BOWDEN ROOM
Engaging the Disengaged
Engaging the Disengaged
Tami McCrone
Research Director,
National Foundation for Education Research
Engaging the disengaged
Identifying and supporting
students at risk of temporary
disengagement
January 2014
Why focus on the ‘inbetweeners’?
The majority of young people who
become NEET do not face multiple
or complex barriers to engagement
(Spielhofer et al., 2009).
Most re-engagement activities focus on those with multiple barriers to
learning (Nelson and O’Donnell, 2012).
Early evidence suggests that preventative activities should be focused
on those without complex barriers to keep them engaged (Nelson and
O’Donnell, 2012).
How do you do engage the ‘inbetweeners’?
Identify the reasons why a young person is disengaging AND choose
the right intervention/support.
What research are we doing?
Identifying students
at risk of
disengagement
• Indicators to
identify the
reasons for
disengagement
• Research to identify
indicators of
disengagement
• Development and trialling
of free indicators toolkits
for school use
• Publication of free
resources for schools.
Supporting students
with appropriate
interventions
• Mobilising positive
engagement
practice
• Longitudinal research
• 10 different support
programmes in Key
Stage 4
• Looking at impact of
projects and how to
share practice.
Selection of young people
• ‘[college] is more fun, like you do practical all day. You don’t just sit
down….the stuff’s more relevant and not all about exams’
• ‘I don't like it [school] because my lessons are boring because you don't
really do a lot other than writing - I don't like writing’
• ‘We are starting project-based learning so instead of teachers telling
you what to do you get some topics and you learn yourself about the
topics’
• ‘I don’t mind learning sometimes but some of the teachers they can be
so serious, but when you’re having fun you learn better’
• ‘I wouldn't like to stay here because there are not really any
opportunities that people would like to do’
Support programmes
Pastoral/
Academic
support
Employer
or
businessfocused
support
Types of support
programmes
Package of
support
Alternative
curriculum
or
pedagogy
Employer or business-focused
support
• Extended employer work experience
– Students spend two days a week on a work placement, two
days in schools and one day off-site working towards
various vocational qualifications.
• BT mentoring programme
– Pupils receive six one–to–one mentoring sessions from BT
staff over the course of a year.
• Social enterprise qualification (SEQ)
– Pupils set up and run a business (social enterprise) to
generate funds to improve a local issue or need.
• Enterprise and business programme
– Pupils set up and run a small business as part of the Key
Stage 4 curriculum.
Pastoral or academic-focused
support
• ‘Do Something Different’
– Four-six week programme to encourage students to develop
new behaviours to cope.
• City Year
– One-to-one academic mentoring in class to improve
selected students’ engagement in learning, achievement
and aspirations.
• Academic tutoring
– One-to-one or two-to-one academic English and maths
tutoring to support pupil premium students who are
underachieving.
Alternative curriculum or
pedagogy
• NVQ Level 2 Beauty Course
– Beauty course resulting in a vocational qualification. Delivered
in school by an adult training college.
• Project-based learning (part of Learning Futures
programme) for all students in Key Stage 3 and
Key Stage 4
– School uses extended projects in Key Stage 3, and elements
of project-based learning in Key Stage 4, along with other
innovative pedagogic approaches.
Package of support
• Raising the Participation Age project
– Targeted careers advice and work experience opportunities,
academic mentoring, and a team enterprise activity for a
small group of students who are underachieving.
What next?
• Focus on the impact and benefits of the support
programmes
• Link indicators and support programmes research
• Event for practitioners to learn about the different
support programmes and share ideas/practice.
Useful links and tools
• Indicators:
– discussion aid and interactive tool
• Support programmes:
– information on case studies
– update on evaluation
– news & events
www.nfer.ac.uk
Tami McCrone: t.mccrone@nfer.ac.uk
Eleanor Stevens: e.stevens@nfer.ac.uk
Engaging the Disengaged
Engaging the Disengaged
Kelly Kettlewell
Research Manager,
National Foundation for Education Research
Engaging the Disengaged