UNRULY primary school students are , being segregated from their peers behind ' 2m-high security fences.
Ipswich East State School has begun work on a "behavioural hub" that will see students who have been suspended multiple times or with serious behavioural issues fenced off from the rest of the school.
The units are formally known as "positive learning centres" and 15 of them have been built in Queensland — about half within school grounds.
"Though managed by Ipswich East State School, the centre will be a separate building," Metropolitan Region director Richard English said. "This is because the students who will attend the centre will not necessarily be enrolled at Ipswich East State School. Furthermore, it is also possible that some students who attend the centre may not be of primary school age."
Queensland Teachers' Union president Kevin Bates said there had been significant concerns raised by school communities when the centres had been located within school campuses.
In Toowoomba, a 1.8m-high fence with a secure gate separates a special school from one of the centres.
Mr Bates said the union would rather see centres built off school campuses. He said some centres built within school grounds had been fenced to ensure there was no risk of flight or risk to the safety of other students.
"It (a security fence) is extreme but we are also talking here about students that, in most circumstances, demonstrated an inability to operate in a normal school setting," he said. "I would not draw any analogy between that and prison. What this is about is saying the normal school day presents challenges for many students."