A five-year-old Invercargill boy has been suspended from school for being violent to other children, his mother says.

Mereana Fincher said her son was suspended from Fernworth Primary School for two days on February 23 before being suspended again on Monday.

He now faces the possibility of expulsion.

"Apparently he has been really violent and he has been hurting people. She [principal Anne Walker] feels she has to stand him down to keep the rest of the children safe."

Fincher said she was upset her boy had been suspended but she understood the school's decision.

However, she believed her son's plight highlighted a lack of resources being available in schools to deal with children such as hers.

It was the second school her son had gone through. He started at Tisbury School last year but only lasted six weeks due to his behaviour, she said.

Fincher home schooled her son for a time before sending him to Fernworth Primary.

Her son, who was "quite intelligent," was proving to be too naughty for his mainstream school but was not suitable to attend a special needs school, she said.

"It really highlights the need for something in schools to deal with children like this."

With a psychologist observing her boy this week, she now believed he may have ADHD, but said tests would be required.

The Fernworth Primary School Board of Trustees would decide the boy's fate next week.

The board has three options: lift the suspension, extend the suspension or exclude him from the school.

Principal Anne Walker declined to discuss the boy's case, citing privacy laws.

However, in general terms, the key reason a child would be suspended was to ensure the safety of children and staff at the school, she said.

The school's job was to teach children academic subjects and social skills, which incorporated their behaviour, so options were explored before making the decision to suspend a child, she said.

Schools needed expert help and support to deal with children with particular needs and sometimes those experts were not readily available in schools.

Schools struggled to meet the needs of some children with their existing resources, she said.

Education Ministry spokeswoman Katrina Casey said the ministry believed Fernworth Primary was handling the case appropriately and had followed the correct process.

In 2013 just two five year olds in New Zealand were suspended, with figures unavailable for 2014.

Although it was uncommon for kids so young to be suspended, it was necessary on occasions to allow the school, family and child to consider next steps.

Schools were also obliged to consider the health and safety of all children within a school, Casey said.

The ministry had offered the school specialist assistance through its special education staff and was working with the school to manage the "challenging situation".

Extra funding from the ministry's interim response fund was available to the school to provide additional support if required, "for example for a teacher aide".

"We're not aware of any recent requests by Fernworth School for help that we haven't been able to meet. We're always happy to discuss any needs."

On two occasions already this year, the ministry had provided the school with extra funding to deal with children with particular needs.

Extra support had also been provided to Fernworth School through the positive behaviour for learning programme, Casey said.

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