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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background
1.1 Young people who are, or are at risk of being, not in education, employment or training ( NEET) and at risk of becoming socially excluded are a high priority for the Scottish Executive. Headline figures from the Scottish Labour Force Survey 2 indicate that there are some 35,000 young people in Scotland who are not in education, employment or training ( NEET). A reduction in the proportion of 16-19 year olds who are NEET is one of the high-level indicators being used to assess progress in implementing the Lifelong Learning Strategy for Scotland (Scottish Executive, 2003). Being NEET can have long-term consequences for individuals who, if they do not participate in education, employment and training for prolonged periods, "are most likely to encounter consistent problems in later life" (Eddy Adams - see comment p.41, 2005, p.2). In Closing the Opportunity Gap, the Scottish Executive (2002) stressed the pivotal role of education in maximising individuals' achievement and attainment and providing a basis for learning for life. The document set out several targets aimed at closing the opportunity gap, including increasing support to 16-19 year olds from low income families to stay on at school and/or FE college, and reducing the proportion of 16-19 year olds who are NEET.
1.2 The NEET issue presents policy makers with considerable challenges owing to the diversity of the circumstances and characteristics of the young people and their flows into and out of this group. Young people at any age in secondary school can be at risk of becoming NEET if they are not engaged by the curriculum and become disaffected. The challenge of preventing young people becoming NEET and helping those who are in this group touches on a range of economic, social and educational policy areas. Significantly, the recent NEET workstream report acknowledged that: "Targeting policy effectively requires understanding of the different needs of the many different sub-groups which make up 35,000 NEET and determining which require government intervention" (Eddy Adams, 2005, p.4). The policy-making context of interventions designed to encourage and support young people to achieve and help them leave or avoid joining the NEET group is provided below.
1.3 Providing opportunities for all young people to succeed and reach their potential is central to Scotland's vision for increasing economic growth and ensuring social justice and inclusion. The Scottish Executive (2001) stated that a "shared understanding between the education system and the wider economy of the needs of young people, and the skills, attitudes and expectations they will require to develop" (p.5) was an important factor in realising this vision which "is for a Smart, Successful Scotland where creating, learning and connecting faster is the basis for sustained productivity growth, competitiveness and prosperity" (p.7).
1.4 In setting out the strategic direction for developing a more enterprising Scotland, the Scottish Executive (2004) prioritised skills and learning as one of the major contributors to achieving the goal of a Smart, Successful Scotland: "All young people need to be equipped with the skills, advice and support needed to allow them to contribute to, and benefit from, economic growth and to underpin lifelong learning" (p.19). The Scottish Executive's Determined to Succeed: Enterprise in Education strategy was identified as an important lever for developing enterprising attitudes and an understanding of the world of work which are required to create and sustain an innovative and dynamic Scotland. The Lifelong Learning Strategy for Scotland (Scottish Executive, 2003) noted that DtS"can also help provide a more varied school experience focused on the needs and interests of each individual young person" (p.22). The nature of NEET is such that there is no one policy initiative which will be the primary means of addressing the issue. However, like many other policies, Determined to Succeed - through the behaviours it aims to promote and its aspiration to embed enterprising teaching and learning practice throughout the curriculum - has the potential to make a positive contribution to reducing NEET. Although the recommendations of the Review of Education for Work and Enterprise (Scottish Executive, 2002) did not specifically target those at risk of becoming NEET, DtS is an inclusive strategy aimed at all pupils.
1.5 A major thrust of the educational response to the NEET issue is to attempt to engage young people more effectively in learning. This was highlighted in key publications such as Flexibility in the Secondary School Curriculum by Learning and Teaching Scotland (2003) which pointed out that increasing flexibility included designing a customised curriculum which "meets the needs and expectations of all learners" and "encourages increased achievement and commitment to learning" (p.1). It concluded that there was "an increasing recognition that curriculum flexibility and innovation may contribute to improving the quality of the educational experience for all young people" (p.5).
1.6 The importance of designing a curriculum which motivates and engages young people was also emphasised in the report of the Discipline Task Group, Better Behaviour, Better Learning (Scottish Executive, 2001). This outlined how some schools were promoting a more inclusive approach to education through appropriate curriculum management such as reducing the number of subjects and topics studied for a small number of children who have difficulty in coping with a full curriculum. The report noted that : "These approaches to curricular flexibility not only support some of the specific needs of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, but also a much broader range of pupils who experience boredom and lack inspiration in school" (p.17).
