Who we are

Rathbone is a national youth charity – we work with thousands of young people all over the country. In 2008/9, Rathbone worked with 700 young people in our Youth Choices programme.

Pre 16 Youth Choices

Youth Choices (Pre 16) is an education programme that’s been developed to support young people aged between 11 and 16 who are experiencing difficulties in mainstream education such as:

• Pupils who have been permanently excluded from school

• Pupils excluded more than twice from mainstream schools

• Pupils at risk of disengagement from mainstream education

• Pupils with Special Education Needs or Learning Difficulties and Disabilities

• Pupils returning from secure accommodation

Youth Choices (Pre 16) is a programme that your school and other professionals, for example, your social worker or someone from the Youth Offending Team, will design for you with Rathbone. You and your parents will be involved in planning the programme, when you will attend and how the programme will work for you.

How it works

We know that some young people struggle with classroom style learning, for a variety of reasons, so we’ve developed a programme that starts with where you are and what help you need to get back on track.

You might have some time at school and spend some time at a Rathbone centre. This helps you get back into school full-time.

Rathbone also has a small number of Independent special schools that offer full and part time education to young people as a full time alternative to attending school

Before joining Youth Choices, you might have thought qualifications were something that you couldn’t achieve. Rathbone will support you to achieve appropriate qualifications as part of the programme.

We’ll help you take control of your life. We’ll work with you to build your self-esteem and self-confidence. Experiences like work placements and practical learning in areas like construction, childcare, catering and motor vehicle can help you engage with learning again.