Education
As a charity which provides support, training and advice to thousands of 14-19 year olds unable to achieve their full potential in mainstream school, we seek to use our experience and knowledge to influence changes to education policy.
Barnardo’s supports the Government’s decision to raise the staying on age from 16 to 18. However, we are calling for a stronger vocational offer; a move away from the ‘one size fits all’ approach to education and better support for those facing barriers to education.
Last summer we conducted research with 30 young people from a Barnardo’s service in the North East of England, regarding their experiences of school. We asked why they left (or were excluded) and how they regained their motivation and got back into learning through the service. We also made a DVD with them which we showed at the party political conferences in the autumn.
Going forward…
We are currently conducting in-depth research to find out more about how Barnardo’s education and training services across the UK succeed in re-engaging young people in learning. We will use this to push for further improvements in policy and practice during 2009.
