There may be all kinds of reasons why pupils stop attending school. But whether through illness, behavioural issues or family difficulties, Notschool.net is utilising technology to give increasing numbers of these children another chance to re-engage in learning.
Penny Cottee finds out more.
School's out
Ask 16 year-old Karl Hambleton where he would be without Notschool.net, and his answer is unequivocal. "I'd be on the dole for the rest of my life," he says. "I'd be nowhere." Now, as he prepares to leave the online learning community after three years,Karl is positive about his future. He's investigating college places around his local town of Horwich, Lancashire. "I want to work with cars, probably as a body sprayer," he says.
Karl is one of 1,500 youngsters who have taken part in Notschool since it began in 2000, and his story of a disrupted education is redolent of many. Suffering persistent bullying at school, he 'walked out' - occasionally to begin with, and then for good. "I liked school, and the teachers knew I could do the work, but I couldn't stay there," he explains. What followed was a year in an educational no-man's land, with options being assessed, but without any consistent provision. Fortunately, Karl was introduced to Notschool, and he is now proud to be considered a success story.
"Notschool is just brilliant," he says.
The young Notschoolers have very different stories. A teenager too afraid to leave her suicidal mother alone at home for more than a brief period; the boy with a severe phobia; teenagers with disruptive or violent behaviour; the youngster whose father died of a heroin overdose; teenage mothers; Travellers' children. But the one common theme the youngsters share is that they had all fallen outside traditional educational systems for some considerable time, before becoming a part of Notschool.
"We work to re-engage young people in learning," explains Jean Johnson, Project Director of Notschool.net. "We're there for those children who, for a variety of reasons, don't fit the mould, and for whom all traditional education options have failed."
Notschool is a virtual learning community that uses technology to reach out to youngsters, including some of the 10,000 or so that are currently permanently excluded from school. "If you can't take the child to the learning, you take the learning to the child," says Jean. Aimed at 14-16 year-olds, the intention is not to return them to school, but to offer routes to further education, higher education, or work. Youngsters are provided with equipment at home - a computer, fast internet connection, a printer and a digital camera - and trained to use it.
And the achievements of Notschool are evident. "98 per cent re-engage in learning, achieving a formally recognised award in the national qualifications framework," explains Jean. Of leavers in June 2005, 56 per cent opted to continue to college, school, or an apprenticeship with time at college, while 26 per cent entered college-related employment.Most of the remaining 18 per cent entered full-time work. "Some 10 per cent go on to higher education," Jean adds. Notschool has also developed a system of certificates - accredited by the national awarding body, NCFE - which are awarded to 'researchers'.
In Notschool, pupils are known as ‘researchers’. "For many, 'student' or 'pupil' equals 'school', so the change of identity is important," explains Jean. "The youngsters are 'researchers' and the adults are 'mentors', not teachers." Semantics matter in an environment where school may represent difficult experiences.
Progress and Success
Notschool began six years ago as a research project based at Ultralab, the learning technology research centre at Anglia Polytechnic University in Chelmsford, following concerns among Government ministers and academics about the fate of children who did not attend school.
Jean, already known for her work in virtual education projects, was invited to Ultralab by the Director, Professor Stephen Heppell, to run the project. Originally piloted with 100 researchers, Notschool now employs 250 staff and has almost 1,000 researchers.
In order to expand, Notschool left Ultralab last year. Today, Notschool works with 26 local authorities (LAs) , where the model consists of a local LA team of three staff, working with 10 mentors and 60 researchers. Referrals may come from many sources - including education welfare officers, head teachers and youth offending teams - but all must be approved by an LA panel of professionals, who decide whether Notschool is appropriate or not.
Researchers are encouraged to follow their interests. They are assigned to mentors - all trained teachers - who guide them on a daily basis via e-mail and voicemail, facilitating and stimulating their interests and looking out for every sign of progress and success.
And it is clearly not school. For starters, it's an egalitarian system: everyone is on first name terms, and there is no subject hierarchy. In practice, this means that English as a subject has equal status with, for example, wrestling. However, Jean stresses that there are two firm rules at Notschool. "Everyone must respect others, and researchers must log on every day."
For the mentors, Notschool offers an experience far removed from classroom teaching. "I've never met the researchers I work with, although some have been with me for a year," says Elinor McNulty, a former French teacher.
"You work from home for one day a week, spread throughout the week," Elinor explains. "Mentors are all assigned six researchers, and I write to mine every day to build a routine. Sometimes I spend a while researching material to send to them; other times it will be a quick contact to keep in touch. It is extremely absorbing work."
Mentors don't push researchers to follow the National Curriculum, but they do encourage maths and English in any guise. "We follow their interests - be that motorbikes or football - and try to inject literacy and numeracy into that," continues Elinor, who is also an ‘expert’, meaning that she is responsible for developing content areas and accreditation. "It's satisfying to see them enjoy a number exercise, when they thought they hated maths. Researchers are often unused to praise, and are very appreciative of positive recognition."
And it’s a cost-effective solution. The charge for Notschool is £4,000 per researcher, compared to £10,500 for a pupil referral unit placement. "But the long-term cost of not bringing young people back into society is huge," says Jean. "In an ideal world, there would be no need for Notschool. But if you can put one young life back on track, it's a positive thing to do."
To find out more about Notschool, visit: www.notschool.net
* Penny Cottee is a freelance journalist specialising in education and business.
