Wednesday November 26th 2025
Knox Academy, Haddington
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A project to support children and young people who have become isolated from school get back into classrooms has helped hundreds of them gain qualifications in its first year.
East Lothian Council launched its specialist Education Outreach Service last year to tackle the issues facing some youngsters who are not attending school.
And in its first 12 months it received 171 referrals for one-to-one support from head teachers and staff across the county.
Now a review of its work has revealed that in its first year the team has helped young people achieve 115 qualifications while dozens more have found the confidence to return to education and a renewed love of learning.
Led by depute head teacher Hannah McBride, the outreach team, which is believed to be the first of its kind operating in Scotland, has ten outreach officers who go into family homes and community venues to begin working with those youngsters who are struggling.
Hannah says children from as young as Primary One right up to senior secondary students have all been supported by the team.
For many, she says, the biggest challenge is building confidence, tackling anxiety and finding ways to reignite a desire to learn.
She says: “Our team work with every child as an individual to create a bespoke approach to their needs but the goal is always the same – to get them back into school.
“Giving them the tools to realise what they can achieve and make them believe in their abilities is a large part of the work and our team are all experienced and provide these children and young people with the support they need to realise their potential.”
The outreach team deals specifically with those who are missing out on education and work with their youngsters in their homes before encouraging them to go to alternative places of learning.
Often it can be visiting a local library or community centre for lessons, or a separate part of their school as a first step as they work to reintroduce them to classrooms.
And it has proved a winning formula so far with 78 per cent of learners reported to have reached their set targets within their first year after referral.
A review of the service found the first group received 115 qualifications and 143 national qualifications after working with the team.
And nine out of ten learners and nearly 100 per cent of their parents rated the service at a nine or above on a scale of one to ten.
Pupils who were referred to the outreach team told the review comments including !it helped me to feel more confident about learning,”, “It was fun and encouraged me to enjoy learning again” and “my tutor broke the maths down well so it made it easier to understand.”
Parents also highlighted the difference it was making with one saying ”this has been an absolute game changer for my daughter who was really lost with schoolwork due to long absences mostly health related. Outreach has given her confidence, and she has
gained qualifications which has flipped her attitude to school. she is now hungry to learn and gain more qualifications”
Hannah said the service aimed to fill a gap in support for children and young people who may have are at risk of being left behind after stopping going to school.
She said: “In some cases it can be a health issue that kept them out for a while and loss of confidence to go back, for other there are underlying issues we need to address.
“It is clear that there are children and young people who are missing out and with this additional one on one support can get back to school and realise their potential and that is something we are proud of and hope to build on as we move forward.”
Councillor Fiona Dugdale, the council’s spokesperson for education and children’s and family services, said: “The specialised resource provided by the Outreach team is already having a positive effect on learner achievements and, just as importantly, on their confidence and love for learning.
“We know that time off school negatively affects attainment and causes significant stress
for learners and their families. The team’s calm, practical and non-judgemental approach, coupled with close working with the relevant school, breaks down barriers and offers bespoke support to help pupils achieve their learning goals.
“I want to congratulate the Outreach team and all of the young people for their fantastic progress in this first year.”
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