1.7 The need for developing an appealing and motivating educational offer which inspires young people to continue learning and thereby prevent them becoming disaffected was identified by the influential publication A Curriculum for Excellence (2004) which stated that: "Our aspiration is to enable all children to develop their capacities as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society" (p.1). Critically, the programme of reform presented by the Curriculum Review Group included "greater choice and opportunity, earlier, for young people, to help them realise their individual talents and to help close the opportunity gap by better engaging those who currently switch off from formal education too young" (p.2). Observing that young people in Scotland were "not achieving all they were capable of" (p.5), the Curriculum Review Group stated that the curriculum should "make learning active, challenging and fun" and should "include a wide range of experiences and achieve a suitable blend of what has traditionally been seen as "academic" and "vocational" (p.5).
1.8 Learning environments can be as important as a diversified curriculum for motivating and engaging pupils, especially for the target group of young people who are risk of becoming NEET. Significantly, the Lifelong Learning Strategy for Scotland encourages "the development of locally relevant links between schools, further education, higher education institutions and employers to ease young people's transitions through school education and into training, further and higher education or employment" (Scottish Executive, 2003, p.22).
1.9 The National Foundation for Educational Research ( NFER) was commissioned by the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department at the Scottish Executive to carry out an evaluation of the implementation process of the DtS strategy which constitutes phase 1 of the national evaluation. This took place between September 2004 and August 2005. In order to draw on the understanding and expertise of the NFER researchers involved in the DtS phase 1 evaluation, and to reduce the research burden on participating LAs, a variation to contract was agreed to investigate how local authorities were identifying those at risk of becoming NEET, what provision they were implementing through DtS, and how effective this provision was. This final report presents the findings of this additional study.
1.10 Throughout the report the term "at risk" group will be used to refer to those young people who are at risk of becoming NEET. It is worth noting that there are many contributing factors that can lead a young person to become NEET and the group is by no means homogeneous. It includes young people who are disaffected learners, those who are disengaged from school, those who have truanted or have been excluded from school, and those who have achieved or are likely to achieve low qualifications in compulsory school. Young people face additional barriers if they are 'looked-after' (in the care of the local authority), have caring responsibilities, have mental health and/or drug misuse problems, have a learning or physical disability, or are homeless.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.11 The overall aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of effective practice in the delivery of activities engendered by DtS to young people at risk of becoming NEET.
1.12 More specifically, the key objectives of the research were:
- To identify the range of activities taking place in local authorities as a result of DtS, which may impact on young people at risk of becoming NEET
- To examine the context within which such activities are taking place, including their links with other relevant policies or initiatives
- To examine the extent to which activities are developed by individual schools or within school clusters
- To explore activities delivered through the mainstream curriculum as well as those outside the core timescale through external partnerships.
METHODOLOGY
1.13 The study adopted a qualitative methodology to address the key aims and objectives, focusing on eight Local Authorities ( LAs). Across these eight areas, interviews were conducted with:
- Six Directors of Education (or their Deputies)
- Eleven local authority staff with responsibility for overseeing and developing strategies relevant to young people at risk of becoming NEET
- Eighteen provider staff involving in delivering projects or programmes to the target group
- Twenty-four young people involved in such projects or programmes.
1.14 Interviews with provider staff and young people were conducted as part of in-depth case study visits to 10 projects or programmes across six LAs. The providers were selected in consultation with the DtS strategic leader in each authority to represent the provision of enterprise or vocational learning activities targeted at those in the "at risk" group. The sample included six projects/programmes designed specifically for this group, two FE colleges, a vocational education centre, and a volunteer development centre. Each case study visit consisted of interviews with a senior manager or a course tutor and up to three young people who had participated in the project. The young people interviewed were aged between 13 years and 17 years and the sample included nine females and 15 males.
1.15 The NFER research team also drew on evidence from the wider phase 1 evaluation of DtS which is published separately, including interviews with DtS co-ordinators in all 32 LAs and 61 school staff across 18 schools.
1.16 The NFER research team also carried out a review of eight key documents (Bentley and Gurumurthy, 1999; Golden et al ., 2002; Golden et al., 2004; Kendall and Kinder, 2005; Kendall et al., 2001; Merton and Parrott, 1999; Morris et al., 1999; Steer, 2000) in order to draw out key messages relating to good practice in the delivery of activities aimed at disaffected young people/those at risk of becoming NEET.
STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT
1.17 The following chapters present the main findings of the research:
Chapter 2 Key Findings from the Literature draws on eight recent key documents in order to identify key messages relating to good practice in working with disaffected young people and those at risk of becoming NEET.
Chapter 3 The LA perspective presents local authority staff's views and experiences of how DtS is seen as addressing the needs of the "at risk" group, what provision is available, and how DtS links with other initiatives in the authority.
Chapter 4 Provider and young people's perspective draws on interviews with provider staff and young people in order to identify key approaches and what works in the delivery of activities aimed at disaffected young people and those at risk of becoming NEET.
Chapter 5 Conclusions and key messages presents the main conclusions of the research and raises key issues for further consideration by the Scottish Executive.
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