Network for the Prevention of School Fatigue and Rejection of School
Despite compulsory schooling, a proportion of children and young people fail to attend school. Nearly 10% of each year’s school-leavers leave without qualifications and consequently have only poor chances of being able to complete vocational training and later earn their living. While public debate over these findings has mainly been concerned with potential links between truancy and criminal behaviour, this research project is concerned with the causes and effects of school fatigue and rejection of school. The aim is to compile information about approaches, strategies and methods of preventing pupils from dropping out of school and missing out on education and training, and to prepare the information in such a way that it can be used in policy-making and practical work for effective ways of improving everyday school life. This is being implemented using three modules:
- Identifying and further developing innovative methods and strategies for preventing children from dropping out of school and lacking education and training, in a ‘learning network’.
- Evaluating selected approaches to the provision of support.
- Preparing information on production-oriented approaches to support (pupil-run companies, production schools, junior companies) for policy-makers and educators.
The approaches, strategies and methods of preventing pupils from dropping out of school identified correspond to the chronological sequence over which children and young people turn away from school, starting with the provision of early assistance at the first signs of school fatigue, moving on to support and assistance before the end of compulsory schooling and continue right up to the provision of education for young people who are still at the compulsory school age but are considered as no longer teachable – sometimes after several years of avoiding school.