In June 2010 the Education Review Office (ERO) evaluated the work of six Alternative Education providers. This work was undertaken through an agreement with the Ministry of Education, which had anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of these providers. The focus of this study was to identify the specific good practice that supported students’ education. Among the aspects ERO examined were the education outcomes of students in Alternative Education, effective teaching environments and the success factors that were critical for the provision of good alternative education.
Because of the small sample, the findings of this evaluation can only be considered indicative. Moreover this evaluation does not comment on the overall quality of Alternative Education nationally. Nevertheless, this small study identified factors of good practice common to these six providers that will be of interest to others involved in the provision of Alternative Education.
Just under 3500 students, aged 13 to 16 currently participate in Alternative Education each year. These students are among those most at risk of failure in the education system. They are in Alternative Education because their truancy and/or experience of schooling has seen them disengage from education.