The School Curriculum Ten Years Hence - UCET: Universities ...

The National Assembly for Wales Circular 3/99, Pupil Support and
Social Inclusion identifies specific groups of young people who are
at significant risk of disaffection. They are over-represented
amongst those who are regularly absent, who truant or who are
excluded. These are:
• children where families are under stress
• children who are looked after
• ethnic minority children
• travellers
• young carers
• pupils in transition
• children and young people with special educational needs
• children who have a family member in prison
The full impact of social inclusion can be graphically understood by
referring to one of the groups listed earlier, that is - young people
who are looked after. They are not only likely to have psychological
and emotional problems, but are also likely to have poor
educational achievement that will further limit their life chances and
disadvantage them in our society.
75% of young people leaving care have no academic qualifications
of any kind.
20% become homeless within two years.
Many of these young people do not enjoy school, are not interested
in learning and too often find the curriculum difficult and irrelevant.
Of major concern is the fact that their potential is not fully realised
and their self-esteem is damaged. They often have no positive adult
or peer role models to emulate. Without appropriate intervention,
their negative experience remains with them throughout their adult
life. It is a sad, but true, fact that if young people are not engaged
by the education system by the time they are 16, then they are
nearly ten times more likely to be unemployed by the time they are
25.
The impact that school life has on us all for the good or otherwise
cannot be underestimated. For many it is a positive experience, but
for too many it results in insecurity, humiliation, bullying and
discrimination. These are serious indictments of our education
system. The challenge is to ensure that all young people have the
opportunity to achieve success. This is, I believe, a major challenge
for teacher training. Throughout their training, trainees must
develop, from the very early stages of their teaching career,
teaching strategies that will help them to teach effectively pupils
from all kinds of baselines. Bearing in mind some of the headline
reasons for some teachers leaving their jobs, this will not only
benefit the pupils and students, but also help ensure that young