Lifelong Learning Project - School Inclusion - Preventing Early School Leaving

Invisible Children

Chris Skidmore, Nick Cuff, Charlotte Leslie

The Bow Group

United Kingdom

Research Report

English

This report reveals what became of the 656,000 pupils who were 7 in 1997 (i.e. on the election of the Labour government) and who took their GCSEs in 2006.

The 'Invisible Children' are:
1) 7,000 pupils missing from education in their final year
2) 30,000 pupils who were either missing or not entered for GCSEs
3) Nearly 60,000 pupils who did not obtain any GCSEs either through not turning up for exams, not passing any exams or disappearing off the school roll.

The report explores: Why educational failure takes place; What are the consequences of educational failure; What can be done about it;

Excellent and very readable report supplying useful and interesting statistical information and sensible suggestions on what can be done to improve the situation. There is even a section on 'Why young people are dropping out' which confirms our own research. They drop out because they are: 'not inspired by an overly academic curriculum; or a curriculum that does not engage with what they want to do; or the way they want to learn; attractions outside the school gate are too much to resist;and most worryingly they describe a world in which schools, shopping malls and the police seem complacent in taking them back into school'.

http://www.bowgroup.org/content.asp?
Click on publications, then scroll down to the report

Roger Murfin

Wilsthorpe Business & Enterprise College

Business Manager