Youth work in schools

This chapter will consider the inherent possibilities and problems in conceptualising youth work in schools. It will examine potential synergies between a curriculum for educational youth work and contemporary curricula in school education, drawing on the emerging Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) (Scottish Government, 2013) as a potentially useful means of facilitating social change. The chapter will explore some of the ‘hidden knowns’ that youth workers routinely apply in practice encounters including school settings. This exploration suggests that while these ‘knowns’ contribute to practice, they can also limit perspectives on whether youth work can be authentically conceptualised in a school setting. Current changes in policy direction of policy for formal schooling across the UK brings into focus different ideas such as free or home schooling and identifies new roles and possibilities for youth workers in schools