Living in the ‘real world’: the experiences and support of school-leavers with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

Abstract

Several follow-up studies have reported the poor post-school outcomes for young people with social emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). This paper reports an in-depth examination of the transition process, to increase understanding of why this group struggle with life after school and what can be done to improve the help given to them. The study on which this paper is based was a qualitative, longitudinal study, focussed on a group of school-leavers with SEBD who were leaving a mainstream school and two special schools (one day, one residential). After collecting life histories and information on their support networks before they left school, a researcher followed them, their parents and the professionals who worked with them (college tutors, Connexions workers, etc) for a year. Their parents and the young people themselves were interviewed to gain multiple perspectives on how they are supported and why they struggled or thrived. Most of the participants struggled in the year after they left school without achieving their potential, but some were effectively supported and thrived. The relationships between the young people and key care and education workers seemed to have the greatest influence on their transitional experiences. However, the workers who developed the most constructive and valued relationships with the participants were not the best trained or qualified. A closer look at the some of these relationships shows the transactional nature of their development and the importance of the role of managers and institutional cultures and structures in supporting or inhibiting relationship development.

‘They think that if you're a teacher here … you're not clever enough to be a proper teacher’: the courtesy stigma experienced by teachers employed at schools for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD)

“…These pressures reflected the additional responsibilities perceived to be experienced by practitioners employed in BESD schools, and how practitioners often felt that they had to take on extra roles with regards to developing pupils' social skills due to a perceived lack of parental responsibility, as supported by previous literature (Broomhead, 2013c; Centre for Social Justice, ; McGregor and Mills, ). This is an essential area for practitioners employed in BESD schools to focus on due to suggestions that pupils with the label of BESD may struggle to fit into mainstream society post‐16, with few qualifications and low aspirations (Farrell and Polat, ; O'Riordan, ). Nevertheless, this evidently increased perceived pressure on practitioners employed in BESD schools.…”

Jóvenes, fracaso escolar y programas de segunda oportunidad / Youth, academic failure and second chance training programmes

“…But as these youths progress in the training programme, they improve this behavioural profile and increase their self-confidence, self-esteem, and motivations because they perceive that they are able to achieve the aims of this applied and personalized training programmes. Likewise, the relationship between these young people and educational workers, including tutors and entrepreneurs, is very important (O'Riordan, 2011). Educational workers' attitudes toward these young people's capacities also are (Kim, 2011).…”

A review of the approaches investigating the post-16 transition of young adults with learning difficulties

“…A total of 15 studies (Table 1) met the inclusion criteria and of these studies 11 were conducted in the UK (Dyson, Meagher, and Robson 2002;Ward et al 2003;Howlin et al 2004;Aston et al 2005;Caton and Kagan 2007;Beyer and Kaehne 2008;Durkin et al 2009;Palikara, Lindsay, and Dockrell 2009;Whitehouse et al 2009;O'Riordan 2011;, 2 in Sweden (Engström, Engström, and Emilsson 2003;Billstedt, Gillberg, and Gillberg 2011), 1 in Norway (Mykleburst and Båtevik 2009) and 1 in Belgium (Renty and Roeyers 2006). Just over half of the studies (N ¼ 8/15) were published in the last four years of the period 2002-2012.…”