Lifelong Learning Project - School Inclusion - Preventing Early School Leaving

Guidelines on identifying Young People at Risk of Early School Leavin

Department of Education and Science, The School Completion Programme

Department of Education and Science, The School Completion Programme

Ireland 2007

Guidelines

English

English

The guidelines have been produced for Local School Completion Programme (SCP) Co-ordinators in order to identify good practices for targeting young people at risk of early school leaving.

The document is written in four sections:
• Section One outlines a rationale to the practise of targeting resources to young people at risk of early school leaving and to communities at risk of socio-economic disadvantage.
• Section Two identifies the causes of early school leaving and would-be leaving. It also outlines some of the pitfalls associated with the processes of identifying young people at risk of early school leaving.
• Section Three highlights models that have been developed to identify and target young people at risk of early school leaving.
• Section Four identifies good practice for identifying young people at risk of early school leaving.

The document concludes with a ten-pointer summary of the guidelines

Methodology: A questionnaire in relation to targeting young school leavers was sent to School Completion Programme co-ordinators. Responses came from 63 coordinators (77%).

Clear guidelines for identifying early school leavers for the School Completion Programme are outlined. These could easily be adapted to other early school leaving programmes.

Ann Caulfield

Mayo Education Centre

Researcher