About Us
The history, background and rationale of Frontiers, and details of our staff.
Why Frontiers Exists Increasing numbers of disengaged young peopleOfficial figures show that there has been a surge in the number of 16-18 year olds not in school, college or work in England. Every year around 67,000 exclusions from school and over a million children truant.  The Social CostsThe social effects of this are enormous. Compared to national averages, truants and excluded children are three times more likely to develop a mental illness, and more than twice as likely to commit crimes and take drugs. A longitudinal study of school leavers who left school in 1997 and became NEET (not in education, employment or training) found, after ten years, 15% of them were DEAD.  The Financial CostsFurthermore, the direct financial implications of disengagement are monumental. The average persistent truant costs society £44,000 and the total costs of persistent truants is £800 million per annum. It costs £53,000 to exclude a child and around £50,000 to imprison a young person for a year (and 76% go on to re-offend). This compares with a cost of £8,000 for a place on the Frontiers programme.  Lack of SupportBecause of the way schools are measured and subsequently resourced, children with complex needs and who demonstrate difficulty accessing the curriculum, fall outside of the current sphere of state school provision. The media tends to demonise young people in the search for a fascinating story. It therefore becomes more difficult for children to shed the labels they have been branded with.  The Frontiers RoleWith nobody taking responsibility for these young people, Frontiers steps in and takes that role. Working patiently to support students and reengage them with learning, our staff address their challenging behaviours and endeavour to steer them towards a brighter future. |
