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Count Us In: We're still here: Successful Transitions from Secondary School

Ethos and culture

Dimension 9: Promotes well-being and respect
Dimension 10: Develops a culture of ambition and achievement

It is quite common for young people, when asked about what has kept them in school or has made a difference to their lives, to identify the contribution made by a significant adult. That adult is often a teacher, a member of the support staff or a youth worker. What matters is that that person demonstrates that they care, that they have time to listen and that they believe that the young person can progress and achieve. The projects and approaches outlined below recognise the importance of trusting but robust relationships between young people and the adults who work with them. Such relationships are not sentimental. Case studies will often point to the high expectations set in terms of attendance, punctuality and conscientiousness. A similar belief in the importance of relationships in supporting and motivating young people lies behind the development of the Small Schools Movement in the USA, and mentoring schemes in Scotland. What characterises such relationships is the unconditional positive regard in which young people are held by the staff who support them.

Young people who are vulnerable, for example, looked after children, may find it particularly difficult to achieve in educational terms if their other needs are not met. Such holistic support may include:

• additional educational support;
• designated teachers with clear roles in providing enhanced assistance;
• flexible individualised support before and for some time after transitions;
• a focus on their physical, mental and emotional health and well-being;
• stability and continuity within education and care settings; and
• clear practical advice about how to look after themselves in the future.

Young people who are hard to engage may need their supporters to be particularly persistent, for example, in providing further chances when things go wrong.

GIRFEC stresses the importance of young people and their families:

• believing their views are being heard;
• knowing about the help available to them;
• feeling that their needs are being addressed; and
• experiencing co-ordinated and unified approaches when several professionals are involved in supporting them.

Supporting vulnerable young people in making the transition to adulthood

Mayfield and Easthouses Youth 2000 Project, a community-based voluntary youthwork organisation in an area of multiple deprivation, delivered a range of services to young people seven days a week. Young people’s needs were used to inform strategic development of services and innovative approaches to engaging hard-to-reach, vulnerable and excluded young people. A range of services helped young people to be aspirational and continue in education and training, including drop-ins, educational group work, street work, advocacy and gender-specific provision. In addition, the organisation worked in partnership with local high schools and intregration teams in a video-referral project looking to re-engage young people in learning, education and employment.

Alva Academy, Clackmannanshire, had developed a climate of positive intervention through group work, individual support and access to college programmes. School leaders were strongly committed to meeting the needs of all young people and promoted a whole-school approach involving key staff, and a school-based youth worker. Young people reported that they felt ‘consulted and listened to’. Looked after young people clearly stated that if it had not been for the support of the youth worker within the school they would have opted out of the system. Young people with social and emotional difficulties were making very good progress in the transition to college, due to the very gradual build up of activities which focused on increasing their confidence and self esteem. Staff fully involved them in putting together an effective programme of tasks and activities which focused on encouraging positive attitudes throughout the transition process. Activities included visits to the college when it was less busy, support in the college canteen and working every week on the same computer. This gradual transition was helping the young people to think very positively about college and set realistic goals for the future.

Two young people with additional support needs spoke very positively about school and college.

Both young people felt fully supported in school and at college. They both had a wide range of SQA units at Access levels 2 and 3 and were working well on ASDAN life skills and employability awards. School staff reported that they were working very well at college, gradually increasing their time there with the aim of taking up a full-time placement when they left school.

Fairbridge in Scotland worked with young people in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee. Their services were targeted at young people between 13 and 25 who were facing multiple barriers to engagement with education, training and employment and who would, in the main, have disengaged from learning in their early years. Fairbridge’s Active Steps programme was specifically developed for young people between the ages of 13 and 16 who were at risk of disengagement from education and/or unlikely to make successful transitions to post-school opportunities. The programme provided opportunities for young people to develop core personal and social skills, tackle issues relating to self esteem and resilience and focus on addressing risk-taking and inappropriate behaviours. The young people referred to the programme had typically been involved in truancy, were experiencing emotional or behavioural difficulties, or were at risk of offending or educational exclusion. The most common barrier to young people’s progression in schools was poor behaviour and poor relationships with peers. Over a third of young people involved with the programme who were not attending full-time education had been reintegrated into mainstream education.

Raising aspirations

West Lothian’s Sure Start project, Young mums @ school, had supported the inclusion of pregnant vulnerable young people in school through enabling them to be ambitious, and to prepare for and chart a pathway into post-school education. A specialist worker provided home-based support and funded childminders allowed young parents to attend lessons and sit examinations.

Barnardo’s Youthbuild Paisley project equipped disadvantaged young people with the skills, experience and qualifications to make the transition to sustainable employment. It targeted the construction industry, which offered considerable opportunities for employment, and addressed issues at the root of social exclusion such as disadvantage and the impact of poverty. It did this by responding flexibly to individuals and bringing together partner agencies from all sectors, including private industry. Support workers from Barnardo’s provided proactive support to young people to access and sustain employment. They responded flexibly to individual needs, working in partnership with employers and other agencies. Workers supported young people through three months of training and six months of employment. Over 80% of young people they worked with were able to retain a full-time job at the end of the nine months. Young people found the prospect of doing a ‘real job’ paying a reasonable salary very motivating.

The Barnardo’s Cluaran multidisciplinary team worked in partnership with young people, families and education and social work services. It offered a flexible range of community-based support to families and young people at risk. Its work was based on the core principles that young people and families were central to the service; that everyone had the potential for growth and change; and that working together was the only way to achieve effective change. The Cluaran service had helped young people at risk progress from poor attendance to attending school regularly and securing Modern Apprenticeships.

