Bridging Home and School : Enhancing the Capability to Be Educated to Prevent Early Leaving from Education and Training in Socio-economically Marginalised Contexts

Spiteri, Pamela and Cin, Melis (2025) Bridging Home and School : Enhancing the Capability to Be Educated to Prevent Early Leaving from Education and Training in Socio-economically Marginalised Contexts. British Journal of Educational Studies. ISSN 0007-1005

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Abstract

This qualitative research study examines the concept of the capability to be educated within the context of Early Leaving from Education and Training (ELET) policy. We argue that existing policies often overlook the importance of early intervention during compulsory education and explore the socio-economic and structural factors contributing to ELET by analysing the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) programme in Ireland, which seeks to build partnerships between parents and schools with the goal of reducing educational inequalities. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with parents, HSCL coordinators, and teachers, the extent to which the HSCL programme bolsters the ‘capability to be educated’ is showcased, highlighting that education must extend beyond mere access to schools to include meaningful engagement in the learning process. Employing Hart’s Sen-Bourdieu Analytical Framework (SBAF), the research analyses the ways in which proactive parental engagement, beginning in the early years of schooling, can serve as a critical preventative measure against ELET. The findings demonstrate the relationality between absenteeism, academic achievement, and parental engagement and the need for targeted interventions, and specialised training, to empower students and families, and therefore reducing educational disparities; consequently contributing to the broader discourse on policy reform, prevention, and intervention strategies.