When Sienna Barrett began experiencing social anxiety, she did not have the words to describe what was happening.
Key points:
- Students in the Big Picture learning system stay with the same teacher, in the same small class, until graduation
- Their learning is directed by their interests and hobbies, rather than the national curriculum
- Advocates for the system say it has been successful in reintegrating school-avoidant students back into the classroom
As she approached the end of primary school, the thought of attending high school made her feel sick.
"I was socially anxious … being around the [other] students," the now-18-year-old said.
She began trying to avoid school by telling her mum she felt sick: It didn't work.
"Mum thought I was just trying to wag school," Ms Barrett said.
School refusal cases such as Ms Barrett's have become so common, the federal parliament has launched an inquiry into the issue.
It was not until teachers reached out to Ms Barrett's mum, Sallee van den Berg, to discuss their concerns, that she realised how serious her daughter's condition had become.
Eventually, Ms Barrett's family decided she would learn online from home when she began high school.
However, after three years at home, Ms Barrett's progress began to stall.
"I didn't find the motivation to do the work. It also got to the point where it was a bit lonely," she said.
Ms van den Berg said it was a difficult time.
"It was really, really challenging to see Sienna go through what she's been through and to try and just be there for her," she said.
'I could choose the pathway I wanted'
The turning point came in 2020.
Ms Barrett was going into Year 10 when she found a school in Launceston run by Big Picture Learning Australia.
The school is one of a handful run by the non-for-profit across the country that ditches the national curriculum for a more student-centred program.
Dozens of academies using the same approach have also been set up within existing public schools.
Pupils stay with the same teacher, in the same class of 17, until they graduate, and their interests and hobbies are used to direct their learning.
Ms Barrett said Big Picture's small class size and the ability to steer her learning, based on her interests, meant she began to enjoy school.
"I could choose the pathway that I wanted. For me, that was agriculture and equine studies to start off with," she said.
With her teacher, Ms Barrett planned study projects around those interests, incorporating skills from traditional learning areas such as literacy and quantitative reasoning.
Ms Barrett was also supported to work with horses on a working farm, and to do an external course on equine massage.
Called "outlearning", Big Picture students are required to do regular courses, internships and work placements outside of school, with their teacher's help.
Ms Barrett said working in the "real world" helped grow her confidence.
"You can fit in with people that have a reason to be there," she said.
"I think that helped me to grow and manage my anxiety."
Data from Big Picture indicates its schools in New South Wales have higher Year 12 completion rates and lower suspension rates when compared to mainstream education.
Big Picture advocates say its success in reintegrating school-avoidant students back into the classroom could help inform broader policy solutions to the issue of school refusal.
"Our design is one of many new ways of learning for young people today. The old ways are no longer working," Big Picture co-founder Viv White said.
Ms White said the system deliberately focuses on an individual student's progress, rather than ranking them against their peers.
"We try to let young people pursue their interests and be assessed on how well they do that work, not compared to each other," she said.
"We just want our own kids to be as good as they can be and be as good at what they want to do as possible, and to go where they want to go as much as possible."
'More confidence, more outgoing'
The Productivity Commission has identified low student wellbeing as a key issue for reform across the country, and recommended improving that to be a central goal in the next national school funding agreement.
Ms White said the Big Picture philosophy and the tight-knit structure of the school has led to high levels of wellbeing.
"The young people are together, they look after each other.
"They've got a teacher who has their eye on them. They feel safe, and they feel challenged, too."
Ms White said the program's student-centred approach catered to both academic and vocational pathways.
"We've had over 350 young people go to a university of their choice," she said.
This year, Ms Barrett is joining those students after enrolling in a criminology course at the University of Tasmania.
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