Action Research in Secondary Schools

1. Post School Psychological Services Action Research in Secondary Schools PSPS Network Meeting - 4th June 2008 Louise Goodall and Roz Currie (East Lothian)

2. The Project Why? To promote better outcomes for young people who are at risk of becoming in need of more choices, more chances. How? Identify supports in secondary schools that have been successful for young people in transition into post-school

3. What did we do? Brainstorming and Interviews with Key Staff Created Questionnaires Interviews by Careers Scotland School version of the Questionnaires Feedback Session to School

4. What did we find? SCHOOLS • Reluctance to identify where their young people are now • Lack of information about the young people – guess work/not passing on information when staff leave • Interested in what the young people had to say

5. What did we find? IN CLASS SUPPORTS • Schools generally indicating that all pupils received all supports • Young people not remembering this! Mix across authorities but internet resources well remembered

6. What did we find? IN SCHOOL SUPPORT • Not accessing huge amounts of support. • Those who accessed learning support and support bases rating them highly • Guidance – most pupils meeting guidance teachers after reports to discuss future plans • Less pupils feel they discussed worries and concerns with guidance teachers. Teachers saying they did

7. What did we find? COLLEGE • Majority of those interviewed did not access college. • Of those who did, more were now in negative destinations. • Generally rated positively

8. What did we find? WORK EXPERIENCE • Mix in numbers going on work experience but those who did not have any were now in negative destinations (11 had no work experience, of which, 10 are now MCMC)

9. What did we find? OUTSIDE AGENCIES • Most pupils did not access any outside agencies • Those who did tended to be in negative destinations but very small numbers and accessing very few supports

10. What did we find? CAREERS SCOTLAND • 6 across the authorities didn’t know how to access Careers. All in negative destinations • Few remembering class lessons with Careers except in 1 Authority – more remembering having interviews • Mixed ratings across the authorities but generally positive

11. Links to National Identifiers • Attainment • Attendance • Care Status

12. Implications Each authority needs to consider how to take this forward. Example • East Lothian – linking to wider work in secondary schools and with the MCMC strategy. Working in collaboration with schools. • Discussions around effectiveness of PSD

13. Where do the young people want to be? Most young people wanted to be in employment not training.

14. Advice from the Young People Don’t focus on money – do what you feel is your dream Stay on unless you’ve got a definite job to go to. Stick in and don’t mess about. Stay on and get better grades cos getting a job is getting harder and harder I would give them some knowledge of what I done and tell them to make sure they have a plan before leaving school Stay on at school you will regret leaving

15. Finally….. ANY QUESTIONS Louise Goodall (EP, East Lothian) lgoodall@eastlothian.gov.uk Roz Currie (EPiT, soon to be a North Ayrshire EP) r.currie@dundee.ac.uk Barbara Gill (EPiT, soon to be a Fife EP) b.gill@dundee.ac.uk