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Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the extent to which the South Australian flexible learning option (FLO) secondary school enrolment strategy supports some of the most vulnerable and disengaged students to simultaneously engage in secondary- and higher-education, skills and work-based learning; second, to explore the degree to which this FLO enrolment strategy addresses the United Nations (UN) principles of responsible management education and 17 sustainable development goals. Design/methodology/approach The approach includes a practice perspective, field-notes and documents analysis. Findings This paper finds the flexibility inherent in the FLO enrolment strategy goes some way to addressing inequity in education outcomes amongst those who traditionally disengage from education and work-based learning. Findings also highlight ways in which the FLO enrolment strategy addresses some of the UN principals and 17 goals. Research limitations/implications This paper supports the work of HESWBL by calling for future research into the long-term benefits of flexible education strategies that support HESWBL, through exploring the benefits to young people, from their perspective, with a view to providing accountability. Social implications The paper offers an example of a way a practice perspective can explore an education strategy that addresses “wicked problems” (Rittel and Webber, 1973). Currently, “wicked problems” that pervade member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development include intergenerational poverty, under-education and unemployment. Originality/value This paper is valuable because it explores from a practice perspective, how a secondary education enrolment strategy supports vulnerable students engage in their secondary schooling, while simultaneously supporting students achieve higher education, skills and work-based learning.

Schools in rural South Australia are remote from opportunities for students and teachers to engage in music learning and professional development. This aim of this research project was to investigate the degree to which partnerships between rural schools and non-government organisations (NGOs) can be effective and meet this need. Anderson and White (2011) note that partnerships in education, both in Australia and elsewhere, continue to be a prominent policy feature, as a preferred way of working to deal with key challenges for schools. This project employed a participant-observation methodology that incorporated methods of survey and invitational semi-structured interviews. It explored the ways in which schools benefited from partnering with a non-for-profit organisation in music education. Project results indicate that the quality of partnerships between an NGO (Musica Viva) and rural schools (government and non-government) have a positive impact on: student and teacher learning of music; the advancement of teachers’ music pedagogy and; student, teacher and community wellbeing.  Importantly, this positive impact occurred in rural and remote schools with significant numbers of vulnerable, disadvantaged and disengaged students. Conclusions may be used to inform the development and strengthening of school-NGO partnerships to improve the quality of music education in rural schools. The project also offers itself as an example of how future investigations of school-NGO partnerships more generally might be pursued.