Description
Compensation structures for early school leavers wanting to come back to school to get general or technical high school diploma (‘baccalauréat’, ‘certificat d’aptitude professionnelle’).
Beneficiaries
Early school leavers aged 16 to 25 years who have left school for at least 6 months, and who want to get a high school diploma.
Countries
Education level and sector
Upper secondary school: vocational education and training and apprenticeship, general and technical education.
Type of policy/initiative
Compensation
Level of implementation / Scope
- Local level
- Regional level
- National level
Aims of policy/initiative
Establishment of new or existing networks of upper secondary schools to create an offer responding to the needs of early school leavers aged from 16 to 25 years who want to come back to school to get a diploma in VET, general or technical education.
The development of VET education and solutions within the SRE network is a priority for the creation of new back-to-school structures as well as for the evolution of existing ones.
Features and types of activities implemented
Each New Chance School is a small structure in charge of between 30 and 100 early school leavers.
The training is mainly focused on obtaining VET and general high school diploma through individualised and intensive support.
Without neglecting the collective nature of learning, the education paths are adapted to take into account the specificities of each young individual, their skills and needs.
For an example of an New Chance School, see the good practice for the Lycée Nouvelle Chance Magenta.
Resources
- A network of 61 structures were established in almost 30 local authorities. 21 out of the 61 structures offer VET solutions.
- Around 287 FTE teachers are involved in the structures across France.
- Funding is provided by the state (Ministry of Education) and regions. No EU funding is involved.
- In September 2018, 2,250 young people entered the projects.
Evaluation of the measure
A national reporting dashboard is put at the disposal of the SREs and local authorities to allow the monitoring and evaluation of the projects. The two main indicators used in evaluation are: the success of compensation and the success at the exams (remobilisation of young people, gain in self-confidence, obtaining a diploma).
Evidence of effectiveness of the measure
Long-term results of the projects are very good: 80% success for the pupils who pass the exam (baccalaureate most of the time), around 70% success for the young people registered to prepare the exam.
Success factors
- Small size of structures,
- The recruitment of volunteers among teachers,
- Specialised and committed cooperation teams,
- Friendly and cooperative team members with benevolent and patient attitude,
- Leaving to the teams the freedom to adapt learning and training paths,
- Network of partners inside and out of the institution (e.g. social integration and medical institutions).
