Keeping young people with health conditions engaged in education

What is it about?

It is well known that having a chronic or traumatic health condition can seriously impact on a young person’s educational trajectory, as well as placing the young person at higher risk of experiencing mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, and increasing their likelihood of participation in risky behaviours. This paper reports on research examining best practice by schools in mitigating the impact of having a health condition by keeping students engaged with education in the post-compulsory years of schooling. The research project was designed to examine the strategies, both formal and informal, which are enacted by schools, individual teachers, families and students in ensuring an ongoing connection with educational pathways in the senior years. We describe an interconnected set of critical success factors for retaining these vulnerable young people in education, and reflect on the implications of these for educational policymakers and school administrators.

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