The Barcelona Education Consortium has been working to bridge the gap between compulsory and post-compulsory school. Introducing new data software to better follow students at risk, the team used “proactive” methods to engage students in conversations about further education.

Additionally, a specific focus on increasing diversity and inclusion in schools helped reach more vulnerable groups, such as Roma children. “School Promoters” - from the communities themselves - supported vulnerable children in schools. This was a key factor, as their advice was seen as ‘support from within the community’.

The newly created Orientation and Absenteeism Unit fights against ‘early leaving from education and training’ by organising and aligning resources throughout students’ school life. The prevention system relies on proactive programmes at the compulsory educational stages and systemised data collection for identification, intervention and evaluation.

Barcelona’s story uses data to intervene as early as possible, creating a systematic approach for proactively engaging students.

Contact

Mariona Sacristan Valero (msacristan.ceb@gencat.cat)