Education as Ministry: Rethinking Schooling for Young People Who Don’t Fit the Mould

Two months into the school year, familiar concerns are not only resurfacing but persisting: attendance rates, school refusal, and student disengagement. These conversations often carry an undertone of anxiety, sometimes even blame, as though young people are turning away from education itself. But what if school refusal is not a rejection of learning, but a signal that the way learning is designed is not working for everyone?

 

In this, Margaret Jurd College offers a different lens and a lived expression of what can best be described as Education as Ministry.

 

This idea positions education not as a separate institutional function, but as a practical expression of the Church’s mission. It is about dignity, justice, and deep care for young people, particularly those who have been excluded from mainstream schooling. In this sense, MJC is more than an alternative school; it is a credible and functioning model of what a Uniting Church–aligned college can look like when education itself is understood as ministry.

While broader systems are grappling with attendance challenges, MJC continues to hear from families exploring alternative schooling options. This contrast invites a question worth exploring: are some students and families “refusing school,” or are they seeking schooling that better meets their needs?"

 

School refusal and disengagement are complex issues. Many young people facing anxiety, trauma, learning gaps, social difficulties, or negative past school experiences are often not disengaged from learning. Rather, they are overwhelmed by environments that do not feel safe, relational, or flexible enough to support them. For these families, an alternative approach is not a second-best option; it is a deliberate and hopeful choice.

 

MJC was born from this recognition: that there is a need to support young people experiencing disadvantages and disconnection from mainstream education. Its model combines secondary education with strong wellbeing support, small class sizes, and trauma-informed practice. Each student works with a caseworker to address social and emotional goals alongside academic learning. Wellbeing and education, therefore, are not competing priorities; they are interdependent.

 

This is Education as Ministry in action. It is visible in governance decisions that prioritise student care, in the persistence required to sustain complex support structures, and in the daily relationships between staff and students. It is also evident in the courage of congregations willing to move beyond advocacy and pastoral care into the demanding, practical work of running a school.

 

The Tuncurry campus is a powerful example. Its establishment did not happen because it was easy or simply “a nice idea”. It happened because people were prepared to commit deeply.

 

Margaret Hingley, a congregation member, played a significant role in this journey and was recently recognised with a Meritorious Service Award. Her contribution represents long-term lay discipleship expressed through educational ministry; the kind that involves meetings, paperwork, setbacks, and sustained presence, not just vision statements.

 

Alongside her, Pastor Geoff Battle, Minister of the Forster–Tuncurry Congregation, was instrumental. When the concept of opening a campus was first shared, Geoff was open to the possibility and helped guide his congregation through the substantial change that followed. That leadership did not end once the doors opened. It continues as the congregation lives with the realities of hosting and supporting a school.

 

And those realities are significant. Establishing Tuncurry involved logistical hurdles, financial pressures, and technical complications. Progress was not smooth. There were moments that tested resolve and required problem-solving well beyond anyone’s comfort zone. Yet that persistence is precisely what makes Education as Ministry credible. It is not light or abstract. It is grounded, costly, and sustained.

 

This also demonstrates that when the Church invests in education as a form of ministry, the impact is tangible. Young people who once felt they did not belong in school begin to re-engage with learning, relationships, and hope.

 

In the wider conversation about school refusal, MJC offers a reframing. Sometimes the issue is not that young people are opting out of education; it is that education systems have not been designed with their realities in mind. Alternative models like MJC do not lower expectations; they redesign the environment so students can meet them.