational way. But they coach the girls
to understand their actions And the impact on others. We want to see her
caring for others. The staff are trained
in restorative practice techniques. Today, Sammie, when you kicked
out at somebody what do you think that they
felt like? Sad. Do you think they might
have felt a bit unsafe at all? No. You don't think they felt unsafe? Ok, can anybody tell us how
anybody else felt? Were you happy about that
happening in your...okay. I felt kind of like upset. And I don't know what to do. Whether to carry on
or walk out. Did it put you
off your work? Yes. Ok, anybody else? I felt really quite sad. Because
we're here to help you and we really care about
all of you girls. And I've never in the ten years
I've been here had a student try to assault
me before. That. Yeah, it doesn't happen here
very often. But when it does, it's not
very good. Did you feel shaky at all? I did, actually. I did. Yep. What do you think? What can you do now
to make this right? I don't know! So what are some of the signs
that you're starting to get agitated? What does your body feel like? Just, I don't know, scared! Your body starts to feel
scared when you're getting upset? Yes. What else happens
with your body? I get a volcano. Like a volcano in your
stomach, isn't it? - Yes.
- Mmm. So what do you need to do
when that feeling starts to ou start to get more tight
and your volcano starts to happen? What do you need to do? Walk away. She's very quick to get angry. But we are seeing a reduction
in her behavior We're seeing her control
her behavior more often. But it is going to take time. It takes, often takes about
90 times to change a habit. Reminding somebody to change
a habit. And so putting a lot of support
in, talking it through At some stage, some of it
will seep through. Kids like Sammie
who don't get the right help can be seriously derailed. She's a great kid, but needs
somewhere like Salisbury that gets her. You told me today that you're
always happy in the morning. You told me you were
always happy. Always, but not at school. So, do you often get upset
at school, do you? Yes. But afterwards you feel bad
for it? Yeah. Doing something like that? Yes, when I was frustrated,
how do I feel And now I feel poorly. Do you find it easy
to make friends? No. Why not? It's hard. We're at cooking class
making some muffins. But Billie, who I was looking
forward to seeing this morning just kind of took off. I'm not really sure what she's
upset about today. She looks pretty upset. Morning! How are you? Hi, how are you? Oh, hello Billie, welcome! Billie! How are you feeling? So, what happened there? She's actually a
really smart girl. Her father's recently
passed away I think she's just really quiet
and maybe a bit misunderstood. A couple of minutes later
Billie's off again. Do you want to come back
into the class? You don't like cooking? Why not? You never did? I'd like to hang out with you
for a bit, though. Would you like that? Maybe a little bit? I think I saw half a smile there! [She laughs] Come on, shall we go
and make some muffins? At least watch other people
making muffins? Well, she said to me that
she's always been far behind in school. And she's found
school really hard. I don't think she's had
many people in her life take the time to get to know
her. She has zero confidence. When you fail in education, right
the way through your schooling that is going to have a huge
impact on the way you feel generally about yourself. Many of our girls have never
developed friendships. in the mainstream. They've never been invited
to birthday parties or to stayovers. They have low self-esteem
as a result of that. Hey Courtney! Do you like it
here at Salisbury? Ask somebody else. Ask Lisa. Courtney! Don't you want to be
my friend? No? I'm the new girl and
now I've got no friends! Courtney, if I come over there
will you move again? No, you won't, will you? Can I sit here, next to you? NO! Why not? Rayana! How's that? I'm not sure that
Courtney would say that she has close friends or
that other people would say they're close friends of hers. But she seems to be pretty much
in her own world. I'm not sure that she's
entirely bothered by that. I just can't imagine Courtney
in a mainstream, busy college setting. Courtney! What are you doing? Here, she's got amazing teachers
who are really taking the time and nurturing, and seeing that
she has this talent snd that she's really
smart. [Birds tweeting] Billie doesn't trust
many people. A bit of attention has
a big impact. That's amazing! That's incredible, Billie! Look how big it is! How many staples did you use? - Heaps.
- I bet! And why did you make it? Umm... I was bored. You did this because you were bored? Mmmhmm. And what do you think your
dad would have thought if he'd have seen it? Proud of me. - You miss him, right?
- Yeah. I miss him a lot. Were you and he
pretty close friends? Mmmhmm. The 8th of August,
I go back for good. And what will you do
when you get home? Probably go back
to my old school. I never learn there. You never learn there? No. But you're learning stuff
here at Salisbury? I'm four years behind
in my work. This is amazing, Billie. I've never seen anything
quite like it. Billie attended more classes
than ever this week. In the last few days
she's noticeably more confident. She wanted to get up
in front of everyone in the school assembly. [Inaudible whispering] So Billie would like to acknowledge
that she liked you so much that she wrote a special letter
for you. With Billie, who I'm told
doesn't really relate very well, to most people.
She gave me a note. And I was so touched. It says: 'You are very nice
and you are kind.' 'I like it how you helped me
when I did not go to class.' 'And you helped me when I
did cooking.' 'And I liked that you are cool.
And you are nice to me.' I just can't believe that
someone's just like thanked me for talking
to them! Talking nicely to them. Very few people get
to look inside a place like Salisbury. I've lived with these girls
for a week and I really understand what
the school is trying to achieve. And you're worried about
going home? Yeah. That's what I'm
worried about now. - Yeah?
- A little bit. I'm going to miss usurping
the college. [She laughs] Before I came here, I thought
I'm a big believer in all people with disabilities
being able to be supported in their local school. And that we should have the
resources for girls to go to
their local school. And be in their local
communities. And not be away from home. But... After being here, I'm convinced
that a place like this is needed. Tanya: Salisbury provides intense
nurturin giving these girls the skills
to take their rightful place in the world.
