Understanding Early School Leaving & SEN in Europe

1. Early School Leaving and SEN: Understanding the literature and policy in Europe Dr Garry Squires garry.squires@Manchester.ac.uk International School Psychology Association Conference 2017: Manchester, UK

2. Squires, G., & Dyson, A. (2017). Early School Leaving and Learners with Disabilities and/or Special Educational Needs: To What Extent Is Research Reflected in European Union Policies? Brussels: European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. Dyson, A., & Squires, G. (2016). Early School Leaving and Learners with Disabilities and/or Special Educational Needs: A Review of the Research Evidence Focussing on Europe. Brussels: European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. Dr Garry Squires 2017

3. Why should we be concerned? “Completing secondary education is seen as being crucial to young peoples life chances” (Dyson and Squires, 2016) • It is the minimal entry requirement for entering the labour market (Schoon, 2015; Staff et al, 2015) • Across OECD countries those that had 84% successful completion of secondary education had lower unemployment rates than those who did not – 16.5% compared to 29.5% (Eurydice network, 2012) • Low educational attainment has been linked to poor health outcomes (Christie et al, 2007; Gallagher, 2011) • ESL is step towards social exclusion (Backman et al 2016; Wilkins & Huckabee, 2014) Dr Garry Squires 2017

4. ESL in the literature Many terms used by different authors: • Drop out • Push out • Fade out • Fall out • Pull out • Opt out • Early departure • Non-completion • Ease out Dr Garry Squires 2017

5. Formal and Functional definitions Estêvão & Álvares’ (2014) distinction between formal and functional drop-out of education. • Formal drop-out emphasises the legal aspect of leaving school before completing compulsory education and should be relatively easy to measure through cohort headcounts, although comparison between countries will still remain difficult due to the variation in school leaving ages. • Functional drop-out refers to leaving school without adequate skills and qualifications to enter successful employment, irrespective of age at leaving. Dr Garry Squires 2017

6. Simplistic model Dr Garry Squires 2017

7. School leaving ages in different countries • Croatia – 14 years • Czech republic, Cyprus, Greece, Poland – 15 years • Belgium age 15 years full time ends but then 3 years compulsory part time (18) • Bulgaria, Denmark, Malta, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – 16 years • Germany – 15 or 16 depending on type of school + 3 years compulsory part time (18/19) • Turkey – 17 years and 6 months • Netherlands, Portugal – 18 years This makes direct comparison between countries difficult. Dr Garry Squires 2017

8. ESL rates across different countries in Europe 2014 • Belgium 9.8 • Bulgaria 12.9 • Czech Republic 5.5 • Denmark 7.7 • Germany 9.5 • Estonia 11.4 • Ireland 6.9 • Greece 9.0 • Spain 21.9 • France 8.5 • Italy 15.0 • Cyprus 6.8 • Latvia 8.5 • Lithuania 5.9 • Luxembourg 6.1 • Hungary 11.4 • Malta 20.4 • Netherlands 8.6 • Austria 7.0 • Poland 5.4 • Portugal 17.4 • Romania 18.1 • Slovenia 4.4 • Slovakia 6.7 • Finland 9.5 • Sweden 6.7 • UK 11.8 • Iceland 19.0 • Norway 11.7 • Macedonia 12.5 • Turkey 38.3 Dr Garry Squires 2017

9. Disadvantages of the simplistic model • ESL is seen as an outcome and, • It leads to headlines and targets. E.g. 10% across Europe by 2020 • Individual countries have to arrive at their own solutions – the model does not really help • How is functional level of education defined? Is it open to change? Dr Garry Squires 2017

10. ESL as a process • Assumption: Individuals leave education for multiple reasons and therefore there must be different causes that run through education and society acting to produce this outcome. • If this is true: ESL is a process that starts early on in education • ESL can therefore be broken into categories of type of processes: push out, pull out and fall out/fade out. These processes are associated with different types of risks. Dr Garry Squires 2017

11. ESL as distinct processes Dr Garry Squires 2017

12. Push out • Forces acting within the school system which marginalise or alienate the student. • The way that the school is organised that creates the conditions that lead to the student being pushed out of education (Lee & Burkam, 2003). • The use of testing regimes including international comparisons such as PISA is argued to have an adverse effect on students with SEN and increase the risk of drop-out by promoting teaching to the test (Smith & Douglas, 2014). • The school is seen as the primary agent in removing the child from the educational system (Doll, et al., 2013) Dr Garry Squires 2017

13. Pull out • Factors outside the student divert them from completing school. • The student (or, more accurately, the student’s situation) is the primary agent in the process (Doll, et al., 2013). Dr Garry Squires 2017

14. Fall out/Fade out • Falling out is a term that comes from a Canadian study of students with English as a Second Language who lacked personal support, became apathetic, did not like school, did not complete schoolwork, had poor study habits, had negative attitudes towards homework, or who had insufficient educational support leading to a gradual disengagement with school (Watt & Roessingh, 1994) • Falling out has been described as a gradual losing of interest in school activities and goals (Pijl, Frostad, & Mjaavatn, 2013). Dr Garry Squires 2017

15. ESL/Drop-out Fall out Students disengage from school  Push out School factors drive students away Pull out Non-school factors draw students away Risks Financial worries Employment Family needs Childbirth Illness Risks Student apathy Not completing schoolwork Insufficient educational support  Risks Poor attendance School discipline polices Consequences of bad behaviour Tests Dr Garry Squires 2017

16. Force Field Analysis Leave school Complete school Dr Garry Squires 2017

17. Revised model (Squires and Dyson, 2017) Dr Garry Squires 2017

18. Acting to reduce ESL • push out calls for action to improve schools, • pull out calls for efforts to tackle factors in students’ out-of-school lives, • falling out calls for action to increase students’ academic success and motivation. Dr Garry Squires 2017

19. Final Model (Squires and Dyson, 2017) Dr Garry Squires 2017