Young people in East Ayrshire who were looked after or looked after and accommodated were given access to web-based learning materials and mentoring and support systems in schools. This prepared them for post-school education and training, and helped them develop skills in independent working. Education and social work colleagues worked closely to ensure that young people accommodated in children’s homes could take advantage of this service to prepare for post-school training or employment.

The S4 Transitions Group at Braes High School, Falkirk, was made up of 12 disaffected pupils identified by pastoral staff. Criteria for involvement were low attendance, high exclusions and multiple referrals. The aim was to achieve academic or vocational qualifications, develop employability skills and achieve acceptable references. The course was run jointly with the local Employment Training Unit (ETU) who selected young people through competitive interview. The programme involved two days in school as a block, and three days in the ETU, from August to May. In school, learners studied English, mathematics, physical education, drama, information and communications technology and personal and social education. In addition to Standard Grade or Access awards, they achieved components of PC Passport, ASDAN (World of Work), and the John Muir award (health and safety) and could undertake the Construction Industry Training Board test. They also carried out a school project – in the current year redesigning, rebuilding and planting the quadrangle. Pupils were encouraged to take up placements which did not reflect traditional gender roles and which could lead to Modern Apprenticeships and/or continued employment. Wider activities included canoeing and mountain climbing. Expectations and success criteria were clearly defined. Participants had to follow a strict behaviour code and achieve regular attendance. They were expected to wear work dress and look after their tools. Parents were kept fully involved and their views were very positive. Over the last three years, the success rate had increased. Attendance had improved, and exclusions and referrals had fallen considerably. In 2006-2007 all participants achieved a training place or job. The course culminated in a graduation ceremony at the town hall.

One teacher can make a difference!

One pupil talked about his experiences when moving into S4 at Braes High School

At Abercorn School, Glasgow, a school for secondary pupils with additional support needs, young people were developing a broad range of employability skills. An increasing number experienced success across a wide range of curricular experiences. Young people were very well prepared for their post-school lives. The school had extended certification through a wide range of awards, including SQA at all levels from Access to Advanced Higher, and through ASDAN and the Caledonian Award. Pupils experienced very successful college placements, and were very well supported by the school through transition. The excellent personal, social and health education programme enabled learners from S3 to S6 to gain certification, including those with more complex needs, and prepared them well for the world of work through practical activities. Learners undertook vocational and pre-vocational courses. Work experience placements were very well organised and local employers conducted mock interviews. The careers adviser provided learners with very good support on an individual basis. Learners participated in a wide range of sporting, social and cultural experiences which developed their personal and social skills. Additional literacy programmes were delivered effectively by volunteer tutors. Pupils received tutorial support for numeracy and learned about financial management through running the school bank. At the weekly Transitional Club, pupils in their final years had the opportunity to meet with pupils who had recently left school. Social events included outings and sporting, music and art activities while at the same time the club gave young people the opportunity to find out about employment, colleges and training. School staff were available to help with application forms, contact social work and other services and to provide support. For those S4 pupils who were not yet ready for work experience and would require a lot of support to access employment the school introduced a Work Awareness week. Pupils visited a range of employers, colleges and support agencies and took part in workshops within school, including talks by former pupils.

Signposts to excellence

• Appropriate and proactive arrangements are in place for early identification of the learning, care and vocational needs of young people. Existing information is used effectively to plan any future support necessary within school or in out-of-school settings. Young people with identified needs receive additional support which enables them to succeed.
• The school makes arrangements for attendance and transport which ease access to vocational and college provision for all young people who need it.
• Vocational advice is accurate, relevant and up to date. It enables young people to make informed choices about the courses and programmes they wish to follow within school and about their direction after leaving school. It encourages young people to aim high and be aspirational. It takes into account the fact that they may not have demonstrated all their talents and abilities at school or reached their potential, and may be highly successful in other contexts and with increasing maturity. Advice does not close doors and pathways do not lead to dead ends.
• Young people are enabled to be proactive in developing their ideas about what they want to do in the future. They have acquired the skills and knowledge which enable them to plan their careers effectively and gain experience of the world of work. They are encouraged to make positive choices about work-based and community-based activities. Such choices are not made on their behalf because they are disaffected or exhibit challenging behaviour.
• Before they complete their vocational programmes, young people receive guidance about further options. They have frequent and regular contact with pastoral and/or support staff. This guidance prepares them well for progression to further learning and/or employment.
• Staff help young people to re-engage in learning by being pro-active and responsive, particularly when young people’s previous experience of learning has been negative.
• Staff recognise and positively reinforce individual and group achievement and make good use of school and partnership events to celebrate success.
• Pastoral and other staff aim to encourage young people to develop resilience and to build on their strengths. They recognise their social and emotional, as well as their learning, needs and strive to address these, working with other professionals as appropriate.
• Staff are particularly mindful of the needs of looked after children and other vulnerable groups. They are responsive to the fact that some young people may not have the same levels of family support as others, and they do their best to support them, raise their aspirations and help them to succeed.
• Staff help those young people who find new contexts stressful and/or who arouse negative reactions in others through inappropriate social behaviour, to recognise these characteristics and adjust their conduct and attitudes to those better suited to an adult working environment.
• Disability is not seen as a barrier for young people at the time of transition.
• Effective systems are in place to ensure early identification of pupils who are beginning to show signs of struggling - for example, poor behaviour, absence or falling attainment levels - and intervene promptly.

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