Dividing students into classes based on their ability can send a message that there's "no point trying to improve".

With this in mind, William Ruthven Secondary College decided to ditch the practice a decade ago. It hasn't looked back.

William Ruthven Secondary College in Reservoir has shunned streaming. Instead, students learn in classes of mixed abilities. Credit:Simon Schluter

"The negatives outweighed the positives," assistant principal Paul Johnson said. "I felt it sent a message to students that it's difficult to shift from where you are, that there's no point trying to improve."

The school's decision to shun streaming makes it an anomaly.