Teenage mother Natasha Walker says she is no longer shocked by people whispering and staring as she pushes daughter Alyssah-Rose down the street, or strangers hurling online abuse.

Key points: A school for teen mums in Ipswich is expanding to meet strong demand

A school for teen mums in Ipswich is expanding to meet strong demand The rate of teen pregnancies is highest in low socio-economic areas

The rate of teen pregnancies is highest in low socio-economic areas The Australian Human Rights Commission wants more government funding for similar programs

"It's been hard," she said.

"I've been told I'm a terrible mother, that I don't know how to be a mother or I'm a slut, that my daughter is going to turn out like me — that's what I've copped."

Natasha, 17, dropped out of school two years ago, before she had finished Year 12.

A few months later, she found out she was pregnant.

"I was shocked, I didn't know what to say or do," she said.

But she has now joined Young Families Connect, a rare flexi-school program at Ipswich State High School, west of Brisbane, where teenage mums can bring their babies to classes and the facilities include a kitchen, creche and play area.

Natasha says she has copped all sorts of abuse and nothing shocks her now. ( ABC News: Anna Hartley )

"I'm loving it," she said.

"I want to show my daughter you can get a second chance and better your future — I'm doing it."

Scared and hiding her baby bump

Her classmate Sophie Bettles was 15 when she became pregnant.

"I was scared. I kept it from my mum for as long as I could," she said.

"I was still in school, wearing big jumpers to hide it from everyone."

When Sophie finally told her family, they tracked down Young Families Connect and helped her apply.

Sophie Bettles hopes to work in child care when she is finished school. ( ABC News: Anna Hartley )

Sophie now studies with her three-month-old daughter Skylah by her side.

"It's been nice. I can put her in the nursery when I need to do work," she said.

"I've always wanted to finish school and I want to get a job in childcare."

Many schools 'discriminating'

Young Families Connect has been run for the past five years thanks to the firm backing of Ipswich High principal Simon Riley.

He said they were expanding to meet the increasing demand.

"In Ipswich alone, the number of births to school-aged children is around 150 a year — we can't cope with all that," Mr Riley said.

"Other schools should be doing it and they don't. They kick them out.

Ipswich State High principal Simon Riley says many schools discriminate against teen mums. ( ABC News: Anna Hartley )

"Schools say, 'You don't physically fit the uniform, so you'll have to leave' or, 'You'll be an embarrassment, you'll be embarrassed'.

"They manage to keep pregnant staff and I'm not sure why students are different. That is discriminating.

"Why wouldn't you do this? It's the right thing to do. You don't discriminate with young people, you take them on, you enrol them, you manage their difficulties.

"It's just abhorrent to me to believe anyone in this day and age should be refused an educational opportunity in a first world country."

Mr Riley said Queensland was behind other states when it came to helping teens manage their pregnancies while continuing their education.

Students, staff and babies in the creche area of Young Families Connect. ( ABC News: Anna Hartley )

"Canberra has a wonderful facility, Western Australia has a few and both are funded by state governments," he said.

"I am running this out of my school budget, and we are mostly funded by Mission Australia. This should be funded by the Department of Education."

'A wonderful village'

Program leader Corrine Harper said some students travelled up to three hours each way on public transport just to take part in the program.

"We take mums from anywhere, so a lot of those young women are from regional areas or north Brisbane," she said.

"Most of these girls are too young to drive.

"To walk through that door and go back to school is a big deal, it's daunting, it's intimidating but it takes a village to raise a child and we've got a wonderful village here."

Ashley Eastwell plans to start university this year. ( ABC News: Anna Hartley )

Single mum Ashley Eastwell graduated from the program last year and still regularly brings her two-year-old daughter Isla back to the school for play dates.

She also left school before finishing Year 12 and said getting pregnant was the catalyst for her wanting to go back.

"I don't feel I would've had the ambition to go to university without this program," she said.

"If I didn't have my daughter, I would not have gone back to school.

"It's so valuable. Apart from getting my Year 12 certificate I got support — I didn't have support from my family or her father, so it means the world to me.

"It's very important there is more of this available to young parents. We deserve the support, the chance to do right for our kids and that's all we want to do."

Ashley is applying to university to study human services and is one of several of the program's graduates who have decided to go to university.

Corinne Harper (L) says some students travel up to six hours a day to take part in the program. ( ABC News: Anna Hartley )

Keeping teen mums on the radar

National children's commissioner Megan Mitchell said the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been calling on state and federal governments to provide more support and funding to keep Australia's young parents in school.

She commended Ipswich State High School's approach, saying education was a vital tool to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and welfare dependence.

Babies born to teenage mums (from total births) NT: 5.9%

NT: 5.9% Tas: 3.7%

Tas: 3.7% Qld: 3.4%

Qld: 3.4% WA: 2.4%

WA: 2.4% SA: 2.1%

SA: 2.1% Vic: 1.4%

Vic: 1.4% ACT: 1.2% Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017

"Teenage pregnancy is at an historic low, but there's still around 8,000 babies born to teen mothers every year," Ms Mitchell said.

"Young parents are also at high risk of health and mental health issues, and their children are more likely to be born at a low birth weight, preterm and have cognitive and behavioural issues.

"It's good that it's going down, but we need to be working hard to support young parents who are struggling."

Ms Mitchell said preventing unplanned teenage pregnancies is also vital.

The AHRC's Children's Rights Report 2019, being tabled in Parliament today, recommends the Federal Government continues providing children with education on sexual and reproductive health as part of the mandatory school curriculum, with special attention on preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

"One of the other things is the need for culturally safe services as well," Ms Mitchell said.

"We know around 25 per cent of young parents are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander young people, and they really need safe spaces they can connect with to feel safe to go to school.

"If we don't keep these things on the radar, people forget about them."