Raising achievement with adolescents in secondary education—the school counsellor's perspective

Abstract

This qualitative study used data from semi‐structured interviews with eight school counsellors working with adolescents in secondary education and asked them how they perceived counselling interventions as helping to raise achievement. The present context in secondary education is perceived as results led. This adheres to government policy as manifested in the National Curriculum and the examination system. However at a grass roots level there is a growing acceptance of having counsellors working in schools to support the emotional and psychological needs of children and adolescents. The counsellors identified three areas in which they felt their clients' achievement was raised through a counselling intervention: developmentally, socially and less directly, academically. Further study is called for to explore what effect applying a complementary integration and understanding of counselling and educational philosophy might have on raising achievement with adolescents in secondary education.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following for the help and support I received: the Bedford Charity (The Harpur Trust) who funded my research; Janette Newton, Head of the Dudley Counselling Service; Shelley Holland, coordinator for the Youth Advice Centre Counselling Service (Hove YMCA); David Doran, the strategic director of learning for Bedfordshire; the Bedfordshire schools head teachers; Lorna Marchant, the research interviewer; Dr Helen Payne, the academic supervisor of the project; and Professor Julia Buckroyd, who guided the writing of this article. I am particularly indebted to the school counsellors who participated in this study.